Hi Paul, I too have a slight problem with the sub audible tone for the Yaesu Handheld. It happen even when the handheld is on battery power and not charging. Again Yaesu online tech guys claim it batch to batch and asked me to send it back for repair which I did not.

harrrrr send to japan? ughhh

Hi Santa;
Could you tell me which model Yaesu you have? (if VX-6 or VX-7 it is easy to fix this problem).
You can fix it by using the 'Service Menu', which is accessed by a series of key presses .
The reason Yaesu want you to return it for repair, is that they won't tell you how to access this menu, in case you screw up the rig .
As long as you're careful of what you change in the menu, it usually sorts out any problems .
If you don't take care, and change something like the PLL frequency, you will make the radio useless until you put the default value back in (it's very important to write down all the default settings BEFORE changing them, so you can return the setting back to default if you enter a wrong value) .
I changed the TX audio on my VX-7 up to 200 (it was at 73 default value, and very low audio on TX)!
Now it is very good on TX and incredible on RX, even using the standard rubber antenna it came with .
If it's either the VX6 or VX7 let me know, and I'll tell you how to access the service menu.

Cheers all,
Paul

ooo mine is vx6r!!

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Added on December 2, 2008, 8:44 pmooo mine is vx6r!!

This post has been edited by someone_stupid: Dec 2 2008, 08:44 PM

Paul... VX-3R and FT-60R can?

interested with the hidden menu...

Wow... who knew we would be having an international amateur radio guru to answer all are questions. Paul, any news on the VX-8R? Seems to take forever to reach the market. Good work!

This post has been edited by SeanConnery: Dec 2 2008, 10:19 PM

good to have someone that know so much things about rigs..

Hi 'Sean C' (Bond?)

I'm no guru, unfortunately, but I like to help others to sort out any problems.
If I don't know the answer, I try to find it from someone else.
Regarding the VX-8r, I have been watching the usual dealers (Universal, Gigaparts etc) promising the rig in stock for months.
The date of arrival kept changing (August 4th became September 8th, then October 13th), and now the 'definate' date of delivery of the VX-8r is going to be December 18th!!
But I won't hold my breath!
I can only hope that it's worth waiting for, after all the false starts.
There are bound to be some 'Beta' version bugs, that will be discovered on the first early models, so it's always best to wait for 3-6 months, before buying one.
Let someone else find the bugs, before you part with your money!
For good advice on buying a radio, before you spend money, do some research from ACTUAL owners and users.
The BEST review site IMO is:
www.Eham.net
On there, you will find real people who will give an honest opinion on how good or bad their radio is.
The Eham site has a review for almost every single ham radio ever made, and could save you buying a 'dead duck'.
A few hours looking through other peoples experiences (good and bad) could save you a lot of time and trouble later.

Anyway, that's all for now - I'm on duty in the morning, so I'm gonna get some sleep now.
The website is :
www.eham.NET




See yer
Paul
XU7aDQ

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Added on December 3, 2008, 12:41 amPS - How do I put a photo on a post/reply.
I took a pic of my rigs here, but can't work out how to include it in the post (yeah - I'm stupid!!)
Anyone?

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Added on December 3, 2008, 1:04 amExtending the TX and RX range of your Yaesu VX-7r
If you have a vx-7 here is how to modify it to TX over a very wide frequency range.
• Remove the battery pack.
• Remove the sticker/cover seal for the pressure sensing unit (SU-1), in the battery compartment, where the SU-1 option goes.
• Locate row of eight jumpers. They are numbered 1 - 8.
• For Freeband, remove (Unsolder) all solder jumpers
• Reset the transceiver by holding down MON/F + HM/RV + Internet Key and power up the
transceiver
This will display the Vertex Standard logo instead of Yaesu. Bear in mind that resetting the transceiver by holding down 4 + BAND + V/M and powering up the transceiver WON’T work!

Now your TX Frequencies should be:
Freeband: 40-224.995Mhz and 300-579.995Mhz
Do NOT TX anywhere you aren’t licenced for, and transmit ONLY into a correctly tuned (SWR’d) antenna for the frequency in use, or your final transistors will be fried!!!.

