Spectra Synthasizer Out of Lock

[Mikey]

Ok, I had a Dash Mount Spectra that i tried to reprogram and now it shows a "synthasizer out of lock" Code (Fail 001) This radio was working fine until i tried to reprogram it, and i know the frequencies that i put in it are within the bandsplit, it does it on every channel. Does anybody have any sugestions other than "Replace the Caps". That seems to be the fix for everything when it comes to Spectra's, but i don't think that is the problem here.


Mike

[jackhackett]

This radio was
working fine until i tried to reprogram it, and i know the frequencies
that i put in it are within the bandsplit, it does it on every channel.

Does anybody have any sugestions other than "Replace the Caps". That
seems to be the fix for everything when it comes to Spectra's, but i
don't think that is the problem here.

Were the frequencies that were in it when it was working within the bandsplit, or could it have been modified to work outside of the bandsplit it was manufactured for?

Did you save the original programming? If you did, does putting that back in make it work again?

As for the caps, if they've never been replaced you should look into it.

[Mikey]

I didn't keep the original codeplug, but i know it hasn't been modified and all the freq's were within bandslpit that were in it. I also tried Cloning a good codeplug from another in the fleet to no avail.

[Jim202]

Rule number 1 Always make a copy on a floppy or other directory other than your archive directory
of the Motorola codeplug before screwing with it.

Rule number 2. See rule number one.

Rule number 3. Don't mess with the original saved codeplug.

You might have an issue with the channels you programmed in being disliked by the VCO. I would try
going up or down in frequency, depending on which end of the band your playing near. Hopefully you
didn't mess with any of the MOFLAG settings. If so, you might go back and try to undo any that
you have changed.

Jim

I didn't keep the original codeplug, but i know it hasn't been modified and all the freq's were within bandslpit that were in it. I also tried Cloning a good codeplug from another in the fleet to no avail.

[Mikey]

Nope, Didn't Mess with any other settings except Codeplug freq's. We had a fleet of 20 of these and they all took the codeplug except this one, its throwing fits. Tried deleting all channel info and leaving just one channel in it at 155.00 mhz. and it still does it.

[kc7gr]

Synthesizer unlock can easily be caused by capacitor leakage issues on the RF board. If the caps have not already been replaced with Panasonic HD series, or similar quality equivalents, it should be done at this time.

If you're uncomfortable with surface-mount components, either myself or Will can do the job for you. Drop a PM if interested.

Happy tweaking.

[Will]

Yes, bad/leaking caps can do this, so can a bad code plug. I use Mil Spec caps for replacement, not electrolytics.

Just replacing the capacitors may not cure the problem.