From: gary@ke4zv.uucp (Gary Coffman)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: Ramsey Electronics
Date: 7 Apr 92 14:43:54 GMT
Reply-To: gary@ke4zv.UUCP (Gary Coffman)
Organization: Gannett Technologies Group

In article <01GIIUYHFALCEBO9Q6@TNTECH.BITNET> JMG%TNTECH.BITNET@uga.cc.uga.EDU (Jeff M. Gold) writes:
>Ramsey--and the 2 meter transceiver:
>
>I had previously posted a series of notes about problems
>that I have experienced with my 2 meter kit being off
>frequency and problems tuning it up.
>
>I had called and a technician had told me that they had
>problems with a batch of crystals..
>
>I just received a call from John Ramsey.  He took the time to
>very nicely explain to me that the rig being off frequency
>is due to different lead lenghts and different builders
>putting the kit together with different lead lenths and
>solder etc.

I have one of the first Ramsey 2 meter rigs and I like it,
hassles and all, but this is a line of crap from Ramsey
himself. You could install those crystals with full leads
and still not be as far off frequency as the crystals
they shipped place you. Those are fifth overtone crystals
and *are* a bit twitchy, but the first batches were clearly
ground for the wrong holder capacitance. It's no big deal,
padder caps *do* fix the problem, but you were told the
truth by the tech you talked to, and fed a line by the boss.
That's a shame. The original problem was probably just a
mis-communication between Ramsey and the crystal supplier.
The crystals aren't really *bad*, they're just ground for
a different circuit capacitance than the Ramsey circuit.
The padder fixes that. Ramsey isn't a big enough outfit
to make the crystal manufacturer eat those crystals, and
can't afford to eat them themselves, so they are trying
to blame the kit builders.

>He also explained the way to put the capacitors in the
>circuit to correct the problem and how to tune the rig to
>get full power (I am only getting out about 2 watts) they
>have you wind the coils too tight so that you can stretch
>them out when tuning...

That's true, and again no big deal. It would have been nice
if they had stressed this fact more in the manual, but they
*did* mention it briefly in the tuneup instructions. IMHO
the lamest part of this kit is the poor tuneup instructions.
If that's the worst complaint I have, then it's a pretty
good kit.

>Again I am new at this electronics information (just taking
>an intro course now..just got to inductance) and think I
>finally understand what is going on..
>
>I appreciated the fact that they were concerned about my
>letter and having satisfied customers. Too often when you
>register a complaint they ignore you or get nasty.

Ramsey is not a bad company, and their kits are about as
good as it gets these days. Still, having the boss try
to weasel out of admitting they screwed up is troubling.
I can sort of understand that they don't want to get
stuck sending out wholesale batches of crystals to whiners
who want a *perfect* radio for $129. But a simple admission 
that you need to add padder caps to bring crystals in the
first batch into range would have been welcome.

Let me stress again that I really *like* this little radio.
It just begs to be modified. Is anyone else driving the
matrix with a PC parallel port to make it scan? I'd also
like to note that Ramsey has made running changes to this
radio that address most of the other problems it has, such
as transmitting with the synthesiser unlocked. I'm planning
on grabbing their 440 version at Dayton.

Gary KE4ZV