Tip of the Month

TIP OF THE MONTH
Unlocking the AOR AR1000, AR2000, AR1500, AR2800 plus Fairmate HP100, HP200, HP2000 and similar models

Have you managed to "lock out" certain memory and search banks only to find that you can't release them again... perhaps for this reason you have one of the above models sitting in the bottom draw of your wardrobe or have given it to your Grandchild to play with - after all, they can't make it worse! Well take another look... unlocking it is really not all that difficult.

In cases where the set does not appear to operate correctly, try these few ideas... it is usually simple finger trouble.

1. Memory banks which contain NO DATA WILL NOT BE SCANNED, this sometimes happens when channels have been deleted by the user (or following a microprocessor reset in the workshop). Enter data into at least one channel of each bank and try again.

1. Ensure that ALL banks are listed for scan.
To reinstate all memory banks
SCAN BANK PROG 0 LIMIT 9 ENTER

2. Ensure that ALL banks are listed for search.
To reinstate all search banks
SEARCH BANK PROG 0 LIMIT 9 ENTER (On the AR1500 SEARCH BANK PROG 0 LIMIT 8 ENTER as bank 9 is reserved for automatic memory store).

3. Ensure that data is correctly stored in the search parameter settings.
SEARCH PROG 150 LIMIT 160 ENTER 25
ENTER FM ENTER "X" ENTER SEARCH
Where "X" is the bank which you with to re-programme (i.e. 1, 2, 3, etc).

4. Check that the first frequency of a search bank is not locked out, this is how the receiver decides whether the search bank is locked out.
SEARCH BANK PROG LOCKOUT
The first locked out frequency will appear on the display, to release it press LOCKOUT or to move on

to the next frequency press ENTER
"Hunt" for the FIRST frequency of each search bank to ensure that they are not locked out and release them by pressing LOCKOUT. Alternatively simply unlock every frequency in the lockout list - but this may take some time as there could be as many as 1000.

When the last frequency is unlocked, the receiver will start searching. Don't go too quickly or you may start LOCKING OUT new frequencies rather than unlocking old ones... this may be the case if all the frequencies suddenly appear in numeric ascending order!! If so just start point (4) over again.

If the above does not help then the receiver may have suffered a POWER TRANSIENT or STATIC DISCHARGE and now requires the microprocessor to be reset. If a glitch / crash has occurred, the set may display "FR.ERR" or the [DIAL] may be inoperative.

If you are very familiar with modern PCB work then a reset service sheet is available... please forward two first class stamps and we will be happy to put a copy in the post BUT YOU MUST STATE THE MODEL AS THE PROCEDURE IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT BETWEEN SETS.

If you are still having problems then feel free to call for assistance - BUT WE WILL NOT WISH TO WASTE TIME BY SIMPLY "TALKING THROUGH" THE ABOVE, WE EXPECT YOU TO TRY IT FIRST... THANKS.

When setting the time on the AR3000 a potential exists for the microprocessor to CRASH.

This is a nuisance, you may loose the memory contents and have to internally reset the microprocessor using the RESET switch on the reverse of the keypad. To ensure this does not happen, simply press the [DIAL] key after completing the time input terminating in [ENT]. The problem arises when you attempt to change mode before pressing [DIAL]. This is simple but effective and may save hours of reprogramming!

If you have in your possession one of the "very first" hand held wide band receivers THE AR800E, do not despair if the NiCad pack should eventually fail. Although it has not been commercially viable for AOR to continue with manufacture of the NiCad pack due to reduced demand (NiCads do not like to kept on the shelf for long periods of time!), many battery re-manufacturers provide a repair / refurbishment facility for NiCad's.

Simply contact them to confirm price etc, then forward your old NiCad pack. The connector is used to produce the new pack which will duly be returned to you (providing you pay for the service of course) ready to plug into your AR800E (no soldering is required by you at all). Prices are quite reasonable.

If you are interested or curious and would like to receive details of how to carry out the "PLUS" modifications to the AR3000A and AR3000 receivers, please forward £3.00 in Europe or £6.00 if located outside of Europe (additional carriage will be required if other parts are ordered at the same time), postal order / cheque made payable to AOR UK LTD. It must be stressed that these modifications should only be tackled by an experienced (and brave!) person as the work is very detailed and some self-initiative reference will be required to the circuit diagrams and PCB layouts. While we are happy to assist by telephone, time is precious and we cannot accept liability for anyone destroying their £1000 pride and joy while carrying out DIY modifications. Of course any of the modifications may be carried out in our workshop on a chargeable (and no risk to you) basis.

You may also download a PDF file 3000mods.pdf (939kB) to 'have a go yourself' but picture resolution is limited due to the compression required for internet publication. No liability is accepted whatsoever for damage to customers own sets, unless you are very experienced with surface mount components and have the correct tools, don't even consider carrying out the work yourself. Have a look at the additional information on the AR3000A bulletin page.

The AR8000 and AR2700 have been designed to be as programmable as possible following requests from listeners and enthusiasts, one innovation being the SPECIAL FUNCTIONS of the latest AOR receivers. Special functions are provided so that you may tailor the receiver "specifically" to your particular application such as FASTER SCANNING or positive locking on certain types of transmission, this is unique to AOR.

