Practical Wireless №11 2019.pdf

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ENCE
●
ORGANIS
THE FOUNDATION LIC
●
STEPPING UP FROM
ION
ING A CLUB EXPEDIT
WITH
ALL YOUR
FAVOURITE
COLUMNS
Review
by Tim Kirby G4VXE
●
E-mail:
tim@g4vxe.com
●
Twitter:
g4vxe
The
Yaesu FTM-7250DE 144/432MHz
C4FM/FM
Dual-Band Transceiver
s
part of our short se-
ries
of articles revisiting
the
Yaesu digital voice
system,
System Fusion
II,
we thought we would
review the new FTM-7250DE dual-
band transceiver.
It was introduced about
a year ago as an addition to the range of
System Fusion transceivers. This, along
with the FTM-3200DE (144MHz single
band) and FTM-3207DE (432MHz single
band) was introduced as a lower-cost entry
point, allowing people the option of a digital
capable rig, without features that they may
not necessarily want, such as GPS or APRS.
Here,
we are looking at the FTM-7250DE,
but
Karl
Brazier
from
Yaesu tells me that
the features on the FTM-3200DE and FTM-
3207DE are identical – the only difference
being that they are single-band radios,
rather than dual-band like the FTM-7250DE.
The
features and speci cation, from
Yaesu, are set out in the sidebar.
coming through the radio. My rst contact,
as a quick test, was actually with
Scott
KH6AGL
in Hawaii! Although, of course, it’s
not the same as working Hawaii directly,
it still makes for an interesting contact.
Scott kindly con rmed that the rig’s audio
sounded good.
Programming the FTM-7250DE
A
Continuing his look at Yaesu’s System Fusion, Tim Kirby
G4VXE reviews the FTM-7250DE Fusion Transceiver.
01 R
fl
VI
ip tran
E
ve
T
DX
1
Yaesu'
D
latest
E
agsh
EW
scei
D
r
F
YAES
is
U
nds-on with s
r ha
First
Impressions
Au
gust 2019 £4.50
,
r Radio Magazine
he UK s Number One Amateu
T
I
rst encountered the FTM-7250DE when
I
visited Yaesu UK to meet Karl Brazier to
have
a demonstration of the new System
Fusion
II features. The FTM-7250DE has a
solid,
simple look to it, with a nice display.
I
asked Karl if I could borrow one to review
and
he very kindly agreed.
Pretty much the rst thing I do with
any
digital transceiver these days is to try
it
out on my digital hotspot at home and
this
is exactly what I did with the FTM-
7250DE.
When you rst switch on, you
have
the option to set your callsign into
the
radio. This is what will be displayed
on
other people’s radios, when you are in
Digital
(C4FM) mode. You can enter up to
ten
characters so if you have a short name
such
as Tim, you can set your callsign and
name,
in my case as G4VXE-Tim. Also, I
set
the power to 5W (there are three power
levels
– 50W/25W/5W), popped a dummy
load
in the antenna socket and set the
frequency
to that of my digital hotspot. With
the
hotspot connected to one of the Yaesu
System
Fusion re ectors, America Link, I
soon
started to see traf c and hear voices
Our edito
The FTM-7250 in digital mode, receiving the GB3CF repeater.
Because I wanted to take the FTM-7250DE
mobile, I thought I would program up some
memory channels to keep an ear on while I
was out and about. The rst nice discovery
was that programming the memories was
pretty intuitive and I didn’t have to resort to
the instruction manual. Having said all that,
the
Operating Manual
is simple and concise
– and written in straightforward and clear
English. It runs to a modest 47 pages. There
is also an
Advanced Manual
that covers less
frequently used but useful features. This is
not supplied but you can download it from
the Yaesu website (click on the Files tab) at:
https://tinyurl.com/y7afx5ux
Anyway, back to programming the
memories. I programmed a variety of 145
and 433MHz repeaters that I thought I was
likely to hear on my travels. Unfortunately
for testing, the area around West Oxford-
shire where we are currently living does not
have any nearby Fusion repeaters. Never-
theless, I programmed up some, optimisti-
cally, which I thought I might hear. I decided
to program up the digital simplex calling
frequencies on both 144 and 438MHz
(144.6125 and 438.6125MHz) in the hope
of making a simplex contact or two. Finally,
to take advantage of the FTM-7250DE’s
wideband receive coverage, I set up a few
memories with airband and marine frequen-
cies of interest.
