Here's the schematic of the EFJ "Remote Programming Interface", part number 023-9800-000 (it was EFJs version of the Motorola RIB).   Originally it was developed to program the 9800 and 8200 series radios, but was eventually used to program most of the programmable radios. It's a 4-page PDF, with page 3 is the schematic and board view, page 4 is the parts list. There is a homebrew version on the Joel Huntley page listed below, along with the pinout of the 7184 and 7186 programming connector. We still need schematics for the cables that go between the RPI and the other radios.

	Joel Huntley - WA1ZYX has a page on the two models of the UHF Challenger that offers an intro on two models: the 7184 and 7186 complete with photos, a link to downloadable RSS, the programming procedure, interfacing to a repeater controller, and more.   These radios program right up on the amateur UHF band.   (offsite link) Note: Another option to soldering the programming cable to the pads in the radio is to just hacksaw a piece off of the connector from the drive end of an old 5.25 inch floppy cable and use it.
	The Challenger 7171 Service Manual Part 1   3.1mb PDF file
	The Challenger 7171 Service Manual Part 2   2.3mb PDF file
	Tune-Up Instructions for the 7180-7187 series.   4.2mb PDF file
	As far as we know, there are three programs that are used to program the Challenger series: 1) QB7171 Programs the 7171A, 7171B, 7151A and 7151B models. 2) QB7172 programs the 7172A and 7152A models. 3) RP7175 programs the 7171C, 7151C, 7172B, 7152B, 7175, 7155, 7160, 7161, 7162, 7163, 7164, 7165, 7166, 7167, 7180, 7181, 7182, 7183, 7184, 7185, 7186 and 7187 models. We'd be happy to host the programs (and any others) for download here if it can be done so legally.

The PPL-6xxx was one of the last series of crystal-controlled radios, the PPL-6050 was the VHF version and the PPL-6060 was the UHF version.

	PPL 6060 UHF repeater conversion       A conversion of the EFJ PPL 6060 to a GMRS repeater by Jim Sharp
	PPL 6060 UHF Transmitter Tuning     Tuning instructions for the transmit section by Matt Krick  K3MK
	PPL 6060 UHF Receiver Tuning     Tuning instructions for the receive section by Matt Krick  K3MK
	PPL 6060 Service Manual     3.3mb PDF file donated by Eric Lemmon WB6FLY
	Anybody have the 6050 service manual? (the VHF version)

"Call Guard" is Johnsons name for CTCSS tone squelch.

Call-Guard tone table     This is a table explaining their tone numbering scheme.

The CR 1000 (earlier) and CR 1010 (later) are Johnson's continuous duty high power conventional stations (repeater or base station). Once set up they are darn near bulletproof stations. The best way to use the CR-series station is to set it up as a full duplex base and use an external repeater controller such as an NHRC, Scom, ICS, RLC / Link, etc. Neither the 1000 or 1010 are synthesized and if you pick up one second hand MAKE SURE IT COMES WITH THE CRYSTAL ELEMENTS / TCXOs. They are very rare to the point of being pure unobtanium. In short, if you don't get a set of TCXOs with the station you will have to adapt something external to substitute for it. A "reference" schematic of a TCXO is in the manual on the receiver schematic page, there is nothing on the TCXO listed on the exciter schematic. If you can't cobble up something then you have just so much scrap metal. If anyone is successful in mating a CR-series station to a Motorola Channel element or to a generic International Crystal TCXO please write an article on it and send it to us. Don't forget that the transmitter modulator is in the TCXO (the transmit and receive TCXO are identical - but the modulator in the receive TCXO is unused).

If anyone has additional information, including manual scans, on the 1000, 1010, 1100 or 1200 statons we'd love to have it.

	CR-1010 Repeater Alignment     by Clay Brown KI4ONH
	CR-1010 Repeater Service Manual     8.2 MB PDF courtesy of Clay Brown KI4ONH Note that the unit supports a standby battery, and the power supply has a charger in it - which consists of one 5.6 ohm resistor from the 15v DC line to the battery (see figure 8-8). This can cook your battery and kill it all too soon. I suggest you remove R10 from the power supply and use an external modern multistage charger.
	CR-1010 Indentifier PROM programming     120kb PDF courtesy of Clay Brown KI4ONH The identifier in the control drawer is a pain to use as the MCW speed and tone frequency is fixed, plus you have to hand code the callsign in binary, then burn it into a 256x4 PROM chip (an 82S123 that is difficult to find) using a made-for-the-job EFJ external programmer box. And the box was limited and you had to use two separate program cycles, one for each 128x4 half. If you are using an external repeater controller just disable the internal identifier and use the one in the controller.
	Anybody want to do an interfacing article ?   (i.e. connecting an external repeater controller to an EFJ station)

Miscelaneous radios....

