Mark V

RX&Audio

Problems

Clicks and Thumps in Headphones on Mark V (W3ULS)

Problem: Since taking possession of a Mark V last year, I have been very disappointed in the clicks and thumps I was hearing while transmitting CW. No amount of tweaking of menu settings as discussed in previous postings seemed to help.

Solution: On Saturday I pulled the Mark V for first echelon maintenance and in vacuuming the rig in some good light I noticed that the tiny blue slide switch recessed in the back panel that controls the linear amplifier relay was "on." The manual states that the switch comes disabled "to avoid the clicking sound when the transceiver is used alone. . ." Oh, my. Apparently the previous owner (I bought the Mark V from a ham in Florida) had used a non-QSK linear. It had never occurred to me to check the relay switch since I run the Mark V barefoot. So on Saturday, I switched it off.

Lo and behold, once back on the air, I discovered the clicks and thumps in my headphones were gone. Using Hi-Fi phones does give me a vestigial "thump," but with a set of phones with less bass response there now is nothing but a pure CW tone to hear. What a difference!

With regard to the "MONITOR" button, the manual says the monitor circuit is always on when sending CW, so I guess the only advantage of pressing the button is to be able to adjust the sidetone volume via the monitor's volume control. I don't use it.

Bottom line: anyone hearing objectionable clicks and thumps in his/her headphones with a Mark V needs to make sure the linear amp relay is switched off. Don't do as I did and assume it's off.

John, W3ULS