February 3, 2003 6881076C20-E
9-12 Basic Troubleshooting: Synthesizer Troubleshooting
NOTE:The P501 pins can be probed on the extender cable (see the P501 Extender Cable 
diagram on 
page 10-6).
9.7 Synthesizer Troubleshooting
The following table can help you troubleshoot problems that might occur in the synthesizer section of 
your radio.
Table 9-7.  Synthesizer Troubleshooting Chart
Symptom Possible Cause
Correction or Test (Measurements 
Taken at Room Temperature)
Does Not Lock 
on Any 
Channel
VCO With radio in receive mode, measure pin 1 
of J601 using a high impedance probe.
Measured level should be -5 dBm ±6 dB, 
and the frequency should be 370 to 
380MHz.
If not, replace the VCO board.
Reference Oscillator/RF 
Board
Is there >1.5 Vp-p of 2.1 MHz on pin 21 of 
J500?
If not, replace the RF board.
VOCON Board Do both the chip select lines (pins 16 & 20 
of J500) go low during mode changes?
Is there data on the clock & data lines 
going into the RF board (pins 18 & 19 of 
J500)?
If not, replace the VOCON board.
Does Not Lock 
on Some 
Channels
Programming Check the mode programming information 
to ensure that the correct frequency 
programming information has been 
entered.
VCO With the radio in receive mode; unplug the 
loop feedback coax from the VCO board 
to the RF board.
Measured level should be -5 dBm ±5 dB, 
and the frequency should be 370 to 380 
MHz.
If not, replace the VCO board.
RF Board Replace the RF board.
Does Not Lock 
in Tx (or 
Talkaround
RF Board Check the Aux bit states (pin 9 & 11 J601). 
When changing from receive to transmit to 
talkaround, pin 9 and 11 of J601 should 
alternate between a high voltage (>8V) 
and a low voltage (<1V).
If either pin does not alternate between 
these voltages, replace the RF board.
VCO Replace the VCO board.