Hamtronics, Inc.; Hilton NY; USA. All rights reserved. Hamtronics is a registered trademark. Revised:
8/10/11
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HAMTRONICS® R306 UHF FM RECEIVER:
INSTALLATION, OPERATION, & MAINTENANCE
GENERAL INFORMATION.
The R306 is our 6th generation uhf nbfm
receiver. It is intended for demanding applications which require exceptional sensitivity and
selectivity. It is especially suited for repeaters,
audio and data links, and remote control.
The R306 uses triple-tuned circuits in the
front end and excellent crystal and ceramic filters in the i-f with steep skirts for close channel spacing or repeater operation. The i-f
selectivity, for instance, is down over 100dB at
±12 kHz away from the carrier, which is 40-50
dB better than most transceivers. Low noise
fet's and surface mount parts in the front end
provide good overload resistance and 0.2µV
sensitivity.
The R306 features a positive-acting, widerange squelch circuit and additional output
terminals for low-level squelched audio and
discriminator audio as well as COS.
The frequency is programmed in at the
factory and is aligned to frequency; so you
have no adjustments to do at installation.
Volume and Squelch controls are trim pots on
the board for compact design. For those applications requiring adjustments on the outside of a cabinet, you may easily replace these
pots with suitable panel mount controls.
The frequency reference for the R306 Receiver is a temperature compensated crystal
oscillator (tcxo). This provides a temperature
stability of ±2ppm over a temperature range
of -30°C to +60°C without requiring a crystal
oven.
INSTALLATION.
pc board with #22 solid hookup wire, which
can be extended to a connector or
feedthrough capacitors used on the cabinet in
which it is installed. Be very careful not to
route the wiring near rf components on the
board, for instance underneath the board.
Power Connections.
The receiver operates on +13.6 Vdc at
about 100 mA peak with full audio. Current
drain with no audio is only about 38 mA. A
well regulated power supply should be used.
Be sure that the power source does not
carry high voltage or reverse polarity transients on the line, since semiconductors in the
receiver can be damaged. The positive power
supply lead should be connected to the receiver at terminal E3, and the negative power
lead should be connected to the ground plane
of the board through the mounting hardware.
Be sure to observe polarity!
Speaker.
An loudspeaker with an impedance of 8Ω
or greater should be connected to E2 with
ground return through the mounting hardware. Use of lower impedance speaker or
shorting of speaker terminal can result in ic
damage. The receiver can also drive higher
impedances, such as the 1K to 20K input impedances of repeater controller boards. There
is no need to load down the output to 8 ohms.
Antenna Connections.
The antenna connection should be made
to the pc board with an RCA plug of the lowloss type made for rf. We sell good RCA plugs
with cable clamp. See A5 plug on website.
If you want to extend the antenna connection to a panel connector, we recommend
using a short length of RG-174/u coax with the
plug and keep the pigtails very short.
We do not recommend trying to use direct
coax soldered to board or another type of
connector. The method designed into the
board results in lowest loss practical. When
soldering the cable, keep the stripped ends as
short as possible.
damage to the receiver will occur; but the
squelch circuit hysteresis will be affected.
If your repeater controller uses discriminator audio, rather than the speaker output,
filtered discriminator audio is available at E4.
The level is about 2V p-p. Note that discrimi-
nator audio is not de-emphasized or
squelched. If you need audio which is
squelched, take it from Repeater Audio terminal E1. Level there is about 1V p-p.
Subaudible Tone Decoder.
To use our TD-5 Subaudible Tone Decoder
or a similar module, connect its audio input to
DISCRIMINATOR terminal E4. If you want to
use it to mute the audio (instead of inhibiting
a repeater transmitter as is normally done),
connect the mute output of the TD-5 to E1 on
the receiver.
Multichannel Operation.
The R306 may be programmed with more
than one channel. If you ordered this option,
you can change to the first alternate channel
by grounding E6 or the second alternate
channel by grounding E7. Grounding both
terminals selects the third alternate. Ground
terminals E8 and E9 are provided if you want
to use jumpers, or you can use an external
switch of some sort.
