® MULTI-DIGITAL VOICE DECODER ARD300 User Manual AOR Ltd.
Table of contents 1．Introduction ............................................................................................... 1 2．To read before use .................................................................................... 2 Supplied accessories ............................................................................. 2 Compatible AOR receivers ..................................................................... 2 Compatibility with non-AOR receivers......................................
1. Introduction Thank you for purchasing the ARD300 MULTI-DIGITAL VOICE DECODER. AOR proudly brings a solution to a common problem the listening enthusiasts are facing: There are less and less signals to listen to with a traditional analog receiver, as digital communication slowly but surely is replacing analog communication. This is where ARD300 comes in place! ARD300 is a digital voice decoder to be connected to a radio receiver’s I.F output.
2. To read before use Supplied accessories 1. DC cable For power sharing, when the receiver used is either AR8600MK2, or AR2300/5001D/6000. １ 2. DC cable (open-end) Use this cable to connect ARD300 to your own power supply; in case ARD300 cannot share power with the receiver. １ 3. IF cable １ 4. Audio cable １ 5.
Power supply ARD300 requires a (non-supplied) 12V DC power supply of minimum 450mA. Use the supplied “open-end” DC cable to connect ARD300 to your power supply. However, when used in combination with the AOR AR8600MK2, AR2300, AR5001D, AR6000 receivers, the supplied DC cable allows ARD300 to share the receiver’s AC adapter. In that case ARD300 is able to detect the receiver’s ON/OFF state and switches itself ON whenever the receiver is ON.
3. Digital voice mode compatibility chart DIGITAL MODE BANDWIDTH MODE VARIOUS COMPATIBLE VOCODER D-STAR 12.5kHz AMBE ALINCO DIGITAL 12.5kHz AMBE 12.5kHz V/D mode 12.5kHz Voice FR mode AMBE+2 YAESU DIGITAL DIGITAL CR 6.25kHz NON-ENCRYPTED 6.25kHz ENCRYPTED AMBE+2 REGULAR MODE NON-ENCRYPTED AMBE+2 REGULAR MODE DI GI TAL SCRAMBLI NG (15 BIT) AMBE+2 6.25kHz AMBE+2 ENCRYPTED NXDN TRUNKING 12.5kHz 6.25kHz dPMR446 AMBE+2 6.25kHz TIER 1 AMBE+2 DPMR TIER 2 TIER 3 6.25kHz & 12.
4. Panels Front panel ② ③ ⑤ ⑥ ① ④ ① PHONE socket Φ3.5mm stereo jack for earphones and head phones. Left & right channels identical. ② LCD display Alphanumeric display, 8 characters x 2 lines ③ ▲ UP key Volume up or menu selection change ④ ▼ DOWN key Volume down or menu selection change ⑤ ENTER key To access the set-up menu and validate a selection. Press and hold to enter Digital CR ID code. ⑥ ESC Escape key Exit the present selection. Access the receiver selection menu.
Rear panel ⑦ ① ② ③ ④ ⑤ ⑥ ① IF IN IF signal input BNC connector (50Ω) Receiver’s IF signal must be either 10.7MHz or 45.05MHz. ② SP IN Speaker input Φ3.5mm jack, mono (input resistance 2kΩ, maximum voltage 10V p-p) Connect to receiver’s speaker output with supplied audio cable. ③ SP OUT Speaker output Φ3.5 mm jack, mono (8Ω, 1W) for external speaker. ④ SERVICE Service socket D-SUB 9pin, male. For factory maintenance and firmware upgrade.
5. Connect ARD300 to AR8600MK2 Use the supplied IF, DC and audio cables. The power supply used is the AR8600MK2 AC adapter, which will power both units simultaneously. • Connect one end of the supplied IF cable to the IF output of the receiver, and the other end to the IF IN socket of ARD300. • Connect one end of the supplied DC cable to the DC 12V socket of the receiver. And the other end to the DC 12V OUT socket of ARD300.
Known issues with the AR8600MK2 IF signal output By design, the AR8600MK2 IF signal’s center frequency might fluctuate +/-10kHz from its center frequency 10.7MHz. Fortunately ARD300 is able to compensate for this shifting by searching for and locking to the IF signal peak. Nevertheless it has been noticed that in some cases of a strong signal close to the tuned frequency, ARD300 might wrongly lock to the adjacent signal rather than on the IF center signal, and therefore miss the digital signal to decode.
How to enable 10.7MHz IF output in all modes Level of difficulty: Intermediate (soldering required) Only apply the following hardware modification if you have some experience in soldering on a PCB. Proceed at your own risk! AOR should not be held responsible for any receiver damage. If you don’t feel confident, it is strongly advised to get help from a qualified technician. By factory default, the WFM heterodyne is used to generate a 10.7MHz IF output.
