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VX-150 YahooGroups

Don Hawkins (W7DAH) has sent you a product review for your consideration.


----- start of message -----
FYI


The following is a review from eHam.net:

Own 2....for a good reason

I was looking to replace an old IC-2a thar has years on it and has been repaired
numerous times.  I talked to our local dealer of ICKENYAE equipment...he
suggested looking at the VX-150 that had just come out (this was summer 2000). 
He did not have them yet so he sent me to another dealer at the hamfest (that
deserves applause)...I looked, held, then smiled.  For $130 I was able to get
it!  Great radio, been on public service events in the rain, never worried about
it and it never complained...Bought another 6 months later for my son.....This
is a very stout radio with ease of use and programming.

A definite BEST BUY (btw Hamstation in Evansville, IN has them for $130)

----- end of message -----


You can see this review in full at:

http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/1324


This email was sent to you from Don Hawkins (W7DAH) through a notification
system on eHam.net.

<!--  Spoke.net Reviews  -->
<!--  Copyright (c)1999-2000 Spoke.net, Inc.  All rights reserved.  -->

VX-150 YahooGroups

Don Hawkins (W7DAH) has sent you a product review for your consideration.


----- start of message -----
FYI #2


The following is a review from eHam.net:

Had to ask for the price.....twice.

I am one of the guys who put off getting my License for a long time. Then I
finaly dedicated myself to a week of reading and did it. So here I am a month
ago new license in hand looking for a good radio. I add with not a whole lot of
cash. I am a under paid civil servent. All of a sudden I see this good looking
radio on a web page and thought.... "I am going to have to shed out a bunch of
cash for that radio", Why?  About ten years ago a friend bought a Yaesu radio
after getting his license and he spent BIG MONEY on his radio. That was one
reason I was a little put off by the hobby. Today I am a little older.... Not
much richer. But, I made the call to the Local Radio Shop. $130.00 with Instant
Rebate from Yaesu. I almost fell over and asked again. "How much"? Well, I did a
little more research online. I decided to make the trip and it was worth it.
This radio is better Quality then any of "Heavy Duty" Public Safety radios that
Motorola makes. I Recieved HT radio traffic from !
a Fire Department about 40 miles away on my VX radio with little distortion. Our
new Motorola HT-1000 would not even pick them up with the Squelch Opened. Our
Stations Base and my radio picked them up. The guys all wondered how a radio
have the size of a HT-1000 could do that. The only problem I have had is a
Glitch with the #1 Memory. It shows up as what ever #2 is if you turn the edge
beep off. Besides that it is a Sharp looking radio....Good Audio, Rx/Tx Light,
The Orange Backlight and Clear Alphanumatic LCD works like a Knock Out Champion
in my Book. It also has a ton of On-board Programming Features to suit.
                                      73, Roy

----- end of message -----


You can see this review in full at:

http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/1324


This email was sent to you from Don Hawkins (W7DAH) through a notification
system on eHam.net.

Just got my VX-150 yesterday.  Charged the battery all night long but
the battery did not take the charge.  Battery was charged in the radio
with factory supplied wall wart charger.  Any one else had battery
charging problems?

Steve,

Check the third battery contact in the battery compartment (visible
with the pack out).  Make sure there is nothing interfering with the
contact between that spring contact and the corresponding area on the
pack.  If you are using a third party pack (like the compatible Maha
1500 mAh NiMH pack), you have to trim a small area of battery
insulation away to expose the pack to that third charging contact.
This is not stated anywhere...I figured it out after I tried charging
my new Maha pack with no success.  If you are using the Yaesu-
supplied 700 mAh NiCd pack, you don't have to trim any insulation,
obviously.

How are you determining that it didn't charge?  Is the battery
voltage display showing a low voltage (what value is it showing?), or
isn't the unit powering up?  Can you measure the voltage out of the
wall wart to verify its operation?  Other possibilities include bad
wall wart cable, bad connector or you didn't push the plug in all the
way (or there's something stuck inside it).  Does the radio operate
from the wall wart (receive only)?

Let us know what you discover...I may be able to help you
troubleshoot further, if necessary.

  - Doug

--- In vx-150@y..., Steve Morgan <k8ffo@q...> wrote:
> Just got my VX-150 yesterday.  Charged the battery all night long
but
> the battery did not take the charge.  Battery was charged in the
radio
> with factory supplied wall wart charger.  Any one else had battery
> charging problems?

I found the problem (it was between the headphones).  I measured the
voltage from the wall wart and it was zero!  I have the wall wart
plugged into an outlet strip on my work bench and did not have the
outlet strip turned on (I rarely use it).  What can I say, it was a late
night!
73, Steve - K8FFO


dweitzel_08619 wrote:
>
> Steve,
>
> Check the third battery contact in the battery compartment (visible
> with the pack out).  Make sure there is nothing interfering with the
> contact between that spring contact and the corresponding area on the
> pack.  If you are using a third party pack (like the compatible Maha
> 1500 mAh NiMH pack), you have to trim a small area of battery
> insulation away to expose the pack to that third charging contact.
> This is not stated anywhere...I figured it out after I tried charging
> my new Maha pack with no success.  If you are using the Yaesu-
> supplied 700 mAh NiCd pack, you don't have to trim any insulation,
> obviously.
>
> How are you determining that it didn't charge?  Is the battery
> voltage display showing a low voltage (what value is it showing?), or
> isn't the unit powering up?  Can you measure the voltage out of the
> wall wart to verify its operation?  Other possibilities include bad
> wall wart cable, bad connector or you didn't push the plug in all the
> way (or there's something stuck inside it).  Does the radio operate
> from the wall wart (receive only)?
>
> Let us know what you discover...I may be able to help you
> troubleshoot further, if necessary.
>
> - Doug
>
> --- In vx-150@y..., Steve Morgan <k8ffo@q...> wrote:
> > Just got my VX-150 yesterday.  Charged the battery all night long
> but
> > the battery did not take the charge.  Battery was charged in the
> radio
> > with factory supplied wall wart charger.  Any one else had battery
> > charging problems?
>
>                    Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
>                        ADVERTISEMENT
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> vx-150-unsubscribe@egroups.com
>
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--
Steve Morgan
2815 Vimark Lane
Bellbrook OH 45305-9731

Occam's Razor: usually the simplest explanation is the correct one.

