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Ailunce HS2By Dave KZ1O - unit received on July 26 20208/15 10:05Power draw under conditionsampsPA pctPower out 30Power out 5
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This is one of the first batch to be sent out, and was bought with a pre-release discountOptions: none extra. No GPS, No LoRa, no Gyro. This is checked at each power-up.this updatePower off002.112.58
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No apparent serial number or other markings. Firmware ver V1.1.1Notations are added here (15-Aug) for problems FIXED in V1.1.2. A green background indicates that it was fixed by V1.1.2Power on0.2553.2
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Power on and fan kicks in0.37105.191.04
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First impresionsOuter / case / front panel Good first impression. Case is very rugged, solid. It appears to be a single piece of Aluminum, attractive blue color, (apparently) screwed to the interior circuitry by 4 metal screws underneath. Faceplate is held on by four more fasteners. Attractive chrome screws against a brushed aluminim faceplate. Markings identify LEDs (Tx, Rx) and plug-ins (Mic, Phone)
Change from full quiet to full volume with static background0.32158.38
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Rear panel / connectorsRF connector (SO-239 style) and GPS (SMA style) connector are solidly connected to back plate. Other connectors (ethernet, power, USB, 3.5" misc) are feed-through from internal connection. All are very solid. Nothing wiggles or feels half-way done. This is a finished product, not a prototype.
6m Tx CW (keydown) 9.0 W3.052011.781.67
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Speaker Top mounted, internally, sound through grid of holes in a 1.5" x 2" pattern. Plenty of sound, decent quality. Probably more than enough volume available if needed. Later I plugged in some headphones and they work fine. NOTE: this does not cut out the speaker, and is correct. This way you can use an external modem/rigblaster with these mic/spk jacks and still use the speaker to monitor. Volume controls are separate for each under "AF" button.
6m TX CW (keydown) low power 6.19 W2.652514.52
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FanTwo internal 1" fans, blowing out, each on the rear sides of the case. Louder than I expected but not excessive. Occasional squeal on one or both when starting up, which is something I've seen from fans that have a lot of life on them (such as accumulated dust or contamination). This may be due to being new also. Time will tell if this is a problem.6m TX CW low power set at 20% PA 1.33W0.973016.892.2
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User Interface (front panel controls to use the radio)Short version: I could get on the air without reading the manual all the way through. However, I read the manual a few times before it arrived, so that's not really a fair statement. It's a complicated radio, and it has limited front panel space. I think they did a good job bringing out the functionality of about a hundred features using 30 buttons. 3x5 grid on each side of the center display.
40m TX CW low power 14.9 W4.363517.44
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DisplayBright, sharp, high resolution and rich with information. Some things need another peek at the instructions but most of it is obvious what it means. It's AMLCD, backlit, viewing angle is better than many. Readable at > 45 deg either vertical or horizontal askance
40m TX CW high power 17.4 W4.424017.443.27
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SizeThis is a small device. Probably comparable to a couple of paperback novels stacked up. And because of this, the buttons are very small. Because my fingers are fat, I'm using a fingernail to press them and I think this might deface the front of the buttons over time. Also, a menu option allows these buttons to be internally lit, or not. It's very effective.40m TX CW low power set at 20% PA 1.63W3.054517.44
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MicCame with two microphones: one wired and plugs into front panel, and one wireless BluetoothButtons backlit, or not. no discernable difference in power draw05017.444.54
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Full power TX CW 144.2 2.67W1.515517.44
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On the airReceivingSpot checked on many places through the spectrum, from 7 MHz through 900 MHz (so far). This has been amateur frequencies mostly, but also NWS on 162.400 MHz and some local FM stations on 90-100 MHz Wideband FM. HF 40-10 6m 2m SSB CW FM; 223.5 FM; 432 SSB; 905 FM. More details further down the page. But everywhere I have listened, it receives. All good (with one glaring exception of the spur in VHF)
Full power TX CW 432.0 3.16W3.36017.446.3
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27-Jul I spent a lot of time receiving, using HDSDR software. Lots of experience with the radio, all good. Nothing formal but I explored down below AM broadcast, stepped through the entire AM broadcast at 10 kHz, and was able to hear nearly every single station. Looked at several of the ham bands, starting with 160m and through HF and also VHF. Went through the entire VHF air band to look for more spurs (found some more but not as bad).
6517.44
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TransmittingAfter some initial testing with a dummy load, with wattmeter and monitoring with IC-7100, everything seems nominal. Power output is low, 17 watts max with an expected 30W. There is a hi/low power setting which is effective. Transmitter spectrum is clean. My voice comes through very clear and sharp. I measured the spectrum from the IF output from the receiver and there is a very clear shaping of 300-3000 Hz. Note that this is the wired mic being used.
