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CommRadio CTX-10 User Manual – Rev PRELIMINARY 05 APR 2018 

Contents 

CommRadio

 ........................................................................................................................ 1

 

CTX-10 Amateur Radio Transceiver

 ................................................................................... 1

 

Revision Status....................................................................................................................... 2

 

IMPORTANT WARNINGS .................................................................................................. 5

 

Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 7

 

Firmware and Manual Updates .............................................................................................. 8

 

Actions, Abbreviations & Symbols Used in this Manual ...................................................... 9

 

Quick Start Guides ............................................................................................................... 10

 

Quick Start Guide - Receiver Setup ................................................................................. 10

 

Quick Start Guide – CW Transceiver Setup .................................................................... 11

 

Quick Start Guide – SSB Transceiver Setup ................................................................... 12

 

Display ................................................................................................................................. 13

 

Control Knob [M] ................................................................................................................ 14

 

Transmitter ........................................................................................................................... 15

 

Keyer ................................................................................................................................ 16

 

PTT AUDIO..................................................................................................................... 16

 

TUNING MODE ............................................................................................................. 16

 

Receiver ............................................................................................................................... 17

 

Filter ................................................................................................................................. 17

 

AGC Speed ...................................................................................................................... 17

 

SQUELCH ....................................................................................................................... 18

 

BRIGHTNESS ................................................................................................................. 18

 

STEP TIMING ................................................................................................................. 18

 

TIMEOUT........................................................................................................................ 18

 

RAPID TUNE .................................................................................................................. 18

 

Key Pad ................................................................................................................................ 19

 

Key Pad - BAND ............................................................................................................. 19

 

Key Pad - MODE ............................................................................................................. 19

 

Key Pad - STEP ............................................................................................................... 19

 

Key Pad - MEM ............................................................................................................... 19

 

Key Pad - <LEFT ARROW> ........................................................................................... 20

 

Key Pad - <RIGHT ARROW> ........................................................................................ 20

 

Tuning Knob [T] .................................................................................................................. 20

 

Summary of Contents for CTX-10

Page 1: ...ceiver AeroStream Communications CommRadio Division New Castle Colorado USA www commradio com 303 279 3671 Email support commradio com Copyright 2018 Commradio div AeroStream Communicatons All Rights Reserved No portion of this manual bay be reproduced without permission of CommRadio AeroStream Communications ...

Page 2: ...CommRadio CTX 10 User Manual Rev PRELIMINARY 05 APR 2018 2 Revision Status REVISION DATE COMMENTS PRELIM 05 05 2018 Pre Release Copy ...

Page 3: ...ck Start Guides 10 Quick Start Guide Receiver Setup 10 Quick Start Guide CW Transceiver Setup 11 Quick Start Guide SSB Transceiver Setup 12 Display 13 Control Knob M 14 Transmitter 15 Keyer 16 PTT AUDIO 16 TUNING MODE 16 Receiver 17 Filter 17 AGC Speed 17 SQUELCH 18 BRIGHTNESS 18 STEP TIMING 18 TIMEOUT 18 RAPID TUNE 18 Key Pad 19 Key Pad BAND 19 Key Pad MODE 19 Key Pad STEP 19 Key Pad MEM 19 Key P...

Page 4: ...hone 21 SPKR 21 KEY 21 ACC 21 MIC 23 HF 23 Ground 23 CTX 10 Technical Notes 24 CTX 10 Power 24 Battery Protection Circuit 24 Internal Li ION Battery Charger 24 Monitoring Voltage Input at power jack and Battery Charging 25 CTX 10 Specifications 25 CTX 10 Control Knob M Functional Logic Tables maybe 26 ...

Page 5: ...nd on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected Consult the dealer or an experienced radio TV technician for help CAUTION Changes or mod...

Page 6: ... internal part or connectors on the rear panel of the transceiver This may result in an electric shock or could cause a fire or damage the transceiver NEVER expose the transceiver to rain snow or any liquids DO NOT use or place the transceiver in areas with temperatures below 10 C 14 F or above 60 C 140 F Be aware that temperatures on a vehicle s dashboard can exceed 80 C 176 F resulting in perman...