Glad it was an easy one.  At least now you know the little trick with
the Maha pack in case you decide to buy one.  They are a lot cheaper
than the Yaesu pack, and twice the capacity.

  - Doug

--- In vx-150@y..., Steve Morgan <k8ffo@q...> wrote:
> I found the problem (it was between the headphones).  I measured the
> voltage from the wall wart and it was zero!  I have the wall wart
> plugged into an outlet strip on my work bench and did not have the
> outlet strip turned on (I rarely use it).  What can I say, it was a
late
> night!
> 73, Steve - K8FFO

It's pretty easy to tell the DC power status on a VX-150.  Just set it
to the battery voltage function (Set Mode #37).

When the charger is plugged in and working, it should register around
13.5.  Unplug it, and it drops down to the battery, about 6-8V.

If the battery is accepting a charge, you'll see a small increase in the
raw battery voltage immediately afterwards, even if you only charge it
for a minute.  No need to wait overnight.

Andy

I programmed one of the user-defined function keys to display the
battery voltage.  Makes it real easy to quickly check the voltage
without having to dial through the menu items.

  - Doug

--- In vx-150@y..., "Ingraham, Andrew" <Andrew.Ingraham@c...> wrote:
> It's pretty easy to tell the DC power status on a VX-150.  Just set
it
> to the battery voltage function (Set Mode #37).
>
> When the charger is plugged in and working, it should register
around
> 13.5.  Unplug it, and it drops down to the battery, about 6-8V.
>
> If the battery is accepting a charge, you'll see a small increase
in the
> raw battery voltage immediately afterwards, even if you only charge
it
> for a minute.  No need to wait overnight.
>
> Andy

Those reports about the final transistors blowing in the VX-150, have
had me a little worried.  It would be a shame if Yaesu/Vertex cut
corners on the electronics, inside a nice robust package.

There are at least three related variables under the user's control.
There's the selected power level, the DC supply voltage, and the
antenna.

Tom W2NJS says he won't use the High power setting anymore.  I wonder if
all the blown transistors happened at the High power setting, and if
that setting stresses the transistor too much.

An odd thing about the VX-150, is that the high output power is 5 watts
whether the DC voltage is 7.2V from the NiCads, or 13.8V from a car
battery.  (How do they do that?!)  Did the people with failed
transistors, use only the NiCads, or external power?  Even just
transmitting while slow-charging the batteries, means the DC voltage is
up around 13V.  Maybe it stresses the PA?

Finally, were they using the rubber duck that comes with the radio, or a
different antenna, and was it a good 50ohm match?  I have a small
assortment of HT antennas, including a half-wave (39") that is supposed
to (and seems to) work better than a quarter-wave in fringe areas.  But
without a matching network, a half-wave monopole would provide a very
poor match.  I wonder if the antenna has a matching network in its base,
or if they just expect 'em to work anyway despite the mismatch.  (I
suspect a lot of HT antennas are like that!)

Keeping my fingers crossed about the PA.....

Andy

Yaesu offers the NC-73 and the VAC-400 desktop rapid chargers for the
VX-150.  Does anyone have either one of these?  How do they work, as I
see no external contacts on the battery pack (as a typical drop-in
charger uses).  Do you have to take the battery off of the XV-150 to
use the desktop charger?  What is the difference between the NC-73 and
the VAC-400?
73, Steve - K8FFO

Andy - "Transistor failures":

I had some of the same concerns after reading those eHam reviews; I received
some good thoughts from Mike - K9FE, who owns 2ea. VX-150(s). Mike raised some
suspicions about SMA-to-BNC adapters that certainly sounded plausible to me. I
don't think he'd mind my including that excerpt from what he had suggested to
me, here:

  ----- Original Message -----
Subject: RE: VX-150

> Yes I have 2 of them...and love them...I even built a charging station to
> drop them in (including  a battery only bay) to keep the batteries
> conditioned. Mine has been in downpours during traffic assignments at the
> fairgrounds, dripping wet and it still keeps working fine.
>
> Using the stock antenna I have had no problems, none.  Using an adapter to
> BNC I have had a few things I noticed that could be the reason for the
> reported failures...The SMC Adapter to BNC can go open....extended transmit
> under this condition can harm the transistor as you know.  Stick with the
> stock or other SMC antenna and put the old BNC antennas in the drawer or use
> them on the other HT's you have.  The SMC is a strange animal that is a very
> low loss connector, although it has a limited insertion cycle life. MTBF on
> the SMC is about 500.  I have told my son to make sure he just keeps the
> stock antenna on and not remove it to put the radio away like he used to do
> with the ICOMS.

