I acquired a number of UHF Micor unified chassis stations, with the intention of converting at least one to GMRS duty. They are in numerous states of disassembly - some are complete chassis less the cards, other have had modules removed, etc. I did get a box of various station cards and at least two known-good PAs to go with the stations, but no power supplies.
What I am looking for is a source for the manuals so I can start to reassemble and get at least one going again. I did check at Motorola Parts Online and found what I expected - "no longer available".
Anyone out there that can help? I see a set available on eBay right now (Item number: 160245704578) - do they cover the unified chassis stations?
If so, maybe I'll bid!
Thanks!
MICOR Unified Chassis
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MICOR Unified Chassis
Mark - N9WYS
Re: MICOR Unified Chassis
My two bits worth:
Actually, you will need two manuals.
Micor has a seperate "Control & Application" which has the unified card cage, as well as the modules.
The RF portion has a manual for each band.
The manuals on flea bay are exactly what you are looking for. The 250Watt manual does not apply to your project.
The power supply also has the 9.6V regulator which powers the channel elements, as well as the low level circuits in the receiver and exciter.
These manuals are available from many sources, as a copy of each shipped with the station from the factory.
A Micor test set would be useful in alignment.
I have a Micor on 462.625 GMRS.
Actually, you will need two manuals.
Micor has a seperate "Control & Application" which has the unified card cage, as well as the modules.
The RF portion has a manual for each band.
The manuals on flea bay are exactly what you are looking for. The 250Watt manual does not apply to your project.
The power supply also has the 9.6V regulator which powers the channel elements, as well as the low level circuits in the receiver and exciter.
These manuals are available from many sources, as a copy of each shipped with the station from the factory.
A Micor test set would be useful in alignment.
I have a Micor on 462.625 GMRS.
Aloha, Bernie
Re: MICOR Unified Chassis
Hello :
I have a set of the Micor manuals covering your situation that id sell $35.00 shipped
Also id go with a normal 12v astron power supply with the amps you need and build or buy the 9.6 volt reduction bd and use it for the micor power supply.
Of course astron isnt your only choice for a power supply = just an example.
If you need the source for the 9.6 votage reduction bd pm me with your email address and ill see if i can locate it for you.
They were available on ebay at one time as i recall .
Maybe try a serarch here and see if it pops up.
The micors power supply as already touched on had two power out which was 12 volt dc and 9.6 volts dc and the micor had two voltage inputs in it.
So youd put the 12v in its spot and off of the 12v output of the same power supply youd put the 12v into the 9.6 voltage reduction bd and then the 9.6 v went to the micors 9.6 v input and then youd be up and running.
Satelite
I have a set of the Micor manuals covering your situation that id sell $35.00 shipped
Also id go with a normal 12v astron power supply with the amps you need and build or buy the 9.6 volt reduction bd and use it for the micor power supply.
Of course astron isnt your only choice for a power supply = just an example.
If you need the source for the 9.6 votage reduction bd pm me with your email address and ill see if i can locate it for you.
They were available on ebay at one time as i recall .
Maybe try a serarch here and see if it pops up.
The micors power supply as already touched on had two power out which was 12 volt dc and 9.6 volts dc and the micor had two voltage inputs in it.
So youd put the 12v in its spot and off of the 12v output of the same power supply youd put the 12v into the 9.6 voltage reduction bd and then the 9.6 v went to the micors 9.6 v input and then youd be up and running.
Satelite
Re: MICOR Unified Chassis
Thanks Guys!!
Well I just won the auction for the manuals, so now I'll sit back and wait for them to arrive.
Regarding the power supply, the voltage reduction board idea intrigues me - of course, Astron supplies are MUCH more readily available than 40-year-old Micor supplies... and I don't have to worry about replacing the electrolytics in them. (I've already rebuilt several supplies in SpectraTAC receiver shelves.
) Is this an add-on option, or might anyone have a source/schematic for a voltage reduction board that will fit this need?
Not being an EE, I'm definitely not into designing my own, plus I'm not sure what the current requirements are for the 9.6V supply, so I'd need to be sure that whatever I build is robust enough. But if there is a kit or schematic available, it's not out of the question for me to roll my own.
Well I just won the auction for the manuals, so now I'll sit back and wait for them to arrive.
Regarding the power supply, the voltage reduction board idea intrigues me - of course, Astron supplies are MUCH more readily available than 40-year-old Micor supplies... and I don't have to worry about replacing the electrolytics in them. (I've already rebuilt several supplies in SpectraTAC receiver shelves.
) Is this an add-on option, or might anyone have a source/schematic for a voltage reduction board that will fit this need? Not being an EE, I'm definitely not into designing my own, plus I'm not sure what the current requirements are for the 9.6V supply, so I'd need to be sure that whatever I build is robust enough. But if there is a kit or schematic available, it's not out of the question for me to roll my own.
Mark - N9WYS
Re: MICOR Unified Chassis
My two bits worth:
Being an old time factory trained technician, I prefer to keep things as stock as possible.