7017.448.57
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I made some QSOs with computer generated audio (FT8, PSK) and had no trouble. Note that this requires a menu setting when going from mic (my voice) to USB audio (FT8, etc.) It's a multi-press operation and I kinda wish it was less steps to make this change. Or that it could be done from the PC.
7517.44
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I made some CW transmissions and carefully monitored the spectrum output. There seems to be a by-product, such as a constant, suppressed carrier, maybe 30-40 dB down from main signal. This is heard between dits and after the last dit before switching into receive.8017.4410.8
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T/R switching is with a relay, which is easily heard. Not unusual.8517.44
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Power consumptionComes with a power cable ~1m long, with one end tinned wires. I connected an Anderson PowerPole onto it and used my high-current station power supply for this. I will be inserting my current meter and make some more qualitative measurements for power out and power draw, versus frequency and so forth. Not done yet.9017.4413.4
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I checked for proper operation while connected only to the USB cable -> computer, that is, no power cable. I can receive normally, both to the internal speaker and to my FT8 program where I can see the receiver output. Transmit is locked out, which is perfectly reasonable.
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Power outActual output is not as expected, 5W FS or 30W FS. Settings are adjustable by percentage but this is not accurate. But repeatable. See chart. Power consumption is 1/4-A receive, 4.5A full xmit. See chart9517.44
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Unusual / unexpectedMenu systemWhen you are making changes in the menu, the receiver is not operational. You won't notice this if it's squelched, such as on a repeater and no one is talking, but if you enter the menu system while someone is talking, the audio stops and stays silent until you exit the menu. This is counter-intuitive. Note that this is not the case for other settings, such as "AF" or "RF" or the other buttons that take you to a different display. It's just for the MENU button and that display.10017.4415.1
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MemoriesThis is not a typical radio, with 100 memories or even band-edge memory. There is no memory capacity. There is also no repeater offset, for example. To operate on the local repeater, you need to explicitly enter the receive frequency, switch to VFO B, enter the transmit frequency, switch to the CTCSS menu (press/hold SPLIT), select the tone frequency, return, press SPLIT for duplex operation and then transmit. Change to the next repeater? Repeat that entire process. For this kind of operation, it would make sense to use one of the PC companion programs, such as the FT-817 Commander. But even that isn't a good solution because offset and tone are not stored/saved in a way compatible with the HS2.
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Part 15 style radiationThis unit is emitting a small amount of radiation from the display on 121.500 MHz. It's a chop-chop-chop type of signal and is tied to the refresh rate of the panoramic display. I can change the refresh rate and the spur changes the sound (but not the spur frequency). I first noticed it when I was trying to tune in this frequency on the radio, but also confirmed it using two other receivers - one a handheld battery powered scanner (Icom IC-R10) and also with the IC-7100. The signal disappears about 5-6 feet away from the HS2. I will be looking to see if there are other gross spurious emissions as time goes on. Also seen on 126.562, 117.280, 118.968, 121.499
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This interference can be completely eliminated, while in HDSDR as the receiver, by pressing the "AF" or "RF" button on the unit and leaving it in this menu position, which does not update the waterfall display. This seems to be the root cause of this spurious emission - the updating of the waterfall on this color display.
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There are some places where I can see some harmonically related signals (such as every 1 kHz, every 10, etc.) but it's not clear if these are being conducted from this PC or maybe generated and radiated by the HS2. Plugging and unplugging the USB cable does affect these. I'll do a more controlled test. Of course, I can't use the PC display, or HDSDR to use the radio unless it is plugged in. More to come on this.
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This radiated signal is present no matter what frequency the HS2 is tuned to, as long as the main display is active. In the minimum configuration, with only the USB cable connected to a little cellphone battery charger battery pack, and a dummy load on the antenna connector, and tuned to 10.103 (no data going over the USB, that is) I can receive the 121.5 MHz signal on a handheld receiver ~ 2 meters away.
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Time out timerDefault is 60 seconds and I got timed out the first time I checked into the local net. The only other option is less time, or off. Would be nice to have maybe two, or three minutes as an option. But I get it. Don't talk so much, Dave.
