Another MSF 5000 Question

radioguruphil · Post by **radioguruphil** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 5:51 pm

I am trying to program a C73CXB7106B, i think it was originally just a remoted simplex base. It was then changed to a repeater. I think it may have been configured to an astro tac voting system. I am trying to program it to a stand alone repeater but I am having difficulty. It will be going from 154.340 TX 150.805 RX to 151.550 TX 160.140 RX. I think it will do MCS. That part I may have figured out. Now I have error codes that are not listed in the prgramming software. Any help would be appreciated.

d119 · Post by **d119** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 7:39 pm

radioguruphil wrote:I am trying to program a C73CXB7106B, i think it was originally just a remoted simplex base. It was then changed to a repeater. I think it may have been configured to an astro tac voting system. I am trying to program it to a stand alone repeater but I am having difficulty. It will be going from 154.340 TX 150.805 RX to 151.550 TX 160.140 RX. I think it will do MCS. That part I may have figured out. Now I have error codes that are not listed in the prgramming software. Any help would be appreciated.

And said error codes would be...?

radioguruphil · Post by **radioguruphil** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 2:46 am

I knew you would , here goes like this, ---5.52 d.8.9 8.8.8 . The fail light is red, line ptt is yellow, fail soft is yellow, trc enable blinks yellow the disable is red, . It worked before started to tinker with it.

kcbooboo · Post by **kcbooboo** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 4:47 am

Display shows: ---5.52 d.8.9 8.8.8

The 5.52 is a firmware version.
The d.8.9 is an error code that indicates the Multi-Coded Squelch module is not responding. It may not be present or may not be powered up, but the code plug says it should be there (MCS=ENABLE somewhere).
The 8.8.8 is the beginning of a station reset process and means it's stuck in a loop.

Fix the code plug and try to force it back into the station.

Bob M.

radioguruphil · Post by **radioguruphil** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 4:43 pm

Ok I'll try those changes and post my results. thank you.

radioguruphil · Post by **radioguruphil** » Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:24 pm

I was able to program the radio, however I had to disable all traces of the MCS function and put in a PL code. Now the radio will repeat as it should. I do believe that I will need to tune the TX and the RX as I have entered frequencies that are a few megs away from what was in the radio to start. I did get the duplexer tuned . At this time I do not have any measureable power out. We will tune the radio and see what happens.

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Thu Jan 14, 2010 3:32 pm

The only tunning on a vhf station is in the rx section (which needs retunning anyway) You say no measurable power out. Let me ask when you key the station from the control tray are you getting your pa key and your pa full lights. They should stay on continuous as long as the station sees its ptt qualifiers. If they are staying lit as it sees ptt then what you'll have to do is simply adjust power out on the right front of the rf tray.
If the station keys and the pa key and the pa full lights come on momentarily (basically a quick flash) then you have a load that the station doesn't like. The best way that I've been able to do it is to adjust the power as low as it will go and as the station is keyed bring up your output to the desired setting. (I usually key right into the service monitor without the duplexers at first and then go from there.
Mileages may very
Doug

MSS-Dave · Post by **MSS-Dave** » Fri Jan 15, 2010 7:12 am

Does VHF have VCO tuning? RX should lock cause he only moved a little less than 4 MHz. TX moved about 7.5 MHz up. Perhaps TX side is out of lock??

Worked on loads of 450 and 900 MSF, never a VHF so sorry if sounds a little ignorant.....

Dave

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Fri Jan 15, 2010 8:35 am

Hey Dave,
Actually the VHF station vco's are non-tunable, the only alignment a vhf station requires is the rx section. VHF stations have relatively small pre-selectors located underneath the front panel and the image filters are in the same location as the uhf and the 900 stuff

radioguruphil · Post by **radioguruphil** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 12:14 pm

Thank you, I had this connected to a jumper out to my antenna. Perhaps the cable may not be quite right as the PA full light does a little flicker when you key it. The radio is in my garage so I need the jumper to goto the polyphaser in the basement. I will move the repeater to the basement and try again. I do have a Full length cabinet. and a couple of power supply from a 1/4 k 400 station. If I get another PA can I make a 1/4 k VHF ?

radioguruphil · Post by **radioguruphil** » Mon Jan 18, 2010 4:58 am

I brought the MSF5000 to my shop and connected it to my known good antenna setup. Connected the watt meter to it keyed it up and , no power and a brief flash of the PA Full light. Ok next I connected the watt meter and cable to the PA output and I have a full 125 watts out. Time to go through the duplexer which was supposed to be tuned !

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Mon Jan 18, 2010 6:02 am

That's the main reason I had suggested keying directly into the service monitor straight out of the PA. It narrows down your trouble shooting right away.

radioguruphil · Post by **radioguruphil** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 1:45 pm

The duplexer had been retuned to 160.140 in and 151.500 out. It previously had 150.805 in and 154.340 out, so now the high side of the duplexer is low and the high side became low ! I switched the cables around on it and it performs as it is supposed to. Now all I have to do is tune the rxr. So does any body know how to hook up two PA's to make a 200 watt repeater ? I have two extra MSF power supplys. I also have two 460 MSF PA's to trade.

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 5:31 pm

I'm sure they are around but I have yet to see a 1/4k vhf msf station. I don't imagine building a 200 watt station would be all that difficult, use the msf amp as an exciter for the secondary amp whether it be a henry amp, tpl amp or whatever as long as you have the proper drive control and providing the duplexers can handle the output and have the required isolation.
Doug

Post by **grandnational** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 1:45 am

250W / 330W MSF stations did exist on VHF, but I think they weren't too numerous. Have only seen one.

Rigging a bigger amp with the MSF PA driving it would work. You can also drive two with one & combine their outputs with the proper harnessing. A better tac might be brewing up a new amp. Mo' powah doesn't come easy, and you have to ask yourself if the extra few dB is worth it. Like so in autos, what runs harder can break faster. Keep reliability in mind.

Good luck.

radioguruphil · Post by **radioguruphil** » Fri Feb 26, 2010 7:04 am

Thanks I guess a $125 should be fine it's up pretty high 250' hill one of the highest spots on Cape Cod. And the water tank and supporting structure are at least another 100'. Good antenna as well. Now we just have to tune it up and away we go.

wm4t · Post by **wm4t** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 8:23 pm

Doug wrote:I'm sure they are around but I have yet to see a 1/4k vhf msf station. I don't imagine building a 200 watt station would be all that difficult, use the msf amp as an exciter for the secondary amp whether it be a henry amp, tpl amp or whatever as long as you have the proper drive control and providing the duplexers can handle the output and have the required isolation.
Doug

Doug,
I bought a 350watt msf5000 vhf many years ago. Still have it, runs two dual voltage 12/28 volt power suppplies in parallel to get more amps. It does do 350watts out too using the 20watt pa that is a driver for the 350watt pa unit. about 300lbs when all together. The one I got was a low split also!

Having problems when I put the 125 watt pa on it which is what I run most of the time at less than 80watts into the duplexers.

Sam

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