MFJ-462B MultiReaderTM
Contents
1. PRACTICE ON OFF 2 MAIN MENU Press the OPTION button to change the sub menu options then press the SELECT button to enable the practice session If you press SELECT in the PRACTICE ON OFF option the MFJ 462B will enter the hand key practice mode All keying performed through the HAND KEY jack will be decoded and displayed on the LCD In addition the decoded data will be sent to the printer port as well as recorded in the RAM for future review To listen to the code place the SPEAKER SELECT switch beside the HAND KEY jack IN to the HAND KEY position For normal operation this switch should be in the RADIO OUT position To exit the practice mode press either the SELECT or the OPTION button To exit this sub menu without entering the practice mode press the OPTION button until the display reads MAIN MENU then press the SELECT button to exit PROPER RADIO TUNING Proper tuning of your radio is critical to achieve optimum performance in any mode from your MFJ 462B Also knowing what type of signal you are tuning in is very important You do not want to try tuning in an AMTOR FEC signal with the MFJ 462B setup in the RTTY 170 mode this just will not work properly An AMTOR FEC signal sounds just like an RTTY 170 signal when listening to them both on the radio In this section we will explain the procedure for proper radio tuning for the different type signals that apply to the MFJ 462B However it is still left up to the end user to ensure2. RAM SETUP REVERSE SETUP and PRACTICE KEY and then back to the first main menu option SIGNAL SETUP Pressing the SELECT button now tells the MFJ 462B to switch to the SIGNAL SETUP sub menu and display the first option CW Press the OPTION button to switch the display to RTTY 170 and then press the SELECT button The 462 is now ready to decode 45 baud 170 shift RTTY Refer to Figure 1 for the MFJ 462B MultiReader menu layout MFJ 462B MultiReader Instruction Manual BAUDRATESETUP y y y y y y CW RTTY 170 RTTY 425 RTTY 850 45 BAUD 50 BAUD 57 BAUD PRINTER ONOFF 75 BAUD MAIN MENU 100 BAUD MAIN MENU ASCII AMTOR FEC MAIN MENU MF J 462B MultiReader Menu Layout Figure 1 MAIN MENU The main menu allows you to select the configuration sub menus so you can set up the MFJ 462B to decode the various signals of which it is capable There are six main menu OPTIONS 1 SIGNAL SETUP BAUD RATE SETUP PRINTER SETUP RAM SETUP REVERSE SETUP PRACTICE KEY Du Eu Press the OPTION button to change the menu options then press the SELECT button to enable a sub menu When the PRACTICE KEY option is displayed and you press the OPTION button the MFJ 462B returns to the beginning of the main menu SIGNAL SETUP SIGNAL SETUP The SIGNAL SETUP sub menu allows you to choose the type of signal that you want the MFJ 462B to decode There are seven sub menu selections CW RTTY 170 RTTY 425 R
3. 50 WPM max RTTY 45 50 57 75 100 ASCII 110 AMTOR FEC 100 Printer Must be EPSON or compatible MessageSaver 8000 characters volatile RAM Code Practice Straight key CW decoding CONNECTIONS POWER A 12 VDC 300 milliamp power supply should be used with the MFJ 462B The POWER jack accepts a 2 1 mm coaxial plug with the center conductor positive and the sleeve negative An optional DC supply the MFJ 1312B is available from MFJ Connect your MFJ 1312B Power Adapter or compatible DC supply coaxial line with shield ground into the POWER jack on the rear of the MFJ 462B PRINTER PORT A DB 25 connector is located on the MFJ 462B for use with an EPSON compatible printer An optional DB 25 to Centronics printer cable the MFJ 5412 is available from MFJ AUDIO INPUT There are two methods of feeding audio into the MFJ 462B Multi Reader The 3 5 mm mono jack labeled AUDIO INPUT can be used with a cable using the tip as audio and shield as ground An optional 3 5mm audio cable the MFJ 5162 is available from MFJ The 5 pin DIN jack can be used with a cable using pin 4 as audio and pin 2 as ground This connection scheme matches popular TNC connections so that you may use ready made TNC cables HAND KEY A hand key may be used with the MFJ 462B for CW code practice Connect your hand key to the 3 5mm HAND KEY jack on the rear with the tip to the key and the shield to ground To listen as you practice your code place the SPEAKER SEL