I'm following Mike's suggestions. I bought the SMA-to-BNC adapter when I
bought the radio, but I never used it, and now I ain't gonna! I've been
satisfied with the performance (and convenience) of the standard-issue duckie.
I'll contain my urges to experiment for my vintage, Drake, tube gear, lol! ;-)

I've had my VX-150 for something more than 6 months now, and until I saw a
couple of those output transistor reviews on eHam.net I never gave my output
setting a thought; I had it set for the full 5-watts since it came outta the
box. And, no issues. But, then I experimented and discovered that almost
without exception I could hit every single repeater in the Portland metro area
with it set to the medium. And on the very lowest setting, there were only 2
or 3 that I couldn't then hit. Sooo, I leave mine set on medium most of the
time now. Not so much as a precaution for any potential for an output
transistor issue, but more to conserve battery. As an aside, I tried to
follow-up directly with those "Output Transistor" issue review writers on
eHam.net, and as I recall, I was unable to come-up with their individual
E-mail addresses. In my book, that somewhat dilutes the validity of their
reviews, in the first place. I mean, who knows, maybe they're really
Marketing-types employed by Kenwood or Icom, lol ;-)

Steve - K8FFO - "desktop chargers":

Yeah, I have the optional "VAC-400" / "CD-16" (both those model #
nomenclatures appear on the bottom of the thing); I also bought the Yaesu /
Vertex optional FNB-V57IS (7.2V 1100mAh) Ni-Cd battery. I was puzzled by how
the thing made contact with the charger at first too. There are two metal
contacts (screws really) on the back of the battery. They're it apparently ...
the points of contact with the charger. I've seen several commentaries on
using a "1500 mAh NiMH pack" that requires some minor tweak (scraping a bit of
insulation off a third contact point, or some-such); That 3rd-party pack
reputedly extends the HT's battery time significantly. But, I have yet to be
dis-satisfied with the mfgr's own optional units, so my sentiments are, why
bother? At least not until someone like Mike, runs interference first, lol!
I've learned from computer experiences that it ain't always a good thing to be
the first kid on my block to try out a new toy! You-know, bein' on the
"bleeding-edge", instead of that "Leading-Edge".

--
73 de Don Hawkins - W7DAH

U.S. Voice & Fax Msgs: +1-503-296-2009
U.K. Voice & Fax Msgs: +44(0)20 7504 3538
Postal: P.O. Box 19730-210 Portland, OR 97280-0730 U.S.A.


----- Original Message -----
From: <vx-150@yahoogroups.com>
To: <vx-150@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2002 1:02 PM
Subject: [vx-150] Digest Number 32


> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> vx-150-unsubscribe@egroups.com
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> There are 2 messages in this issue.
>
> Topics in this digest:
>
>       1. Transistor failures (was: eHam.net review)
>            From: "Ingraham, Andrew" <Andrew.Ingraham@...>
>       2. desktop chargers
>            From: "k8ffo" <k8ffo@...>
>
>
> ________________________________________________________________________
> ________________________________________________________________________
>
> Message: 1
>    Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2002 17:01:55 -0500
>    From: "Ingraham, Andrew" <Andrew.Ingraham@...>
> Subject: Transistor failures (was: eHam.net review)
>
> Those reports about the final transistors blowing in the VX-150, have
> had me a little worried.  It would be a shame if Yaesu/Vertex cut
> corners on the electronics, inside a nice robust package.
>
> There are at least three related variables under the user's control.
> There's the selected power level, the DC supply voltage, and the
> antenna.
>
> Tom W2NJS says he won't use the High power setting anymore.  I wonder if
> all the blown transistors happened at the High power setting, and if
> that setting stresses the transistor too much.
>
> An odd thing about the VX-150, is that the high output power is 5 watts
> whether the DC voltage is 7.2V from the NiCads, or 13.8V from a car
> battery.  (How do they do that?!)  Did the people with failed
> transistors, use only the NiCads, or external power?  Even just
> transmitting while slow-charging the batteries, means the DC voltage is
> up around 13V.  Maybe it stresses the PA?
>
> Finally, were they using the rubber duck that comes with the radio, or a
> different antenna, and was it a good 50ohm match?  I have a small
> assortment of HT antennas, including a half-wave (39") that is supposed
> to (and seems to) work better than a quarter-wave in fringe areas.  But
> without a matching network, a half-wave monopole would provide a very
> poor match.  I wonder if the antenna has a matching network in its base,
> or if they just expect 'em to work anyway despite the mismatch.  (I
> suspect a lot of HT antennas are like that!)
>
> Keeping my fingers crossed about the PA.....
>
> Andy
>
>
>
> ________________________________________________________________________
> ________________________________________________________________________
>
> Message: 2
>    Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2002 12:53:37 -0000
>    From: "k8ffo" <k8ffo@...>
> Subject: desktop chargers
>
> Yaesu offers the NC-73 and the VAC-400 desktop rapid chargers for the
> VX-150.  Does anyone have either one of these?  How do they work, as I
> see no external contacts on the battery pack (as a typical drop-in
> charger uses).  Do you have to take the battery off of the XV-150 to
> use the desktop charger?  What is the difference between the NC-73 and
> the VAC-400?
> 73, Steve - K8FFO
>
>
>
> ________________________________________________________________________
> ________________________________________________________________________
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>
>

I've been using an SMA-BNC-SO239 adapter with the radio for about 4
months now
  with no problems with a Comet SB-15 mobile antenna.
  73
  George KB9YUR


"Don Hawkins - W7DAH @ Home" wrote:

