[SignalOne] CX7A - Why am I doing this?
Bob Sullivan
[email protected]
Thu, 11 Dec 2003 14:31:33 -0500
JRG,
You are right on the money about the S/1 company! Those were interesting=20
times for sure. It was hard to keep track of their current address and=20
phone number. Ha. You are right about what I think - the CX7, CX7A, CX7B=20
series got slightly better but were always troublesome to keep running (all=
=20
those connectors to the PCB's ... ugh); the "MilSpec" (note my ""'s) was a=
=20
joke but the CX-11 and better yet, the CX11A were quite good - I use one as=
=20
my daily rig and love it. The original costs were, of course, outrageous -=
=20
only for the rich guys. But everyone must admit all the S/1 stuff is fun to=
=20
"play" with and keep running.
Besides, when I tire of all this fancy technology I switch to AM ...!
Listen for my KW-1 in the near future. :-)
73, Bob
W=D8YVA
My station: http://www.isquare.com/personal_pages/hardware-14.htm
At 10:58 AM 12/11/2003, Joachim Groeger wrote:
>G'day Uli and Ray,
>
>I certainly don't want to continue my tirade ad nauseam. So I am=20
>offering this as my parting shot on this particular subject:
>
>Uli, you don't say anything about CX7s/As/Bs. So I take it you never had=20
>the misfortune to have to work on one of those. My good buddy Bob, W0YVA,=
=20
>tells me that the only good S/1 ever made was the CX11 (not sure if there=
=20
>are different variants). And to be sure, good ole Bob knows a thing or two=
=20
>about S1 radios.
>
>I don't mind the odd 'design deficiency' (and Collins certainly had their=
=20
>fair share of them!) but I certainly don't expect the sort of=20
>design/production engineering deficiency INFLATION Signal/One subjected=20
>the owners of their CX7 series radios to. After all, back in the seventies=
=20
>you could buy a midsize family car (or a VW beetle and a half. I guess you=
=20
>still remember the VW slogan? 'It runs and it runs and it runs .......)=20
>for the price of a CX7.
>
>You already know my views on the Milspec 1030. Many nice features,=20
>mediocre receiver that has to be upgraded with your high-pass filter (I=20
>still haven't found anyone to produce the PC board for me, btw!) to be up=
=20
>to snuff for use in Europe, construction ok but certainly falling short of=
=20
>what I would expect from 'milspec' (maybe I've been in a different=
military).
>
>As to your question how S/1 could stay 'alive' (if you can call it that -=
=20
>for the most part they were on life support, even in the early days when=20
>they were a division of NCR), there are probably two factors contributing=
=20
>to that 'success'
>
>Firstly, the company changed owenership as often as you and I change=20
>shirts. It is easy to pick up a company (the critical factor in this is=20
>actually getting hold of the brand name)that someone else has managed to=20
>run into the ground. Happens all the time. You normally get them for a=20
>song and a dance. So, with relatively little up-front money you can=20
>resurrect it.
>
>Then comes the second part: you need to promise your potential customers=
=20
>the world, new design, improved performance, better reliability and so on=
=20
>(make sure you offer the new product at a special introductory, never to=20
>be repeated price - free parking included). If you are lucky some of those=
=20
>folks will take the bait (there is a sucker born every minute), maybe even=
=20
>some of those who were bitten by the predecessor company(yours truly!).
>
>If the venture fails, find new owner, return to step 1 above.
>
>'nuff said?
>
>
>Vy 73 to y'all
>
>JRG
>
>
>"Graf Ulrich ICM MP PD ST 2 ULM 1" <[email protected]> schrieb:
> >Hi,
> >
> >a very hard judgement I can't confirm. I not only had Milspecs on my
> >workbench but also several different designs of the CX-11. The S/1 radios
> >are definitely not desiged for use in Europe under large signal=
conditions,
> >but in general they are very well designed. There are design deficiencies
> >but you'll find these also in Collins, Motorola or Rohde & Schwarz=
radios.