4. sets up the demodulator for maximum bandwidth 4 Set the SPEAKER SELECT switch on the back panel to the OUT position This allows the internal speaker of the MFJ 462B to be used to monitor the incoming CW audio signal 5 Vary the VFO frequency dial on the radio until both the LOCK and DATA leds are flashing with the incoming CW signal The LOCK and DATA leds should be bright and flashing together If either led is dimly lit but is still flashing with the other then slightly vary the VFO dial until the dim led becomes brighter but still flashes together with the other Once the leds are flashing together with the incoming signal vary the VEO dial slightly while watching the MFJ 462B display until good CW copy is obtained 6 Now with the MFJ 462B decoding the incoming CW signal turn the THRESHOLD control counter clockwise until the LOCK led loses the signal 7 Fine tune the VFO dial on your radio until the LOCK led once again follows the incoming CW signal 8 Repeat steps 6 and 7 until you have adjusted the THRESHOLD control to the absolute minimum setting possible for good CW copy With the bandwidth now set to the absolute minimum possible the MFJ 462B will demodulate clean CW signals because the input circuit rejects noise that would otherwise interfere with the decoding of the incoming signal Using the LSB Mode Please follow the steps below for tuning in a CW signal if you use the LSB mode in your radio 1 Set the MFJ 4
5. that the MFJ 462B is setup for the same type of signal that is being tuned in on the radio So if we are ready to go then let s get started MFJ 462B MultiReader Instruction Manual TUNING IN A CW SIGNAL First of all scan the bands for a strong clean signal Remember the signal must be the same type as what the MFJ 462B is setup for in this case CW If not then the MFJ 462B will not decode the signal properly There are a couple of different methods to tune in a CW signal on the radio which are compatible with the MFJ 462B The first method is to use a NARROW CW filter in your radio if your radio has such a filter The filter passband must be at 700 Hz which is the center frequency of the CW demodulator in the MFJ 462B The second method is to use the Lower Side Band mode or LSB on the radio When using the LSB mode on the radio always start on the higher side of the desired signal then tune the radio so the pitch of the signal goes down in frequency Using a Narrow CW Filter For maximum performance while in the CW mode the DATA CW switch on the front panel must be IN to the CW position Please follow the steps below for tuning in a CW signal 1f your radio has a NARROW CW filter 1 Set the MFJ 462B to the CW operating mode by using the OPTION and SELECT buttons 2 Set the DATA CW switch on the front panel to the CW position the IN position 3 Set the THRESHOLD control on the front panel fully clockwise This
6. your station MFJ 462B MultiReader Instruction Manual MFJ 462B SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM MFJ 462B MultiReader Instruction Manual MFJ 462B SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM
7. 62B to the CW operating mode by using the OPTION and SELECT buttons 2 Set the DATA CW switch on the front panel to the CW position IN position 3 Set the THRESHOLD control on the front panel fully clockwise This sets up the demodulator for maximum bandwidth MFJ 462B MultiReader Instruction Manual 4 Set the SPEAKER SELECT switch on the back panel to the OUT position This allows the internal speaker of the MFJ 462B to be used to monitor the incoming CW audio signal 5 Starting on the higher side of the CW signal vary the VFO frequency dial on the radio lower in frequency until both the LOCK and DATA leds are flashing with the incoming CW signal The LOCK and DATA leds should be bright and flashing together If either led is dimly lit but is still flashing with the other then slightly vary the VFO dial until the dim led becomes brighter but still flashes together with the other Once the leds are flashing together with the incoming signal vary the VFO dial slightly while watching the MFJ 462B display until good CW copy is obtained 6 Now with the MFJ 462B decoding the incoming CW signal turn the THRESHOLD control counter clockwise until the LOCK led loses the signal 7 Fine tune the VFO dial on your radio until the LOCK led once again follows the incoming CW signal 8 Repeat steps 6 and 7 until you have adjusted the THRESHOLD control to the absolute minimum setting possible for good CW copy With the bandwidth now set to t