SERVICE MENU for Fixing (repairing) low TX audio on the Yaesu VX-6r
The fix for this is to increase both the transmit deviation and PL (CTCSS) tone deviation using the service menu as follows:
Set the VFO to 440.000 or 145.000 and turn the radio off.
While holding down BAND-Internet-0, power on the radio (Internet is the button on the lower left of the keypad, with a D next to it).
You will see “ref” at the top of the display, above 440.000. Rotate the channel wheel clockwise until you see “dEU” at the top of the display.
Press the V/M key once to enter the set mode. The transmit deviation setting will appear at the top of the display (mine was set to 62 at the factory). Write this setting down in case you need to back out the changes you are about to make.
Rotate the channel wheel to change the setting to 85. Press the V/M key to exit the set mode. dEU appears at the top of the display.
Rotate the channel wheel clockwise one step. You will see 100 at the top of the display. This is the PL tone deviation setting.
Press the V/M key to enter the set mode. Write down the factory default setting (mine was 62).
Change the setting to 75. Press the V/M key to exit the set mode.
Press the HM/RV key to save the changes. If you make a mistake and don’t want to save the changes, just power off the unit instead.
I arrived at these settings after much trial and error. The “right way” to align the radio would be to put it on a service monitor and adjust the settings while measuring the deviation.
Be that as it may, by making small incremental adjustments to one setting at a time, and getting signal reports after each one, I was ultimately able to arrive at the settings which sounded the best to others. My VX-6R now gets signal reports that are equal or better than my VX-5R and VX-7R.
If you run into trouble, return the settings to their factory defaults (which you wrote down) and start again.
Use this technique at your own risk, I’m NOT responsible if you screw up your radio by changing the settings – you have been warned!!!

Accessing the SERVICE MENU on the Yaesu VX-7r (at your own risk!!!)
Important!!!!!!
WRITE DOWN ALL THE DEFAULT SETTINGS BEFORE YOU CHANGE THE VALUES!!!!!

OK:
1. Set your radio to VFO mode
2. Go through each band 50/145/440 MHz (press BAND button!) and set to the centre frequency you will use (e.g. 51.000/145.500/440.000), and leave the rig on 145.000.
3. Switch Off the radio.
4. Now the difficult bit (I’ve got big fingers!!) – press AND HOLD the 0 (zero) button + the ‘Internet’ (bottom left) button + the MON/F button AT THE SAME TIME, Hold them all (3) pressed, and TURN ON THE RADIO (Do Not let go of the buttons).
If you managed to hold all 4 (including POWER) in, you will hear 3 (three) beeps from the radio, followed by 2 more beeps.
5. Your display will now show ‘VFO 440.000 – PLL REF’
DO NOT ADJUST/CHANGE THIS DEFAULT SETTING!!!!!!!
6. Turn the tuning (outer ring) know 1 click clockwise direction.
7. If you’ve followed so far, your display will now read ‘ HIS SQL’ – leave that as it is!
8. Turning the tuning knob 11 (eleven) more clockwise clicks, and you should now have ‘MAX DEV’ on your display (maximum deviation) – mine was set at around 73 as default value.
9. Press V/M once or hold it in until ‘MAX DEV’ begins to flash.
10. Using the tuning (outer top) knob – change the value from 73 or whatever to around 120-150.
11. Press V/M once or twice until ‘MAX DEV’ stops flashing.
12 Switch OFF the radio, then switch ON – Now test the audio (with a friend nearby, or another receiver), to see if it’s improved (louder).
If you are happy with the result, leave as it is, if you think it should be louder, repeat the process again. (I had to turn mine up to 200 to get the best audio!!)
13. Remember, you will need to go through all three bands individually by pressing ‘BAND’ button while in service menu because they all have their own settings.
Also remember to press V/M when you want to save the new setting, or it will just return to the default value.

