SkyArrow 250

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UGLY_BOB
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Re: SkyArrow 250

Post by UGLY_BOB »

I've been playing with it in FM mode, and it receives superbly. Audio reports are good too. The standard mic is a bit quiet, so I've been using it with an Astatic 575 M6 and that seems to work a treat (bound to really).
5 watts AM / FM . !3 Watts SSB. Nice feature is the extension speaker sockets. One cuts the internal speaker off, the other one allows both Internal & External - and in that mode the received audio is lovely. The squelch is a bit strange. On turning on, it travels round to about 2'o'clock before biting... but after a while it turns back and back until it's biting at about 9 'o'clock (Signals varying - but you get my drift). The volume control is very loud. You wouldn't need to turn it up much to be deafened. RF Gain is good, and you can set it to it's optimum by watching the signal meter. It seems to have a sweet spot at about 3'0'clock position.
Receive on SSB is very very good. It's pulling in some really weak signals. Due to time commitments I've only had a short spell on the 555's but have had two good QSL's with 13 and 14 division stations - who complimented audio. On FM I've had both local and DX copies. Ireland, and Amsterdam at 5/5. The skip seems to have dropped off the last two days unfortunatly. Without a TX clarifier, I haven't been able to get any 'straight' UK FM copies, but I have had a good natter with a local - Roy- on his newly tweaked and peaked Hygain V (Courtesy of Paul27UK) and I caught him on channel 26 UK and got him to go up from 27.85125 to 27.855 where we compared notes. The channel change is very smooth, and lighter than many similar aged radios. The somewhat widely spaced segment LED's flicker a bit between channels, but once engaged stay on happily. This might be due to the lack of use over the past few years and may resolve itself as the switching becomes bedded.
All in all I'm very happy with it, and look forward to some dedicated SSB time on it. After that I can let you know a bit more about it.
Comparing it to my Stalker 9FDX is a tad unfair, as it doesn't have the UK in it, and also my FDX has been 'well tweaked' by Cubby and Paul over the time I've had it - and was heftilly modded prior to that. But essentially I think it's fair to say the Sky Arrow is 'one' of the better SSB radios I've used so far. I'd maybe put it closer in performance and feel to a Uniden radio than a Cybernet - as the squelch has a more Uniden feel to it, and the TX audio is complemented on FM (whereas some Cybernets need a mod to sound good in FM) AM and SSB are as clean as any Cybernet (Hygain?) . Those comments are not there to be detrimental to Cybernet or Uniden in any way - I'm not climbing aboard that particular bus ! But those of you that have had both schools of radio will know what I mean when I say it receives like a Cybernet but handles like a Uniden. To some extent it has the nicer qualities of both.
I'm trying madly to think of it's faults ... and not getting any that are really worth a mention. Gets a tad warm on top after a while. Wish it didn't have a 'permanent' power lead - I'd prefer a socket... but in truth I can't really say too much 'bad' about it. The recessed mic socket is a bit of a fiddle when changing mics, but once your plugged in - wtf.

Nope... all in all I like it. My 'Desert Island Discs' radio (U can only take one?) still remains the Stalker - but if the raft was cramped, the Sky Arrow 250 might just squeeze aboard due to it's size.

Ugs ;)
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StoatTB

Re: SkyArrow 250

Post by StoatTB »

After looking at some of the PCB photos, internally the radio does have cybernet'esque look about it. Both the signal meter and LED channel readouts are look a tad different from the norm.

