Sound Problems

[eagleeye33]

I've just recently installed a Syntor x9000 lowband radio in my SUV. Everything works except i cannot get it to receive or transmit. The speaking is working and my portable does not pick anything up when I press the PTT button on the mic. I know that I have the radio programmed correctly so it there anything else someone can suggest I check?

[abbylind]

Did you hook up the orange and green wires on the control head?
Check your ground also

Fowler
KC5AEE

[eagleeye33]

All the wires are hooked up and everything lights up as it should.

[wx4cbh]

OK, one thing at a time 'cause my mind is old and foggy. The antenna switching is really the only thing RX and TX have in common if all else (software, hardware, and service parameters) is correct. Lets look at the receive side first. Do you have audio at the speaker, such as when you press a button or hold the volume control down and hear the audio set tone (assuming you don't have tones turned off) and when you go to "monitor" and open the squelch, and do you know the speaker is really good? Your post indicates this is all OK, but I'm looking for details like clear or distorted audio.

When you're applying a signal to the radio does the radio indicate it's receiving anything on frequency by the amber RX light and the red Non-priority or Priority lights? If there's PL on the receive freq, did you go to "Monitor" to see if the PL is incorrect or did you open the squelch to see if there's really anything there except white noise? Have you tried more than one freq you've got programmed into the radio?

[eagleeye33]

The radio indicates that nothing is being received. No lights come on when I transmit on my portable. I have also tried opening the squelch with no success.

[eagleeye33]

I switched out my lowband RT unit with a UHF RT unit and reprogrammed the control for UHF operation and it works fine. I'm thinking my lowband RT is in need of some repair.

[jackhackett]

It's been years since I worked on one so my memory is foggy at best, but if both RX and TX are not working I would tend to suspect the synthesiser, as that is what they have most in common... I would think on a display type control head you'd get some error code for this, but then there's that fog problem...
It might help to tell us the model numbers of the radio, head, and cable, and any accessories you have hooked up to it.

There are also a couple of places you can find more info on the X9000s

http://www.batlabs.com/x9000.html
http://www.onfreq.com/syntorx/syntorx9k/index.html

[wx4cbh]

I haven't worked on one in a few years either, but no RX audio output or RX indicator lights at all and no TX response lead me to agree with jack. Antenna switching failures won't cause the loss of all RX/TX functions.

[eagleeye33]

I'm getting no error codes on power up. There's no indication of any problems except that it won't tx/rx. The model # is: T71KEJ7J04AK, head model: hcn1033, standard x9000 cable, no accessories.

[kf4sqb]

You may also want to pop the cover off and see if the VCO unlock indicator is lit or not (it shouldn't be). You may have frequencies programmed outside the radio's bandsplit. If you're not already familiar with the location of the VCO unlock indicator, I'll try to explain it's location to you.

Remove the radio's top cover (that's the one that you push the button under the handle to release). With the radio laying flat and the handle facing you, look right beyond the button that you just pushed to remove the top cover. You should see a small (app. 2" X 1") metal cover held down with two screws. Looking further toward the back of the radio, there should be a small (app. 3/8") gap, then another, larger, "L" shaped metal cover. This cover should have some lettering stamped into it showing the location of the reference oscillator and deviation adjustments, and the power set pot. If you look at the part of the board you can see in the gap between these covers, there should be a small (app. 1/8") hole labeled "CR602". There is a small red LED visible through this hole. This is the VCO unlock indicator. It is normal for this LED to be lit while the radio is scanning, as well as for it to flash while changing channels, but not normal for it to be lit otherwise. If it is lit while the radio is in RX (not scanning), the VCO is out of range for that RX frequency and unlocked. Similarly, if it is lit while holding down the PTT, the VCO is out of range for that TX frequency and unlocked. If it is lit all the time, check the bandsplit of your radio and make sure your frequencies are within it. From the model number you posted, its a lowband (31-50 MHz) unit. Are your frequencies in this range?

[eagleeye33]

My LED is just behind the button that is pushed to remove the top cover. It is lit all the time. I've confirmed the band split and that's fine. I also double checked the programmed frequencies and they are also good. I'm not sure what else to try.

[kf4sqb]

Interesting. If the VCO unlock indicator is staying on all the time, then the VCO is unlocked. As you've already seen, it absolutely won't work that way. Is this a radio you've had, and this problem just developed, or is this a radio you just acquired, and it didn't work properly from the start? It could have a bad VCO, or someone may have adjusted it for some reason, causing it to not cover the original frequency spread, or it may even have the wrong VCO in it. Its also possible that the guts of the radio aren't original to the chassis, which could mean that the radio isn't really what the model plate says it is. Try posting model numbers off of the VCO board, the PA board, and the preselector assembly. If you're not familiar with Moto model numbers, they should be in the format of "HLNxxxx_", or "HLDxxxx_", or "HLExxxx_". The lower case "x" would be a number, and the "_" would be a letter. The VCO's number should be etched onto the VCO board, the PA's number should be on a decal on the PA board, and the preselector's number should be on a decal somewhere on the outside of the preselector assembly casting. Someone on here should be able to tell you for sure what they are. If you need help locating any of these parts, just post back with any questions, or course.

[eagleeye33]

Its a radio that I recently acquired. I also thought about the guts not being original to the chassis.