The power supply is common to all stations except the high power versions.
There are two versions of the Micor power supply, the ferro resonant which is inefficient, but bullet proof, and the Switching power supply, which is used in battery back up stations, as well as 220V international models. It can also operate on +48 to 60VDC.
A great many 800 boxes have been scrapped. I have several, the only problem is that the shipping is rather high.
They weigh about 50#
Although it is really a hassle to replace the electrolytics, there are many stations that seem to work just fine with 20+year old caps.
A 9.6 V power supply would be no problem to design using a 3 terminal regulator. Be very sure to by pass all the leads on the regulator with .1uf ceramic caps.
The current draw is probably no more than an amp or two.
Be very careful with the pins on all of the boards, as well as the modules. It is easy to mis align the pins so one of them does not enter the female connector on the module.
Use Caig D5 on the pins.
Be careful with the station control board. The PURC station control board looks like the module for your station, but is not interchangeable.
You will have to figure out what your jumper status should be. Now days we use a programmer, back then we had to trace all the signal paths and set the jumpers for desired operation.
Pay attention to the jumpers on the receiver interconnect board. The configuration between BASE and REPEATER differ as well as "And" or "OR" Squelch.
After all is said and done, the Micor was the work horse for many years. It is also very obsolete, the PA is difficult to repair, and the substrates have been NLA for years, as are most parts.
I installed my first Micor repeater in 1971, for the Hilo Hawaii Police Department.
If I wanted to go to the trouble of building a repeater I would look for a used MSF5000, either the "Analog" or Digital version.
The MSF can have an internal duplexer. I have several duplexers, one could be yours for the shipping. The RF parts are identical and interchangeable between models. Keep in mind the crystals are going to cost $50 or more, not to mention the duplexer as well as any other missing parts. Order your rocks from International. DO NOT use cheap crystals! Remember GMRS has the same requirements as commercial, except you are limited to a maximum of 50Watts to the antenna, which is plenty. The frequency stability is 5ppm. (.0005 ppm)
I can make the code plug for the Analog version, the Digital version is programmed via RSS.
Being an old time factory trained technician, I prefer to keep things as stock as possible.
The power supply is common to all stations except the high power versions.
There are two versions of the Micor power supply, the ferro resonant which is inefficient, but bullet proof, and the Switching power supply, which is used in battery back up stations, as well as 220V international models. It can also operate on +48 to 60VDC.
A great many 800 boxes have been scrapped. I have several, the only problem is that the shipping is rather high.
They weigh about 50#
Although it is really a hassle to replace the electrolytics, there are many stations that seem to work just fine with 20+year old caps.
A 9.6 V power supply would be no problem to design using a 3 terminal regulator. Be very sure to by pass all the leads on the regulator with .1uf ceramic caps.
The current draw is probably no more than an amp or two.
Be very careful with the pins on all of the boards, as well as the modules. It is easy to mis align the pins so one of them does not enter the female connector on the module.
Use Caig D5 on the pins.
Be careful with the station control board. The PURC station control board looks like the module for your station, but is not interchangeable.
You will have to figure out what your jumper status should be. Now days we use a programmer, back then we had to trace all the signal paths and set the jumpers for desired operation.
Pay attention to the jumpers on the receiver interconnect board. The configuration between BASE and REPEATER differ as well as "And" or "OR" Squelch.
After all is said and done, the Micor was the work horse for many years. It is also very obsolete, the PA is difficult to repair, and the substrates have been NLA for years, as are most parts.
I installed my first Micor repeater in 1971, for the Hilo Hawaii Police Department.
If I wanted to go to the trouble of building a repeater I would look for a used MSF5000, either the "Analog" or Digital version.
The MSF can have an internal duplexer. I have several duplexers, one could be yours for the shipping. The RF parts are identical and interchangeable between models. Keep in mind the crystals are going to cost $50 or more, not to mention the duplexer as well as any other missing parts. Order your rocks from International. DO NOT use cheap crystals! Remember GMRS has the same requirements as commercial, except you are limited to a maximum of 50Watts to the antenna, which is plenty. The frequency stability is 5ppm. (.0005 ppm)
I can make the code plug for the Analog version, the Digital version is programmed via RSS.
Aloha, Bernie
Re: MICOR Unified Chassis
Most all commercial AND GMRS requires 2.5PPM frequency tolerance. The UHF Micor repeaters were 2.5ppm stability.bernie wrote:My two bits worth:
Remember GMRS has the same requirements as commercial, except you are limited to a maximum of 50Watts to the antenna, which is plenty. The frequency stability is 5ppm. (.0005 ppm)
.
Micor repeaters are one of the best made, we have several still in service.
Re: MICOR Unified Chassis
My slightly less than two bits worth:
I was thinking of a mobile.
I was thinking of a mobile.
Aloha, Bernie
Re: MICOR Unified Chassis
Thats OK, some mobile Micors had 2.5 PPM channel elements in them.bernie wrote:My slightly less than two bits worth:
I was thinking of a mobile.