Ranger_AR-3500_review_1988.pdf

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1、Equipment Report: The Ranger AR -3500 Transceiver For lovers of the 10 meter ham band (28 to 30 MHz), theres no other band that can quite duplicate that bands excitement. With a minimal antenna and a rig running only a fraction of the power required on lower fre- quency bands, worldwide SSB DX can b

2、e worked when propagation conditions are right. Of course, long range propagation on 28 MHz is a come -and -go sort of thing, but conditions have been getting better (thanks to cooperative sunspots) and were seeing overall improvement of DX conditions. Certainly, anybody who ever listened in on the

3、adjacent 27 MHz CB band during DX conditions can attest to the potency of even a few watts of transmitter power in this lively portion of the spectrum. These frequencies are also known for producing Sporadic -E skip openings which come and go on a very irregular basis. Mostly its something lasting o

4、nly a few hours-and it affects only limited geographic areas. These are some of the reasons the 10 meter band is so unpredict- able and exciting. Then, not that long ago, comes some- thing called Novice Enhancement. That meant that people holding Novice and Technician Class ham licenses could finall

5、y operate with SSB on this spectacular band for the very first time, thus opening up the doors to worldwide ham communications (using voice) to thousands upon thousands of operators whose only HF band operating privileges had consisted of CW. With the 28.3 to 28.5 MHz portion of the 10 meter band no

6、w available for SSB use by Novices and Technicians, this band is buzzing away with new vitality and activity. Moreover, its inspired a whole new influx of ham licensees -folks who werent motivated to get CW or VHF -only ham privileges, but were definite- ly inspired by the chance get an easily ob- t

7、ainable Novice license and have the joy of legally skip shooting stations from other areas of the world. Many who jumped at the opportunity were those who had been do- ing it illegally for many years in the bootleg freeband (27.415 to 27.995 MHz). Most Ive spoken to who are part of the new influx on

8、 28 MHz seem to be less inter- ested in exercising their CW privileges on the other HF bands than they are in running SSB on 10 meters. Inasmuch as the majori- ty of HF ham gear consists of multiband transceivers, it seemed only natural for some manufacturer to bring out a transceiv- er that would b

9、e solely devoted to operation on only this one single band. Enter the Clear Channel Corporation, P.O. Box 445, Issaquah, WA 98027. They have very cleverly designed two similar 10 meter band transceivers dedicated to the person who is interested in that particular band alone. One rig is the Model 30W

10、 (25 watts PEP SSB, 8 watts AM, FM 8 watts RMS), and the Model 100W (120 watts PEP, 30 watts AM, FM 8 watts RMS) . While these rigs run less power than the average multiband all -mode rig (SSB 200 to 250 watts PEP), devotees of this portion of the spectrum know that it has its own pecul- iarities. O

11、ne of them is that if a DX station can hear you at all, even a 5 -watt signal will probably do the job. On the other hand, if skip conditions arent right, a full kilowatt will be meaningless. The Ranger AR -3500 is designed for mo- bile use, although it can be operated as a base station with a regul

12、ated power supply (6 amps for the Model 30W, 25 amps for the Model 100W) . The two models weigh 5 and 7 lbs. , respectively. Each is about the size of a mobile SSB rig or 2 meter band FM ham transceiver, although the Model 100W is a shade longer than the lower powered model. General features of both

13、 models of the Ranger AR -3500 are identical and include programmable scanning range; scanning in 100Hz, 1 kHz, 10 kHz, and 100 kHz incre- ments; direct entry frequency selection as well as five memory frequencies; selectable split frequency operation; a high gain noise blanker; squelch; an SSB clar

14、ifier; LEDs that indicate the relative amount of transmit- ted power and incoming signal strength; and a large LED frequency display that reads out to four decimal places (such as 28.3257 MHz) . While the Ranger AR -3500 should be of instant interest to Novices and Technicians with its SSB in the 28

15、.3 to 28.5 MHz sub - band, the unit does cover the entire 28 to 30 MHz ham band with SSB/FM/AM/CW and will appeal to all licensees. The manufacturer rates the receiver at better than .3v (10 dB S + N/N) sensitivi- ty, with selectivity 4.2 kHz (- 6 dB) and 8.6 22 / POPULAR COMMUNICATIONS / February 1

16、988 THE MONITORING MAGAZINE SABANA SECA, PUERTO RICO 00749 BOX 623 U.S. NAVSECGRUACT UNITED STATES NAVY K.,- ; , ; T, a : , .,. . . US N As soon as the band opened 1 got a 5 X 7 report from KP4USN in Puerto Rico (KP4WZU at the controls there). This QSL commemorates the contact! kHz (- 60 dB). The un

17、wanted sideband suppression is rated at better than 50 dB be- low peak output (1 kHz tone); carrier sup- pression better than 40 dB below peak out- put-spurious radiation better than 50 dB below peak output. We had a chance to put the Model 30W through its paces, running it into a half -wave coaxial

18、 antenna mounted about 30 feet up. As soon as the rig was turned on we heard Tom, KA2ZAF, on the air. He was about 20 miles away and had a horizontally polarized beam. He said the rig sounded fine and had a strong signal, despite the antenna polari- zation difference. Within minutes we were joined b

