XTS3500 Problem, please help...
Posted: Sat May 25, 2002 1:53 pm
OK, Astro folks, here is an interesting one...
I have an Astro XTS3500 with a truly annoying hum in the transmitted audio in analog mode. I'm not sure how it performs in digital mode, because I don't have any way to test it, but in analog mode I detect a hum on the receiving end of the any transmission that I make while in high power mode. If I drop to low power, the hum goes away, or even if I go into the service mode and adjust the high power softpot down. I don't have a watt meter, or a scope to check it out -- I'm using the just my ear and another radio to test the XTS. I can detect the hum even when transmitting in CSQ mode without PL or DPL. ??????
Also, the radio is considerably louder when using an external speaker mic. The internal speaker sounds great, but just isn't very loud. At full volume, I get no distortion, no plastic rumbling, and most of all, no desire to turn it down even indoors. When I compare it to my MT2000, they are about equal volume when the MT2000 is about 3/4 and the XTS is all the way up. I didn't see any rated audio alignments in the service section of RSS, so I'm assuming that this isn't easily calibrated.
Also note, I just purchased this radio and the seller assures me that the audio was normal prior to shipping it. He also explained that he noticed the hum in the audio in the past, but was able to remove it by adjusting the deviation down. I believe the seller to be telling the truth, so my question is if the problem is likely to be a hardware or alignment problem.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.... If more information is needed, please let me know and I'll provide whatever is needed. Oh yea, If it is a hardware problem that directly resulted from rough handling by UPS, and the package was sufficiently insured, will UPS repair the radio or replace it? Just curious if I should be going down that road...
-Yosh
I have an Astro XTS3500 with a truly annoying hum in the transmitted audio in analog mode. I'm not sure how it performs in digital mode, because I don't have any way to test it, but in analog mode I detect a hum on the receiving end of the any transmission that I make while in high power mode. If I drop to low power, the hum goes away, or even if I go into the service mode and adjust the high power softpot down. I don't have a watt meter, or a scope to check it out -- I'm using the just my ear and another radio to test the XTS. I can detect the hum even when transmitting in CSQ mode without PL or DPL. ??????
Also, the radio is considerably louder when using an external speaker mic. The internal speaker sounds great, but just isn't very loud. At full volume, I get no distortion, no plastic rumbling, and most of all, no desire to turn it down even indoors. When I compare it to my MT2000, they are about equal volume when the MT2000 is about 3/4 and the XTS is all the way up. I didn't see any rated audio alignments in the service section of RSS, so I'm assuming that this isn't easily calibrated.
Also note, I just purchased this radio and the seller assures me that the audio was normal prior to shipping it. He also explained that he noticed the hum in the audio in the past, but was able to remove it by adjusting the deviation down. I believe the seller to be telling the truth, so my question is if the problem is likely to be a hardware or alignment problem.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.... If more information is needed, please let me know and I'll provide whatever is needed. Oh yea, If it is a hardware problem that directly resulted from rough handling by UPS, and the package was sufficiently insured, will UPS repair the radio or replace it? Just curious if I should be going down that road...
-Yosh