>  Andy - "Transistor failures":
>
> I had some of the same concerns after reading those eHam reviews; I
> received
> some good thoughts from Mike - K9FE, who owns 2ea. VX-150(s). Mike
> raised some
> suspicions about SMA-to-BNC adapters that certainly sounded plausible
> to me. I
> don't think he'd mind my including that excerpt from what he had
> suggested to
> me, here:
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> Subject: RE: VX-150
>
> > Yes I have 2 of them...and love them...I even built a charging
> station to
> > drop them in (including  a battery only bay) to keep the batteries
> > conditioned. Mine has been in downpours during traffic assignments
> at the
> > fairgrounds, dripping wet and it still keeps working fine.
> >
> > Using the stock antenna I have had no problems, none.  Using an
> adapter to
> > BNC I have had a few things I noticed that could be the reason for
> the
> > reported failures...The SMC Adapter to BNC can go open....extended
> transmit
> > under this condition can harm the transistor as you know.  Stick
> with the
> > stock or other SMC antenna and put the old BNC antennas in the
> drawer or use
> > them on the other HT's you have.  The SMC is a strange animal that
> is a very
> > low loss connector, although it has a limited insertion cycle life.
> MTBF on
> > the SMC is about 500.  I have told my son to make sure he just keeps
> the
> > stock antenna on and not remove it to put the radio away like he
> used to do
> > with the ICOMS.
>
> I'm following Mike's suggestions. I bought the SMA-to-BNC adapter when
> I
> bought the radio, but I never used it, and now I ain't gonna! I've
> been
> satisfied with the performance (and convenience) of the standard-issue
> duckie.
> I'll contain my urges to experiment for my vintage, Drake, tube gear,
> lol! ;-)
>
> I've had my VX-150 for something more than 6 months now, and until I
> saw a
> couple of those output transistor reviews on eHam.net I never gave my
> output
> setting a thought; I had it set for the full 5-watts since it came
> outta the
> box. And, no issues. But, then I experimented and discovered that
> almost
> without exception I could hit every single repeater in the Portland
> metro area
> with it set to the medium. And on the very lowest setting, there were
> only 2
> or 3 that I couldn't then hit. Sooo, I leave mine set on medium most
> of the
> time now. Not so much as a precaution for any potential for an output
> transistor issue, but more to conserve battery. As an aside, I tried
> to
> follow-up directly with those "Output Transistor" issue review writers
> on
> eHam.net, and as I recall, I was unable to come-up with their
> individual
> E-mail addresses. In my book, that somewhat dilutes the validity of
> their
> reviews, in the first place. I mean, who knows, maybe they're really
> Marketing-types employed by Kenwood or Icom, lol ;-)
>
> Steve - K8FFO - "desktop chargers":
>
> Yeah, I have the optional "VAC-400" / "CD-16" (both those model #
> nomenclatures appear on the bottom of the thing); I also bought the
> Yaesu /
> Vertex optional FNB-V57IS (7.2V 1100mAh) Ni-Cd battery. I was puzzled
> by how
> the thing made contact with the charger at first too. There are two
> metal
> contacts (screws really) on the back of the battery. They're it
> apparently ...
> the points of contact with the charger. I've seen several commentaries
> on
> using a "1500 mAh NiMH pack" that requires some minor tweak (scraping
> a bit of
> insulation off a third contact point, or some-such); That 3rd-party
> pack
> reputedly extends the HT's battery time significantly. But, I have yet
> to be
> dis-satisfied with the mfgr's own optional units, so my sentiments
> are, why
> bother? At least not until someone like Mike, runs interference first,
> lol!
> I've learned from computer experiences that it ain't always a good
> thing to be
> the first kid on my block to try out a new toy! You-know, bein' on the
>
> "bleeding-edge", instead of that "Leading-Edge".
>
> --
> 73 de Don Hawkins - W7DAH
>
> U.S. Voice & Fax Msgs: +1-503-296-2009
> U.K. Voice & Fax Msgs: +44(0)20 7504 3538
> Postal: P.O. Box 19730-210 Portland, OR 97280-0730 U.S.A.
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <vx-150@yahoogroups.com>
> To: <vx-150@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2002 1:02 PM
> Subject: [vx-150] Digest Number 32
>
>
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > vx-150-unsubscribe@egroups.com
> >
> >
> >
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > There are 2 messages in this issue.
> >
> > Topics in this digest:
> >
> >       1. Transistor failures (was: eHam.net review)
> >            From: "Ingraham, Andrew" <Andrew.Ingraham@...>
> >       2. desktop chargers
> >            From: "k8ffo" <k8ffo@...>
> >
> >
> >
> ________________________________________________________________________
>
> >
> ________________________________________________________________________
>
> >
> > Message: 1
> >    Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2002 17:01:55 -0500
> >    From: "Ingraham, Andrew" <Andrew.Ingraham@...>
> > Subject: Transistor failures (was: eHam.net review)
> >
> > Those reports about the final transistors blowing in the VX-150,
> have
> > had me a little worried.  It would be a shame if Yaesu/Vertex cut
> > corners on the electronics, inside a nice robust package.
> >
> > There are at least three related variables under the user's control.
>
> > There's the selected power level, the DC supply voltage, and the
> > antenna.
> >
> > Tom W2NJS says he won't use the High power setting anymore.  I
> wonder if
> > all the blown transistors happened at the High power setting, and if
>
> > that setting stresses the transistor too much.
> >
> > An odd thing about the VX-150, is that the high output power is 5
> watts
> > whether the DC voltage is 7.2V from the NiCads, or 13.8V from a car
> > battery.  (How do they do that?!)  Did the people with failed
> > transistors, use only the NiCads, or external power?  Even just
> > transmitting while slow-charging the batteries, means the DC voltage
> is
> > up around 13V.  Maybe it stresses the PA?
> >
> > Finally, were they using the rubber duck that comes with the radio,
> or a
> > different antenna, and was it a good 50ohm match?  I have a small
> > assortment of HT antennas, including a half-wave (39") that is
> supposed
> > to (and seems to) work better than a quarter-wave in fringe areas.
> But
> > without a matching network, a half-wave monopole would provide a
> very
> > poor match.  I wonder if the antenna has a matching network in its
> base,
> > or if they just expect 'em to work anyway despite the mismatch.  (I
> > suspect a lot of HT antennas are like that!)
> >
> > Keeping my fingers crossed about the PA.....
> >
> > Andy
> >
> >
> >
> >
> ________________________________________________________________________
>
> >
> ________________________________________________________________________
>
> >
> > Message: 2
> >    Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2002 12:53:37 -0000
> >    From: "k8ffo" <k8ffo@...>
> > Subject: desktop chargers
> >
> > Yaesu offers the NC-73 and the VAC-400 desktop rapid chargers for
> the
> > VX-150.  Does anyone have either one of these?  How do they work, as
> I
> > see no external contacts on the battery pack (as a typical drop-in
> > charger uses).  Do you have to take the battery off of the XV-150 to
>
> > use the desktop charger?  What is the difference between the NC-73
> and
> > the VAC-400?
> > 73, Steve - K8FFO
> >
> >
> >
> >
> ________________________________________________________________________
>
> >
> ________________________________________________________________________
>
> >
> >
> >
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>                    Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
                         ADVERTISEMENT