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Frequency coverage - USThe specification says that for V/U the transmit does not cover the entire US allocation. Namely, 144-146 and 430-440. US models always include 430-450 and 144-148. Hopefully this is something that can be changed via firmware setting. Otherwise it is almost a deal-killer for me. My local repeater is at 145.49 -.6 which is within the current transmit range, so I have been able to use it. And after selecting the "band" properly (my error) I do have full coverage on 144-148 tx. But all of the local 440 repeaters are above 440.000 which makes them unusable for me. Also refuses to transmit above 7100 kHz. [Partially fixed in V1.1.2]deal-killer
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Frequency coverage[FIXED V1.1.2] Six meters seems to be mis-programmed. Transmit coverage starts at 51.000 MHz and not 50.000 MHz as stated in the manual. This is serious, as the worldwide usage of CW, SSB, and FT8 and digital modes are all lower than 51 MHz. E.g., CW is typically at 50.090 MHz, SSB calling is at 50.125 and up and FT8 is 50.313 MHz.deal-killer
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Bluetooth microphoneMy voice comes through with very low volume. Almost un-hearable unless I yell. In addition there is a constant buzz or hum coming from the mic and is transmitted. This is louder than my voice, and about equal to my voice if I yell. This makes it unusable for routine use. Additionally, during receive (even if squelched) there is some noise coming from the mic (it is a speaker/mic actually) and at least lets you know that it is still on. But this is unexpected. There are volume up/down buttons on the mic and I don't know what they control. I press up up up up and transmit and listen, and press down down down down and transmit and listen, and I can't tell any difference in effect.deal-killer (but only for the mic, not the whole system)
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Microphone mech qualityUnexpected but in a good way. Both are rugged and solid, and especially the belt clip or lapel clip on each is very solid and strong. This is the part that often gets the abuse and they are both very good quality and sturdy. This might show their experience with making this type of gear in the past, such as their handhelds and extenal mic. Shows a mature company who listens to their customers and makes improvements.
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SoftwareThe company advertises both a PC software and a phone software (HAMBOX?) for this radio. But the website links do not allow a click to download. This is a problem, but probably only because the radio is new. I expect these links to go active soon and we'll be able to use these to control the system (and change parameters as needed much more easily)
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Loss of controlI have been able to reproduce this fault. When transmitting a digital mode, with full power and with 100% power, the radio will transmit for ~1 second and then stop transmitting. But it will stay in transmit mode and is not responsive to keypad or CAT control. This includes not responding to power-off. It is necessary to unplug both the power and the USB cable to fully remove power from the unit. The "timeout" function is also not functioning during this malfunction. Has never occurred in CW mode, even when trying to force it to.deal-killer
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Defective audioThe test setup is with the HS2 and a dummy load, transmitting on each band with Tx coverage. Then, monitoring my own voice (or CW as appropriate) with Heil headphones using Icom IC-7100 across table. Critical defects were found on 10m and 6m, including transmitting on wrong sideband, off frequency, and unusable distorted transmit audio. In most cases the performance was good or very good. See sheet 2 for test results. deal-killer
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Bluetooth menuCompletely not changeable or settable. I can enter the Bluetooth menu but u/d/l/r buttons have no effect. Short press MENU has no effect. I am able to pair the Bluetooth to my PC and it does show up as a device, and I can receive audio from the radio. But it is at a low level and oddly, includes "beep" from front panel buttons, almost like it is an acoustic pickup instead of a direct connection. But it does not pick up anything from the room such as me clapping or whistling. Strange behavior, not really usable either. This is the audio that comes out of the wireless speaker/mic also. It is barely usable as a remote speaker when you use it. But the microphone function is poor, with low spoken audio level and hash/buzz that is at least as loud as my voice.
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FM receiverThis works as you would expect. Functionally this is a completely separate module or function of the radio and none of the controls are involved with this, other than channel selection and volume. CAT controls do not work. USB audio is not sent. Tuning steps are 0.1 for compatibility outside US (US uses odd-numbered tenths such as 99.1, 99.3, 99.5, etc. and other countries can use even tenths as well). The audio quality from FM broadcast is good, and limited by the internal speaker. The audio is NOT sent to the headhones jack.
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On-screen voltmeter(This is not unusual but only an observation) The radio will receive and perform using only the USB-supplied voltage. The on-screen display shows 4.4V on mine, which is actually plugged into an unpowered USB hub, plugged into my PC. This is likely the accurate voltage being supplied, and it works with this low voltage. Pleasantly surprised. Additionally, when I plug it into the main power supply, measured 14.07V, the display shows 14.2V dipping to 14.1 when transmitting @3W
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Sheet 1 is stored as a web page athttps://psk31.org/HS2 or https://psk31.org/HS2/Sheet1.html
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Sheet 2 is stored as a web page athttps://psk31.org/HS2/Sheet2.html