The only concern I would have about the radio is the longevity of the wide mode slider switch, I prefer narrower slider switches and think they last longer - just a personal preference.
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Re: SkyArrow 250

Post by UGLY_BOB »

buggerlugs wrote:After looking at some of the PCB photos, internally the radio does have cybernet'esque look about it.
Agreed, which was the point Paul27UK was making when we originally were deciding if it was Japan built. Paul wasn't suggesting it was Cybernet built - just that the similar components indicated Japan as a likely origin. But as Otter pointed out, there were too many non Cybernet'esque items involved for Cybernet to have had any hand in making it. I think we all agree on it being Japan made though. It is suggested strongly that it is 'Sunrise Electronics' due to the both similarity to the Shogun 40 channel board number and similar exposed coils. :idea:
buggerlugs wrote: The only concern I would have about the radio is the longevity of the wide mode slider switch, I prefer narrower slider switches and think they last longer - just a personal preference.
You may well be right. So far though it functions firmly, and without problem. I guess it really depends on the number of times it's switched from one mode to another in it's lifetime - and how 'respectfully' ;)
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Re: SkyArrow 250

Post by Otter »

Wagner 309 pictures.

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Re: SkyArrow 250

Post by UGLY_BOB »

Very different board Tim, as you said. Same "E2" mark though. E3-008 Wagner, E2 - 030 Sky Arrow 250

Jocky sent me some photos of a schematic he found on the net - but they're too low resolution to be read unfortunately. Jock, can you remember where you found them ? :?:
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Re: SkyArrow 250

Post by Ashtec »

cubwolf wrote:It may not be but its made in the same factory
Well im going with cubby on this now looking at the pic's of the Wagner and the Sky Arrow there not far apart in design.
Not the same as the Wagner as the Wagner is 40 channel radio and Sky Arrow is 80 channel radio as well as haveing AM/FM/SSB/LSB
But i think it was made from the same factory as you can see in the pic's of them there's a lot of part's that both have the same........
As well as the pcb coloring and the numbering is not far a part like a PTBM134AOX PTBM135AOX two different looking pcb's but they are still made by the same factory. Or the very different 134 and the 059 pcb's two very different pcb's but they are still made by the same factory ..........................................
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Re: SkyArrow 250

Post by UGLY_BOB »

That's for sure. They're obviously both manufactured by 'Sunrise Electronics' as said in my earlier post. Just different models from the same constructor. It seems that little is known of this manufacturer - I quote SIBC from an earlier thread :
SIBC wrote:I look in a few boxes of Shoguns, with six to a box I seem to recall. The plus was that the Shogun had an excellent microphone audio but the minus was that it was a little deaf, which was no use for a rural area with long distances to be covered. However bleedover was OK, so it would have been fine for around town. The board was beautifully made and I seem to recall I didn't recognise it, or work out the actual manufacturer, but this is 26 to 27 years ago, so I may have just forgotten.
Anyone got a Shogun 40 Channel rig to look inside ?
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Re: SkyArrow 250

Post by Otter »

Shogun

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Re: SkyArrow 250

Post by Otter »

Grandstand Gemini. I have no idea what the mod is.

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Re: SkyArrow 250

Post by UGLY_BOB »

Cheers Tim. Very similar look - even that tin shielding. SAGA ? That's new. (By the board number). :)

And is that 'Suruga' or 'Buruga' above the Gemini PCB number ? The mist gets greater the more these radios pop up ! ;)
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Re: SkyArrow 250

Post by Otter »

Saga, Buruga, 309 and 250. My guess is that they're the company's internal model names and that the radios are branded on the outsidefor whoever wants to sell them. Just a guess.
"To this day the words Stirling bridge conjour pride in every Scotsman's heart, while to an Englishman those same words conjour literally no feelings at all." - Cunk on Britain S1 E1
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Re: SkyArrow 250

Post by Ashtec »

Is there eney more info on this radio...............................

It's still sounding good over here bob...............
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Re: SkyArrow 250

Post by northern35s »

It is indeed small, and a tidy looking little radio too, I seem to recall having something similar many moons ago, my cousin took it back to California with him, I wonder what he did with it, maybe it's still in his cupboard :lol:
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Re: SkyArrow 250

Post by astradyne »

Here's a Wagner for sale on the bay. Realistic price too http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Wagner-Model-309- ... 0644762764
Never, ever, ever....bloody anything ever!

Far too many radio's to list here. But I do own a legal one...
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Re: SkyArrow 250

Post by Ashtec »

I missed the dam radio i had to go out to a job and missed it dam it.............
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