With all that done, I connected the rig to
the V-2000 triband vertical at home to check
that everything was working as it should. It
all sounded promising.
Fitting any rig into modern cars is always
a challenge and the FTM-7250DE is too
large to t in the centre console of my car –
most radios are! However, I found a way of
safely mounting it and then connected it up
to the 144/432MHz mobile antenna.
Setting the rig scanning as I drove
around suggested a couple of things. Firstly,
that it was nice and sensitive – I noticed
one or two weak signals that I hadn’t heard
since using one of the cheaper (and great
value) Chinese mobile sets. Secondly, the
receiver was pretty bomb-proof and there
were fewer funny noises when I passed
shops, buses and other well-known noise
sources.
The rear panel of the FTM-7250 is simple, with antenna, speaker, power and data connectors.
With 50W available from the FTM-7250,
transmitter performance was good with
distant repeaters, or indifferent locations.
The three power levels are quite sensible, al-
though perhaps Foundation licensees would
have appreciated a 10W power setting as
well. When running the rig on 50W, the heat-
sink gets warm, but not super hot, so the
cooling system seems to work very well.
With conditions slightly up one day,
I noticed the rig stop in digital mode on
145.600MHz, where both GB3CF and GB-
3WR can be heard (I’m located on the fringe
of both of their coverage areas, somewhere
in the middle of them) but I only got the odd
word. It was promising though.
I didn’t get the chance to try a digital
Fusion repeater until
Julie
and I drove up
●
to Warwickshire for an appointment. While
I waited for Julie to return, I tuned the rig
to the GB3CF frequency to nd that the
repeater was an excellent S7 or S8. I waited
for the QSO to end and put a call through. I
was delighted to nd that it all worked very
well and I had a series of excellent con-
tacts, including
Colin MU0FAL
and
Peter
G7RPG.
I discovered that GB3CF was
.
not hooked up to the Wires-X system, but
instead connected to the Hubnet system,
which seemed busy with lots of interesting
contacts. I found that with a strong signal
from GB3CF, I was able to drop power to
5W without any detrimental effect on my
outgoing transmission quality.
STEPPING UP FROM THE FOUNDATION LICENCE
●
ORGANISING A CLUB EXPEDITION
Digital
and Wires-X Features
The
FTM-7250DE rmware includes support
for the Digital Group ID (DGID) and Digital
Personal
ID (DPID) capabilities that I men-
tioned
in last month’s
Reintroducing
System
Fusion
article. The default DGID is set to 00,
meaning
that everyone hears everyone but,
as
I mentioned last month, you can change
YAESU FT
DX
101D REVIEWED
13
the value as required, should this be used
on your local Fusion repeater. Similarly,
DPID is available and could be used, for ex-
ample, to identify you as a control channel
operator for a Fusion repeater.
If you are connected to a Wires-X node
or Wires-X enabled repeater, you can use
the FTM-7250DE to select another node
to connect to. Unlike the FTM-100DE and
FTM-400XDE models, you cannot press
the Dx button and scroll down a list. On the
FTM-7250, you’ll need to enter the Wires-
X number of the node you want to con-
nect to (for example GB3SP in Pembroke
Dock is number 43417). You can look up
whatever nodes you want to connect to at
the URL below and obtain the appropriate
node number. If you connect to a particular
node regularly, then you can save the node
number for regular use. Once you’re done
with having connected to the node, you
can hit the ‘*’ button and it will disconnect
you. Note that you don’t have to do this
each time you connect to a Fusion repeater.
If the repeater you connect to is already
connected to a Wires-X room, then you’ll
often be content to leave it as it is, but this
feature gives you the option to disconnect
and connect somewhere else if you want
to (and have permission to do so). Karl
and I tried this feature at Yaesu HQ and it
worked just ne and although it sounds a bit
cumbersome, was actually pretty easy to do
in practice.
https://tinyurl.com/ydfdoc3b
Like all System Fusion capable rigs, the
FTM-7250DE has Automatic Mode Select
(AMS), such that when it receives a Digital
Fusion signal, it will automatically change to
the appropriate narrow or wide digital mode
or, of course, analogue FM.
