Just FYI, the RTCM input has 47 PF to ground and is about a 60k ohm load without JP1 and about a 33k ohm load with JP1.
The detector chip in the r303 receiver has an output impedance of about 450 ohms and needs to feed the RTCM as directly off pin 9 as possible without any series resistance or any capacitance to ground that might attenuate the high frequency noise that the squelch needs. Don't forget to have a series capacitor to block DC, around 5 or 10 microfarad should be good.  
Chuck 


On Sat, Apr 2, 2016 at 4:06 PM, Chuck Henderson <rpt2@chuck.midlandsnetworking.com> wrote:
"Once you have verified that the firmware is running, place a jumper shunt on JP8 and JP10. Be sure to
do this at a reasonable human room temperature (like 60-80 deg. F). This is necessary because this
procedure initializes the operating parameters in the EEPROM and also does a temperature compensation
diode calibration which needs to happen at room temperature. Once the jumper shunts
have been installed, power-cycle the board and wait for the system activity light to come on steady
(about 4 seconds or so after the 5 second initial wait time). Then remove the jumper shunts."

From https://allstarlink.org/votersystem.pdf page 20
Chuck


On Sat, Apr 2, 2016 at 3:23 PM, Skyler F <electricity440@gmail.com> wrote:
Well stupid me for not listening to you guys. I guess the hamtronics is really sensitive to low impedance outputs, and the highs get cut off if you have any sort of load at all. When I turned on the internal amplifier, the RTCM was happy with calibrating squelch. 

Can anybody explain to me what "Diode calibration" means?

73,
Skyler

On Wed, Mar 30, 2016 at 5:42 PM, Joe Leikhim <rhyolite@leikhim.com> wrote:
Skyler;

Here is a wideband VHF 136-156 MHz radio that will solve your ham club problems for $35 each. If these were UHF I would be buying a bushel full. You will need to get the programming software from Ritron. I think it is free.

There are similar models with an enclosure, but for much more $$.

See the auction below on E-Bay:

Seller dale575

Ritron VHF Transceiver PCA, 136-156MHZ, 5 Watt, Model DTX-142-GCWD-I

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ritron-VHF-Transceiver-PCA-136-156MHZ-5-Watt-Model-DTX-142-GCWD-I/191557457767?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D35389%26meid%3D4bbbffc700cc4aefba654c3ce0d394f8%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D401085025343



On 3/30/2016 12:11 PM, Skyler F wrote:
Factory tuned from the factory. And I don't even have a signal generator / counter good for RF. We got one hamtronics board, and won't buy another until we get this one working.

On Wed, Mar 30, 2016 at 10:08 AM, Joe Leikhim <rhyolite@leikhim.com> wrote:
Were these receivers factory built and tuned or did individual club members build them? Either way, you might try others from the lot. If you have only a rudimentary signal generator and / or frequency counter, perhaps I can walk you through some "field expedient" steps over the phone.


On 3/30/2016 12:01 PM, Skyler F wrote:
I don't have the test equipment to go through all of the dirty Local Oscilator, SINAD, etc., so I will have to wait on that a few weeks before the president of the club gets back in town. 

WHEN I bypassed the capacitor and resistor ( 1k and .03µ) , the RTCM was able to calibrate squelch. The LED flashed several times and then was steady. Maybe the capacitor is the wrong value. There was no code on it, but based on the resistor code, the value was correct. 

73
Skyler

On Mon, Mar 28, 2016 at 4:08 PM, Joe Leikhim <rhyolite@leikhim.com> wrote:
If you are using an external reference, you cannot make up for the 2nd LO error if it is wildly off. There is an easy SINAD related test in EIA-603 that is called Offset Acceptance Bandwidth that would indicate if the IF were off center. Things that could go wrong apart from simple misalignment of the Quad Detector coil could include the LO crystal being way off frequency, the IF filters being wrong BW or off spec pass frequency.

Given the symptoms, I am putting my money on a misadjusted quad coil.

Joe


On 3/28/2016 5:06 PM, Bryan Fields wrote:
On 3/28/16 2:51 PM, Joe Leikhim wrote:
1) Make sure the receiver First Local Oscillator is adjusted correctly
on frequency. (Fo -10.700 MHz) Likewise the second LO should be at
around 10.2450 MHz. The second LO is not adjustable, so any minor error
would have to be made up with the TCXO U3. After this second step:

Then :

2) Make sure the general alignment is set properly, especially the
discriminator coil T2 which responds to 10.7000 MHz from a signal
generator, has an S curve response.  In my experience with these sort of
Quadrature  Detector chips, you can get a false sense of IF centering
where the noise component is suppressed. You might try adjusting for
maximum noise first without the 10.7000 MHz signal. Be careful you don't
jam the coil slug.
These are both very good points i didn't consider.  I normally don't check my
reference oscillators in the hamtronics as they are using an external 10MHz
source.

You will want to check SINAD on it as well, if it's not making spec (and those
hamtronics are very sensitive), something else is wrong with it.


--
Joe Leikhim


Leikhim and Associates

Communications Consultants

Oviedo, Florida

JLeikhim@Leikhim.com

407-982-0446

WWW.LEIKHIM.COM

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--
Skyler Fennell
KDØWHB

-- 
Joe Leikhim


Leikhim and Associates

Communications Consultants

Oviedo, Florida

JLeikhim@Leikhim.com

407-982-0446

WWW.LEIKHIM.COM



--
Skyler Fennell
KDØWHB

-- 
Joe Leikhim


Leikhim and Associates

Communications Consultants

Oviedo, Florida

JLeikhim@Leikhim.com

407-982-0446

WWW.LEIKHIM.COM



--

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