User's Manual

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Table Of Contents

Our aim in designing and producing OMNI-VII was to meet the demands of increasingly intense competition in DXing and contesting, while adding many non-performance related features that the active ham can also appreciate. OMNI-VII offers superb reception and transmission of CW, SSB, digital modes, FM, and AM on all 10 HF amateur bands and 50 MHz.

Section 1 – YOUR NEW OMNI-VII

Our aim in designing and producing OMNI-

VII was to meet the demands of increasingly

intense competition in DXing and contesting,

while adding many non-performance related

features that the active ham can also

appreciate. OMNI-VII offers superb

reception and transmission of CW, SSB,

digital modes, FM, and AM on all 10 HF

amateur bands and 50 MHz.

UNPACKING OMNI-VII

Examine OMNI-VII for signs of shipping

damage. Should any damage be apparent,

notify the delivering carrier immediately,

stating the full extent of the damage.

Retain all damaged cartons. Liability for

shipping damage rests with the carrier. We

recommend that you keep the carton and

fillers in the event that storage, moving, or

shipment becomes necessary.

The hardware and accessories listed in

Figure 1-1 come standard with your OMNI-

VII. Make sure that you have not

overlooked anything.

ABOUT THIS MANUAL

The OMNI-VII is a firmware updateable

transceiver. Features and functions on the

transceiver can change as time passes

when new firmware revisions are issued via

Ten-Tec’s www.rfsquared.com firmware

download website. The latest version of the

OMNI-VII manual is posted in .pdf format on

the OMNI-VII section of the Ten-Tec website

at www.tentec.com. Schematic diagrams

are not included in this manual but are

available for download from the

www.rfsquared.com firmware website.

This manual was written by

Scott E. Robbins, W4PA.

Qty Part # Description

1 #27074 Mini-ATC Blade

Fuse, 25 Amp.

1 #35003 Phono Plug

1 #35363 8-pin Microphone

Connector

1 #35165 2-pin Power

Connector Shell

2 #41020 Female Power Pins

1 #35017 Phone Plug, 3-

circuit

1 #38040 .050 Hex Wrench

1 #38088 .062 Hex Wrench

1 #38313 T10 Torx Wrench

1 #46172 Serial Cable

1 #46176 Accessory Cable.

5-pin DIN to phono

female

1 #74020 Warranty Card

1 #74409 User’s Manual

1 #86095 DC Power Cord

Figure 1-1 OMNI-VII Packing Kit

CONNECTING A POWER SUPPLY

The OMNI-VII transceiver requires a source

of well-filtered and regulated DC voltage.

The supply voltage can range from +12.8 to

+15.0 Vdc but +13.8 Vdc is the optimum

value. The voltage source must be capable

of supplying 22 amperes continuous duty.

We recommend using the included DC

power cable (P/N 86095). We have also

included spare connector pins (P/N 41020)

and a spare 2 pin power connector shell

(P/N 35165) for building your own cable.

The power supply plug will attach in only

one direction to the polarized two-pin DC

connector on the OMNI-VII rear panel. Use

no less than #14 gauge (#12 recommended)

stranded wires for three-foot long

connections to accommodate the required

current demand during transmit. Use

heavier gauge wire for longer power supply

leads.

NOTE: always enable the power source first

and then the transceiver. If a generator or

alternator supports the dc source, always

turn off the transceiver before starting or

588 manual Initial release – October 2006 1

Part #74409

Printed in USA

Summary of content (27 pages)