In case you’re wondering, you can’t use
the FTM-7250DE in conjunction with an
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66-67
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4
Practical Wireless
November 2019
Contents
Practical Wireless November 2019
●
Volume 95
●
Number 11
●
Issue 1350
On Sale
10th
October
2019
68
44
48
4
6
7
Subscriptions
Your guide to taking out a regular
subscription to
PW
and/or
RadioUser.
42 Kits and Modules
Geoff Theasby G8BMI
has two more
intriguing suggestions for the shack/
workshop, a USB soldering iron and a 12V
bargraph.
59 Doing it by Design
Eric Edwards GW8LJJ
describes a variable
current (and voltage) add-on unit for high
current power supplies.
Keylines
Don
re ects on amateur radio contesting
and looks back at the early years of
PW.
News
PW’s
monthly roundup of news from the UK
and internationally, including new products,
club news and recent events.
43 Radio Bookstore
Your one-stop shop for hobby-related titles,
biographies, reference titles, historical
accounts, technical advice and successful
building projects.
62 In the Footsteps of Marconi
Joe Chester MW1MWD
enjoys further
success as he follows in the footsteps of
Marconi.
10 2019 PW 144MHz QRP
Contest Results
Colin Redwood G6MXL
has the results of
the June 2019 2m QRP contest.
64 Rallies
Locate a rally or event near you; we have
our usual comprehensive list.
44 Valve & Vintage
Our lady pioneers don’t always get the
recognition they deserve.
Dave Gordon-
Smith G3UUR
aims to put that right with a
look at the life of
Beatrice Saltmarsh G6SF.
65 Data Modes
Mike Richards G4WNC
explains some of
the more advanced features of the FT8 and
FT4 modes as well as ensuring your PC has
accurate time.
16 The QCX QRP Transceiver (Part Two)
Daimon Tilley G4USI
completes his build
and testing of a QCX transceiver kit.
48 The World of VHF
Tim Kirby G4VXE
starts this month’s
column with some good news about our
144MHz allocation.
24 Carrying on the Practical Way
Don G3XTT
takes a look at Powerpole
connectors, increasingly encountered in the
world of amateur radio.
68 Reviewed – Micro-Portable QRP
Antennas
Daimon Tilley G4USI
tests the Moonraker
Whizz Whip, Whizz Loop and SPX-100 for
holiday use. Read about how he fared.
52 In Focus – Martin Lynch & Sons
Don G3XTT
pays a visit to regular
PW
advertiser and well-known retailer Martin
Lynch & Sons.
28 HF Highlights
Steve Telenius-Lowe PJ4DX
has plenty
of news from his faithful reporters but band
conditions over the summer have been dire.
72 Readers’ Letters
Some fascinating nostalgia and an upbeat
letter from a newcomer to the hobby.
54 Making Waves
Steve White G3ZVW
looks back at Solar
Cycle 24 and forward to Solar Cycle 25.
34 Multiple Receivers − Sorting out
the Audio Issues
Dr Samuel Ritchie
returns, this time with
a solution for organising the audio outputs
from multiple radios and other sources.
56 What Next
Colin Redwood G6MXL
continues his look
at contests and their terminology.
Copyright © Warners Group Publications plc 2019. Copyright in all drawings, logos, photographs and articles published in Practical Wireless is fully protected
and reproduction in whole or part is expressly forbidden. All reasonable precautions are taken by Practical Wireless to ensure that the advice and data given to
our readers are reliable. We cannot however guarantee it and we cannot accept legal responsibility for it. Prices are those current as we go to press. Published on
the second Thursday of each month by Warners Group Publications plc Printed in England by Warners Midlands plc. Tel: 01778 395100. Distributed by Warners
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Practical Wireless is sold subject to the following conditions, namely that it shall not, without written consent of the publishers rst having been given, be lent,
re-sold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade at more than the recommended selling price shown on the cover, and that it shall not be lent, re-sold,
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literary or pictorial matter whatsoever.
November 2019
Practical Wireless
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