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#245200 - 02/01/2005 21:13 final disposition of tuner parts
pca
old hand

Registered: 20/07/1999
Posts: 1102
Loc: UK
Hi.

I haven't been feeling all that well recently, which is one reason I haven't been posting much lately. However, it's given me time to think about the best way to deal with the last sets of parts I have for tuner kits, and a last-ditch attempt to get some money back for making memory boards rather than just dumping it.

After some thought, and a number of unsuccessful attempts to sell the remaining 100 tuner modules on ebay and to parts brokers, I had a minor brainwave. So, what I propose is to sell a minimum tuner kit, consisting of one PCB set, a preprogrammed PIC, and a tuner module. The purchaser sources everything else. I'll give part numbers, order codes, suppliers, etc, so it shouldn't be too difficult, and some may already have a number of the bits lying around.

In order to do this, I'll offer these mini-kits at basically cost + postage, ie £50 plus the normal postage of £5 UK, £7 europe, and £10 the rest of the solar system.

Anyone interested?

pca
_________________________
Experience is what you get just after it would have helped...

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#245201 - 02/01/2005 22:25 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: pca]
Shonky
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/01/2002
Posts: 2009
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
Is there somewhere else I can download the construction manual from? Being in Australia I can't get to the tuner site, but I'd like to get an idea of what other specialised parts there are first before I commit.
_________________________
Christian
#40104192 120Gb (no longer in my E36 M3, won't fit the E46 M3)

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#245202 - 03/01/2005 00:58 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: pca]
Waterman981
old hand

Registered: 14/02/2002
Posts: 804
Loc: Salt Lake City, UT
I wasn't able to come up with enough money when my number came up and had to pass it on, but I think I could go for this.
_________________________
-Michael

#040103696 on a shelf
Mk2a - 90 GB - Red - Illuminated buttons

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#245203 - 03/01/2005 02:18 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: Shonky]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14496
Loc: Canada
Here is the tuner manual in PDF form.

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#245204 - 03/01/2005 03:49 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: pca]
Ladmo
addict

Registered: 04/09/2004
Posts: 527
Loc: Oklahoma
I'd be interested, but would need about a week or so 'heads up' to get the cash together...Would that work...
_________________________
The only easy day...was yesterday!

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#245205 - 03/01/2005 05:51 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: pca]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31600
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
So, what I propose is to sell a minimum tuner kit, consisting of one PCB set, a preprogrammed PIC, and a tuner module.

Brilliant idea, Patrick!
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#245206 - 03/01/2005 09:31 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: pca]
StigOE
addict

Registered: 27/10/2002
Posts: 568
I'd take one. Would we order it on the same site as the tuners?

Stig

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#245207 - 03/01/2005 12:02 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: pca]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14496
Loc: Canada
Hey, this is very cool. Especially for the few "dead" factory tuners floating around, which most likely just need a new module..

Mmm.. spare parts.. mmm...

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#245208 - 03/01/2005 17:58 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: pca]
AudunE
journeyman

Registered: 08/10/2004
Posts: 53
Loc: Trondheim, Norway
I would be interested in 1, or maybe 2...

Audun
_________________________
- Audun E -

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#245209 - 04/01/2005 13:50 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: pca]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
With xmas being rather expensive, as long as I can pay for it after the 15th of Jan, then put me down for a set.
_________________________
Cheers,

Andy M

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#245210 - 04/01/2005 19:03 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: pca]
jane
enthusiast

Registered: 10/10/2000
Posts: 350
Loc: Copenhagen SW, Denmark
I can't really afford it, but I'll buy a kit... more to pay you for doing what you do. I may never actually get around to building the kit...

Marius

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#245211 - 05/01/2005 01:34 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: pca]
ClemsonJeep
enthusiast

Registered: 09/11/1999
Posts: 398
Loc: Ashburn, VA
Maybe a dumb question, but is the reception with your home-built tuners any better than the Rio tuner? Because the reception with the Rio tuner sucks.
_________________________
(O|||||O)

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#245212 - 05/01/2005 01:51 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: ClemsonJeep]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
Reception is okay with mine. The reception will be identical since the kit Patrick is selling is basically the same as the Rio one except it is designed to be easier to assemble for the hobbiest. No SMD components etc...

There is a post by Rob Schofield which might help you.

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#245213 - 05/01/2005 02:18 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: tman]
ClemsonJeep
enthusiast

Registered: 09/11/1999
Posts: 398
Loc: Ashburn, VA
Wonder why mine is so bad, then. 15 miles west of DC and I get 3-4 bars (and intermittent RDS) from DC101 which is broadcast from downtown. I'm barely able to get WHFS from Baltimore when any other receiver on the market gets it crystal clear.

Ho hum.
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(O|||||O)

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#245214 - 05/01/2005 02:44 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: ClemsonJeep]
Daria
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/01/2002
Posts: 3937
Loc: Providence, RI
The tuner reception issue is a weird one. I can get WRVV 97.3 Harrisburg from several mountain valleys away, near Fort Littleton. I could with the stock car radio as well. But I did for a while notice a problem. Turned out the antenna adapter cable had gone bad.

Is this your problem? Unlikely. But I have 2 tuner modules and they behave the same, both Rio modules, not kit.

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#245215 - 05/01/2005 14:02 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: ClemsonJeep]
schofiel
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/06/1999
Posts: 2993
Loc: Wareham, Dorset, UK
They are basically the same circuit, but Patrick has re-engineered his version for a kit build. Get 'em while he still has 'em - only a few left now!

