I appreciate everyone who has responded to my incessant questions here lately regarding radios, etc.. Tuesday morning, I took a hit to my VHF/UHF vertical antenna. It came into the ham shack and got the following equipment:
FT-847 FT-8100 RS-35A either the LVB Tracker, the G5400 controller or both (the G5400 controller is sluggish and the LVB tracker doesn't even turn on) cable modem router my PC's NIC my kids' PC's NIC and reset a couple of GFI outlets throughout the house.
I have been asking the questions of the radios because I have an FT857 that I was not in use at the time; however, it does not have full duplex capability. I really like the 857 and wouldn't mind having another, but the FT817 would be (from what I read) a great little receiver and it's a bit less expensive (I can add filters to it at that cost). As for the 847, I work in telecom and I know what kind of damage you fight from a lightning strike. I could send it to Yaesu, but when it comes back, I'll be fighting with it from now on. I just don't want to spend $500 for repairs only to have to send it back six months later for repairs again. I'll try to fix it, but that's going to be kind of slow - it'll also make for a good teacher.
As for the rotor controller, I was already going to completely take down the HEO antenna array and put up either homebrew eggbeaters or turnstiles. The 22 elements on 2m and 44 elements on 70cm are a tad overkill for what is up there and they need work. I really want to put a hexbeam up on that tower anyway. :)
I guess I'm looking for advice. Do I send the radio to Yaesu for repair or purchase a companion for the 857? Any other advice is also welcome.
Folks, unplug and disconnect everything. We had another lightning storm last night. At 3am, my wife woke me and said, "Honey, there's light..." I ran into the hamshack and just pulled everything out of the wall. It's funny looking back on it, but I still have a sick feeling in my stomach.
Joel, I took a lightning hit with my 847 in 1997. It was a big one, took out my sat tv, phone, TNC's , KCT card, computer's, etc. I had disconnected the antennas, power, everything except the modem(remember them?), that's where it got in, through the phone line, to the rs-232 port. I had an APRS station I left up and didn't disconnect during the event and it was fine! Go figure. To make a long story short I sent the 847 in that was only 3 weeks old to be looked at. Yaesu graciously fixed it under warranty. I was also Leary about keeping a lightning compromised radio after a lightning hit but I really didn't want to sell it to anyone so I kept it. Now 11 years later it is still working the birds! So you never know, good luck if you decide to go for the repair.
73 Jeff kb2m
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Joel Black Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 19:33 PM To: AMSAT Subject: [amsat-bb] FT847 and Lightning
I appreciate everyone who has responded to my incessant questions here lately regarding radios, etc.. Tuesday morning, I took a hit to my VHF/UHF vertical antenna. It came into the ham shack and got the following equipment:
FT-847 FT-8100 RS-35A either the LVB Tracker, the G5400 controller or both (the G5400 controller is sluggish and the LVB tracker doesn't even turn on) cable modem router my PC's NIC my kids' PC's NIC and reset a couple of GFI outlets throughout the house.
I have been asking the questions of the radios because I have an FT857 that I was not in use at the time; however, it does not have full duplex capability. I really like the 857 and wouldn't mind having another, but the FT817 would be (from what I read) a great little receiver and it's a bit less expensive (I can add filters to it at that cost). As for the 847, I work in telecom and I know what kind of damage you fight from a lightning strike. I could send it to Yaesu, but when it comes back, I'll be fighting with it from now on. I just don't want to spend $500 for repairs only to have to send it back six months later for repairs again. I'll try to fix it, but that's going to be kind of slow - it'll also make for a good teacher.
As for the rotor controller, I was already going to completely take down the HEO antenna array and put up either homebrew eggbeaters or turnstiles. The 22 elements on 2m and 44 elements on 70cm are a tad overkill for what is up there and they need work. I really want to put a hexbeam up on that tower anyway. :)
I guess I'm looking for advice. Do I send the radio to Yaesu for repair or purchase a companion for the 857? Any other advice is also welcome.
Folks, unplug and disconnect everything. We had another lightning storm last night. At 3am, my wife woke me and said, "Honey, there's light..." I ran into the hamshack and just pulled everything out of the wall. It's funny looking back on it, but I still have a sick feeling in my stomach. _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
I certainly appreciate all the replies and the encouragement.
If any of you with a G-5400 controller would check something out, I'd appreciate it. When I move up or right, there is a momentary deflection in the opposite direction. Then, when I release the button, it jumps ahead a bit by just a few degrees. If I move down or left, there is no immediate deflection, but when I release the button, it deflects in the opposite direction. I just don't remember mine acting that way before the strike.