	EFJ Conventional Voting Receiver Service Manual     146 pages, 5.3 MB PDF This writeup describes the conventional voting receivers and the voter (which appears to be a JPS brand unit). VHF, UHF, 800 and 900 MHz units are described, including both single and multichannel voting systems. Model numbers include CVR, RDM, 2xxx, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2031, 2061, 2081, 2034, 2044, 2054, 3039.
	EFJ 751x and 754x "Falcon" handheld radios     1.1 MB PDF These 751x (high band) and 754x (UHF) handhelds are 32 channels, synthesized, PC programmed and conventional-only. The VHF models cover either 136-174 MHz in two ranges, and the UHF models cover the UHF band in four ranges (comonly called "splits"). Any specific radio is made for only one split and it is not practical to change the split. The split is encoded in the model number. For example, the model plate might say "242-7640-032". The second last digit, the "3" in the "-032", is the split: 1=136-150 or 400-430, 3=146-174 or 450-470, 4=470-490, and 5=488-512. This is all documented in the manual.
	EFJ 761x and 764x "Falcon" mobile radios     3.9 MB PDF These models are essentially the Falcon handheld in a mobile box with a 45 watt (VHF) or 35w (UHF) power amplifier behind it. These connect to a PC directly, they do not need the RPI box. Here's the revision to the manual.     425 KB PDF Since the mobile is based on the Falcon handhelds above, the splits are the same, and documented in the manual.
	EFJ 98xx service manual (ver 2)       13.5 MB PDF file donated by Art Bross KC7GF. This manual covers the 984x UHF radios, the 988x 800 MHz radios and the 989x 900 MHz radios. We don't have any articles on these radios yet... just the manual. Here are the operating manuals: "Low Tier" (the minimal display units) and the "High Tier" (full display) units. Here's the early version service manual if you need it     9.6 MB PDF file.

Straight Info on EFJ radios and the Amateur 900 MHz Band

The "old" (ARRL endorsed) 900 MHz amateur band plan was designed with no consideration to the fact that ham radio is secondary in the band, and no consideration to the available equipment. That plan specified -12 MHz offsets and is used in very very few areas. The 900 MHz band is shared with many other services, and they all tend to leave the bottom and top megahertz alone as guard bands. The 12 MHz plan has the ham repeaters right in the middle of the commercial users (and they are primary in that allocation) and they do not take kindly to interference from our operations. Due to hostility from the primary users the ham repeaters have migrated to the outer megahertz at each end - 902 to 903 as repeater inputs, and 927 to 928 as repeater outputs. The N2MCI firmware was written for the modern -25 MHz offset amateur environment and will NOT do the 12 MHz offsets, or the commercial 900 MHz frequencies.

The E.F. Johnson 86xx mobile radios are a natural for the 900 MHz amateur band, and the mod to put them there is simple (we have no info on the 98xx series yet). Since the 86xx are not as popular as the Motorola Spectra the radios are less in demand, therefore a lot less expensive. The programming software is readily available, doesn't have the computer speed limitation quirks that the Motorola software has and there is no EFJ software police to worry about. EFJ just doesn't care... you can download the software from a dozen web sites here in the USA.

There are two 900 MHz Discussion Lists and the first one listed below has 95% of the traffic. Note that these are 900 MHz lists (any radio, not just Johnson) and do not take kindly to off-topic discussions. I'd subscribe to both.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AR902Mhz   From the description text: "This listserv is used to further experimentation and utilization of the 902-928Mhz amateur radio spectrum using voice and data communications. Please limit your posts to information relating to these subjects ONLY. Want and For-Sale ads allowed. Do not post EBAY links. Do NOT list non-900Mhz applicable items."

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/900mhz   From the description text: "For those interested in utilizing the 900 MHz amateur radio band. This group is here to discuss modification of commercial radio gear to amateur radio use, repeater construction for 900 MHz, and other related topics relating to the 900 Mhz amateur radio band."

Below we have information on making the EFJ 8600, 8615, 8640, 8644 and 8655 models useful on the 900MHz amateur band. If anyone has any info on any other 900 MHz Johnson mobiles or handhelds I'd like to add them to this page. Pleas contact Mike Morris WA6ILQ at (callsign) /at/ repeater-builder /dot/ com.

The EFJ 8600 is a 10 ch. 15w 800 MHz radio with full PL/DPL capabilities. The 8615 is also 800 MHz, and while neither transmitter can be converted to 927 MHz the receiver section can be converted into a 902 MHZ receiver (i.e. repeater input or link). Note that the deviation at 800 MHz is 5 KHz and at 900 it's 2.5, so the receiver audio recovery level will be lower (it won't deliver as much audio). However due to the wider IF filters it will not be as tolerant of adjacent channel interference, and it will have a bit more tolerance of mobile transmitter drift than the average made-for-900 MHz receiver. But if your mobile transmitter is drifting you need to fix that, not get a wider repeater receiver.

