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hy gain
Oct 29, 2010 16:37:57 GMT -5
Post by pappywolf on Oct 29, 2010 16:37:57 GMT -5
I picked up a near mint Hy Gain 1 model 681 today at a thrift store and am wondering how old it is.
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Post by cbrown on Nov 1, 2010 8:35:57 GMT -5
23 channel radio using a PLL circuit. My guess would be mid 1970's.
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Sandbagger
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hy gain
Nov 1, 2010 13:19:10 GMT -5
Post by Sandbagger on Nov 1, 2010 13:19:10 GMT -5
Well, number of channels wasn't specified. I'm pretty sure the Hy-Range 1 was offered in both 23 channel and later a 40 channel version, once the 40 channels became legal.
If the radio is 23 channel then, by definition, it is older than 1977, as that is when 40 channels became legal and 23's stopped being made. If it is 40 channel, it's not much newer as I don't think the Hy-Range 1 made it past 1979 (when the FCC started clamping down on easy-to-modify PLL chips).
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Post by cbrown on Nov 2, 2010 8:44:23 GMT -5
You might have missed it Sandbagger - he mentioned the model 681, which is the Hy-Range 1 in 23 channel.
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Sandbagger
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hy gain
Nov 2, 2010 18:51:06 GMT -5
Post by Sandbagger on Nov 2, 2010 18:51:06 GMT -5
You might have missed it Sandbagger - he mentioned the model 681, which is the Hy-Range 1 in 23 channel. I wasn't aware that the Hy-Range 1 had a "sub model" number. But in that case, it's at least 34 years old. If it's the crystal version, it might be even older.
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Post by cbrown on Nov 3, 2010 8:30:25 GMT -5
Hygain was known for leaving the same model name but changing the sub-number. For example just in the Hy-Range 1, you had the 670, the 670B (crystal matrix, 23 channel), the 681 (PLL01A, 23 channel), the 2681 (PLL02A, 23 channel) and the 2701 (PLL02A, 40 channel). We lived in a small town (at the time) and in our area we had a home stereo shop that sold Hygain radios, and a lot of people around here bought them. So I'm a little familiar with them. The good news is the same shop also sold Brownings. It's where I got my III and then the IVA.
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Sandbagger
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hy gain
Nov 3, 2010 13:09:46 GMT -5
Post by Sandbagger on Nov 3, 2010 13:09:46 GMT -5
Hygain was known for leaving the same model name but changing the sub-number. For example just in the Hy-Range 1, you had the 670, the 670B (crystal matrix, 23 channel), the 681 (PLL01A, 23 channel), the 2681 (PLL02A, 23 channel) and the 2701 (PLL02A, 40 channel). We lived in a small town (at the time) and in our area we had a home stereo shop that sold Hygain radios, and a lot of people around here bought them. So I'm a little familiar with them. The good news is the same shop also sold Brownings. It's where I got my III and then the IVA. Yea, I'm familiar with the Hy-Gain radios electrically, just didn't realize they went through all the various Cybernet chassis variations (The PLL-01 PLL was not as popular). Of course those chassis changes reflected the manufacturer getting ready for the eventual channel expansion. Midland did a similar thing with the 13(77)-882 series radio. The 882 and 882B were crystal radios, the 882C was a 23 channel PLL-02a, and the 77-882 was the 40 channel PLL-02a radio. All looked pretty much identical from a front panel perspective. 1976 was an interesting year. Many manufacturers changed designs of popular radios from crystal to PLL in anticipation of a finalized FCC channel expansion plan. Some came out with all new models, while others produced the same model, but with a "revised" PLL chassis. Many of these new PLL designs tested the water first in a 23 channel version, with the idea that all that had to be done once the new channel plan was approved (in whatever number of channels was finalized), was to change the channel selector switch. That's one reason why the earliest 40 channel PLL radio designs had PLL chips which greatly exceeded the 40 channel bandplan. When these designs were first penned, the original plan was to expand up to 99 channels. That was eventually trimmed back to 40 channels due to issues with local oscillator interference and image issues in single conversion radios. '76 was the year of major radio design changes........
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Post by ponyexpress on Nov 7, 2010 9:40:34 GMT -5
Nice old HY GAIN ..We have a 681 HY GAIN that is still new in the box. The manual has not even been taken out of the plastic and the dc cord still wrapped up. Ours was made in Naguabo Puerto Rico 00718 address po box 68 state highway 31 km. 4.0
PLL Circuitry requires no crystals .There had to be some crystal in there somewhere back then. 1975 is date on the warranty service book.. So 1975 is the year it was being made.
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Post by cbrown on Nov 8, 2010 9:45:21 GMT -5
On the PLL01A circuits there is a mixing crystal that you can change to raise or lower your output frequency.
