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MFJ-9420 Installation Manual 

20-Meter SSB Travel Radio

 

3. RADIO DOES NOT TRANSMIT OR KEYS ERRATICALLY 

Is microphone and connector okay?  

4. ERRATIC TRANSMIT 

Is SWR high (above 3:1)? 
Is power source voltage low or "soft" under load? 

5. AGC IS INEFFECTIVE OR S-METER IS NOT ZEROED 

Is Regulator okay (10.0 V on TP1)? 
Is AGC okay (4.3 on TP2?) 
If TP1, TP2 is okay and AGC works, rezero meter via R51.   

6. RADIO DRIFTS IN FREQUENCY 

Is radio sitting in Sun, on hot surface, in cold draft? 
Was radio moved from extreme cold to warm (condensation)?  
If you suspect condensation, allow radio to fully dry out. 

7. POOR CARRIER SUPPRESSION 

Was radio moved from extreme cold to warm (condensation)? 
Was radio exposed to rough handling or shock? 
To null, unplug mic and ground pin 3 to key radio.  Adjust R36 and T3 for minimum carrier (monitor using a 
second receiver). 

8. LOW TRANSMIT AUDIO: 

Is the mic a 600 ohm dynamic type? 
Is the MIC GAIN set too low? 

9. NOISE ON TRANSMIT AUDIO: 

Is MIC GAIN set too high in a noisy room? 
Is mic next to a power transformer or motor? 

If these checks don't uncover the problem, or if you do not feel qualified to make the prescribed adjustments, please 
call us for help at 800-647-TECH (800-647-8324). 

FIELD ALIGNMENT PROCEDURES FOR THE MFJ-9420 TRANSCEIVER 

SPECIAL TOOLS, PARTS, TEST EQUIPMENT: 
  AC Power Supply, 13.8 Volts @ 2 Amps 
  Voltmeter  
  Non-inductive Alignment Tool kit 
  Frequency Counter 
  Wattmeter with 50 Ohm Resistive Dummy Load 
  14 MHZ Signal Generator or other weak signal source 
  General Coverage Receiver with digital readout 

INITIAL TEST SET UP:  
  A. Remove transceiver cover. 
  B. Connect 13.8 Volts Power Supply to Power Jack. 
  C. Connect Microphone. 
  D. Turn on unit. 

VOLTAGE CHECKS AND ADJUSTMENTS: (use voltmeter) 
  A. VOLTAGE REGULATOR: Set R64 for 10.0 V at TP1. 
  B. RECEIVER AGC: Set R6 for 4.3 Volts at TP2. 

VFO CALIBRATION: 
  A. Tune the VFO dial to 14.250 MHz (mid band). 
  B. Connect counter probe to U7 pin 6 
  C. Adjust L3 for 4.255 MHz readout. 

Summary of Contents for MFJ-9420

Page 1: ...nd competes with radios running far more power Compare with your 100 watt rig You will be amazed by the signal reports TRAVEL LIGHT Packs the same punch as 50 Watt radios without the heavy 10 Amp power supply Designed to run on NiCd s or the ultra light MFJ 4110 AC wall adapter supply RUGGED TRANSMITTER Bullet proof Motorola PA transmitter runs cool and tolerates 3 1 VSWR accidentally opened feedl...

Page 2: ...may vary somewhat with antenna load When operating in noisy environments you may find it necessary to turn down the mic gain control a screwdriver adjustment located on back panel to reduce background noise The MFJ 9420 uses an analog VFO tuning dial that is inherently less accurate than digital readouts on the plus side analog tuning reduces phase noise lowers power consumption and saves you mone...

Page 3: ...kills U4 output to prevent mic bleed through via U6 U2 during RX LO for U6 is derived from U3 s BFO oscillator Q8 is used to unbalance U6 for carrier or CW generation DSB output from U6 is routed to Y1 Y6 via switch D1 D2 for removal of LSB products and carrier artifacts After undergoing dynamic compression in U2 the processed USB signal is routed to transmitter mixer U7 by switch D3 D4 where it i...

