Ranger Communications RCI-5054DX Product Review page 5

mum. The mike gain control also varies
the transmit audio level when operating
in the AM or FM modes. The same mike
gain setting that I settled on for the SSB
mode worked just fine for the other phone
modes as well.
The comparatively large (100-Hz)
transmit tuning steps are pretty coarse for
weak signal work, at least by today's stan-
dards. Most contemporary transceivers
tune in 10-Hz (or smaller) increments.
Although this is usually not a problem
when chasing DX and general one-on-one
ragchewing, net operation is occasionally
an I'm-as-close-as-I-can-get proposition.
The manual mentions—but doesn't de-
tail—a modification that involves re-
wiring the clarifier (RIT) control so that
it varies both the transmit and receive fre-
quencies simultaneously. This change
would come at the expense of independent
receive incremental tuning, however. Con-
tact Ranger for additional information.
FM and Repeater Operation
The radio works fine in the FM mode;
reports on the quality of the transmit
audio were invariably favorable. The
'5054DX has one particularly disappoint-
ing shortcoming for those who are hop-
ing to use it for communicating through
repeaters. Nearly every 6-meter repeater
system uses CTCSS tone access to reduce
the interference that can result from dis-
tant repeaters that share the same fre-
quency pair. (When this band opens up,
the whole concept of what constitutes a
"distant repeater" goes right out the win-
dow!)
The RCI-5054DX does not come
equipped with a CTCSS tone encoder.
Text in the Owner's Manual and Ranger's
advertisements for this rig state that an
"optional" tone unit can be installed, but
it turns out that this is a little more in-
volved than simply popping off a cover
and plugging in an accessory board.
Ranger's Web site has a section that
provides complete instructions for
hardwiring in one of three models of
CTCSS units sold by Communications
1
Specialists. One of these is an encode
board that generates a single tone. (The
specific tone frequency is set prior to in-
stallation by bridging a combination of
solder-pad jumpers.) The second is an
encode/decode board that employs six
DIP switches for programming the de-
sired tone. The third—and most flexible
alternative—is a tone encoder unit that
comes in its own separate enclosure, the
TE-32. This model has front-panel toggle
and rotary switches that allow quick and
easy selection of one of 32 commonly
1
Communications Specialists Inc, 426 W Taft
Ave, Orange, CA 92865; 800-854-0547, fax
800-850-0547; www.comm-spec.com.
74 March 2002
used tones. It sells for around $50. (You
should first verify that your favorite
6-meter repeaters are using CTCSS tones
that the TE-32 is capable of generating.)
Installation of either of the two en-
code-only models is fairly easy. DC
power, ground and a connection (through
a 100 kΩ resistor) to the main circuit
board at the base of a surface mount tran-
sistor are all that's required. Wiring in the
encode/decode board is a bit more com-
plicated. This procedure involves cutting
a circuit board trace and making a couple
of additional connections. Hooking up
any of these boards should be well within
the capabilities of hams with moderate
soldering skills. It would have been great
if Ranger had included CTCSS circuitry
in this radio's design, or at least provided
a dedicated multi-pin socket on the board
or a rear-panel accessory jack for this pur-
pose. Local 6-meter FM repeater opera-
tion can be lots of fun, and can sure help
you wile away the time between those
long-haul band openings.
CW Operation
The mode selector switch on the
RCI-5054DX includes a CW position,
but—as has been the case with the last
couple of Ranger products we've looked
at—CW seems as if it's more of an after-
thought than a feature. A single CW sig-
nal can be heard on both sides of zero
beat. As we pointed out in our evaluation
of the RCI-2970DX (see "Product Re-
view," Oct 2001), you can verify that you
are properly tuned to a CW signal by tak-
ing a quick listen for it in the LSB mode.
The CW sidetone volume and frequency
are fixed.
As can be seen in Figure 2, the CW
keying waveform shows considerable dis-
tortion during the "make" of each ele-
ment. While, quite surprisingly, this
didn't result in any on-air reports of un-
usual-sounding keying (it also sounded
acceptable to me on a second receiver) it
certainly warrants some further investi-
gation on Ranger's part. A second unit
we looked at exhibited identical wave-
form distortion.
Take a Number
Looking over Table 1, you'll notice
that sensitivity in the FM mode, which
came in at a hot 0.16 µV, is right in line
with the best we've measured on recently
reviewed transceivers that include 6-
meter FM capabilities. The FM adjacent
channel rejection (20-kHz offset) fell
slightly below par, as did the FM two-
tone, third-order IMD dynamic range.
SSB/CW sensitivity—at −135 dBm—
came in somewhat short of the running
average for this parameter as well, but
still manages to equal the 6-meter num-
ber posted by a very popular multi-band/
multi-mode mobile that we evaluated a
couple of years ago. The SSB/CW block-
ing and IMD dynamic numbers that we
measured on this rig were pretty medio-
cre. All in all, though, I guess this is about
what should be expected from an
economy-class transceiver.
On the Road with the RCI-5054DX
It was time to give the RCI-5054DX
a try on the open road. I temporarily
lashed it to the center console of my
truck. (Finding a permanent mounting
spot for a rig this size in most modern
vehicles will likely present some chal-
lenges.)
The comparatively low maximum cur-
rent requirement—under 5 A—makes it
tempting to try to power it from a fuse
block, vehicle cigarette lighter or dc ac-
cessory jack. If you choose to go with any
of these connection schemes and end up
running into problems with interference
to or from your vehicle's electronics, be-
gin your troubleshooting process with a
direct power connection to the vehicle's
battery terminals.
One of the great things about 6—par-
ticularly when you compare it to setting
up for mobile operation on the HF
bands—is the relative ease of installation
and potential efficiency of 6-meter mobile
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antennas. A full-size / -λ vertical (a very
4
adequate mobile antenna on this, and most
other bands) is only around 4
mounted a whip on an adapter that threads
onto my existing through-the-roof NMO
5
connector. A 2-meter / -λ mobile an-
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tenna—even mag-mount versions—will
also work very well on 6.
Just five minutes after hooking the
rig up in the car, I already had three
west-coast SSB contacts in the log.
Readability and signal reports were
good—59 in all three cases—and spe-
cific requests for honest critiques on
my audio quality were met with uni-
versally good comments.
Summing It Up
Admittedly, the RCI-5054DX is un-
likely to become the radio of choice
among serious VHF contesters—particu-
larly those who have any interest in CW.
This radio will get you on the band for
casual DXing, net operations, ragchewing
and even informal contesting pretty inex-
pensively, though. With just a few more
dollars and a little workbench time, it can
even be further accessorized for FM re-
peater use.
Manufacturer: Ranger Communica-
tions Inc, 401 W 35th St—Suite B, Na-
tional City, CA 91950; 877-536-0772, fax
702-262-0780; rci@rangerusa.com;
www.rangerusa.com. Manufacturer's
suggested list price: $329. Typical cur-
rent street price: $300.
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/ feet tall. I
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