8. ECT switch on the rear panel IN to the HANDKEY position For normal operation this switch should be in the RADIO OUT position JUMPERS Jumpers J6 J7 and J8 located inside on the right side of the unit are for setting either the US or European RTTY frequency shifts The unit comes with pins 2 amp 3 of each jumper shorted for use with the US RTTY shifts If you require the European RTTY shifts then short pins amp 2 of J6 J7 and J8 MFJ 462B MultiReader Instruction Manual BASIC OPERATION The MFJ 462B MultiReader is easy to operate The push button marked POWER controls the power to the unit After turning the unit ON the MFJ 462B will light the PWR LED and display a scrolling sign on message across the LCD On the left side of the unit is a hole for LCD contrast adjustment When the display shows the SIGNAL SETUP prompt the MFJ 462B is ready for operation All the MFJ 462B requires for proper operation 1s that you select the signal type that you wish to decode the signal baud rate along with tuning to the desired signal on your radio Some signals may require that you select the REVERSE function to properly decode the desired signal Once you properly tune your radio to the desired signal the MFJ 462B begins to display the decoded signal information If characters cannot be decoded which is the case for some RTTY signals an underscore character _ will be scrolled for each undecoded character If the unit is not decoding
9. TTY 850 ASCH AMTOR FEC MAIN MENU SIDAD Press the OPTION button to change the sub menu options Once the signal type you want is displayed on the LCD press the SELECT button to begin decoding the type of signal you selected When you press the SELECT button again the MFJ 462B will exit signal decoding and return to the SIGNAL SETUP sub menu If you are in the RTTY mode and the MFJ 462B is not decoding the signal you may have the signal rate set improperly In this case you can press the OPTION button to exit decoding and go to the BAUD RATE SETUP sub menu At BAUD RATE SETUP sub menu you may select another baud rate setting then return to the SIGNAL SETUP sub menu and re enter the previous RTTY mode To exit this sub menu without selecting a signal type press the OPTION button until the display reads MAIN MENU then press the SELECT button to exit MFJ 462B MultiReader Instruction Manual BAUD RATE SETUP The BAUD RATE SETUP sub menu allows you to choose the baud rate of the signal that you want the MFJ 462B to decode This only applies to RTTY signals The selections in this sub menu do not affect the CW ASCH or AMTOR FEC modes There are six selections under the BAUD RATE SETUP sub menu 1 45 BAUD 50 BAUD 57 BAUD 75 BAUD 100 BAUD MAIN MENU Press the OPTION button to change the sub menu options and press the SELECT button to select the baud rate of the signal that you want to decode The baud
10. Table of Contents MFJ 462B MultiReader oo ccc cccccccceccccsssccesecceesccceeccccssccecsacceeacececceeacceesacceeacecesceeeaccseaueceenecesseeetaceeeaueeeteeers SPCCiMICAMONS ct ii ELOI TE AE LOI EEE A R OE SENA A Lt E NI AR TE AET Audio Mputa naan n a a a a EHER iN Hand Key cit Ai A A eee i AEA E At ieee oes Jumpers Basic Operation Menu Operation Man Meda aida a ea ett ade Signal S ARO Baud Rate SetUD posted tenia re aarne anaa a ae o a Teetar ates Printer Setup acia a TBB Lea iia Ram SUPRA A A AEEA A Reverse Practice A leave tte RATTE RES 2 Kiara ad adas Proper A EHI ill aw Signal a E E A Using a Narrow CW Filter curia Using the IS BM Ode rocosa dni ii tinte iria planes Tuning In RTTY ASCUAMTOR FEC 1 a ti en ioe tea een ee TechnicallAssist ncen n ea lll SS MFJ 462B Sche MFJ 462B Sche matic Diarra tas eiaa a ieai MFJ 462B MultiReader Instruction Manual MF J 462B MultiReader SPECIFICATIONS Modes CW RTTY ASCII AMTOR FEC NOTE Reverse mode selectable for RTTY ASCH and AMTOR Shifts RTTY 170 Hz 425 Hz 850 Hz ASCII 170 Hz AMTOR FEC 170 Hz Mark Frequency US RTTY 2125 Hz NOTE US or European frequency jumper European RTTY 1275 Hz selected Baud Rates CW Approximately
