Ranger Communications RCI-2970 DX Bedienerhandbuch PDF herunterladen (Seite 2)

From October 2001 QST © ARRL

Joe Bottiglieri, AA1GW



Assistant Technical Editor

PRODUCT REVIEW

Bottom Line

The Ten-Tec Model 526 delivers

multimode fun on the two most popu-

lar VHF bands—6 and 2 meters. Use

it to chat with the locals on the FM

repeaters, or expand your radio

horizons with an exploration of the

wonders of the weak-signal modes.

Reviewed by Brennan Price, N4QX

Field and Regulatory Correspondent

Like most hams who earned their li-

censes within the past few years, I began

my ham operating adventures on the

2-meter band. My first two rigs were

single-band FM-only handheld and

mobile transceivers. I had learned about

the magic of VHF weak-signal operation

while studying for my first license. I

somewhat naively believed that new all-

mode gear would be abundant and inex-

pensive. As it turned out, my first two FM

rigs combined were far less expensive than

any new all-mode VHF transceiver I could

find. I did have fun on the weak-signal

modes, but only through the facilities of

Georgia Tech’s club station, W4AQL.

As I upgraded, HF caught my fancy,

and from that point forward any of my

savings earmarked for station improve-

ments were appropriated away from my

VHF roots. Still, the availability of a VHF

all-mode rig for the budget-conscious

beginner would have been appealing.

When I witnessed the unveiling of

Ten-Tec’s Model 526—or “6N2”—at the

Dayton Hamvention, I immediately re-

called those halcyon days of my Amateur

Radio youth. I thought to myself, “Self,

had this been available in 1997, this may

very well have been your first rig.” The

6N2 delivers not just one, but two of the

most popular weak-signal VHF bands, 6

and 2 meters (thus the nickname of the

rig). It supports CW, SSB and FM opera-

tion. And priced at just under $700, it’s

not terribly cost prohibitive to the thrifty

ham, who might spend nearly as much on

a high end FM-only VHF/UHF mobile

transceiver. Weak-signal enthusiasts will

confirm that having access to these modes

on these particular bands can be very

worthwhile. Don’t take our word for it

though—check out Emil Pocock’s “The

World Above 50 MHz” column that ap-

pears each month in QST.

How would this rig hold up under fire?

I anxiously volunteered to find out.

Operating Conditions

A full understanding of my experi-

ences with the 6N2 requires an apprecia-

tion of my QTH. Affectionately known

as the “N4QX Microstation of Power,”

my station is not in an environment where

Ten-Tec Model 526 6N2 Multimode VHF Transceiver

any rig easily shines. I live on the second

floor of a three-story apartment building,

facing a parking lot, with no readily avail-

able support structures for antennas other

than simple dipoles. Most serious VHF

operators use beams, but beams are out

of the question for me. If I could put the

6N2 to enjoyable use under these condi-

tions, surely it could be put to even bet-

ter service from a more ham hospitable

location—fixed or portable.

Upon opening the box, I was struck by

the similarity in size and weight to Ten-

Tec’s Scout—my current HF transceiver.

It even resembles the Scout to some ex-

tent, with the green LED display and

prominent tuning knob. I had just finished

operating Field Day as a solo operator,

where the Scout was my weapon of

choice. Both rigs are appealing for por-

table applications due to their small size

and light weight, and I made a mental note

to seriously consider supplementing my

setup with a couple of more bands next

June.

Getting on a Repeater—the Ford

Test

I am a firm believer in the Steve Ford,

WB8IMY, test of VHF FM rigs. This test

involves taking the rig out of the box,

tossing the instruction manual off toward

the other side of the room, and seeing

how quickly one can raise a local repeater

relying on instinct alone. After hanging

a trusty Zack Lau, W1VT, 2-meter

ground-plane antenna on a hook outside

my windowsill (see “Build a Portable

Groundplane Antenna,” QST, Jul 1991),

I set my sights on raising the nearby

W1AW repeater.

Connecting the power supply and the

antenna was simple enough; the 6N2

sports a two-pin power connector and

separate SO-239 connectors for 6- and

2-meter antennas. A four-pin microphone

connects to the front panel. (Ten-Tec’s

basic handheld microphone—the Model

701—is included.) The

AF knob, clearly

labeled and conveniently located at the

bottom right of the front panel, doubles

as the power switch and turns the radio

on or off with a satisfying audible click.

The

MODE and BAND buttons are located

just above. The available modes—CW,

USB, LSB and FM—are selected by

pressing the

MODE button. Translucent

icons situated along the top of the dis-

play window light to indicate the active

mode. Additional icons on either side of

these show the state of several other op-

erating parameters. These include

VFOA,

VFOB, MEM, SPLIT, TONE and RIT. The

tuning knob is impossible to miss; dial-

ing in 145.45 MHz was not a problem.

This is where I hit a snag. It was not

immediately apparent to me how to enter

the repeater offset. This is clearly ex-

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