The 8640 is a 10 ch. 15w 900 MHz radio with full PL/DPL capabilities — basically a 900 MHz version of the 8600 radio. The 8644 is a 4 ch. version of the same radio and exists only because the EFJ sales team needed a lower end radio than the 8640, so the EFJ programmers stripped the firmware from ten channels to four (that is the only difference between the two models). The 864x series can a talk only to a repeater, meaning it has no talkaround (simplex) circuit in the VCO. Since the replacement 900 MHz firmware was based on the 8640, any converted 8644 will end up as an amateur-band ten channel 8640.

The 8655 is a 5-30 watts (adjustable) 900 MHz radio, does both repeat and talk-around (simplex), and has either ten or sixteen banks of 10 channels each depending upon the vintage of the display board... therefor the "low end" 8655 has only 100 channels...

The factory mobile power cable has a 15a fuse in the positive lead and Anderson Powerpoles on the end that plugs into the back of the radio - yes, the radio has chassis mount powerpoles on the rear panel right from the factory - a nice touch. The only problem is that both are colored white(!) plus there is no marking on the back of the chassis. The top one is positive, the bottom one is negative, and the radio is negative gound only (the negative one is grounded to the chassis). I suggest a Sharpie pen for adding "+" and "-" marks next to the chassis mount Powerpoles.
The official factory mic for these radios was the 250-0740-300 "Amplified Dynamic" or the 250-0751-021 12-button DTMF or the 250-0742-010 Desk microphone.

The microphone connector wiring is pretty-much EFJ-standard:     (courtesy of Steve KB3FSR)
Pin 1 : Mic Audio Ground, PTT return and shield of pin 2
Pin 2 : Mic Audio = White Wire
Pin 3 : Hang-up / Monitor clip = Black Wire
Pin 4 : PTT = Red Wire
Pin 5 : 13.8v = Blue Wire (in some models this pin is dead, in others it is hot if an internal jumper is installed)
Pin 6 : Not connected

Any of the above three models will go on the amateur 900 MHz band by swapping the main microprocessor (it's socketed) and one SMD chip cap, and loading new frequencies into the radio! Pete Dziomba N2MCI developed the modification technique and sells complete kits.

The N2MCI kit consists of:
    a) one replacement microprocessor chip with new embedded firmware. The chip is model specific - either the 8640/8644 or the 8655.
    b) one surface mount capacitor, size 1206 (the value depends on if it's an 8640/8644 or an 8655 radio). You unsolder one cap on the RF board and replace it with the new one from the kit.

The kits cost US$8 each.
Shipping is US$5 for any number of kits.
To purchase the conversion kit you will need to send an email to Pete first at n2mci //at// hvc //dot// rr //dot// com and then send a money order or a bank check. Make sure you let him know what radio you are modifying - 8640/8644 or 8655.

Installation information and more details at http://home.hvc.rr.com/n2mci/efj864x.html.

Kyle Yoksh KØKN has a web page that has full modification information and procedures for the 8640, 8644 and 8655, complete with photos. In addition to the primary site he has an alternate location at qsl.net. His site also has info on converting the 800 MHz model 8615 for use as a 902 MHz repeater or link receiver. Note that 800 MHz radios are 5 KHz deviation, and 900 MHz radios are 2.5 KHz deviation - the audio recovery is a little low on the converted receiver.

Here's the The 8640 Operating Manual (1.4 MB), and the 8640 / 8644 Service Manual (2.9 MB PDF).   It offers 5-12 watts (adjustable), 4 channels (8644) or 10 channels (8640), and is repeat only (the radio does not have the simplex / talkaround ability).
Here's the The 8655 Service Manual   (3.6 MB PDF dated Dec 1987).   It offers 5-30 watts (adjustable), does both repeat and talk-around (simplex), and has either ten or sixteen banks of 10 channels each depending upon the vintage of the display board.

Repeater-builder received four Field Advisory (service) notes applicable to the EFJ 8640, 8644 and 8655 (and some others):
1) FA#95-005 - Replacing U601 on 86xx mobile radios.
2) FA#95-007 - 86xx Desense and Microphonics.
3) FA#96-006 - Revised CMOS microprocessor in 8600/50 radios.
4) FA#98-003 - Installation and Modifications for new U801 prescaler in 8605, 8606, 8610, 8615, 8616, 8620, 8622 and 8655 mobiles.

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Page created 27-December-2005 by Mike Morris WA6ILQ