>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> vx-150-unsubscribe@egroups.com
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

George,

One observation about the output transistor failure reports, in the
eHam.net reviews, is that all those reporting that problem (3 I think
it was) reported having their VX-150(s) for 12 months or more when
the failures occured. Just an FYI.

Don

--- In vx-150@y..., George Matyaszek <matecom@a...> wrote:
> I've been using an SMA-BNC-SO239 adapter with the radio for about 4
> months now
>  with no problems with a Comet SB-15 mobile antenna.
>  73
>  George KB9YUR
>
>
> "Don Hawkins - W7DAH @ Home" wrote:
>
> >  Andy - "Transistor failures":
> >
> > I had some of the same concerns after reading those eHam reviews;
I
> > received
> > some good thoughts from Mike - K9FE, who owns 2ea. VX-150(s). Mike
> > raised some
> > suspicions about SMA-to-BNC adapters that certainly sounded
plausible
> > to me. I
> > don't think he'd mind my including that excerpt from what he had
> > suggested to
> > me, here:
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > Subject: RE: VX-150
> >
> > > Yes I have 2 of them...and love them...I even built a charging
> > station to
> > > drop them in (including  a battery only bay) to keep the
batteries
> > > conditioned. Mine has been in downpours during traffic
assignments
> > at the
> > > fairgrounds, dripping wet and it still keeps working fine.
> > >
> > > Using the stock antenna I have had no problems, none.  Using an
> > adapter to
> > > BNC I have had a few things I noticed that could be the reason
for
> > the
> > > reported failures...The SMC Adapter to BNC can go
open....extended
> > transmit
> > > under this condition can harm the transistor as you know.  Stick
> > with the
> > > stock or other SMC antenna and put the old BNC antennas in the
> > drawer or use
> > > them on the other HT's you have.  The SMC is a strange animal
that
> > is a very
> > > low loss connector, although it has a limited insertion cycle
life.
> > MTBF on
> > > the SMC is about 500.  I have told my son to make sure he just
keeps
> > the
> > > stock antenna on and not remove it to put the radio away like he
> > used to do
> > > with the ICOMS.
> >
> > I'm following Mike's suggestions. I bought the SMA-to-BNC adapter
when
> > I
> > bought the radio, but I never used it, and now I ain't gonna! I've
> > been
> > satisfied with the performance (and convenience) of the standard-
issue
> > duckie.
> > I'll contain my urges to experiment for my vintage, Drake, tube
gear,
> > lol! ;-)
> >
> > I've had my VX-150 for something more than 6 months now, and
until I
> > saw a
> > couple of those output transistor reviews on eHam.net I never
gave my
> > output
> > setting a thought; I had it set for the full 5-watts since it came
> > outta the
> > box. And, no issues. But, then I experimented and discovered that
> > almost
> > without exception I could hit every single repeater in the
Portland
> > metro area
> > with it set to the medium. And on the very lowest setting, there
were
> > only 2
> > or 3 that I couldn't then hit. Sooo, I leave mine set on medium
most
> > of the
> > time now. Not so much as a precaution for any potential for an
output
> > transistor issue, but more to conserve battery. As an aside, I
tried
> > to
> > follow-up directly with those "Output Transistor" issue review
writers
> > on
> > eHam.net, and as I recall, I was unable to come-up with their
> > individual
> > E-mail addresses. In my book, that somewhat dilutes the validity
of
> > their
> > reviews, in the first place. I mean, who knows, maybe they're
really
> > Marketing-types employed by Kenwood or Icom, lol ;-)
> >
> > Steve - K8FFO - "desktop chargers":
> >
> > Yeah, I have the optional "VAC-400" / "CD-16" (both those model #
> > nomenclatures appear on the bottom of the thing); I also bought
the
> > Yaesu /
> > Vertex optional FNB-V57IS (7.2V 1100mAh) Ni-Cd battery. I was
puzzled
> > by how
> > the thing made contact with the charger at first too. There are
two
> > metal
> > contacts (screws really) on the back of the battery. They're it
> > apparently ...
> > the points of contact with the charger. I've seen several
commentaries
> > on
> > using a "1500 mAh NiMH pack" that requires some minor tweak
(scraping
> > a bit of
> > insulation off a third contact point, or some-such); That 3rd-
party
> > pack
> > reputedly extends the HT's battery time significantly. But, I
have yet
> > to be
> > dis-satisfied with the mfgr's own optional units, so my sentiments
> > are, why
> > bother? At least not until someone like Mike, runs interference
first,
> > lol!
> > I've learned from computer experiences that it ain't always a good
> > thing to be
> > the first kid on my block to try out a new toy! You-know, bein'
on the
> >
> > "bleeding-edge", instead of that "Leading-Edge".
> >
> > --
> > 73 de Don Hawkins - W7DAH
> >
> > U.S. Voice & Fax Msgs: +1-503-296-2009
> > U.K. Voice & Fax Msgs: +44(0)20 7504 3538
> > Postal: P.O. Box 19730-210 Portland, OR 97280-0730 U.S.A.