ADJUSTMENTS.
Frequency Netting.
All crystals age a little over a long period
of time; so it is customary to tweak any receiver back onto the precise channel frequency once a year during routine
maintenance. This adjustment is called “netting”, which is a term going back to days when
all stations on a network would initially adjust
their VFOs to all be on the same exact frequency before operating as a net.
The adjustment should be done using an
accurate service monitor or frequency
counter. Of course, make sure the test
equipment is exactly on frequency first by
checking it against WWV or another frequency
Mounting.
Some form of support should be provided
under the pc board, generally mounting the
board with 4-40 screws and threaded standoffs to a chassis.
The receiver board relies on the mounting
hardware to provide the dc and speaker
ground connections to the ground plane on
the board; so metal standoffs and screws
should be used for mounting.
Electrical Connections.
Power and input audio or data signals
should be connected to the solder pads on the
OPTIONS.
Repeater Use.
E5 provides a COS (carrier operated
switch) output which may be connected to a
COR module to turn a transmitter on and off.
The output level is about 5V unsquelched and
0V squelched. There is a resistor in series with
the output to limit current. Therefore, the
voltage that appears at the COR board will depend on the load resistance at the input of
that board. For best results, be sure that the
input resistance of the COR board is at least
47K. If the input resistance is too low, no
Table 1. Quick Specification Reference
Frequency Range:
can be supplied from 400 - 470 MHz
Sensitivity (12dB SINAD): 0.2µV
Squelch Sensitivity: 0.15µV
Normal signal bw: ±5kHz deviation
Adjacent Channel Selectivity:
±12 kHz at -100dB! (narrower bandwidth
is available as an option)
Modulation Acceptance: ±7.5 kHz
Audio Output: up to 1 Watt (8 ohms).
Operating Power: +13.6Vdc at 38-100 mA,
depending on audio level.
Size: 4 in. W x 2.5 in. D
Hamtronics, Inc.; Hilton NY; USA. All rights reserved. Hamtronics is a registered trademark. Revised:
8/10/11
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standard.
The channel frequency is trimmed precisely on frequency with a small variable capacitor, which is accessible through a hole in
the top of the TCXO shield can. The proper
tool is a plastic wand with a small ceramic or
metal bit in the end.
To perform this adjustment, it is first necessary to verify that the discriminator is properly adjusted. Do this by connecting a dc
voltmeter to TP4. Connect a signal generator
set for 10.700 MHz to TP5 (left side of coil L9),
and set the level for a relatively strong signal
so there is very little white noise. Adjust discriminator coil T2 for 3.3Vdc. Then, reconnect
the signal generator to antenna connector J1,
and set it for the precise channel frequency.
You can also use a strong signal on the air if
you are sure it is right on frequency. Adjust
the TCXO trimmer capacitor for 3.3Vdc (to
match the voltage obtained with the 10.700
MHz signal).
Setting Channel Frequency.
The channel frequency is determined by
frequency synthesizer circuits, which use a microcontroller which is programmed at the factory. If you need to change frequency,
contact the factory to get another micro programmed for the new frequency settings.
ALIGNMENT.
A complete alignment is needed whenever
the frequency is changed by more than about
1 MHz. Alignment ensures that the frequency
synthesizer is optimized at the center of the
vco range and that all stages are tuned to
resonance.
Equipment needed for alignment is a sensitive dc voltmeter, a stable and accurate signal generator for the channel frequency, and a
regulated 13.6Vdc power supply with a 0-200
mA meter internally or externally connected in
the supply line.
The slug tuned coil should be adjusted
with the proper .062" square tuning tool to
avoid cracking the powdered iron slugs. Variable capacitors should be adjusted with a plastic tool having a small metal bit. (See
website.)