PAGE 1
Section 1 – YOUR NEW OMNI-VII Our aim in designing and producing OMNIVII was to meet the demands of increasingly intense competition in DXing and contesting, while adding many non-performance related features that the active ham can also appreciate. OMNI-VII offers superb reception and transmission of CW, SSB, digital modes, FM, and AM on all 10 HF amateur bands and 50 MHz. UNPACKING OMNI-VII Examine OMNI-VII for signs of shipping damage.
PAGE 2
shutting off the dc source equipment. These recharging devices often generate large voltage spikes that can damage the transceiver. A WORD ABOUT GROUNDING A good ground system is essential for optimum operation of any HF transmitter. The best solution is to connect all the station equipment chassis together using a heavy gauge of flat ground braid. Use a short length of braid to connect to a ground rod. If you are not using a linear amplifier, a less ideal ground may suffice.
PAGE 3
interest that may indicate to the serious 6 meter operator when a band opening is underway. Repeater operation via the SPLIT capability is provided for, as are CTCSS tones and retaining both of these in the transceiver memories. interface. The intention is to give a user in local proximity enough information and access to controls to troubleshoot and adjust, while keeping in mind that the true operation will not be done in front of the radio.
PAGE 4
common Section 2 – OMNI-VII FRONT PANEL CONTROLS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS Section 2 of the OMNI-VII manual covers the various controls and connectors on the front and rear panels, with an explanation of the each control and how it is used for operation of the radio. (1) POWER Key or dit dah Figure 2-1 Paddle Wiring for Using Internal Keyer This switch turns the transceiver power on and off. (2) PHONES This jack uses a ¼” receptacle for plugging headphones into OMNI-VII.
PAGE 5
accessing the menu itself. Note not all menu items are accessible via this method. (5) PBT/BW ENCODER Receiver bandwidth (BW) and passband tuning (PBT) are adjustable using this encoder. To adjust BW or PBT value: A green LED indicator is next to the BW and PBT legends on the front of the radio above the encoder. Press the encoder to switch between BW and PBT. The BW control is used to set the value of the DSP bandwidth filters. A value for each filter is shown on the screen next to the encoder itself.
PAGE 6
(8) TUNE The TUNE button, when pressed, will transmit a CW carrier at approximately 20 watts output power to allow either the internal automatic antenna tuner to tune (if installed) or for user adjustment of an external antenna tuner or linear amplifier. It may be desirable to have keydown CW carrier output at the power output level set by using the PWR control (button 9). To do so, press the PWR button immediately after pushing the TUNE button.
PAGE 7
Memories will save both VFO frequencies, mode, DSP BW setting, whether split is turned on, and FM CTCSS tone in use. If you want to exit the memory save function above WITHOUT saving the memory to a location, instead of pressing V>M the second time to save the memory, press M>V while the screen still reads SAVE TO MEMORY at the top to exit. To recall memories, press M>V. After pressing M>V, RECALL MEMORY and a memory location number will appear at the top of the screen.
PAGE 8
When AUX is in use on receive, switching back and forth between ANT 1 and ANT 2 for transmit requires the AUXRX antenna be turned off, then the transmit antenna selected, then the AUX antenna re-selected. The optional internal automatic antenna tuner, if installed, is operable on either of the ANT 1 and ANT 2 connectors. (15) SWP This button enables the momentary SWEEP feature included on OMNI-VII. Press the SWP button.
PAGE 9
ENT, 1, 4, 2, ENT and the frequency display will fill out to 14.200.000 automatically. through selected step sizes. See VFO ENC RATE in Section 4. (18) A=B, A>B, SPL, REV The main tuning knob has an adjustable drag feature and can be removed from the front panel if needed. See DRAG ADJUSTMENT FOR THE MAIN TUNING KNOB in Section 5 of this manual. These four buttons control VFO A and B functions on the transceiver.
PAGE 10
(22) RIT, XIT, RIT/XIT ENCODER The knob located directly below the RIT and XIT buttons at far right is used for adjustment of RIT or XIT value. To turn RIT and/or XIT on, press the appropriate button. When RIT is pressed, RIT+0000 will appear on the screen. When XIT is added by pressing XIT, the display will change to read RIT/XIT+0000. When turned on, RIT can quickly be cleared to zero by pressing the RIT button. Same applies to the XIT button.
PAGE 11
The alternate function of this button is MON, allowing monitoring of transmitted audio. (26) ATTN/PRE OMNI-VII is equipped with both a step attenuator and on/off preamp. The primary function of this button is the engage the step attenuator on receive. Press ATTN. The attenuator cycles among 6 dB, 12 dB and 18 dB of receive attenuation and then reverts to OFF. The alternate function is a 20 dB boost on/off preamp. Both noise and signal levels are brought up 20 dB when the preamp is activated.
PAGE 12
No connection. For future use. (29) SP/VOX The primary function of this button (SP) is determined by which mode is selected on the transceiver. In CW modes, the SP button is used to turn the CW keyer on and off. Press SP. The display above the SP button will change from OFF to either A or B depending on whether the keyer has been configured for Curtis mode A or B via the menu system. See CW KEYER in Section 4.
PAGE 13
Your external amplifier key line should not apply more than +100V (output inactive) nor should it draw more than 250 mA (output active). Many older linear amplifiers like those manufactured by Collins, Drake, and Heathkit have high voltage on the keying line. Such amplifiers require a relay or transistor switch between the OMNI-VII’s AMP KEY jack and the amplifier keying line.