11. ards 88 love and kisses ABT about AGN again ANT antenna BK break CPY copy CQ general call to any station CUL see you later CU see you DE from DX distance rare station ES and FB fine business FER for FREQ frequency GA good afternoon go ahead GE good evening GM good morning HR here HW how K go ahead TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE MSG NR NW OM OP RCVR RIG RST SIGS STN TEMP TKS TNX UR WL WT WX XCVR XMTR XYL Instruction Manual message number now old man operator are received roger receiver equipment readability strength tone report signal station temperature thanks thanks you are you well watt weather transceiver transmitter wife If you have any problem with this unit first check the appropriate section of this manual If the manual does not reference your problem or your problem is not solved by reading the manual you may call MFJ Technical Service at 601 323 0549 or the MFJ Factory at 601 323 5869 You will be best helped if you have your unit manual and all information on your station handy so you can answer any questions the technicians may ask You can also send questions by mail to Enterprises Inc 300 Industrial Park Road Starkville MS 39759 by Facsimile FAX to 601 323 6551 or by email to techinfo mfjenterprises com Send a complete description of your problem an explanation of exactly how you are using your unit and a complete description of
12. characters correctly check the format setting to confirm that it is correct MENU OPERATION The MFJ 462B menu system consists of two front panel push buttons labeled OPTION and SELECT along with the LCD display Pressing the OPTION button changes the option being displayed on the LCD The available OPTIONS within the MFJ 462B operating system are shown below 1 SIGNAL SETUP 2 BAUD RATE SETUP 3 PRINTER SETUP 4 RAM SETUP 5 REVERSE SETUP 6 PRACTICE KEY Pressing the SELECT button executes the OPTION currently displayed on the LCD and goes to a sub menu Under each sub menu are other selectable options The options under the sub menus are the actual mode settings such as OPERATING MODE BAUD RATE PRINTER ON OFF RAM PLAYBACK and RAM SCROLLING just to name a few For example turn the unit ON and wait a few seconds for the unit s sign on message to finish When the MFJ 462B finishes its sign on message it displays the first main menu option SIGNAL SETUP Pressing the OPTION button displays the second main menu option BAUD RATE SETUP Pressing the SELECT button now causes the MFJ 462B to switch to the BAUD RATE SETUP sub menu and display the first option 45 BAUD Pressing the SELECT button now tells the MFJ 462B to select 45 baud as it s decode rate and to return to the main menu option BAUD RATE SETUP Pressing the OPTION button repeatedly will cause the unit to scroll through the next main menu options PRINTER SETUP
13. he absolute minimum possible the MFJ 462B will demodulate clean CW signals because the input circuit rejects noise that would otherwise interfere with the decoding of the incoming signal This completes this section on Tuning in a CW Signal Just keep in mind that there are a couple of things that you must do to allow sucessful decoding of CW signals 1 Make sure that the MFJ 462B is setup in the CW mode 2 Be sure to use the THRESHOLD control to help reject any noise that would interfere with decoding the incoming signal TUNING IN RTTY ASCIVAMTOR FEC SIGNALS First of all set the DATA CW switch on the front panel OUT to the DATA position The MFJ 462B is calibrated for optimum RTTY performance with a MARK tone of 2125 Hz and a SPACE tone of either 2295 2550 2975 Hz for shifts of 170 425 and 850 Hz respectively Optimum ASCWAMTOR FEC performance occurs with a MARK tone of 2125 Hz and a SPACE tone of 2295 Hz for a 170 Hz shift Vary the frequency dial on your radio until the LOCK LED is lit constantly While keeping the LOCK LED lit vary the frequency until the DATA LED blinks with the audio tone shifts of the received signal If the data is garbled try changing baud rates or REVERSE mode or even the SIGNAL SETUP operating mode This is because RTTY and AMTOR FEC signals sound alike and you may be trying to decode RTTY with the MFJ 462B set to the AMTOR FEC mode or vice versa MFJ 462B MultiReader CW ABBREVIATIONS 73 best reg