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: <vx-150@y...>
> > To: <vx-150@y...>
> > Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2002 1:02 PM
> > Subject: [vx-150] Digest Number 32
> >
> >
> > > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > > vx-150-unsubscribe@e...
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------
------
> >
> > >
> > > There are 2 messages in this issue.
> > >
> > > Topics in this digest:
> > >
> > >       1. Transistor failures (was: eHam.net review)
> > >            From: "Ingraham, Andrew" <Andrew.Ingraham@c...>
> > >       2. desktop chargers
> > >            From: "k8ffo" <k8ffo@q...>
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
______________________________________________________________________
__
> >
> > >
> >
______________________________________________________________________
__
> >
> > >
> > > Message: 1
> > >    Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2002 17:01:55 -0500
> > >    From: "Ingraham, Andrew" <Andrew.Ingraham@c...>
> > > Subject: Transistor failures (was: eHam.net review)
> > >
> > > Those reports about the final transistors blowing in the VX-150,
> > have
> > > had me a little worried.  It would be a shame if Yaesu/Vertex
cut
> > > corners on the electronics, inside a nice robust package.
> > >
> > > There are at least three related variables under the user's
control.
> >
> > > There's the selected power level, the DC supply voltage, and the
> > > antenna.
> > >
> > > Tom W2NJS says he won't use the High power setting anymore.  I
> > wonder if
> > > all the blown transistors happened at the High power setting,
and if
> >
> > > that setting stresses the transistor too much.
> > >
> > > An odd thing about the VX-150, is that the high output power is
5
> > watts
> > > whether the DC voltage is 7.2V from the NiCads, or 13.8V from a
car
> > > battery.  (How do they do that?!)  Did the people with failed
> > > transistors, use only the NiCads, or external power?  Even just
> > > transmitting while slow-charging the batteries, means the DC
voltage
> > is
> > > up around 13V.  Maybe it stresses the PA?
> > >
> > > Finally, were they using the rubber duck that comes with the
radio,
> > or a
> > > different antenna, and was it a good 50ohm match?  I have a
small
> > > assortment of HT antennas, including a half-wave (39") that is
> > supposed
> > > to (and seems to) work better than a quarter-wave in fringe
areas.
> > But
> > > without a matching network, a half-wave monopole would provide a
> > very
> > > poor match.  I wonder if the antenna has a matching network in
its
> > base,
> > > or if they just expect 'em to work anyway despite the
mismatch.  (I
> > > suspect a lot of HT antennas are like that!)
> > >
> > > Keeping my fingers crossed about the PA.....
> > >
> > > Andy
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
______________________________________________________________________
__
> >
> > >
> >
______________________________________________________________________
__
> >
> > >
> > > Message: 2
> > >    Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2002 12:53:37 -0000
> > >    From: "k8ffo" <k8ffo@q...>
> > > Subject: desktop chargers
> > >
> > > Yaesu offers the NC-73 and the VAC-400 desktop rapid chargers
for
> > the
> > > VX-150.  Does anyone have either one of these?  How do they
work, as
> > I
> > > see no external contacts on the battery pack (as a typical drop-
in
> > > charger uses).  Do you have to take the battery off of the XV-
150 to
> >
> > > use the desktop charger?  What is the difference between the NC-
73
> > and
> > > the VAC-400?
> > > 73, Steve - K8FFO
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
______________________________________________________________________
__
> >
> > >
> >
______________________________________________________________________
__
> >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
> > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >                    Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
>                         ADVERTISEMENT
>
>
> >
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > vx-150-unsubscribe@e...
> >
> >
> >
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of
Service.
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

There might be three good reasons to use the Maha pack:

(1) Higher capacity (1500 mAh vs. Yaesu's 1100 mAh)
(2) NiMH cells instead of NiCd (not necessarily an advantage)
(3) cheaper...$50 for 1500 mAh vs. $73 for 1100 mAh ("do the math" as
they say).

Of course you could never go wrong with the Yaesu pack.  Just depends
on your sense of value vs. brand name/reputation.

  - Doug

--- In vx-150@y..., "Don Hawkins - W7DAH @ Home" <w7dah@a...> wrote:
> I've seen several commentaries on
> using a "1500 mAh NiMH pack" that requires some minor tweak
(scraping a bit of
> insulation off a third contact point, or some-such); That 3rd-party
pack
> reputedly extends the HT's battery time significantly. But, I have
yet to be
> dis-satisfied with the mfgr's own optional units, so my sentiments
are, why
> bother?