If you have bad reception, I'd look at your antenna cables and connections.
_________________________
One of the few remaining Mk1 owners... #00015

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#245216 - 06/01/2005 02:00 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: pca]
JaBZ
addict

Registered: 08/08/2001
Posts: 452
Loc: NZ
Ill be in for one kit, although I cant get to your site from NZ

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#245217 - 06/01/2005 09:59 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: JaBZ]
schofiel
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/06/1999
Posts: 2993
Loc: Wareham, Dorset, UK
Why not?
_________________________
One of the few remaining Mk1 owners... #00015

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#245218 - 06/01/2005 10:08 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: schofiel]
Shonky
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/01/2002
Posts: 2009
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
Quote:
Why not?

For some reason Patrick's site has never been accessible from Australia and New Zealand. Something to do with his hosting provider being attacked from Australia once.

Pretty short sighted if you ask me and I'd be pretty unimpressed if it was my hosting provider and I was using it for a business.

Jabz: Just PM Patrick and he'll let you order no prob.
_________________________
Christian
#40104192 120Gb (no longer in my E36 M3, won't fit the E46 M3)

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#245219 - 06/01/2005 16:36 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: ClemsonJeep]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
Quote:
Wonder why mine is so bad, then. 15 miles west of DC and I get 3-4 bars (and intermittent RDS) from DC101 which is broadcast from downtown. I'm barely able to get WHFS from Baltimore when any other receiver on the market gets it crystal clear.

Ho hum.

Well, I've been in many cars that get bad reception on HFS. It's in Baltimore, after all. Not getting DC101 crystal clear is odd, though. They're always touting their ultra-powerful antenna, and they're probably right to. I can get them waaaay outside the city, like past Woodbridge and even farther.
_________________________
Matt

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#245220 - 07/01/2005 14:36 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: Dignan]
ClemsonJeep
enthusiast

Registered: 09/11/1999
Posts: 398
Loc: Ashburn, VA
Quote:

Well, I've been in many cars that get bad reception on HFS. It's in Baltimore, after all. Not getting DC101 crystal clear is odd, though. They're always touting their ultra-powerful antenna, and they're probably right to. I can get them waaaay outside the city, like past Woodbridge and even farther.


Yeah, it's just odd, because any of my other friend's "lesser" head units can tune in HFS crystal clear, along iwth DC101, etc etc. This has always been an issue from the first time I installed the tuner. I'll check the cabling again, just to be sure, though....
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(O|||||O)

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#245221 - 07/01/2005 16:37 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: ClemsonJeep]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
You're not running afoul of the easy-to-miss problem of having a dual-diversity or powered antenna and not using an adapter, are you?
_________________________
Bitt Faulk

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#245222 - 13/01/2005 05:49 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: ClemsonJeep]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
Quote:
Quote:

Well, I've been in many cars that get bad reception on HFS. It's in Baltimore, after all. Not getting DC101 crystal clear is odd, though. They're always touting their ultra-powerful antenna, and they're probably right to. I can get them waaaay outside the city, like past Woodbridge and even farther.


Yeah, it's just odd, because any of my other friend's "lesser" head units can tune in HFS crystal clear, along iwth DC101, etc etc. This has always been an issue from the first time I installed the tuner. I'll check the cabling again, just to be sure, though....

Well, you won't have to worry about HFS anymore. It seems that their owners felt a change was needed, so the station is now completely Latin. There were rumors a couple months ago of 101 making the exact same switch. This makes zero sense to me. HFS and 101 are probably two of the biggest stations in the DC area. I don't know about Baltimore, but DC isn't a largely Hispanic area as far as I've seen, and even if they were trying to latch on to a trend, the Latin music explosion was at least a year or two ago.

I don't know why this gets me so irritated. I don't even listen to radio. When I do listen to radio it's DC101, though. I guess it's the idea that totally pisses me off.
_________________________
Matt

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#245223 - 13/01/2005 15:20 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: Dignan]
SonicSnoop
addict

Registered: 29/06/2002
Posts: 531
Loc: Triangle, VA
Oh man, figures soon as I get a tuner so I could listen to DC101 I would hear smething bout them changing to something I wouldnt listen too ..

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#245224 - 13/01/2005 20:44 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: SonicSnoop]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12341
Loc: Sterling, VA
Here's the story

I'm still trying wrap my brain around why they would do something like this. It makes no sense.


Edited by dbrashear (13/01/2005 22:48)

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#245225 - 13/01/2005 22:52 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: Dignan]
Daria
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/01/2002
Posts: 3937
Loc: Providence, RI
After you've been through it you expect this sort of thing.

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#245226 - 17/02/2005 14:20 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: pca]
syzygyrc
new poster

Registered: 13/02/2005
Posts: 10
I'm order # 368... am I gonna get one? It sounded like I should hear back pretty soon as you are just getting rid of what you have. I pray I didn't miss them! I ordered a week ago. Don't mean to be a pain... I just want to know if I'm beyond hope so I can start saving up for the $200+ tuner on ebay. I figured I'd post to the board because I bet other people have the same question. Unless I missed a post that says "too bad, so sad, we're all out"

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#245227 - 17/02/2005 22:26 Re: final disposition of tuner parts [Re: syzygyrc]
pca
old hand

Registered: 20/07/1999
Posts: 1102
Loc: UK
Yes, I'm doing a batch at the moment.

pca
_________________________
Experience is what you get just after it would have helped...

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