14. printer must be attached to the DB 25 female connector labeled PRINTER PORT on the rear of the MFJ 462B This feature is only for printing the RAM buffer characters being displayed during RAM PLAYBACK The PRINT RAM ON OFF feature is not for real time printing of characters received off the air Pressing the SELECT button while in CLEAR RAM sub menu erases all characters currently in the RAM buffer In order to exit this sub menu without changing the RAM options press the OPTION button until the display reads MAIN MENU then press the SELECT button to exit REVERSE SETUP This sub menu allows you to enable or disable the REVERSE mode for RTTY ASCH AMTOR FEC There are two sub menu selections under the REVERSE SETUP sub menu 1 REVERSE ON OFF 2 MAIN MENU Press the OPTION button to change the sub menu options then press the SELECT button to change modes If you press SELECT in the REVERSE ON OFF option the MFJ 462B will toggle the reverse mode It will display the current state for approximately one second then switch to the main menu If the reverse mode is set to ON then the MFJ 462B will invert each bit received To exit this sub menu without changing the reverse mode press the OPTION button until the display reads MAIN MENU then press the SELECT button to exit PRACTICE KEY This sub menu allows you to enable or disable the practice mode for the CW hand key There are two sub menu selections under the PRACTICE KEY sub menu 1
15. rate will be updated and the unit will return to the main menu To exit this sub menu without changing the baud rate press the OPTION button until the display reads MAIN MENU then press the SELECT button to exit DURADO PRINTER SETUP This sub menu allows you to enable or disable printing of received text to the EPSON or compatible printer attached to your MFJ 462B There are two sub menu selections 1 PRINTER ON OFF 2 MAIN MENU Press the OPTION button to change the sub menu options and press the SELECT button to change the printer enable If you press SELECT in the PRINTER ON OFF option the MFJ 462B will toggle the printer enable It will display the current state for approximately one second then switch to the main menu If the printer enable is set to ON then each received character is sent to the printer as soon as it is displayed The printer will store the characters in a buffer until 1t has received eighty characters then the printer will print the buffered characters The printer will always store and print character in this manner If the printer has an odd amount of character such as 100 then the printer must be taken OFF LINE for the printer to print the remaining buffered characters The printer can be taken OFF LINE by pressing its ON LINE button For further instruction on your printer please refer to your printer manual To exit this sub menu without changing the printer enable press the OPTION button until the display read
16. s MAIN MENU then press the SELECT button to exit RAM SETUP This sub menu allows you to view received data that was saved to the RAM buffer There are six sub menu selections under the RAM SETUP sub menu RAM PLAYBACK SCROLL SLOWER SCROLL FASTER PRINT RAM ON OFF CLEAR RAM MAIN MENU Press the SELECT button while the RAM SETUP prompt is displayed on the LCD to display the first RAM SETUP sub menu RAM PLAYBACK Pressing the SELECT button now prompts the MFJ 462B to begin displaying all data received since being turned ON The stored data will start scrolling from the beginning of the buffer to the last received character The last received character is followed by an x to denote the end of the buffer The RAM buffer has a storage capacity of only 8000 characters If more than 8000 characters have been received only the last 8000 characters will be available for display The display scroll rate may be modified by pressing the SELECT button while in the SCROLL SLOWER or SCROLL FASTER selections To stop scrolling the view screen press either the OPTION button or the SELECT button Do the same to start the view MFJ 462B MultiReader Instruction Manual screen scrolling again To exit before reaching the end of the buffer press both the OPTION button and the SELECT button at the same time Pressing SELECT while in PRINT RAM ON OFF sub menu enables printing of the RAM buffer to an EPSON or compatible printer The
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