[Elecraft] PLL es BFO range test

[Rob Locher W7GH]

Hi Dave,

Sorry I missed you the first time.  I would think that your problem is not  
that the PLL reference oscillator and BFO ranges aren't being displayed; I  
think your problem is that the ranges are incorrect.

I had the same problem with the BFO range when I was building my K2.  I  
didn't have the reference oscillator problem though.  Here's a quote from  
the manual:

"If your BFO range is less than 3.6 kHz, you may have the wrong
varactor diodes installed at D37 or D38, or the wrong crystals
installed at X3 or X4."

In my case, I had D37 and D38 backwards, despite the prominent warnings to  
not get things backwards in the assembly section of the manual.

Actually, if I were you, I wouldn't even look at the BFO range until you  
sort out your PLL reference oscillator range problem.  Here's a quote from  
the troubleshooting section of the manual:

"If the PLL reference oscillator range is found
to be inadequate, X1 may be defective. Also
check D16, D17, C84, C85, and L31 for
proper value."

I would also triple-check the part values and orientation, and also your  
solder work.  Or if you can find another Elecrafter living nearby, have  
him or her check things over, since another pair of eyes will frequently  
spot something you've overlooked many times.

If all that fails, the next step should probably be to contact  
support at elecraft.com .

gud luck es 73,
- Rob W7GH
K2 #5004



On Thu, 23 Feb 2006 13:01:15 -0800, Dave <daveleduc at adelphia.net> wrote:

> I didn't get much of a response to my first request of help so I thought  
> I'd
> try again.
>
> I have spent most of the day checking and re-checking and am not making  
> any
> headway.
>
>
>
> I am building a K2 and everything has been going fine until the "PLL
> Reference Oscillator Range test". Pressing the Band+ switch does not  
> change
> the PLL reference display (12113). The Band- switch changes the reference
> display to 12067. Pressing the Band + switch again displays the PLL
> reference freq. of 12113.
>
>
> I looked for bad solder connections, incorrect or missing components and
> could not find any.
>
>
> Pressing on with the alignment process I found that the "BFO range test"
>
> gave similar results. In this case neither the band+ nor the band-  
> displayed
> the BFO range. The display stayed at 4912 khz.
>
>
> Any Ideas?
>
>
>
>
> Dave N1IX