PACTOR IIe Airmail Disconnect

[SV Kandu]

Sailing the South Pacific. Had an SCS Pactor IIe, upgraded to III, working fine with our ICOM 802 from California to the Marquesas. Stopped using it for a year. Tried lighting it back up this week. Powers up fine until I open Airmail. Having Airmail up kills the MODEM after several minutes. Launching Airmail's Terminal Window is sudden knock out. Best I can do is get a couple transmit attempts before the MODEM quits out and has to be recycled.

Checked COM Ports, bypassed a serial connection box (even though driver software states communications are good), checked cables and connectors, reduced RF, hoisted a wire up toward the masthead to bypass the newly installed insulated backstay, replaced the capacitors. No use. The unit runs fine until I launch Airmail.

Haven't reloaded the software yet. Will try next. Running out ideas. Hoping someone has an answer. New Pactors are a bit pricy. Be even worse if the same thing were to happen to a new MODEM.

Eric
s/v Kandu

[Paul L]

Does the pactor only die when you start TXing via the terminal window? What is the message you are getting when it dies?

[SV Kandu]

Yes, Paul. I mis-wrote that the PTC IIe goes dark minutes after launching Airmail. It does not. It's only after opening the Terminal Window in Airmail that the Pactor's face lights up all red and goes dark, no communication, nada. If I don't transmit, the Pactor goes lights out within a few minutes. If I Xmit, the unit goes dark either immediately or within three transmit attempts. If I simply launch Airmail and don't launch the Terminal Window, the Pactor's LED light simply scrolls left and right, as normal.

Checked the cable btw M802 ACC port and Pactor. Looks good and the pins show continuity according to their proper pin-out assignments. Voltage reads 12.5VDC from radio and at Pactor (at the solder points where the 8 pin DIN connector attaches to the circuit board).

Thank you.

[donradcliffe]

Some of the older units have power supply issues. See the capacitor fix described in

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ues-96701.html