MID MAX MIN
Capacitor Adjustment
☞☞☞☞Note: Meter indications used as refer-
ences are typical but may vary widely due to
many factors not related to performance, such
as type of meter and circuit tolerances.
a. Set the SQUELCH pot fully counterclockwise and the VOLUME pot just a little
clockwise.
b. Connect speaker and +13.6 Vdc. You
should hear white noise.
c. Connect voltmeter to TP1 (insert
probe tip in pad on board). Adjust vco coil L1
for +2Vdc. (Although the vco will operate
over a wide range of tuning voltages from
about 1V to 5V, operation is optimum if the
vco is adjusted to 2V.)
d. Connect voltmeter to TP2 (insert
probe tip into pad). Adjust doubler variable
capacitor C21 for a peak. Note: the peak will
be small.
e. Adjust buffer variable capacitor C24
for a peak. This will be just a slight peaking
(increase) of the voltage.
f. Adjust C32 and C33 for a peak. Then,
re-peak C21, C24, C27, and C33 to ensure they
are all at maximum.
g. Connect stable signal generator to
TP-2. Set generator to exactly 10.7000 MHz.
Use a frequency counter or synthesized signal
generator so the frequency is accurate. Set
level just high enough for full quieting. At 20
µV, you should notice some quieting, but you
need something near full quieting for the test
(about 200µV).
h. Connect dc voltmeter to Discriminator pad E4. Adjust discriminator transformer
T3 for +2.0Vdc.
Be careful not to turn the slug tight
against either the top or bottom because the
winding of the transformer can be broken.
i. Connect signal generator to J1 using a
coax cable with RCA plug. Adjust signal generator to exact channel frequency, and turn
output level up fairly high (about 1mV).
j. If necessary, adjust trimmer in TCXO to
net the crystal to channel frequency, indicated
by +2.0Vdc at Discriminator output terminal
pad. The frequency normally will be very
close; so you may not need to adjust it at all
except to compensate for aging.
Note: There are two methods of adjusting
the mixer and front end. One is to use a voltmeter with test point TP-3. The voltage at this
point is proportional to the amount of noise
detected in the squelch circuit; so it gives an
indication of the quieting of the receiver. With
SQUELCH control fully ccw, the dc voltage at
TP-3 varies from -0.5 Vdc with no signal (full
noise) to +0.9 Vdc with full quieting signal.
The other method is to use a regular professional SINAD meter and a tone modulated signal.
In either case, a weak to moderate signal
is required to observe any change in noise. If
the signal is too strong, there will be no
change in the reading as tuning progresses; so
keep the signal generator turned down as receiver sensitivity increases during tuning.
If you use TP-3 with a voltmeter, the signal
can be modulated or unmodulated. If you use
a SINAD meter, the standard method is a 1000
Hz tone with 3 kHz deviation.
k. Connect dc voltmeter to TP-3. Set
signal generator for relatively weak signal, one
which shows some change in the dc voltage
indication at TP3. Alternately peak RF amplifier and mixer variable capacitors C29, C30,
and C31 until no further improvement can be
made. When properly tuned, sensitivity
should be about 0.2µV for 12 dB SINAD.
T1 and T2 adjust the crystal filter for
minimum distortion. These are adjusted at
the factory and should not be disturbed. If
you must adjust them, inject a signal exactly
on channel frequency with a 1000Hz tone and
5kHz deviation. Adjust alternately for minimum distortion.
THEORY OF OPERATION.
The R306 is a frequency synthesized uhf
fm Receiver. Refer to the schematic diagram
for the following discussion.
Low noise dual-gate mos fet’s are used for
the RF amplifier and mixer stages. The output
of mixer Q6 passes through an 8-pole crystal
filter to get exceptional adjacent channel selectivity.
U4 provides IF amplification, a 2nd mixer to
convert to 455 kHz, a discriminator, noise amplifier, and squelch. Ceramic filter FL5 provides additional selectivity at 455 kHz. The
noise amplifier is an op amp active filter
peaked at 10 kHz. It detects noise at frequencies normally far above the voice band. Its
output at pin 11 is rectified and combined
with a dc voltage from the SQUELCH control
to turn a squelch transistor on and off inside
the ic, which grounds the audio path when
only noise is present. Inverter Q7 provides a
dc output for use as a COS signal to repeater
controllers.
The injection for the first mixer is generated by voltage controlled oscillator (vco) Q2.
