Digital Spectra Consolette
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2003 3:45 am
I have a Digital Spectra Consolette, which is exhibiting some strange behavior... or is it just a Big M "feature"?
(1) The AGC circuit seems to be too sensitive: This critter will hold Tx down to a -51dBm! And adjusting the AGC means almost turning it OFF to get it to unkey at a -35dBm level.
(2) This unit has been keying up on its own, and hanging on Tx sometimes for several minutes, tying up the channel. The unit itself is at a remote site and linked via microwave to an Elite Gold Series CEB; visits to the site revealed that not only has it keyed up on its own, but that it's switched modes as well. (I suspect that the Tx hang may be due to the sensitivity problem above, coupled with noise on the Mux channel, but the keyup problem has me baffled unless it's because the BIM is "sounding off" at just the right time during one of its tone tests and the consolette is seeing it as HLGT, and also seeing a portion of the noise on the microwave channel as some sort of function tone.)
(3) The Spectra radio is programmed for 4-mode operation: The consolette switches modes just as it should using the function tones necessary (we're using it TRC), but... throw a function tone at it for Tx modes 5-8 and even though those modes aren't programmed in the radio, the thing will KEY up on the last used mode
Since this is the first one of these critters I've ever played with, HELLLLP!
(1) The AGC circuit seems to be too sensitive: This critter will hold Tx down to a -51dBm! And adjusting the AGC means almost turning it OFF to get it to unkey at a -35dBm level.
(2) This unit has been keying up on its own, and hanging on Tx sometimes for several minutes, tying up the channel. The unit itself is at a remote site and linked via microwave to an Elite Gold Series CEB; visits to the site revealed that not only has it keyed up on its own, but that it's switched modes as well. (I suspect that the Tx hang may be due to the sensitivity problem above, coupled with noise on the Mux channel, but the keyup problem has me baffled unless it's because the BIM is "sounding off" at just the right time during one of its tone tests and the consolette is seeing it as HLGT, and also seeing a portion of the noise on the microwave channel as some sort of function tone.)
(3) The Spectra radio is programmed for 4-mode operation: The consolette switches modes just as it should using the function tones necessary (we're using it TRC), but... throw a function tone at it for Tx modes 5-8 and even though those modes aren't programmed in the radio, the thing will KEY up on the last used mode
Since this is the first one of these critters I've ever played with, HELLLLP!