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Call Sign : 26 CT 1155 Posts : 2 Times Thanked : 0 Join date : 2019-06-27 QTH or Location : Newcastle under Lyme Equipment Used : Magnum 257 + Intek 490 plus
So I keep being told my audio quality is excellent but it's a little quiet. I have introduced a power mic which has helped a little but what I would like to do is increase the audio via the modulation pod. However I'm not 100% sure what it looks like or where on the board it is. I have found 3 possibilities as of which are a small tower like shape with a slotted screw at the top. Two are black slots one is white. If anyone might have experience with this radio I would love some advise please. Thanks
Victor CT Directors
Call Sign : 26-CT-3228 / M7VIC Posts : 5778 Times Thanked : 352 Join date : 2019-11-10 QTH or Location : Bedford Equipment Used : Various
Subject: Re: Magnum 257 (blue) 30w Tue Jul 07, 2020 7:22 am
Hi "Rover TD5", (Sorry, no personal.....no previous posts, no CT callsign....have you thought about joining?)
I wouldn't suggest you go inside your radio adjusting/setting/twiddling anything unless you know exactly what you're doing. (I know, that's why you're asking).
The "towers" with a "slotted screw" are almost certainly going to to be inductors/coils and you'll completely screw your radio if you start touching these without knowledge and test equipment. I wouldn't even start adjusting any of the potentiometers for exactly the same reason.
There is an old CB expression/phrasing/title called "Screwdriver Experts" for those that 'twiddled' with their radio's. It usually involved a 'jewellers screwdriver set' or a nice tiny screwdriver which others dubbed the "Golden Screwdriver". (Golden Screwdriver was also an expression for those that twiddled their radio, friends radio's, charged people for doing such and usually ruining every radio they touched!)
The Magnum 257 was/is a radio with good audio, the designers even provided an adjustment pot inside the microphone to adjust the microphones gain. Well thought out
If you've introduced a power microphone without much change then I can guess that your audio 'reports' are on FM mode? It's quite common to get a quiet audio report on FM modes if one of you is slightly off frequency......If your radio is fresh from the factory, (despite modern Chinese junk claims), then you are almost certainly going to be "on frequency". Probably won't make the other station too happy but how old is their radio? When was it last serviced or calibrated? Other stations to them might sound louder, but that could be the case of them also having older radio's that have been 'golden screwdrivered' to expand their FM deviation to the hilt.
My apologies if that doesn't seem to help you directly out, (I suppose a picture with "twiddle this" would be better?)
I hear too many reports of "your audio is quiet", "your radio is off frequency", "Chinese junk radio's", etc. Fact is, if your radio is properly calibrated that "excellent audio but a little quiet" report is going to be the transmission that bursts through to a distant station and the over modulated transmissions will be lost in the noise...
But if all you're doing is chatting to mates a few miles down the road your "quiet" audio is going to annoy them. In which case you are looking for the FM Deviation twiddle. Have a search for Magnum 257 mods.
Anyway, either I'm, "He don't know what he's chatting about", or I've been a little help. The little help bit was my intention
All the best, Victor
(Oh, and think about joining. It's nice to be a Charlie Tango)
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Subject: Re: Magnum 257 (blue) 30w Tue Jul 07, 2020 11:58 am
OOOooooW The magic screwdriver. Victor is right,, if you don't have the test gear or the know how take it to a Pro... Here in No Mans Land I hear screwdriver jobs all day,,, you cant understand a word they say and most of the stations around here just give them the squelch too hard on the ears. Oh yes their radios don't seem to last long either, average is about a month then you can hear them calling for a "cheap rig for sale" It aint worth it mate for a couple of quid have it done right.
73 with my squelch up lol Tom 26CZ455
Firetrap CT Directors
Call Sign : 26CT100 Posts : 235 Times Thanked : 14 Join date : 2019-06-25 QTH or Location : North Yorkshire Equipment Used : Emperor Shogun, Delta 318 Export, TYT380, Albrecht 2990AFS, SS3900 Age : 40
Those radios are quiet on modulation without a magic touch.
Ive had a few. Work amazing when tuned properly. BTW..The mic has voltage going through it. A bog strandard mic is no good. You need a good quality Electret Mic. I think the standard mic can be slightly adjusted too if i remember correctly
Nick tuned mine for me, drop him an email his address is the without the #s I put them there so avoid his address being spammed
###n##i##c#k##l#o##v#e#@sky.com (Tell him I gave you his email)
He lives in wales so you would have to post it to him. He's the only guy who I send my radios to.
Cheers
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Victor CT Directors
Call Sign : 26-CT-3228 / M7VIC Posts : 5778 Times Thanked : 352 Join date : 2019-11-10 QTH or Location : Bedford Equipment Used : Various
I'm amazed there are still independent rig-doctors out there, but not surprised after some of the abortion jobs I've seen come out of so called "authorised repair" centres (!)
As far as I was aware the Magnum 257, (and it's variants), used an electret mic element on the standard factory microphone anyway. (Hence the potentiometer inside the microphone to adjust the elements biasing - the true "mic-gain" potentiometer being inside the radio.) I know problems come about when people try to hook up other mics.
I suppose it's all "horses-for-courses".....I often hear Hams on the amateur bands sounding like they're sat in the bath, (it's only a little echo), to full blown over-modulation from their 'super-duper' boom mic setups, let alone CBers
Let the 'twiddling' commence
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karelgol Senior contributor
Call Sign : 19-CT-024 / PD0GOL Posts : 133 Times Thanked : 6 Join date : 2020-05-21 QTH or Location : Steenwijk, JO32bs Equipment Used : Dynascan AT5555,Yaesu FT-897, W3EDP junior, MFJ-925 Age : 65
I'm awaiting a Albrecht microphone, which should be the same as the original Magnum 257. Bought the set with a President microphone which certainly is not meant for the Magnum. I can only key down the channel with it and i get complaints about the sound being to dull. Therefore i went with "as original as possible".
73
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Firetrap CT Directors
Call Sign : 26CT100 Posts : 235 Times Thanked : 14 Join date : 2019-06-25 QTH or Location : North Yorkshire Equipment Used : Emperor Shogun, Delta 318 Export, TYT380, Albrecht 2990AFS, SS3900 Age : 40