Thanks, Joel, W4JBB
----- Original Message ----- From: "Joel Black" [email protected] Cc: "'AMSAT'" [email protected] Sent: Saturday, March 13, 2010 10:44 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] Playing With Lightning
I certainly appreciate all the replies and the encouragement.
If any of you with a G-5400 controller would check something out, I'd appreciate it. When I move up or right, there is a momentary deflection in the opposite direction. Then, when I release the button, it jumps ahead a bit by just a few degrees. If I move down or left, there is no immediate deflection, but when I release the button, it deflects in the opposite direction. I just don't remember mine acting that way before the strike.
Thanks, Joel, W4JBB
Hi Joel, W4JBB
Trouble-shooting for your G-5400
I suggest you to momentarily disconnect the wires A1-A2-A3 going from the rear of the control box up to the rotator.
Connect temporarely for test a 500 ohm wire wound potentiometer to terminals A1-A2-A3 of the control box taking into account that A2 is the wiper of the potentiometer.
Power supply the control box and rotate very slowly by hand the shaft of the potentiometer.
If the pointer of the azimut instrument follows accordingly your rotation by hand than there is no damage into the control box.
Repeate the same procedure for the wires E1-E2-E3 to test the elevation remembering that E2 is the wiper of the potentiometer.
If the pointer of the elevation instrument follows accordingly your by hand rotation of the potentiometer then there is no damage into the control box.
If the deflection of the instruments is still like you describes probably the integrated circuits C3 and C4 into the control box where damaged by the strike.
Reconnect the original wires between the rotator and the control box and using a high impedance DC voltmeter measure the voltage between A2-A3 and E2-E3
While rotating the antennas left and righ and up and down observe if the voltage follows smootly the above rotation.
If the voltage jumps there is probably a damage into the potentiometer wipers inside the rotator
Check if the voltage between A1- A3 and between E1-E3 is about 6 volts.
The voltage must remain constant at about 6 volts rotating the antennas othervise the voltage regulator Q2 was damaged by the strike.
Using the above trouble-shooting you can establish if the problem is located into the rotator or into the controlbox or along the wires connecting both.
Have fun !
Best 73" de
i8CVS Domenico
The voltage regulator in my KR-5400A was damaged by a lightning strike and had to be replaced........ 73, Harvey K5HV
----- Original Message ----- From: "i8cvs" [email protected] To: "Joel Black" [email protected] Cc: "'AMSAT'" [email protected] Sent: Saturday, March 13, 2010 19:20 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Playing With Lightning
----- Original Message ----- From: "Joel Black" [email protected] Cc: "'AMSAT'" [email protected] Sent: Saturday, March 13, 2010 10:44 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] Playing With Lightning
I certainly appreciate all the replies and the encouragement.
If any of you with a G-5400 controller would check something out, I'd appreciate it. When I move up or right, there is a momentary deflection in the opposite direction. Then, when I release the button, it jumps ahead a bit by just a few degrees. If I move down or left, there is no immediate deflection, but when I release the button, it deflects in the opposite direction. I just don't remember mine acting that way before the strike.
Thanks, Joel, W4JBB
Hi Joel, W4JBB
Trouble-shooting for your G-5400
I suggest you to momentarily disconnect the wires A1-A2-A3 going from the rear of the control box up to the rotator.
Connect temporarely for test a 500 ohm wire wound potentiometer to terminals A1-A2-A3 of the control box taking into account that A2 is the wiper of the potentiometer.
Power supply the control box and rotate very slowly by hand the shaft of the potentiometer.
If the pointer of the azimut instrument follows accordingly your rotation by hand than there is no damage into the control box.
Repeate the same procedure for the wires E1-E2-E3 to test the elevation remembering that E2 is the wiper of the potentiometer.
If the pointer of the elevation instrument follows accordingly your by hand rotation of the potentiometer then there is no damage into the control box.
If the deflection of the instruments is still like you describes probably the integrated circuits C3 and C4 into the control box where damaged by the strike.
Reconnect the original wires between the rotator and the control box and using a high impedance DC voltmeter measure the voltage between A2-A3 and E2-E3
While rotating the antennas left and righ and up and down observe if the voltage follows smootly the above rotation.
If the voltage jumps there is probably a damage into the potentiometer wipers inside the rotator
Check if the voltage between A1- A3 and between E1-E3 is about 6 volts.
The voltage must remain constant at about 6 volts rotating the antennas othervise the voltage regulator Q2 was damaged by the strike.
Using the above trouble-shooting you can establish if the problem is located into the rotator or into the controlbox or along the wires connecting both.
Have fun !
Best 73" de
i8CVS Domenico
Sent via [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
participants (4)
-
H. Vordenbaum -
i8cvs -
Jeff KB2M -
Joel Black