> >To me the receivers are highly sensitivity and have high if gain for a=20
> large
> >agc range and they are not noisier than comparable constructions. The=
audio
> >"sound" is comparable to my Collins KWM-380 which is unrivaled by any=
other
> >radio I had on my desk. And since I'm involved in radio testing for the
> >German Amateur Rdaio Club I see lots of them! And modulation is confirmed
> >to be absolutely great. So your personal - obviously very negative -
> >experiences with CX-7s do certainly not meet the rest of the S/1=
products.
> >
> >What I'm wondering about is only how S/1 company could stay alive for=
such
> >a long period of time with such a little number of products and so many
> >design variations. I saw minimum 3 different CX-11 and 3 different=
Milspecs,
> >apart from options or extensions.
> >
> >73 Uli, DK4SX
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: [email protected]
> >[mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of
> >[email protected]
> >Sent: Donnerstag, 11. Dezember 2003 00:13
> >To: [email protected]
> >Subject: Re: [SignalOne] CX7A - Why am I doing this?
> >
> >
> >Hi, Ray
> >
> >Like you I have owned two of my three CX7As from new.
> >
> >I can honestly say that as a concept the radio is still superb even=20
> after all these years.
> >But as a product it must rank as one of the radio world's biggest design=
=20
> and production engineering disasters.
> >
> >Quiet receiver? I wonder what a noisy receivers sounds like to your=20
> ears. The CX7A's receiver (IF and AF stages) noise is DEAFENING. It is so=
=20
> bad that it causes total operator fatigue after only 30 minutes of use.
> >
> >The receiver may be sensitive - sensitive to intermodulation and cross=20
> modulation, that is. Without modification (replacement of 40673 in front=
=20
> end and first mixer and installation of an antenna attenuator with at=20
> least 15dB) the receiver is worthless on just about any frequency over=20
> here in Europe, particularly after dark.
> >
> >Reliability is so poor that one of the greatest thrills of owning the=20
> radio is experienced when the radio is turned on and then STAYS on.
> >
> >If that's how I feel about the box, why did I buy a second and third=20
> one, you ask? I simply could not believe it possible to replicate such an=
=20
> engineering disaster. But I was wrong!
> >
> >Despite all this, I'll hang one to them because they are nice to look at.
> >
> >
> >73
> >
> >J R Groeger
> >G4XXW, DK3NG, EL0AA/MM
> >
> >
> >"Ray LaRue" <[email protected]> schrieb:
> >>I have had an unmodified CX7A since new, (29 years plus??). I=20
> purchased it
> >>new.
> >>
> >>While almost any rig can be improved by someone focusing on a particular
> >>aspect of the design, I have reviewed all the mods and haven't seen the=
=20
> need
> >>to install any of them. My CX-7A is fine.
> >>
> >>I love the smooth break-in CW and the sensitive and yet quiet receiver,=
(no
> >>phase noise). I have never experienced any significant cross-mod, such=
=20
> as I
> >>have on the various "rice boxes" I have had and used.
> >>
> >>It has served me well as is. It has been in good care and is still=
almost
> >>like new.
> >>
> >>Ray LaRue, W4BYG
> >>VP Engineering
> >>Dominion Video Satellite, Inc.
> >>Naples, Fl
> >>
> >>_______________________________________________
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> >>[email protected]
> >>http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/signalone
> >>
> >
> >
> >--
> >
> >
> > Jeder Wohlgesinnte und Einsichtige ergreife also
> >mit mir Partei f=FCr die deutsche Sprache
> >gegen die deutsche Dummheit
> > Arthur Schopenhauer (1788 - 1860)
> >_______________________________________________
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> >
>
>
>--
>
>
> Jeder Wohlgesinnte und Einsichtige ergreife also
>mit mir Partei f=FCr die deutsche Sprache
>gegen die deutsche Dummheit
> Arthur Schopenhauer (1788 - 1860)
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