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Vintage Amateur and Military Radio Amateur/military receivers and transmitters, morse, and any other related vintage comms equipment. |
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24th Jul 2020, 7:48 pm | #1 |
Diode
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: Newport, South Wales, UK.
Posts: 6
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Ham Int Multimode 2
Hi guys, been up in the attic and found this Multimode 2 in a box, have no idea who put it up there! I’ve looked at some pictures on line and they all show this model with 4 switches though this has 7 which appear to have been added by someone. Any information on what they would be used for would be appreciated as I know zero about this equipment.
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25th Jul 2020, 3:08 pm | #2 |
Pentode
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Carlisle, Cumbria, UK.
Posts: 244
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Re: Ham Int Multimode 2
Pop both top and bottom lids off and take pics of innards, and somebody will be along to tell you the answers
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25th Jul 2020, 3:22 pm | #3 |
Triode
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Bridgwater, Somerset, UK.
Posts: 35
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Re: Ham Int Multimode 2
Hi I'm guessing here but the buttons may been for split channels as some were left out, also take it low take it high, grab a frequency counter and check.
cheers paul |
25th Jul 2020, 3:29 pm | #4 |
Nonode
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Gloucester, Glos. UK.
Posts: 2,150
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Re: Ham Int Multimode 2
Ah the fabled Ham International mutimode,
A classic rig and a favorite for adding more blocks of channels between 26 to 28meg or more. Hard to find one thats NOT been modded . Prob has had the full 27/81 uk fm channels added at some point fully as this rig was from before the 81 legal time.
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Oh I've had that for years dear!! |
26th Jul 2020, 5:18 am | #5 |
Heptode
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 998
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Re: Ham Int Multimode 2
I've never twigged why CB rigs of American origin all have PA facility.
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David, G4YVM. |
26th Jul 2020, 7:42 pm | #6 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Surbiton, SW London, UK.
Posts: 2,801
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Re: Ham Int Multimode 2
As the "HI" band goes up to 28.305 you would need to be a licensed "HAM" to use it.
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26th Jul 2020, 11:16 pm | #7 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,567
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Re: Ham Int Multimode 2
Quote:
You're right though, many of them did have PA. The cynic in me thinks that this was just an extra 'feature' which could be added for very little cost given that all it did was connect the optional PA speaker to the output of the already existing microphone amplifier / audio power amplifier chain. The set under discussion gained the unfortunate nickname of the 'Mufflemode' due to it having unusually poor FM modulation, owing to the modulation being applied to the loop mixer oscillator (a crystal oscillator). One of the many mods devised for that set was to remove the FM modulation drive from the loop mixer oscillator and apply it instead to the synth VCO, as done in other chassis from the same manufacturer. However that particular mod would have been permanent and not switched, so whatever those extra switches do, that isn't it. |
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27th Jul 2020, 12:49 pm | #8 |
Diode
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: Newport, South Wales, UK.
Posts: 6
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Re: Ham Int Multimode 2
Thanks for the info guys! It does power up from 12 volt source but no aerial or mic to test anything. Does it have a value?
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27th Jul 2020, 1:55 pm | #9 |
Heptode
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 512
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Re: Ham Int Multimode 2
There's a bit of a CB radio resurgence going on at the moment, lots of people are experimenting with PMR on 446MHz, with some success, others have "discovered 27MHz band.
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worried about the electrons entering the circuit and the smoke leaving Andrew |
27th Jul 2020, 2:13 pm | #10 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,567
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Re: Ham Int Multimode 2
Just offer it 'sold as seen' and someone who knows a bit about them will pay what they think it is worth and get it working, if indeed it is not already working.
Whoever added those switches went out of their way to find the right extra switches - only a slight difference in the colour of the end caps I notice - and they cut the extra holes in the front panel very neatly and in exactly the right places (The metal chassis would already have cutouts / positions for the switches to fit in). With the physical mods having been done so nicely I expect that whoever did that took equal care with the electrical / electronic side of the mods, so, although connoisseurs prefer units in original unmodified condition, that will probably be one of the better examples of a modified unit. Does it have the original 'Ham International' badged microphone with it? The original microphone, if present, adds some value. Some here may disagree but that particular model does not command the same esteem as something like the Cobra 148 GTL-DX or even some other Ham International models, so don't expect to get a huge amount for it. |
27th Jul 2020, 3:34 pm | #11 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 5,000
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Re: Ham Int Multimode 2
I absolutely love these old radios!
