[Premium-Rx] NRD-545 and CHE-199

[Charles Steinmetz]

Greg wrote:

>When looking at an NRD-545 for sale on the Internet is it possible 
>to tell if it has CHE-199 when the seller has little or no radio 
>knowledge and doesn't know how to operate it?

Yes.  With the radio powered on, if CHE-199 is present the words 
"WIDE BAND" appear in the upper left corner of the plasma display 
(above the S-meter, to the left of "MODE").

Note that it is possible to modify the radio so that "WIDE BAND" 
lights up even if CHE-199 is not present, which a few ebay sellers 
have been known to do.

The CGD-197 temperature-compensated master oscillator is another 
option that is definitely worth having.  I don't know of any way to 
verify its presence other than opening up the radio and looking.

Early NRD-545s have firmware with many known issues, including poor 
DSP and audio performance.  Several internet sources say that serial 
numbers above RG 04665 have the latest firmware, but I cannot confirm that.

Best regards,

Charles