19、y Gary, KB1WY, who was a good thirty miles away. He also gave the rig a good report. Things were looking good, but we were anxious to see the unit tackle a cou- ple of DX stations. Later that afternoon came a band opening and we nailed WP4CTD and KP4USN, both in Puerto Ri- co, followed by PP1BG in B

20、razil, and HK4CGI in Colombia. These guys were giv- ing me 5 x 5 and 5 x 7 signal reports-and thats respectable in anybodys book. For the next several days, with the Ranger AR - 3500 in action, I nailed down Costa Rica, Uruguay, the Canary Islands, and a whole raft of stations in Puerto Rico and els

21、ewhere. I found the unit easy to use, imbued with all of the operating features and conve- niences for which I had any need, and really quite an attractive all-around package for the aspiring 10 meter fan, as well as enough of a rig to satisfy the experienced 10 meter operator seeking a handy rig fo

22、r the shack, the car, the camper, or the boat. Price is nice too; the Model 30W sells for $319, with the Model 100W weighing in around $409. Its a quick, easy, and rather inexpensive way of joining in on the enjoyment and ex- citement of the unique 10 meter band. All you need is a ham ticket. Check

23、it out, the ham ticket and the Ranger AR -3500! Reviewed by Tom Kneitel, K2AES, Editor PC PENETRATOR II WIDE -BAND ANTENNA lem PENETRATOR III 16 IN SHAFT 40 IN STINGER Frequency Coverage 25-30 MHZ, VSWR Under 1.5 to 1 for 2 MHz Bandpass Input Power -Handling Capability: 1400 Watts RMS, 2800 Watts Pe

24、ak Length 70 (1.8 Meters) Stainless Steel Construction Standard 3/8 x 24 Stud Type Mounting COMING SOON: NE THE A AUSTRALIAN ANTENNAS SEND FOR FREE CATALOGUE RP limited P.O. Box 1124 Issaquah, Washington 98027 Facsimile (206) 392-0419 Telephone (206) 392-0399 *QUALITY PARTS*DISCOUNT PRICES * FAST SH

25、IPPING FREE 987 CATALOG LL L1JL (1ELECT RO fCS CORnP PA LI2 , . , OL1lSo BLACKLIGHT ASSEMBLY Complete, functioning assembly includes ballast, on -off switch- i power cord, sockets and F4T5-BL blacklight. Mounted on a 7 1/8 X 3 1/8 metal plate. Use for special effects lighting or erasing EPROMS. CATI

26、 BLTA $10.00 EACH 1 mA METER r1M Modutec 0-1 mA signal strength meter with KLM logo. 1/4 X 1 3/4 X 7/8 deep. CATI MET -2 $2.00 each SWITCHING POWER SUPPLY Compact, well regulated switching power supply designed to power Texas Instruments computer equipment. INPUT: 14-25 vac 1 amp f 3 OUTPUT: +12 vdc

27、 8 300 ma. +5 vdc Cl 1.2 amp -5 vdc 0 200 ma. SIZE: 4 3/4 square. CATI PS -30 $3.50 each VIC 20 MOTHERBOARD 26 ICs including 6502A end 6560. Not guaranteed but great for replacement parts or experimentation. CAT I VIC-20 $15.00 each XEON FLASH TUBE 3/4 X 1/8 dia. CATI FLT -1 2 for $1.00 THIRD TAIL L

28、IGHT Sleek high-tech lamp assembly. Could be used as a third auto tail light, emegency warning light, or special -effects lamp. Red reflective lens is 2 3/4 X 5 1/2 is mounted on a 4 high pedestal with up -down swivel ad- justment. Includes 12 V replaceable bulb CATA TLB $3.95 each LEDS Jumbo T 1-3/

29、4 (5 mm) RED y CATI LED -1 10 for $1.50 GREEN CATI LED -2 10 for $2.00 YELLOW CATI LED -3 10 for $2.00 TWO PIECE J/ HOLDERS FOR ABOVE L.E.D.S CATI HLED 10 for 65c 100 for $5.00 MINI PUSH BUTTON S.P.S.T. momentary. Push to make. CATI MPB-1 Stancor 10 for $3.25 # TTCP-6 NI -CAD CHARGER/ TESTER Will ch

30、arge most TilIk(E every size Ni -Cad battery available. CATI UNCC-N $15.00 TELEPHONE COUPLING TRANSFORMER 600 ohms C.T. to 600 ohms C.T. P.C. board mount. 3/4 X 5/8 X 3/4 CATI TCTXS $2.50 RECHARGEABLE NI -CAD BATTERIES AAA SIZE 1.25V 180mAH $2.25 AA SIZE 1.25V 500mAh $2.00 AA WITH SOLDER TABS $2.20

31、C SIZE 1.2V 1200mAH $4.25 SUB -C SIZE SOLDER TABS $4.25 D SIZE 1.2V 1200mAH $4.25 Qcs 4E) TOLL FREE ORDERS 800-826-5432 INFO (818) 904-0524 FAX - (818) 781-2653 OUR NEW ADDRESS IS: P.O. BOX 567 VAN NUYS, CA 91408 q DUNNTmGt LIMITED V/S4 lriok ,I CO SHIPPING NocDDI FOREIGN ORDERS INCLUDE SUFFICIENT SHIPPING THE MONITORING MAGAZINE CIRCLE 68 ON READER SERVICE CARD February 1988 / POPULAR COMMUNICATIONS / 23