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hy gain
Nov 10, 2010 19:00:01 GMT -5
Post by Tombstone (R.I.P.) on Nov 10, 2010 19:00:01 GMT -5
The High Gain radios were pretty amazing as to how well most of them performed. I know that they made a lot of them with different circuitry but looked the same. I have a High Gain High Range IV 23 channel base radio that I use for a test radio on my bench. I put a few extra channels in it using crystals but it's been so long ago I can't remember if it had a PLL chip or not. I once put a D104 Silver Eagle on it and it really barked, I just use the stock mic on it now. One came in for channel expansion years ago and it was marked the same model as mine and looked the same but there was a jack on the rear panel for a VFO. The paper work was with it and that claimed that the VFO was set up for receive only but since then I found out that with a little juggling the radio could be tuned and made to transmit using the VFO. I forget what the slider's output frequency was for that but I found that interesting. Where you could get a High Gain VFO now I have no idea. As I remember now some of their mobile models were really good talkers and the receive was nice.
Tombstone
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Post by cbrown on Nov 11, 2010 10:03:19 GMT -5
I actually had the Hy-Range V Model 674 (with the lit toggles) that would accept the Hy-Range VI VFO (model 675). And you are right, with a minor mod to the switching circuit you were able to get the VFO to work on transmit. Worked pretty darn good, too! Wish I still had that combo, it was a great setup.
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Sandbagger
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hy gain
Nov 11, 2010 17:04:15 GMT -5
Post by Sandbagger on Nov 11, 2010 17:04:15 GMT -5
I actually had the Hy-Range V Model 674 (with the lit toggles) that would accept the Hy-Range VI VFO (model 675). And you are right, with a minor mod to the switching circuit you were able to get the VFO to work on transmit. Worked pretty darn good, too! Wish I still had that combo, it was a great setup. When they changed the Hy-Range V from the toggles to the push button version, they removed the VFO jack. I remember that vFO fairly well, and supposedly all you had to do was cut a single wire to enable VFO transmit. The Hy-Range V was essentially the same radio as the Lafayette SSB 50.
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Post by cbrown on Nov 12, 2010 10:26:43 GMT -5
I 'inherited' the Hy-Range V from my sister. I think she gave it to me because I was always out in her car talking for hours on it and she wanted me out of the car so she could use it. I sat in the driveway for hours talking. Had a nice Hustler center loaded antenna on there too. I used to have to keep the car running to keep the battery up. After I got it, I took it to the local stereo shop where they set me up with the VFO and modded it to work on transmit. I used to spend hours in their back work room talking radios with the techs there. Some fond memories. ;D
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Sandbagger
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hy gain
Nov 12, 2010 12:41:00 GMT -5
Post by Sandbagger on Nov 12, 2010 12:41:00 GMT -5
I 'inherited' the Hy-Range V from my sister. I think she gave it to me because I was always out in her car talking for hours on it and she wanted me out of the car so she could use it. I sat in the driveway for hours talking. Had a nice Hustler center loaded antenna on there too. I used to have to keep the car running to keep the battery up. After I got it, I took it to the local stereo shop where they set me up with the VFO and modded it to work on transmit. I used to spend hours in their back work room talking radios with the techs there. Some fond memories. ;D I suspect, based of comments I read on forums, and the feedback I've gotten from my website, that most of us who got into CB radio in the late 60's - early 70's had vastly similar experiences, and I'm sure we could go on for hours retelling those fondest memories and sharing them with others who were there then and who could understand, and relate to some of the unorthodox thought processes that we often used.
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hy gain
Nov 12, 2010 23:34:27 GMT -5
Post by midnight on Nov 12, 2010 23:34:27 GMT -5
Last Summer, I picked up a Hy-Range V SSB mobile with the Siltronix 90-1 VFO in a box lot (along with the Navaho Pro base on the other posts) and have been playing around with it some. It's a 23-channel (674B I think), with the two pushbuttons (Power and ANL) and a tech-added phone jack out back for the VFO. It even came with the original receipt and paperwork for the conversion. It's rock-solid on AM and TERRIBLE on SSB because it's so drifty. Drives everyone nuts on SSB. Clearly has been peaked and maybe clipped because it is very loud even with a stock mic. Not mint but in GC and a fun radio from the way-back days.
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hy gain
Nov 14, 2010 16:28:07 GMT -5
Post by FIXR on Nov 14, 2010 16:28:07 GMT -5
I have a Hy Gain V model 674B with the pushbuttons that I bought used in 1977. It had the Hy-Gain VI VFO already on it. It has a pigtail connector on the back that the VFO plugs into. I used it for SSB up until 1993 without any drift from the VFO. I set the VFO up to start transmitting on channel 24 and it went up into the HF portion above channel 40.