Page 4: ...ccepts straight key or keyer XMIT PWR POWER MIC TUNE ON ON OFF OFF 150 000 050 100 150 200 250 300 350 VOLUME MFJ 20 METER SSB TRANSCEIVER MODEL MFJ 9420 TUNING SSB CW CW SSB MHz 14 000 1 3 5 7 9 PROCESS 0 S 7 10 30dB 10 400 4020 6 8 7 2 3 5 1 4 FRONT PANEL 1 METER Show signal strength on RX ALC on TX 2 POWER SWITCH Turns power on to transceiver 3 MIC 5 Pin Din Jack for Dynamic Microphone 4 TUNE I...

Page 5: ...ennas with a VSWR of 3 1 or less Use your regular station antenna or a portable 20 Meter dipole such as the MFJ 1772 ultra light For non resonant wires use a tuner such as the MFJ 971 Always rough tune for maximum receiver sensitivity first using incoming signals and your S Meter to find a peak AVOID OPERATING INTO UNMATCHED HIGH VSWR ANTENNAS THE MFJ 9420 DOES NOT HAVE A HIGH VSWR SHUT DOWN CIRCU...

Page 6: ...bration of the MFJ 9420 analog VFO dial SIMPLE 20 METER ANTENNA SUGGESTIONS COAXIAL FED DIPOLES A wire dipole for the phone band should measure about 32 10 16 5 per leg Feed with RG 58U or RG 8X raise high and in the clear for best performance If you have only one high support make an inverted V The full sloper sloping dipole is also an excellent single support antenna with some directivity 90 Bes...

Page 7: ...te to call a weak station because it may be QRP or using a marginal antenna You may be much louder than you think Be realistic about diving into huge 20 Meter pileups Once a choice DX station hits the packet clusters and the big guns move in calling may be a waste of time until the smoke clears Tune slowly and listen carefully If one exotic station is coming through there may be others you can wor...

Page 8: ...c a 600 ohm dynamic type Is the MIC GAIN set too low 9 NOISE ON TRANSMIT AUDIO Is MIC GAIN set too high in a noisy room Is mic next to a power transformer or motor If these checks don t uncover the problem or if you do not feel qualified to make the prescribed adjustments please call us for help at 800 647 TECH 800 647 8324 FIELD ALIGNMENT PROCEDURES FOR THE MFJ 9420 TRANSCEIVER SPECIAL TOOLS PART...

Page 9: ...m S Meter reading C Touch up L1 L2 T1 and T2 for max SIG Meter reading TRANSMITTER BANDPASS FILTER AND COMPRESSOR ALIGNMENT A Connect QRP Wattmeter with dummy load to ANT Jack B Turn R61 fully CW and then the Press Carrier Switch SW2 C Carefully touch up L5 and L6 for peak output D Turn R61 CCW until RF output power drops by 10 If radio fails to operate properly after following these procedures ca...

Page 10: ... 4 3 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 4 3 9 3 3 4 0 0 2 9 4 9 4 7 5 3 9 4 9 4 0 5 0 4 9 4 9 4 7 6 4 9 3 3 5 0 5 0 0 5 7 5 8 7 4 5 0 4 6 5 0 0 4 9 5 2 8 5 0 10 0 5 1 9 9 4 9 4 9 5 8 BIPOLAR AND JFET DEVICES D E Drain Emitter S B Source Base G C Gate Collector Test in TRANSMIT mode Test with TUNE switch depressed DO NOT TEST gate of Q9 may cause generation of parasitic oscillations Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 D E...

Page 11: ...MFJ 9420 Installation Manual 20 Meter SSB Travel Radio SCHEMATIC ...

Page 12: ... 80 100 470pF 50V Multilayer 205 0470 R40 22kΩ Watt 100 4220 C35 47pF 50V Multilayer 205 0047 R42 10kΩ Pot 165 4100 C37 62 22pF 50V Multilayer 205 0022 R48 3 3kΩ Watt 100 3330 C39 40 47 48 51 54 1uF 50V Electrolytic 203 0006 R49 5 6kΩ Watt 100 3560 C43 44 47uF 35V Electrolytic 203 0007 R51 10kΩ Watt 133 4100 C49 83 87 100uF 16V Electrolytic 203 0003 R55 390Ω Watt 100 2390 C61 12 100pF 250V Trimmer...

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