Audio level setup on TNC-X (MFJ-1270X)

Appropriate setup of audio drive of an AFSK APRS FM transmitter is important to ensuring that the signal can be copied by all receivers in range.

Excessive audio drive results in a signal that cannot be decoded by some receivers event though it may be very strong.

The TNC-X does not have any facilities for producing steady tones for adjusting the tx audio output for the desired deviation level, so alternate firmware was developed solely for this lineup function. The regular MCU chip is replaced by the adjustment chip for the lineup then the regular MCU chip is reinstalled. Note that this is not an augmented version of the regular firmware, it is for adjustment purposes only… do not overwrite the original chip.

This might seem obsessive, but performance experiments to be conducted depend on reliable modulation level.

The following video demonstrates the adjustment procedure.

The adjustment firmware will be made available as a hex file to load into a 16F628 or 16F628A chip.

References