This menu also allows you to change POWER settings for High/L3/L2/L1, but I personally don’t bother.
There is also a ‘PL’ setting, which allows you to change the audio/deviation level of the CTCSS tones (if you’re having trouble accessing a repeater, and you think CTCSS level is too low).
In all cases – as I said before – WRITE DOWN THE SETTINGS (default) BEFORE CHANGING THEM TO ANOTHER VALUE!!!
That way, if it goes ‘tits-up’ (an English expression for ‘wrong’), you can simply put the values back to where they were, and start again.
DO NOT CHANGE THE FIRST ‘PLL REF’ SETTING – this could possibly stop your radio working completely.
If you are not sure that you want to mess around with an undocumented service method – DON’T DO ANYTHING FROM THE ABOVE TUTORIAL!!
It’s your radio, and I don’t want someone coming to kneecap me because YOU screwed it up!!!
This method works fine for me, but do the modifications at YOUR OWN RISK!!!

Hope this helps someone who needs it because it took me 2 hours to write it all, and many more modifications for other radios like ICOM, KENWOOD, ALINCO etc etc can be found at:

http://www.ham.dmz.ro/yaesu/vx-7r-free-ban...ope-version.php

Have fun, and DON’T Transmit anywhere for which you don’t have the correct licence!!!

I couldn't upload the tutorial photos I took to help with the mod - sorry

Cheers;
Paul
XU7ADQ



This post has been edited by Paul VDSR: Dec 3 2008, 01:04 AM

Hi Paul, I got the VX7 and I have tried bringing up the Max Dev from the default 73 to 99 but with the increase in tx audio comes the increase in PLL too. So I backed it up to 80 couple months back. What setting are you using for your Max Dev? I could be having the batch of VX7 with the dirty PLL tone

My VX3 do not have any such problem though, maybe its just way too low on TX power to have any QRM

Paul, does the vx6r mod by the service menu fix the problem i'm facing? and and.. a noob question, watz a service monitor?

hi

new in this. anyone know's where i can get ham radio's in singapore?

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Added on December 3, 2008, 3:45 pmhi m_sara... where's ur location?

This post has been edited by joejoney: Dec 3 2008, 03:45 PM

if i'm nt mistaken there's only 2 major ones in sg, can google them up, i forgot the name but itz at slt, simlim tower not square ya, tower

Hi,

I think almost everyone in Malaysia is sourcing their ham radio from Singapore, hence your choice would be limitless. Heard Sim Lim tower's the place. If Singapore is closer and I don't have to pay RM300 for an international passport I'll would have gone to Singapore in the umpteenth time already. And also possibly able to purchase models that Paul is recommending (though the hack part worries me, a lot).

Sean C. (not Bond)

p.s. Paul, have you been an ATC all your life? How's the pay, surely good eh?

This post has been edited by SeanConnery: Dec 3 2008, 10:11 PM

Hi Sean C,
What worries you about the 'hack' on the yaesu?
The TX mod is easy to do, and the service menu one is reversable to default if you mess up the settings.
I suppose that the fact that more frequencies are available to 'explore', but most of the radios we have in the Asian market are wide band anyway, when compared to the TX range of a standard UK (144-146/430-440MHz) radio.
Most standard rigs here are TX 137-174MHz & 400-470MHz straight from the box!!
What's the value vs. the US$ of the RM?
As regards ATC, no, I've been doing it for only a few years (but I'm GOOD :-))
The money is OK too, when you consider how cheap it is to live herein Cambodia!!!
I've set up a photo site on Flickr if you want to see what radios I've got here, and a few boring other pics too!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33007541@N04/

Cheers;
Paul

wow!! i already receive the letter from SKMM (MCMC). And now i preparing for the RAE....a lot of note haven't read yet.....sigh.....

oh great! when and where is the rae?
btw paul, the map with the callsign prefix...where did u get that?

Hi S_S,

Regarding the prefix map, There are lots of them here >>>>

http://vkham.com/amateur.html

Have a good day,
Paul

Paul my friend ... welcome to the thread ...

wow been sometime since i have been in here ...



everyone is fine and all charged up?

Hey guys, sorry to bump into the topic out of sudden
Would like to know do they sell scanners which just receive in Msia? Would like to listen to some Air traffic communications.