Alan
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Sandbagger
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hy gain
Nov 14, 2010 19:51:47 GMT -5
Post by Sandbagger on Nov 14, 2010 19:51:47 GMT -5
I have a Hy Gain V model 674B with the pushbuttons that I bought used in 1977. It had the Hy-Gain VI VFO already on it. It has a pigtail connector on the back that the VFO plugs into. I used it for SSB up until 1993 without any drift from the VFO. I set the VFO up to start transmitting on channel 24 and it went up into the HF portion above channel 40. Alan I get the feeling that "pigtail" was an add-on. The original Hy-gains that were made for the VFO had a chassis mount jack.
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hy gain
Apr 7, 2017 21:23:39 GMT -5
Post by Trapper_267 on Apr 7, 2017 21:23:39 GMT -5
I have a Hy Gain V model 674B with the pushbuttons that I bought used in 1977. It had the Hy-Gain VI VFO already on it. It has a pigtail connector on the back that the VFO plugs into. I used it for SSB up until 1993 without any drift from the VFO. I set the VFO up to start transmitting on channel 24 and it went up into the HF portion above channel 40. Alan I get the feeling that "pigtail" was an add-on. The original Hy-gains that were made for the VFO had a chassis mount jack. The 675A VFO came with the pigtail to install it in the 674B, Sence the 674B model didn't have the VFO Chassis mounted jack on the back. If i can find my book that came with the 675A VFO i could tell ya what it will mount up to. C-ya Trapp.
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hy gain
Feb 12, 2021 21:34:30 GMT -5
Post by Trapper_267 on Feb 12, 2021 21:34:30 GMT -5
No info in the 675 vfo instruction's on how to wire it up to a 674B. But i have the info on where to hook the slider up to the B Modle. I'm now trying to figure out how to talk SSB through the 674B using the vfo. It seam's like the circut is just enough different between the 674/A to the 674B that it won't transmit SSB. But i'm not giving up that fast,
FYI to transmit through the 675 vfo, Cut or unsolder the orange wire to pin 3 in the 9 pin vfo plug,
C-ya Trapp.
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Sandbagger
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hy gain
Feb 13, 2021 16:29:56 GMT -5
Post by Sandbagger on Feb 13, 2021 16:29:56 GMT -5
No info in the 675 vfo instruction's on how to wire it up to a 674B. But i have the info on where to hook the slider up to the B Modle. I'm now trying to figure out how to talk SSB through the 674B using the vfo. It seam's like the circut is just enough different between the 674/A to the 674B that it won't transmit SSB. But i'm not giving up that fast, FYI to transmit through the 675 vfo, Cut or unsolder the orange wire to pin 3 in the 9 pin vfo plug, C-ya Trapp. That's curious. If it transmits on AM, it should at least transmit on USB, and those two modes share the same set of crystals, and presumably the oscillators that the VFO is replacing.
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hy gain
Feb 13, 2021 21:43:42 GMT -5
Post by Trapper_267 on Feb 13, 2021 21:43:42 GMT -5
Hey Samdbagger. You would think so. But if you compair the block diagram's betweer the 674/A and the 674B, There is a different path it takes. There again, These were never ment to transmit through. I also just for giggles rehooked up the orange wire on the VFO at pin 3, It will transmit with the vfo turned on, But transmit's on what ever the radio is set to, not what the slider is set too.
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Sandbagger
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Posts: 6,247
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hy gain
Feb 14, 2021 14:39:37 GMT -5
Post by Sandbagger on Feb 14, 2021 14:39:37 GMT -5
Hey Samdbagger. You would think so. But if you compair the block diagram's betweer the 674/A and the 674B, There is a different path it takes. There again, These were never ment to transmit through. I also just for giggles rehooked up the orange wire on the VFO at pin 3, It will transmit with the vfo turned on, But transmit's on what ever the radio is set to, not what the slider is set too. That's the way the radio is supposed to work with the orange wire connected. You could tune the receiver anywhere, but it would only transmit on the crystal controlled channels. That's how they could keep it "legal".
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hy gain
Feb 14, 2021 18:34:24 GMT -5
Post by Trapper_267 on Feb 14, 2021 18:34:24 GMT -5
Hey Samdbagger. You would think so. But if you compair the block diagram's betweer the 674/A and the 674B, There is a different path it takes. There again, These were never ment to transmit through. I also just for giggles rehooked up the orange wire on the VFO at pin 3, It will transmit with the vfo turned on, But transmit's on what ever the radio is set to, not what the slider is set too. That's the way the radio is supposed to work with the orange wire connected. You could tune the receiver anywhere, but it would only transmit on the crystal controlled channels. That's how they could keep it "legal". I copy the legal part
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