> One observation about the output transistor failure reports, in the
> eHam.net reviews, is that all those reporting that problem (3 I think
> it was) reported having their VX-150(s) for 12 months or more when
> the failures occured. Just an FYI.

There are 3 different sections on eHam.net that review the VX-150.  I'm
fairly certain there were failures reported in one of the others, one by
someone whose unit died within the first month, and again after he had
it repaired by Yaesu.  Sounds like he either got a lemon, or
(unwittingly?) abused it.

Andy

Correction: only 2 sections on eHam.net that are specific to the VX-150:

http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/1324
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/834

One is under VHF/UHF Radios, the other is under VHF/UHF Hand Held
Radios.

Andy

Well, I'm pretty impressed with this little unit.  It's my first new
rig, after using an old, "previously worked", Yaesu FT-208R for 4
years.

I've added all the interesting links I've found to the bookmarks
section, including a Russian link to the manual and schematics.

After charging it up overnight, I've strapped this to a HP8920A RF
Analyzer, calibrated on 12/20/01.  Out of the box, mine transmits
200Hz low across the 2M band.  (Well within tolerance.)

Low power was .45W @ 7.0V on the stock battery (700mAh NiCad).
Med power was 1.8W @ 6.7V on the stock battery.
High power was 4.4W @ 6.6V on the stock battery.
The stock battery recovered to 7.1V within 1 second, and 7.2V within
10 seconds.  I didn't measure current drain.

I have 1600mAh Energizer NiMH batteries, and I can run a similar test
next week if anyone is interested.

I purchased 1 of these units to see if I liked it before I get one
for my son when he gets his ticket...  I now know I will without
hesitation!

Complaints (minor nit-picky little things):
Who in the heck has a 2.5" belt???  On the other hand, I guess it
will fit nicely on a backpack strap.

Forget about swapping batteries in under 10 seconds...  That puppy is
IN THERE!

$48 for an AA Battery Holder???  Ouch!  I bought it anyway, only to
find it elsewhere for $34.  But that's still $9-$14 too steep for a
piece of plastic and some springs, even if they are gold coated.


In any case, I hope you all enjoy your VX-150 as much as I'm enjoying
mine!

Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the
vx-150 group:

Are you interested in a TealInfo
application for the Palm OS which holds
the contents of the VX-150 manual?

   o Yes
   o No
   o I don't have a Palm


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vx-150/polls

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

> Low power was .45W @ 7.0V on the stock battery (700mAh NiCad).
> Med power was 1.8W @ 6.7V on the stock battery.
> High power was 4.4W @ 6.6V on the stock battery.
> The stock battery recovered to 7.1V within 1 second, and 7.2V within
> 10 seconds.  I didn't measure current drain.
>
> I have 1600mAh Energizer NiMH batteries, and I can run a similar test
> next week if anyone is interested.

Some of us might also be curious about the power levels when connected
to a 12V battery or DC supply.  Or with the charger that comes with the
unit.

Ordinarily, one would think that you'd get a lot more output power when
running at 12V or so.  At 16V, the top end of the supply voltage range,
it might have been about 4x as much power as at 7.2V.  But the user
manual claims this is not the case.

Andy

Would someone please translate the VX-150 instruction manual, page 9,
instruction about: "Checking the Repeater Uplink (Input) Frequency" fur-me,
please? I don't understand how one goes about checking to see if someone
accessing the repeater is within Simplex range ... it's escapin' me.

--
73, Don - W7DAH

U.S. Voice & Fax Msgs: +1-503-296-2009
U.K. Voice & Fax Msgs: +44(0)20 7504 3538
Postal: P.O. Box 19730-210 Portland, OR 97280-0730 U.S.A.

I don't have my VX-150 in front of me, but I think the "check" is as
follows.

Assume you are listening to a station that is going through a repeater.  On
the right-
most column of buttons on the VX-150 is a "home" button (I think that is the
correct
button).  While listening to the station if you press this button, your
VX-150 will now
listen not to the repeater output frequency, but to the repeater input
frequency.  Thus
if the station is sufficiently local to you, you may hear his transmission
into the
repeater directly.  If you again press the "home" button on your VX-150,
your VX-150 will
now hear the repeater (transmit) output frequency.

I suppose if you can indeed hear the station on the frequency he is
transmitting into
the repeater, and he can hear you in similar fashion, the two of you can
move off of the
repeater onto some agreed upon frequency, since you don't need the repeater
to hear each other.

The VX-150 manual is not a model of clarity.

Mike Kaufman K6VCI

-----Original Message-----
From: Don Hawkins - W7DAH @ Home [mailto:w7dah@...]
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2002 8:57 AM
To: vx-150@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [vx-150] VX-150 & checkin' the Repeater input freq.


Would someone please translate the VX-150 instruction manual, page 9,
instruction about: "Checking the Repeater Uplink (Input) Frequency" fur-me,
please? I don't understand how one goes about checking to see if someone
accessing the repeater is within Simplex range ... it's escapin' me.

--
73, Don - W7DAH

U.S. Voice & Fax Msgs: +1-503-296-2009
U.K. Voice & Fax Msgs: +44(0)20 7504 3538
Postal: P.O. Box 19730-210 Portland, OR 97280-0730 U.S.A.



To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
vx-150-unsubscribe@egroups.com



Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

Mike,

Ahhhhhh, now THAT is precisely what I needed to understand it. Thanks!

