FS5000 radio

Development status

RECEIVER
can be turned ON/OFF
can set the BW narrow/wide
can set the FREQUENCY (set 7 digits)

TRANSMITTER
can be turned ON/OFF
can set the FREQUENCY (set 7 digits)
transmitter emits RF at 200KHz above the set FREQUENCY
can turn the RF output ON/OFF

ATU
can be made to tune an aerial

DATA
no progress

TRANSCEIVER USE
can be used with a separate receiver and transmitter frequency
changing from RX to TX takes about 3 seconds.
changing from TX to RX takes about 1 second.

CONTROL PROGRAM
Written in BASIC to run on an IBM PC
Controls the FS5000 via the PC printer port
Adapter card or cable required
BASIC program (7 Kb)

ADAPTER CARD or CABLE
A piece of perf board with two DB25 connectors.
Some cross linked wires
Alternatively, a cable with some cross linked wires.
Circuit (184 Kb)
If using an adapter board, do not short pins 25 and 24 together or to ground,
as it will destroy part of the printed circuit board or damage the FS5000 internals.
Here is a photo of some damage and the repairs,
when an adapter was plugged vertically into the remote control connector
and it touched the black locking levers.
Damage (182k)

On-Air tests 5 April 2005
Successful copying in Sydney on 14.030MHZ at 2150 AEST
bench setup with morse key (159k)
computer arrangement (152k)
monitoring receiver RA217 (174k)

On-Air tests 13 April 2005
Successful copying in Sydney on 14.050MHz at 2130 AEST
and on 7.025MHz at 2200 AEST.
Also transmitted with an RS-1 (similar to a GRC-109) transceiver.
Similar signal strength.

January 2007
Constructed a breadboard control unit using a PICAXE 40X.
Wrote the program in BASIC and uploaded it through the serial port.
It uses an LCD display and a HEX keypad.
Works well.
LCD initialisation bug fixed.
Keyboard scanning bug fixed.
Still  crashes occasionally.
Rats Nest breadboard setup

January 2008
Received a metal box from Jim (thanks very much).
Cut the box and installed the LCD display and the HEX keypad.
I purchased three Casio BOSS organisers so that I can use the QWERTY keyboard.
Used a hot air gun to remove the SMD devices from it.
Determined that the keyboard matrix is 5x12 lines (needed to layout PCB).
Began PCB design.

June 2009
Designed and tested the morse key and buzzer circuit.

November 2008
Designed and tested the software ON and OFF circuits.

February 2009
Ordered some parts, chips, sockets, buzzer.

July 2009
Finished PCB design in Protel.
Finished drawing the circuit.
Got it manufactured.
It is a 2 sided board, and using snap pins for the plate through holes.
No solder mask or silk screen.

September 2009
Started populating PCB.
Tested morse and buzzer circuits.
Tested regulator and software ON and OFF circuits.

October 2009
Soldered in resistors, capacitors, chips and sockets.
PICAXE will not program!
I damaged the old chip, so cannot use that.

November 2009
Solved the PICAXE problem!
The new PICAXE 40X-1 and 40X-2 do not need an external resonator
and do not show any waveforms on the external pins.
Also the new chips require a new editor, V5.2.7,
my older version does not recognise the new 40X-1.
Uploaded the first code.
Testing the PCB.

December 2009
Got the initisation routines working.
Should change the interface chps to 74LS374, (then have negative going latch pulses).
Wrote LCD init routine.
The LCD init routines were difficult to get right, despite all the info on the NET.
Wrote LCD write and title routines.
Title loads OK.
LCD initilaises OK.
Rewrote keyboard scan routines for new layout.
Keyboard scans OK.
FS5000 turns ON and OFF with A key.
Bandwith changes with B key.

January 2010
Rewrote frequency input routines.
Receiver now working.
Auto ON/OFF not working, PIC is loading keyboard lines when not powered.
Transmitter working reliably, doesn't crash anymore.
Perhaps the rats-nest layout was picking up RF causing a PIC RESET.
Transmitter puts out 25 watts into dummy load.
Synth Lock status displayed on LCD.

Still to do.
LPF tx routine to be tested.
ON/OFF circuit to be redesigned.
TX and RX frequency  offset to be added.
RESET should load RX freq, it does not, why?
Re-layout PCB with errors removed, make a few.
Range checking on inputting frequency to be added.
On  air testing.
Disable morse key and audible tone, when in RX mode or synth not locked?
Make sure TX mode causes aerial tune? or leave it as a manual operation (as in PRC-319)?
otherwise it requires pressing TX button twice, to initiate aerial tune.