Page 7: ...ium Ion batteries provide power for a day s casual operation The ability to provide operational power and simultaneously recharge the batteries from most any 5 to 20 VDC source provides low cost portable expansion capability and unlimited field operation Standard equipment internal wide range automatic antenna tuner and CW keyer provide everything you need for full functionality in one lightweight...

Page 8: ...dio com to register your warranty and to automatically receive automated email notices when updates to firmware or this manual are available The most recent version of this manual system firmware additional support information and related topics of interest can always be found on our website www commradio com ...

Page 9: ... one detent CW or CCW CW Continuous Wave as in Morse Code CW Clockwise rotation of a knob CCW Counter Clockwise rotation of a knob LEFT ARROW The lower left button on the key pad M Control Knob the left knob on the front panel MEM The MEM key on the keypad MODE The MODE key on the keypad PUSH Quickly push in and release holding for less than second RIGHT ARROW The lower right button on the key pad...

Page 10: ...wo seconds and release You will see the WELCOME Screen and the standard frequency display screen Turn Control Knob M CW until a suitable audio volume level is heard Select the desired mode by pressing keypad button MODE repeatedly Select the desired amateur band by pressing the keypad button BAND repeatedly Turn Tuning Knob T to select the desired frequency In this PRELIMINARY User s Guide Text in...

Page 11: ...otate M one click CW to enter TX ON_OFF mode Push M to select current Transmitter status ON or OFF Rotate M one click CW or CCW to show ON status Push M to select the displayed status SELECT POWER OUT Edit text and screen images to show CW operations vice SSB Push M momentarily to enter Menu Selection Mode then rotate M four clicks CW to enter PTT AUDIO mode Push M to select current PTT AUDIO mode...

Page 12: ...o enter Menu Selection Mode then rotate M one click CW to enter TX ON_OFF mode Push M to select current Transmitter status ON or OFF Rotate M one click CW or CCW to show ON status Push M to select the displayed status SELECT POWER OUTPUT LEVEL Push M momentarily to enter Menu Selection Mode then rotate M four clicks CW to enter PTT AUDIO mode Push M to select current PTT AUDIO mode Rotate M to cyc...

Page 13: ...ion and easy viewing indoors in dark environments as well as outdoors under varying ambient lighting conditions It is not intended for viewing under direct sun Above is an example of the display during normal receive conditions The band selected is the Amateur 10 Meter band The mode is CW The signal strength on the digital S meter is S1 The battery status is fully charged The display you see will ...

Page 14: ...s no indication of the volume level on the display Menu With power on Push M momentarily to enter Menu Selection Mode If you wait too long without action the display will revert to Display Frequency mode The default first Menu entry visible is the Antenna Tuning Unit ATU Push M to select highlight ATU OFF Rotate M CW or CCW to turn begin the tuning process The ATU screen displays running until the...

Page 15: ...ansmitter status ON or OFF Rotate M one click CW or CCW to reverse ON OFF status Push M to select the displayed status If you want to use CTX 10 as receiver only leave Transmitter OFF TX POWER Rotate M two clicks CW to enter TX POWER mode Push M to select current TX POWER level Rotate M CW or CCW to cycle through the TX POWER levels 1W 5W 10W Stop rotating the knob when the desired power level is ...

Page 16: ...ments Select OFF if you will be using a straight key Push M to select displayed Keyer status or speed PTT AUDIO Rotate M four clicks CW to enter PTT AUDIO mode Push M to select current PTT AUDIO mode Rotate M to cycle through ON OFF PTT ON enables use of a compatible Push To Talk microphone TUNING MODE Rotate M five clicks CW to enter TUNING MODE mode Push M to select current TUNING MODE Rotate M ...

Page 17: ...M one click CW or CCW to cycle through bandwidths available based on the receiver mode selected AM CW USB LSB Push M to select the currently displayed level AM 5 7 5 15 kHz SSB USB LSB 1 8 2 2 2 6 kHz CW 0 5 1 1 8 2 2 2 6 kHz AGC Speed Rotate M two clicks CCW to enter AGC Speed mode Push M to select current receive AGC Speed Rotate M one click CW or CCW to cycle through AGC Speeds available Push M...