It sure would be handy if the manuals on this gear came close to that level of
clarity.

73, Don - W7DAH

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kaufman, Michael" <MKAUFMAN@...>
To: <w7dah@...>
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2002 9:39 AM
Subject: VX-150


> Hi, Don,
>
> I may have inadvertently sent this email a few minutes ago to the VX-150
> group at large,
> rather than just to you.
>
> I don't have my VX-150 in front of me, but I think the "check" is as
> follows.
>
> Assume you are listening to a station that is going through a repeater.  On
> the right-
> most column of buttons on the VX-150 is a "home" button (I think that is the
> correct
> button).  While listening to the station if you press this button, your
> VX-150 will now
> listen not to the repeater output frequency, but to the repeater input
> frequency.  Thus
> if the station is sufficiently local to you, you may hear his transmission
> into the
> repeater directly.  If you again press the "home" button on your VX-150,
> your VX-150 will
> now hear the repeater (transmit) output frequency.
>
> I suppose if you can indeed hear the station on the frequency he is
> transmitting into
> the repeater, and he can hear you in similar fashion, the two of you can
> move off of the
> repeater onto some agreed upon frequency, since you don't need the repeater
> to hear each other.
>
> The VX-150 manual is not a model of clarity.
>
> Mike Kaufman K6VCI
>
>
>

Hi, my name is Bill "KB2ZZC". I got a new VX-150 around a week ago. I
have had many HT's since I first became a ham in 1996. I must say,
this is the best single-band HT that I have ever owned! I have read
through most of the postings on this group, but I'm still not sure if
you can mod the radio via computer(expanded TX)? I guess you can
download freqs. into the radio, but I always modify my radios if I
can. And I really don't want to take this radio apart just yet! 73 de
kb2zzc

I can't find my VX-150 manual anywhere. Can somebody please tell me how to
reset the radio?

Press the LIGHT, MONITOR, and PTT all at the same time and while you
are holding down these buttond, turn the rig on... (almost like you
need three hands for this procedure)

You will hear three tones that sound like:

Do, Ray, Mi, Fa, So (how cute).

You will now be in a different menu that will allow you to select one
of the following:

F0 SET.RST
F1 ALL.RST
F2 MEM.ONLY
F3 CLONE

Turn the selector dial until you see F1 ALL.RST on the display and
then press the F key.

F2 is also a neat feature, it puts the radio in "Commercial Mode".

Is there anything else you would like to know?

73

Randy - VE6RJZ



--- In vx-150@y..., Ryan <kb9tqn@a...> wrote:
> I can't find my VX-150 manual anywhere. Can somebody please tell me
how to
> reset the radio?

Steve,

Get the VAC-400, it works extremely well.  My VX-150 charges from
dead to full in about 30 minutes.

Smokin fast.

73

Randy - VE6RJZ



--- In vx-150@y..., "k8ffo" <k8ffo@q...> wrote:
> Yaesu offers the NC-73 and the VAC-400 desktop rapid chargers for
the
> VX-150.  Does anyone have either one of these?  How do they work,
as I
> see no external contacts on the battery pack (as a typical drop-in
> charger uses).  Do you have to take the battery off of the XV-150
to
> use the desktop charger?  What is the difference between the NC-73
and
> the VAC-400?
> 73, Steve - K8FFO

Thanks Randy.
73, Steve - K8FFO

ve6rjz wrote:
>
> Steve,
>
> Get the VAC-400, it works extremely well.  My VX-150 charges from
> dead to full in about 30 minutes.
>
> Smokin fast.
>
> 73
>
> Randy - VE6RJZ
>
> --- In vx-150@y..., "k8ffo" <k8ffo@q...> wrote:
> > Yaesu offers the NC-73 and the VAC-400 desktop rapid chargers for
> the
> > VX-150.  Does anyone have either one of these?  How do they work,
> as I
> > see no external contacts on the battery pack (as a typical drop-in
> > charger uses).  Do you have to take the battery off of the XV-150
> to
> > use the desktop charger?  What is the difference between the NC-73
> and
> > the VAC-400?
> > 73, Steve - K8FFO
>
>                    Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
>                        ADVERTISEMENT
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> vx-150-unsubscribe@egroups.com
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

Hi, What is "Commercial Mode"?


----Original Message Follows----
From: "ve6rjz" <ve6rjz@...>
Reply-To: vx-150@yahoogroups.com
To: vx-150@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [vx-150] Re: Reset procedure.
Date: Fri, 01 Feb 2002 16:53:33 -0000


F2 is also a neat feature, it puts the radio in "Commercial Mode".

Is there anything else you would like to know?

73

Randy - VE6RJZ




_________________________________________________________________
MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos:
http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx

> F0 SET.RST
> F1 ALL.RST
> F2 MEM.ONLY
> F3 CLONE
>
> F2 is also a neat feature, it puts the radio in "Commercial Mode".

> Hi, What is "Commercial Mode"?

It will tune only to the pre-programmed memory channels.  Can't just
dial up any frequency.

> Press the LIGHT, MONITOR, and PTT all at the same time ...

Actually, you only need two of these (LIGHT and PTT).

I recently purchased a "commercial grade" speaker/mic for my vx-150.
It it made by Vertex Standard and the model number is: MH-45D4B:  It
has a volume mute button on it, and it matches the the exact look of
the speaker grill on the radio, only the speaker/mic is a little
bigger and better sounding. If anyone is going to spend any serious
money on a great accessory, then this is the one to get. Depending on
where you order it from, the price range is $65-$100.