I've got a couple that have been well modified in the past, one I bought for £25 with a load of other associated 'bits' decades ago and it had already been 'ruined' even then, the other one I was given free by a 'local' a few years ago and that one was also spoiled cosmetically and had 'decorative' white paint added round the outer edge of the front panel. If these sets are immaculate and original, then they're a collectors item and should be left as original, but when they've already been altered and modified, then absolutely they need to be 'doctored' to the limit to make them into an excellent and usable radio. The modifications make them into the radio that they should have been, but would have made them too expensive to manufacture and sell at an affordable price back in the day. I think the original design would have been an AM only set, but FM was probably thrown in as an afterthought at the last minute. Having said that, I actually quite like the iconic Multimode (mufflemode) sound on FM when used with the matching Ham-Master 4200 base station microphone, wound right up to the stop. The Jumbo MK1 homebase uses the same basic electronics and sounds the same on FM if unmodified in that department - I've got one of those that I picked up cheap from a local a few years ago. There's a couple of Multimodes that have sprung up around me recently and are unmodified and were bought by their original owners four decades ago, and who have just found them again in lofts or cupboards after all these years. They both use Ham-Master mics with them with the K/c shift on the radio wound anticlockwise to approximately the nine o'clock position for UK FM. I think the operators are both pensioners, one is certainly well into his 70s and are 'ex' or current bikers, as are a lot of the older radio folk in this area - average age range 50 - 80. Below are some pictures of my scruffy examples showing some of the 'historic' modifications:- |
27th Jul 2020, 7:12 pm | #12 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,567
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Re: Ham Int Multimode 2
Quote:
Regarding Ham International specifically, they had a unique habit of fitting the 'mid', 'high' and 'hi-hi' channel blocks on the Lo / Mid / Hi band switch, so that was usually changed very quickly to 'Lo' / 'Mid' / 'Hi' the same as in other Cybernet and Uniden Multimodes, just by moving the 'low' and 'mid' crystals up to 'mid' and 'hi' and fitting a new one in the 'low' position. I would never restore a Ham International radio to its original Mid / Hi / Hi-Hi frequency blocks. There's one other mod I often do and that is to permanently disable or completely remove the roger bleep, as I absolutely detest them. |
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28th Jul 2020, 12:15 am | #13 |
Diode
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: Newport, South Wales, UK.
Posts: 6
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Re: Ham Int Multimode 2
Once again, thanks for the replies and information. It was suggested that I post some pictures of inside the radio, top and bottom, which may provide some further clues to this radios past life😉
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28th Jul 2020, 1:24 pm | #14 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,567
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Re: Ham Int Multimode 2
Ooof, the RF driver and output transistors have been in and out a few times and at least one of the coils - one which ought never to need to be retuned - has seen a bit of action.
If you want to know specifically what the extra switches do you will need to do a bit of leg work for us and follow the wires from the switches to wherever they go. If you could power the radio up, connect it to a dummy load and try operating it in FM mode and looking at the output frequencies with the switches in different positions, that would be another way to work it out, but I am guessing that you are not really equipped for that sort of investigation (no dummy load, no microphone, no frequency meter?). Rather than risk damaging it I would honestly just sell it as seen - there will be someone who knows enough about them and is prepared to risk buying it on the basis that they feel they can probably fix it even if it does not work. |
28th Jul 2020, 5:36 pm | #15 | |
Nonode
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Gloucester, Glos. UK.
Posts: 2,150
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Re: Ham Int Multimode 2
Quote:
The Cobra 148 is more desirable as is the Stalker 9 one of which i own myself but id never knock the Ham Int, its a rig thats always eluded me over the years so cant really pass judgement on it.
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Oh I've had that for years dear!! |
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28th Jul 2020, 6:36 pm | #16 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,567
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Re: Ham Int Multimode 2
To be honest I think that's rather high for a non-working or 'not known whether working' Multimode II but I am not up to speed on the current state of play there. I would have guessed about £60 for a declared working example in tidy condition complete with original microphone. Considerably more if boxed, of course. It's amazing how much value a bit of folded cardboard can add to the value of an item.
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28th Jul 2020, 11:10 pm | #17 |
Diode
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: Newport, South Wales, UK.
Posts: 6
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Re: Ham Int Multimode 2
Thanks SiriusHardware for the info. I have also located 4 scanners, Yupiteru MVT7000 and 7100, AOR1500 and a Realistic, all in very good condition and working! There is also a Superstar 360FM up there too according to a family member, who knows what else.
