Albrecht AE-485S review

Download

Page 1

• ROB MANNION G3XFD SAYS "ONE OF THESE TRANSCEIVERS COULD PROVE VERY USEFUL AS A BUDGET 'STARTER' RIG".

Cost

Company

Contact

Tel

Website

1179 & f 8 P&P

The Shortwave Shop

Sales

(01202) 490099

Now that the law

has changed

regarding the

import of 28MHz

single band

transceivers Rob

Mannion G3XFD

has tried a 'budget

priced' transceiver.

Read on to see

what he

discovered...

The Albrecht AE 485 S 28VHz

Sing e Band V

Rob Mannion G3XFD tries the Albrecht AE 485 S 28MHz

Single Band Multi-mode Transceiver

ersonally speaking I'm

delighted that the

'powers that be' have at

last seen sense regard-

use of single band 28MHz by

removing the restrictions. In my

opinion, the arguments that such

transceivers (readily available

to illegal operators) could

be easily modified for

use on 27MHz was

fatuous indeed!

can be easily modified

for use on 27MHz,

although equipment

ing the importing and

Any transceiver

lob Mannino G3 XfCi has been the

Editorial PiNfor ne arty 11 Inardin's a

keen 'portable' op nratix on both the

already on nearby frequencies is

of course easier to modify. But

when I'm often told that illegal

operators often boast of using 'top

brand' 100W Amateur Radio trans-

ceivers off the Amateur bands -

why do they need to bother to

convert a low power transceiver?

mad n hi. bands

trode Tran

Departmental minds - I'm pleased

they've done so.

On an even more controversial

note - perhaps we can now look

forward to getting the opportunity

of legally buying and owning

27MHz multi-mode transceivers

once again so we can convert

Additionally, there's

enough multi-mode

27MHz equipment in

circulation to provide

what the illegal opera-

tor requires! However,

whatever the reasons

for the change of

Government

them for 28MHz. In that way we

can assist in taking them off the

'black market' which continues to

thrive. (Radiocommunications

Agency please note - I won't give

• Fig. 1: Internal view of the AE 485 5, showing the neat and well constructed main p.c.b. (see text).

scei

ver

Practical Wireless, November 2000

Page 2

)

Ten metre mobile operation on a budget -

•

the Abrecht AE 484 S transceiver.

up on this matter!).

Campaigning over now! Back

to the matter in hand - trying out

the Albrecht AE 485 S.

Originally Aimed At CB

Since the regulations were

changed here in the UK, 'multi-

mode' CB equipment originally

aimed at the 27MHz operator has

suddenly found a new lease of

life. I don't know how many

nations within the European

Union (EU) allow amplitude mod-

ulation (a.m.) and single sideband

(s.s.b.) equipment, but judging by

the speed at which multi-mode

transceivers were made available -

the stock together with the facility

to change frequency (on a mass

production scale) were ready and

waiting!

Of course, one look at the

Albrecht 485 S immediately lets

you know that

ceiver

Amateur Radio 28 to 29.7MHz

band. And, providing as it does,

a.m., s.s.b. and narrow band fre-

quency modulation (n.b.f.m.) one

of these transceivers could prove

very useful as a budget 'starter' rig

and even as a driver for a trans-

verter for other bands including

70MHz (one job I've got in mind).

Although no circuit is provided

with the very simple manual - the

it is a CB trans-

modified to work on the

•

Good heat-sinking (like this) is

essential for mobile use.

transceiver appears to be a double

conversion phase locked loop step

tuned (note it's

with ceramic filters. Audio output

is 3W into 80. (see

Manufacturer's specification).

The manufacturer's specifica-

tions state that the transmitter out-

put as 6W on a.m., 25W peak

envelope power (p.e.p.) on s.s.b.

and 25W on n.b.f.m. Not high

power of course, but useful just

the same. So, how did I get on

with the rig on the air? To answer,

I'll describe some of the features

and explain how I enjoyed using

the rig on holiday!

step tuned)

design

On The Air

As is often the case when I'm hop-

ing to get good DX conditions

during the loan period of

a review - I was out of

luck for the 'juicy'

QSOs. However, despite

the rather flat conditions

on 'Ten' I had many

inter-European QSOs

and several really good

West Coast USA suc-

cesses to report.

The transceiver went

with me to Ireland on

holiday and it proved

exceptionally simple to

set up and use. All my

QSOs from Ireland were

using a 28MHz whip

antenna, and took place

(mostly) from beaches,

or very near to the sea

in Counties Wexford and

Waterford.

In my car I had an empty slot

the size of an older car radio in the

dashboard and the Albrecht fitted

snugly in there. Very convenient!

As the above photograph

shows, the front panel and main

display is clean and uncluttered.

Of real interest to the Amateur

Radio operator is the concentrical-

ly operated r.f. gain and micro-

phone gain controls.

The main 'stepper' type tuning

control is smaller than is found on

'standard' design Amateur Radio

equipment and is located on the

far right under the Squelch con-

trol. Immediately to its left is the

'Clarifier' control which provides

Single Band 28MHz Equipment:

Important changes regard-

ing the importation and

use of single band 28MHz

Amateur Radio equipment

came into force on 1st

May 2000. The announce-

ment (see page 8 in the

July 2000 issue of

brought the welcome

news that Radio Amateurs

in the United Kingdom

can now legally own and

operate '10 metre' only

transceivers.

PW)

Practical Wireless, November 2000

Page 3

• "ONE OF THESE TRANSCEIVERS COULD PROVE VERY USEFUL AS A BUDGET 'STARTER' RIG".

the necessary 'swing' of ±1kHz to

'fill in' the synthesiser stepping

'gaps'. The 'stepping' can be set to

either 1, 10 or 100kHz

The 'scan' feature is simple

and searches for active channels

(it's so simple I used it quite

often). The switchable blanker is

only effective on ignition type

noises - not much use on my

diesel car but it proved effective

in reducing noise from passing

motorbikes and petrol powered

vehicles).