The DEFAULT values have been chosen to ensure the receivers operate reliably regardless of the chosen frequencies in memory. Of course should you have a specific application such as listening to only a small bandwidth (for example when at an airfield where signal strength is relatively high) a significant increase in scanning / search speed may be achieved. Carefully program the memories to a small frequency range in ascending numeric order no more than a few MHz apart (also okay when searching) then reduce the PLL LOCK and SQUELCH DETECT times. Continue to reduce the PLL LOCK DETECT time and SQUELCH DETECT time until the receiver fails to stop on busy channels or shows a "PLL ERROR" message... then increase the value slightly and try again.

With the above in mind, the suggested maximum of 30 increments per second "may" be increased to 50+ increments per second (dependant on step size - 5kHz during search seems best) with values of 00mS for PLL LOCK DETECT and 01mS for SQUELCH DETECT... It must be stressed that the results vary between sets. Quite simply, faster scan & search rates reduce the chance of missing a special "one in a million transmission" and is particularly useful for locating unlisted frequencies.

Of course for "general" monitoring you will need to revert to the original settings. For reference, the current defaults are:

PLL LOCK DETECT 05mS
SQUELCH DETECT 30mS
AUDIO WAIT 0.3S - set to 0.5 for best results around 900 MHz
AUDIO LEVEL 0A - suggested range 05 to 1A. 05 and 17 are good on certain types of transmission.
AUDIO WAIT 200mS
AR2700 (page 61 section 16-4 )
SQUELCH DETECT 15
PLL LOCK DETECT 04
INTERMEDIATE FREQUENCIES

There are no guarantees of extra speed, usually speed is somewhere upward from 18 channels per second... its got to be worth a go??? Perhaps we should hold a competition for the fastest unit in the land! If you find this column useful please let us know and we may make it a regular feature.

The older AR3000 and AR3000A will one day require a replacement memory backup lithium battery. The symptoms of a flat battery are loss of memories (won't scan) and the receiver resetting every time the power is removed. A battery near exhaustion may show an increase to potential crashing due to power transients or static discharge... in fact we recommend that the receiver is always switched Off from the front panel when not in use rather than simply removing the power plug or switching Off the mains outlet.

The lithium battery is located on the reverse of the microprocessor PCB which carries the LCD, keypad etc. The battery is of a solder-tag type CR2032. Check the voltage using a digital voltmeter between the positive terminal and chassis (the +ve usually being protected by a black tape covering), the cell is a nominal 3.0V and when the voltage drops below 2.80V it is time to be changed.

Should you need to reset the AR3000 microprocessor, there is a small grey momentary action reset switch on the reverse of the microprocessor PCB next to the circular piezo keypad bleeper unit. With power connected to the receiver and front power switch depressed PRESS AND RELEASE the reset switch. All memory channels will be cleared, the display will blank then all segments appear then reset to the default of 80 MHz. The reset details for the AR3000A are shown on page 54 of the operating manual.

A replacement battery is not too expensive, we can supply a replacement battery, a service bulletin with current price is available from the AOR UK web site. However if you are not used to working with very fine PCB tracks then do not attempt repair yourself... we will be happy to quote for battery replacement, full performance test and return carriage & insurance. If phoning please ask for "Andy in SERVICE".

NOTE: Very early AR3000 receivers used either a NiCad or larger 100mA lithium cell (usually blue in colour), if you have a receiver of this type and are experiencing problems please speak to an engineer. Other AOR receivers such as the AR3030, AR8000, AR2700, AR2000, AR1500, AR1000 use an EEPROM chip storage so that no battery is required.

The AR3000A/3000 is fitted with a preamplifier for the short wave bands, the default is preamp On. As shipped from the factory a useful level of service is provided when using short lengths of wire up to 5m. If using longer wires or elaborate specialist designs such as "active" aerials then better results will be achieved with the preamplifier switched Off. The switches are located on the top of RF PCB under the top case of the receiver. To remove the top case first remove two screws from the bottom case half next to the front feet then four screws from the back panel. TWO DIP SWITCHES control the preamplifier and are easily visible. To switch the preamplifier Off slide both switched together (they are unusual apart - On - as default). Remember, only the short wave bands will be affected.

A further improvement in performance may be gained by adding external preselection in the form of the LOWE PR-150, we have received many reports of excellent results with this combination but it does depend on your location and aerial configuration.

If you find this column useful please let us know and we may make it a regular feature.

There have been a few phone calls and e-mails asking why there isn't an audio mute button fitted to the AR7030 infrared hand controller. Quite simply, the receiver's operating system is "so flexible" that one is not required... with careful creative thinking!

The receiver is equipped with TWO VFOs, each is capable of holding independent volume level. Audio "mute" can therefore be easily and quickly set up from the hand controller. While the AR7030 is switched On and in normal use, press the infrared button [VFO A/B] to select the alternate VFO, if the background VFO isn't in use then the current frequency is written to it. Next turn the volume to zero using the [Volume -] key of the infrared controller (or use the receiver's front panel volume control). Press the [VFO A/B] key to restore normal listening and when you wish to mute the audio press the [VFO A/B] button.
Happy listening...

Due to continuous developments, AOR reserves the right to make design and specification changes for product improvement without prior notice. The performance specification figures indicated are nominal values of production units. There may be some deviation from these values in individual units.

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