The injection frequency is 10.700 MHz below
the receive channel frequency, and the vco
operates at one half the injection frequency.
The output of the vco is doubled by Q3 and
buffered by Q4 to minimize effects of loading
and voltage variations of following stages
from modulating the carrier frequency. The
buffer output is applied through a triple tuned
circuit (L4, L5, and L6) to gate 2 of mixer Q6.
The frequency of the vco stage is controlled by phase locked loop synthesizer U2. A
sample of the vco output is applied through
the buffer stage and C2 to a prescaler in U2.
The prescaler and other dividers in the synthesizer divide the sample down to 5kHz.
A reference frequency of 10.240 MHz is
generated by a temperature compensated
crystal oscillator (tcxo). The reference is divided down to 5 kHz.
The two 5kHz signals are compared to determine what error exists between them. The
result is a slowly varying dc tuning voltage
used to phase lock the vco precisely onto the
desired channel frequency.
The tuning voltage is applied to varactor
diode D1, which varies its capacitance to tune
the tank circuit formed by L1/C16/C17. C13
Hamtronics, Inc.; Hilton NY; USA. All rights reserved. Hamtronics is a registered trademark. Revised:
8/10/11
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limits the tuning range of D1. The tuning voltage is applied to D1 through a third-order lowpass loop filter, which removes the 5kHz reference frequency from the tuning voltage to
avoid whine.
Serial data to indicate the desired channel
frequency and other operational characteristics of the synthesizer are applied to synthesizer U2 by microcontroller U1. Everything the
synthesizer needs to know about the band, division schemes, reference frequency, and oscillator options is generated by the controller.
+13.6Vdc power for the Receiver is applied at E1. Audio output amplifier U5 is powered directly by the +13.6Vdc. All the other
stages are powered through +5V regulator U6
for stability and to eliminate noise. Additional
filtering for the vco and buffer stages is provided by capacitance amplifier Q1, which uses
the characteristics of an emitter follower to
provide a very stiff supply, eliminating any
possible noise on the power supply line.
TROUBLESHOOTING.
General.
The usual troubleshooting techniques of
checking dc voltages and signal tracing with an
RF voltmeter probe and oscilloscope will work
well in troubleshooting the R306. DC voltage
charts and a list of typical audio levels are
given to act as a guide to troubleshooting. Although voltages may vary widely from set to
set and under various operating and measurement conditions, the indications may be helpful when used in a logical troubleshooting
procedure.
Current Drain.
Power line current drain normally is about
38 mA with volume turned down or squelched
and up to 100 mA with full audio output.
If the current drain is approximately 100
mA with no audio output, check to see if voltage regulator U6 is hot. If so, and the voltage
on the 5V line is low, there is a short circuit on
the +5Vdc line somewhere and U6 is limiting
the short circuit current to 100mA to protect
the receiver from damage. If you clear the
short circuit, the voltage should rise again. U6
should not be damaged by short circuits on its
output line; however, it may be damaged by
reverse voltage or high transient voltages.
Audio Output Stage.
Note that audio output ic U5 is designed
to be heatsunk to the pc board through the
many ground pins on the ic.
If audio is present at the volume control
but not at the speaker, the audio ic may have
been damaged by reverse polarity or a transient on the B+ line. This is fairly common
with lightning damage.
If no audio is present on the volume control, the squelch circuit may not be operating
properly. Check the dc voltages, and look for
noise in the 10 kHz region, which should be
present at U4-pin 11 with no input signal. (Between pins 10 and 11 of U4 is an op-amp active filter tuned to 10 kHz.)
RF Signal Tracing.
If the receiver is completely dead, try a
10.700 MHz signal applied to TP-2. Set level
just high enough for full quieting. At 20µV,
you should notice some quieting, but you
need something near full quieting for the test,
which requires about 200µV.
You can also connect the 10.700 MHz clip
lead through a .01µf blocking capacitor to
various sections of the crystal filter to see if
there is a large loss of signal across one of the
filter sections. Also, check the 10.245 MHz
oscillator with a scope or by listening with an
hf receiver or service monitor.