Page 18: ...ly displayed level STEP TIMING Rotate M five clicks CCW to enter STEP TIMING mode Push M to select current STEP TIMING selection Rotate M CW or CCW to change STEP TIMING Push M to select the currently displayed time STEP TIMING FUNCTION wait for revised s w TIMEOUT Rotate M six clicks CCW to enter TIMEOUT mode Push M to select current TIMEOUT selection Rotate M CW or CCW to change TIMEOUT Push M t...

Page 19: ...ediately begin incrementing the displayed frequency frequency STEPPING The size of the STEP is determined by the location of the highlighted digit on the displayed frequency immediately before pressing the STEP button To terminate the STEP function either rotate T the Tuning Knob or press the STEP key again This function is useful for casually listening to an amateur band to determine how active i...

Page 20: ...ation of T CW increases the displayed frequency with a step size as indicated by the highlighted display digit Similarly rotation of T CCW decreases the displayed frequency Pressing T inward activates the highlighted digit causing it to flash CW or CCW of T will cause the flashing digit to move left or right changing the tuning resolution of the CTX 10 This is an alternative to using LEFT ARROW an...

Page 21: ...of external passive non powered speakers only To achieve maximum efficiency and minimal power drain the internal speaker and this SPKR jack are powered by a differential non ground referenced amplifier Damage can occur if this output is connected to a ground referenced device DO NOT connect to any powered circuitry KEY The KEY jack is a standard 2 5mm stereo jack and is the input port for either a...

Page 22: ...CommRadio CTX 10 User Manual Rev PRELIMINARY 05 APR 2018 22 ...

Page 23: ... a UG 225 U SO 239 UHF to BNC male adapter is required Ground A Ground chassis connection is provided on the CTX 10 The topic of whether or not and how to ground your radio is well beyond what can be written in a few sentences or a few pages Popular knowledge and personal recommendations on the topic are frequently wrong A recommended practical reference on the topic is ARRL s Grounding and Bondin...

Page 24: ...4 microcontroller monitoring battery voltage However if any of the batteries trip the batteries will reset when external power is applied The CTX 10 will then power up normally Internal Li ION Battery Charger The batteries are maintained by a combined switch mode converter with internal charge controller that maintains a charge rate of approximately 10 to 12 Watts into the battery Positive regardl...

Page 25: ...ly shut down with data saved is initiated The battery voltage and remaining capacity is shown on the display during RX CTX 10 Specifications Transmit Bands 80 60 40 30 20 17 15 12 10 meters RF Power Output 1 5 or 10 Watts Receive Coverage 150 kHz 30 MHz Receive Modes USB LSB CW AM Receive Bandwidths AM 5 7 5 15 kHz SSB 1 8 2 2 2 6 kHz CW 0 5 1 1 8 2 2 2 6 kHz Receive Auto Bandwidths AM 5 7 5 15 kH...

Page 26: ... Amps 12VDC Batteries 3 pc 18650 Li ion 4 2 V 2 6 Ah each USB Mini B 2 0 Jack Firmware updates I Q data radio control Windows spectrum scope No power input or output from mini USB jack ESD Protection ESD diodes at antenna power jacks USB port keys and knobs Physical 5 61 W x 1 55 H x 6 D 2 lbs CTX 10 Control Knob M Functional Logic Tables maybe ...

Page 27: ...2 3 Output Power Transistor NXP AFT05MS006N 6W Wideband RF Power LDMOS 4 Driver Transistor NXP AFT05MS003N 3W Wideband RF Power 5 Mixer Linear AD LT5560 Low Power Active Mixer 6 Direct Digital Synthesizer AD AD9913 Low Power DDS 7 Mixer Linear AD LTC5599 Low Power Direct Quadrature Modulator 8 Dual Phase Locked Loop AD ADF4360 9 Clock Generator PLL with Integrated VCO 9 Transmitter CODEC TI TLV320...

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