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29th Jul 2020, 1:20 pm | #18 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 5,000
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Re: Ham Int Multimode 2
That radio has certainly been well and truly burnt out in a previous life. Probably had the carrier wound up to the stop and had the owner fall asleep on the microphone with it keyed up on transmit for a few hours. Falling asleep on the mic a common occurrence that's happened a few times over the years round here, in fact it happened just recently with one of the old chaps with a Multimode after he'd been on the bottle all evening. He's just below the ridge of the big hill in Lincoln city and therefore puts a strong signal out to the whole south of the county. I'm out in a village and I couldn't hear a thing under his signal, just the odd little 'squeaks' of folk underneath him complaining bitterly no doubt. I switched off and did something else and checked again over an hour later and he was still keyed up. Apparently in the end someone found a phone number for him and rang him to wake him up - the Multimode survived!
As regards removing the 'mods' from old rigs, I don't entirely agree, unless it's a radio in good unmolested cosmetic condition or a set that's very rare, and these Multimodes aren't particularly rare. There must be thousands out there and good original boxed examples do turn up from time to time. I suppose you could argue that I don't love this model that much or I would have paid out and bought one of the mint ones that have been available, but I'm not particularly a collector of such things, just interested in the technicalities and nostalgia of them. As I said, the modifications make the set much more usable and if it's a bit of a rough example like my two and the the one found in the loft by the OP, then it's never going to be able to be restored back to original once holes have been cut, particularly in the front face plate. If you look carefully, you can see a filled in hole where a switch was once fitted near to the channel display on the one I was given. Its previous owner had removed a switch from there and put it on the back and had attempted to do a restoration, until he realised he was onto a lost cause with it. It had another switch on the side of the case which he'd also moved to the back, so it's got holes drilled all over. As regards the highly recognisable Multimode bleep, they're about the most inoffensive bleep you can get, short and mellow in tone, but it's certainly worth fitting them with a switch to turn them off. Those Multimode bleeps can play up and stop the rig working, so have to be permanently removed. It's missing completely from one of mine, but a 'K-tone type had been fitted in it's place by someone many years ago, so probably worth removing that if I could be bothered. I find a bleep is a useful feature when just having a casual natter on SSB, when it's sometimes difficult under certain conditions to know when the other party has finished talking, it saves a lot of talking over each other. OK, if it were a DX type transmission, then all the usual nonsense of finishing the over in the appropriate way does the job, but not for casual natter - remember, it's only CB. Looking at the OP's radio, it looks like there's definitely no UK EPROM fitted and I can't see any extra band crystals anywhere. It looks like it may have the 'splits' on one of the added switches. One looks like it's connected to the pre-audio stage, perhaps AF ALC, so not too sure what's going on there, and another one could well be switching the bleep on and off, but it's hard to say. It looks like a radio that some would say is a spare parts only set, but it may work and could probably be made to work if it doesn't already in its current state. All these modifications are part of the radios history and tell a story of a time gone by of making the radio better, and the excitement of being able to go to other previously hidden places by its user. Strangely, I find these 'got-at' or 'modified' radios far more interesting than something that's just standard, although if a set turns up that has never been interfered with and is in good condition, then it should absolutely be left that way, as I also love originality in all things radio. The truth is that certainly three of the existing front panel switches could have been repurposed for those other functions rather than making extra holes in the front panel to fit more. |
29th Jul 2020, 3:29 pm | #19 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 5,000
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Re: Ham Int Multimode 2
Quote:
I'm not familiar with all of those items other than the Superstar 360, but as they're vintage items and if you're interested in finding out more about them, then it would be a good idea to perhaps start separate threads on them - the Superstar is quite a desirable radio. |
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29th Jul 2020, 4:12 pm | #20 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,567
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Re: Ham Int Multimode 2
Briefly OT, the Yupiteru (Jupiter) MVT7000 and MVT7100 were top of the range HF-to-1.3Ghz handheld scanners in their day.
I own one of the former and oddly enough have an example of the latter right here beside me at work as we make a few low power radio devices in the VHF / UHF range so it's useful to be able to listen to the output from them. The main difference between the two is that the 7100 has SSB mode as well as the usual FM and AM modes found on most scanners. The AOR is another high-end scanner, I think. The main problem with scanners is that the things which were potentially the most interesting to listen to have either gone encrypted or digital, so there is less interest in them than there used to be. |