Product

The Albrecht AE 485 S 28MHz multi-

mode transceiver.

Pro-, & Cons

Pros:

Good value for money rig,

clear and uncluttered display

and delightfully simple

operation.

Cons:

Limited tuning increments

and 'switchy' feel of the

tuning.

My thanks go to

the Shortwave Shop

of 18 Fairmile Road,

Christchurch,

Dorset BH23 21J.

Tel/FAX: (01202) 490099

for the loan of the AE 485 S

There are five

memories available

(although I didn't use

them they are extreme-

ly simple to use).

Equipped with a tone-

burst (1750kHz) and

the transceiver has the

ability to work via the

n.b.f.m. repeaters on

the band (but I didn't

hear any during my

holiday).

In use the transceiv-

er proved to be

extremely sensitive and

reasonably selective. I

can say this because

despite a flurry of c.w.

activity around (and

actually on!) the

Manufacturer's Specifications

General

Frequency Range Frequency Control Frequency Stability Frequency Tolerance Emission Mode Microphone Input Voltage Size (WDH) Weight Antenna Connector Speaker

Transmitter

Power Output Spurious Emission Current Drain No Modulation a.m. <3.5A

Current Drain at Max Power a.m. <3.5A

Modulation Freq. Response (1 kHz, 0dB Reference)

Microphone

International Beacon

Frequency Project of

28.250MHz I was able

to copy the various

beacons despite the

QRM - quite good

bearing in mind that

this transceiver is not

aimed at the c.w.

operator.

Incidentally, if I

Receiver

Max Sensitivity for 6dB S/N a.m. 0.5pV, Sensitivity for 10dB S/N Overload Audio Fidelity at 6dB Down Adjust Channel Selectivity Image Rejection IF Rejection Max Audio Output Power 2.5W Squelch Range Receiver Clarifier Range -J-1 kHz variable Dynamic Range

owned one of these rigs

I'd be tempted to modify it to pro-

vide c.w. It wouldn't be difficult and

the 'Clarifier' (in reality it's an RIT

control), would allow the incoming

c.w. beat note to be adjusted.

Sensitivity a.m.4mV for 50% mod.

• Fig.

28.000 to 29.699MHz Phase Lock Loop (PLL) synthesiser t400Hz

0.003°A, A3E (a.m.), F3E (n.b.f.m.), J3E (s.s.b.) Plug in electret; push-to-talk

13.8V d.c. nominal, 16V max, 12V min 2 3/64 x 6 1/2 x 7 41/64in

2.651bs (1.2kg) SO-239 80, 3W

a.m.

6W,

65dB or better

n.b.f.m. <6A s.s.b. <1A

n.b.f.m. <6A s.s.b. <6A

Lower, at 450Hz, a.m. -63B, s.s.b. -6dB Upper, at 2.5kHz, a.m. -6dB, s.s.b. -6dB

n.b.f.m. 4mV for 1 kHz deviation s.s.b. 4mV for 10W p.e.p.

a.m 0.5pV, n.b.f.m./s.s.b. 0.25pV

450Hz-2100Hz

a.m./n.b.f.m. 60dB, s.s.b.

Typically better than 90dB 70dB or better

Adjustable from 0.5pV to 1 mV

65dB (s.s.b.)

2: The transceiver is supplied with an

electet insert microphone rather than the

more common moving coil type often found

on CB radio equipment.

son

unbalanced

n.b.f.m. 25W, s.s.b. 25W p.e.p.

n.b.f.m./s.s.b.

0.25pV

70dB

immediate y when they heard my

transmissions on 28MHz. I put this

down to the sensitive electret

microphone - and the impressive

results have made me consider one

for my Alinco DX-70 transceivers!

Using a modified

Nevada CB antenna

(shortened to resonate

on 28MHz) I found

no difficulty in work-

ing all over Europe

during my holiday in

Ireland. Audio quality

is reasonable - and it

would have been bet-

ter to use an external

speaker in my car as

the speaker aperture

was screened. Audio

output was more than

adequate for mobile

use and it could have

coped with a much

noisier vehicle.

Transmitted audio

quality reports,

received from other

stations were particu-

larly pleasing. The

majority of other sta-

tions said the 'com-

munications' quality

was particularly effec-

tive. Several friends

who know (and have

known me for many

years) said that they

recognised my voice

Summar

The display is excellent and clear

and the rig is well made and I'm

left wondering just what sort of

interest could develop if the (I

assume the transceiver is made in

Taiwan) manufacturers re-worked

the transceiver for - let's say -

7MHz with c. w replacing the

n.b.f.m. mode. Now that would be

even more interesting!

PLEASE ME TION THE PW REVIEW WHEN CONTACTING THE SHORTWAVE SHOP.

In My Car?

So...would I buy an Albrecht 485 S

for my car if looking for a budget-

priced rig? In answer, I would say

"Yes". The transceiver, and any of

the many similar re-tuned CB

transceivers will provide a good

value-for-money rig for anyone on

a tight budget.

And (again) "Yes", it is obvious-

ly a CB transceiver retuned to

28MHz - but at the same time per-

formance isn't bad at all bearing in

mind the price. (The CB fratenity

often benefit from really large scale

'mass production' in this way). The

only reservations I have involve the

limited tuning increments and the

obvious 'switchy' feel of the tuning

although the controls and basic

operation are delightfully simple.

An excellent 'starter' rig in my

opinion for budget mobile use

(possible modification for 50MHz

perhaps?).

Practical Wireless, November 2000