A signal generator on the channel frequency can be injected at various points in the
front end. If the mixer is more sensitive than
the RF amplifier, the RF stage is suspect. Check
the dc voltages, looking for a damaged fet,
which can occur due to transients or reverse
polarity on the dc power line. Also, it is possible to have the input gate (gate 1) of the RF
amplifier fet damaged by high static charges
or high levels of RF on the antenna line, with
no apparent change in dc voltages, since the
input gate is normally at dc ground.
Synthesizer Circuits.
Following is a checklist of things to look
for if the synthesizer is suspected of not performing properly.
a. Check the output frequency of the
vco buffer with a frequency counter or spectrum analyzer.
b. Check tuning voltage at TP1. It
should be about +2Vdc. Actual range over
which the unit will operate is about +1Vdc to
just under +5Vdc. However, for optimum results, the vco should be tuned to allow operation at about +2Vdc center voltage.
c. Check the operating voltage and bias
on the vco, doubler, and buffer.
d. Check the 10.240 MHz TCXO signal at
pin 1 of the synthesizer ic (actually best to
check at pad next to pin 1; avoid trying to
probe surface mount ic leads which are close
together). A scope should show strong signal
(several volts p-p) at 10.240 MHz.
e. The data, clock, and latch enable lines
between the microcontroller and synthesizer
ic’s should show very brief and very fast activity, sending data to the synthesizer ic shortly
after the power is first applied or a dip switch
setting is changed. Because this happens very
fast, it can be difficult to see on a scope. Use
1mSec/div, 5Vdc/div, and normal trigger on
rising pulse.
Microphonics, Hum, and Noise.
The vco and loop filter are very sensitive
to hum and noise pickup from magnetic and
electrical sources. Some designs use a
shielded compartment for vco’s. We assume
the whole board will be installed in a shielded
enclosure; so we elected to keep the size
small by not using a separate shield on the
vco. However, this means that you must use
care to keep wiring away from the vco circuit.
Having the board in a metal enclosure will
shield these sensitive circuits from florescent
lights and other strong sources of noise.
Because the frequency of a synthesizer
basically results from a free running L-C oscillator, the tank circuit, especially L1, is very
sensitive to microphonics from mechanical
noise coupled to the coil. You should minimize any sources of vibration which might be
coupled to the Receiver, such as motors.
Excessive noise on the dc power supply
which operates the Receiver can cause noise
to modulate the synthesizer output. Various
regulators and filters in the Receiver are designed to minimize sensitivity to wiring noise.
However, in extreme cases, such as in mobile
installations with alternator whine, you may
need to add extra filtering in the power line to
prevent the noise from reaching the Receiver.
Typical Dc Voltages and Signal
Levels.
Tables which follow give dc levels measured with a sensitive dc voltmeter on a sample unit with 13.6 Vdc B+ applied. All voltages
may vary considerably without necessarily indicating trouble. Signal levels at significant
points are also given. The charts should be
used with a logical troubleshooting plan. All
voltages are positive with respect to ground
except as indicated.
Use caution when measuring voltages on
the surface mount ic. The pins are close together, and it is easy to short pins together
and damage the ic. We recommend trying to
connect meter to a nearby component connected to the pin under question.
Table 2. Typical Audio Voltages
Audio Test Point Normal Level*
U4-9 (Discriminator) 1.5V p-p audio
E4 (Disc Output) 1V p-p audio
E1 (Repeater Output) 600mV p-p audio
U4-11 1.5V p-p noise
(noise ampl output)
CW lug Vol Cont R32 300mV p-p audio
U5-3 (af ampl input) 0 to 100mV p-p
(depends on
volume control)
U5-5 or E2 0 to 5V p-p audio
(speaker ampl output)
* Readings taken with strong input signal
with 1000Hz modulation at ±3kHz deviation.
Data signals from microcontroller U1:
Latch enable (LE), clock, and data signals
are constant stream of 5V pulses which can
be observed with scope set for dc input with
1mSec/div horizontal scan.
U3 TCXO output is approx sine wave signal
of 2.5V p-p.