6600M only works properly by loading one profile

Paul Staupe

Flex 6600M running 2.2.8.109. Worked perfectly until a couple of weeks ago.

Suddenly, I would switch from band to band using existing profiles or from N1MM+ and radio would be deaf with an apparent very high noise level as well as transmit signal would show many spurs. Everything looked normal as far as proper antenna selection etc.  At first I thought it was a hardware problem until I tried using the one profile that worked,  AM BCB in diversity mode.  I could hear all the local AM BCB stations normally and when I would use that profile and switch to 20CW for instance, everything would appear normal. 

However, I can't save the settings.  Switching bands from an operable band brings up the same problem.

I'm concerned that if I do a factory reset, I won't have even one profile that works.  Any ideas?

Bill -VA3WTB

simply save your profiles to file, then they are never lost. You can do a factory reset then upload your profiles back in again. I sounds like a persistance problem. by doing a factory reset it clears all profiles.

Wayne

You do have the new heatsinks installed, correct?

John - K3MA

Try switching antenna from ANT1 to RX B and then back.  If the noise disappears then you might have a heat sink that has come detached from the ADC.  I have seen these symptoms on a 6600M and replaceing the heatsinks fixed the issue.

Paul Staupe

Got a response from my ticket this morning from Tim Ellison saying that I had a corrupted band persistence database:

You need to clear the band persistence database in the radio using this procedure.  
https://helpdesk.flexradio.com/hc/en-us/articles/200831185-How-to-Reset-Persistence-Database-for-a-FLEX-6000

This is a good reminder to ask for help immediately rather than trying to solve an issue by yourself. 

I ended up inadvertently destroying the LDMOS devices in my amplifier because I thought I could figure it out by myself.and was in a hurry,  ... Hopefully,  I've learned my very expensive lesson.

Bill -VA3WTB

Guess you missed my comments..lol

Paul Staupe

Sadly, Bill I blew up the amp before I asked for help!  A good life lesson!

Bill -VA3WTB

Oh no,,how did that happen?

Wayne

If you buy another amp be sure to get an elecraft they are so internally protected they are almost indestructable. More expensive but you save money in the long run I found out when I accidentally overdrove my kpa500 3 times in a row before I found the issue. Its still working super.

Johan / SE3X

Reading this, I'm pretty happy having a tube amp. Don't think I might be able to **** up my Acom A1000, with the 100 Watts from my 6700, what ever crazines I do! The Expert 1K I have sitting under the table remote controlled ... that's another story. I do hope you get it sorted out. Hopeful some of us have learnt something from your sad experience and then it's not totally wasted.

Bill -VA3WTB

I would be interested in how it happened, and what kind of amp it is.

Paul Staupe

My amp has overdrive protection as well as a 13dB input attenuator, however I hit the amp with 100w (plus whatever overshoot the Flex develops) twice in rapid succession which more than likely took out the protective clamping diodes and allowed the full power to hit the input of the LDMOS devices.  It was a freak occurrence which wouldn't happen under normal circumstances.

Paul Staupe

After several conversations with Tim Ellison at Flex he suggested that my high noise, low sensitivity across all bands symptoms sounded like the heat sink issue that Flex discovered and sent out the PEM kits to resolve.

When I opened the radio last night I was surprised to see that one of my heat sinks had completely fallen off of its ADC, and the second was barely attached to the second ADC.   When I removed the faulty heat sinks and attached the new ones, the problem completely disappeared! 

Even though I only had the radio on for a few hours at a time, the heat was enough to cause my heat sinks to slip.  Problem solved!

Wayne

I thought the heatsink issues were all resolved for units shipped after april 13th at least that was what was posted in the community ....

Paul Staupe

Wayne,  my 6600M was one of the first batch shipped.  I ordered it the day after Dayton 2017.

Wayne

ok understand, i mentioned the heat sinks 3 days ago on this post, but you must have over looked it. Glad your back in operation.