PAGE 14
Section 4 – USING THE MENU The OMNI-VII is equipped with a single menu, accessible by pressing the MNU button. It is our philosophy that most frequently used controls on an HF transceiver should be accessible via buttons and knobs on the front panel while leaving less often used items in a menu system. Each line item in the menu will be described in this section in the order they appear on the menu screen, as of the initial release of the transceiver firmware. Press MNU to access the menu.
PAGE 15
into audio fed into the front panel microphone jack for transmitting. Set to LINE, audio input is only accepted via the rear panel ACC 1 jack line level input. Set to BOTH, the OMNI-VII will accept either line level audio input via ACC 1 or via the mic jack.
PAGE 16
CW QSK DELAY CW RISE/FALL Available settings: 0 to 100% Available settings: 3 to 10 ms. CW QSK DELAY allows slowing down or partially defeating the full break-in CW capability of the OMNI-VII. A higher value represents more transmit/receive delay between individual transmitted CW characters. A setting of 0% is full break-in CW. A delay of 100% is approximately a 1 second recovery time before receive audio is restored.
PAGE 17
should have this set to ‘high’ so tones will not be inverted. See the description for FSK OPERATION in Section 5. REMOTE F1, REMOTE F2, REMOTE F3 Available settings: STEP, MODE, REV, A/B, SWEEP REMOTE F1, REMOTE F2, and REMOTE F3 refer to the control of radio functions available via the F1, F2, and F3 buttons on the accessory model 302R remote encoder/keypad available for OMNI-VII. If you do not have the 302R connected, they will have no function.
PAGE 18
Set to FAST, one knob revolution tunes RIT/XIT approximately 360 Hz. VFO SPDSHIFT Available settings: ON, OFF. The main tuning knob on the OMNI-VII is equipped with a feature called VFO SPEED SHIFT. When set to ON, turning the VFO knob very fast will result in larger movement up or down the band than would have been possible with the step size and VFO ENC RATE set at given values.
PAGE 19
Selecting YES for a filter that is not installed will result in the receiver muting when that filter is either manually selected or engaged with the AUTO function under I-F FILTER. Section 5 – OPERATION AND ACCESSORY CONNECTION EXAMPLES An installed optional 500 Hz or 300 Hz filter can be disengaged by selecting NO.
PAGE 20
The automatic antenna tuner will operate on either ANT 1 or ANT 2 depending on which has been selected with the front panel ANT button. The tuner will NOT memorize settings per antenna, only per frequency for the last antenna used. CONNECTING AN EXTERNAL LINEAR AMPLIFIER There are three possible types of connections for a linear amplifier depending on whether your amplifier is a QSK linear amplifier and whether, if so, it employs the use of a full break-in keying loop.
PAGE 21
INSTALLATION OF OPTIONAL COLLINS™ MECHANICAL FILTERS Collins mechanical I-F filters for the 455 kHz I-F at 500 and 300 Hz bandwidth are available as optional equipment. To install optional filters: Turn transceiver power off and remove DC power cable. Remove the four side case screws. Remove the 5 Torx screws from the rear perimeter of the top cover. A Torx wrench to remove them is supplied in the transceiver packing kit. Place the radio on the table with the front facing you.
PAGE 22
Lately in Amateur Radio some “gaming” of the system has taken place with other manufacturers’ transceivers offering an “intercept optimize” or similar control on the radio. That must be great, right? Optimize intercept point and the radio will behave nicely in the presence of loud signals. The answer is: it sure will.
PAGE 23
Transmit bandwidth is both the frequency response of the transmitted signal and the amount of spectrum occupied by that signal. Typical communications-grade audio for SSB is in the 2.4 to 2.7 kHz range. Some “hi-fi” SSB enthusiasts have been experimenting with larger transmit bandwidths in an effort to improve the quality of audio transmitted. OMNI-VII has been provided with the ability to transmit on SSB with a maximum bandwidth of 4.4 kHz.
PAGE 24
While these are broad regulations subject to interpretation, the responsibility for complying with the regulations rests with the operator. Using an SSB transmit bandwidth wider than necessary for communications and causing interference to adjacent stations while doing so is specifically what these regulations are addressing. In summary, what may be an acceptable bandwidth on a given band at a given time may not be on another band at another time.
PAGE 25
twisting will increase the drag. Loosen them up or increase the drag to your preference. MASTER RESET On rare occasions, it may be possible to confuse the microprocessor in the transceiver to the point where a master reset may be necessary to restore operating state. A master reset often needs to be done after an upgrade for the transceiver is sent via the serial port interface (see UPDATING OMNIVII OVER THE INTERNET elsewhere in this section). To perform a master reset, turn transceiver power off.
PAGE 26
TROUBLESHOOTING While we cannot cover every possible problem, here are some hints for dealing with some potential difficulties. Check the obvious. Is your dc power source okay? Check power supply, cable and connector(s). Is the 25 ampere fuse loose or missing? Antenna problems? Try a dummy load.
PAGE 27
The mic element in other (non-Ten-Tec) microphones must be active (open) when used in VOX mode with OMNI-VII. This generally means locking the PTT on the microphone after putting the radio into VOX mode – but every mic is different. Consult the operation manual of your microphone. If the above do not solve your problem, please consult with our service department (865) 428-0364 or service@tentec.