How to change the IF output from 10.7MHz to 45.05MHz Level of difficulty: Easy (no soldering required) Only apply the following hardware modification if you have some experience in opening a receiver and manipulating a coaxial cable. Proceed at your own risk! AOR should not be held responsible for any receiver damage. If you don’t feel confident, it is strongly advised to get help from a qualified technician. By factory default, IF output is set at 10.7MHz but functions in WFM mode only.
6. Connect ARD300 to AR5000/5000A/5000A+3 Use the supplied IF, (open-end) DC and audio cables. First, the receiver’s IF filter needs to set properly: • • • • Press the FUNC key followed by the kHz key. Press the UP key twice. Rotate the sub dial to select EXT-IF 1. Validate with the ENT key. Each unit needs its own power source; therefore you will need to supply the power source for ARD300. If you happen to own the AR8600MK2 receiver, you can use its AC adapter AA8600.
7. Connect ARD300 to AR2300 Use the supplied IF, DC and audio cables. The power supply used is the AR2300 AC adapter, which will power both units simultaneously. • Connect one end of the supplied IF cable to the IF OUT socket of the receiver, and the other end to the IF IN socket of ARD300. • Connect one end of the supplied DC cable to the DC 12V socket of the receiver. And the other end to the DC 12V OUT socket of ARD300.
8. Connect ARD300 to AR5001D/6000 Use the supplied IF, DC and audio cables. The power supply used is the AR5001D/6000 AC adapter, which will power both units simultaneously. • Connect one end of the supplied IF cable to the IF OUT socket of the receiver, and the other end to the IF IN socket of ARD300. • Connect one end of the supplied DC cable to the DC 12V socket of the receiver. And the other end to the DC 12V OUT socket of ARD300.
9. Connect to non-AOR receivers Compatibility with receivers of other brands ARD300 supports any receiver featuring a 10.7MHz or 45.05MHz I.F output, under following conditions: -Minimum 10dB gain between receiver’s antenna input and IF output. -Receiver step size should be set at 6.25kHz to avoid frequency mismatch. -Tuned frequency should not be more distant than 1kHz from received signal, for error free decoding. Not all 3rd party receivers have been tested.
10. Receiver menu setup of ARD300 １）The radio receiver is switched OFF. ２）Switch ARD300 ON. The switch is located on the rear panel. The firmware version will be displayed. ARD300 Ver . 309F The start-up procedure is complete when a white dot is flashing slowly at the lower right corner. . >AR5001D ３）Press the ESC key for 2 seconds to enter the receiver selection menu.
The LCD will display “NOW WRITING” while saving your settings. ５）The saving procedure is complete when a white dot is flashing slowly at the lower right corner. . >AR5001D Volume control Press the ▲ key to increase, or ▼ key to decrease the decoded digital sound volume. Volume adjustable from 0 to 9. This volume control operates only for the decoded digital transmission. Volume of analog signals is unaffected and should be adjusted on the receiver side.
11. Digital mode selection menu While in stand-by modeR Rpress the ENTER key to access the digital mode format selection menu. . >AR5001D MODE >AUTO (slowly flashing dot) Use the ▲ or ▼ key to scroll through the digital format list and validate your choice with the ENTER key. To leave this menu without making any changes, press the ESC key.
Presetting a particular mode can be interesting to shorten that detection time, providing that you know in advance what kind of digital format will be received. If you manually selected a specific digital format to be decoded, its name will be displayed, as follows (example for Digital CR mode): D–CR .
12. Decoding D-STAR To find active D-STAR frequencies in your area, you may want to check the very informative and worldwide D-Star Repeater Directory site at http://dstarusers.org/repeaters.php. When scanning the listed repeater frequencies, we definitively advise that you manually select “D-STAR” in the mode selection menu of ARD300. When a D-STAR signal is being decoded, ARD300 does display the call-sign name and other user information as follows.
1r (Repeater 1 call sign with the first six characters) All eight characters displayed on following screen. 2r (Repeater 2 call sign with the first six characters) All eight characters displayed on following screen. 1r ( GHIJKL ) 2r ( JKLMNO ) Repeater 1 call sign, eight characters ( GHIJKLMN ) Repeater 2, eight characters ( JKLMNOPQ ) Going back to Fr display and looping the same information until the next transmission.
13. Encryption code setting (D-CR & NXDN only) These standards exist in both unencrypted and encrypted modes, although there are only 32767 different encryption codes, from 00001 to 32767. If you know the encryption code, it is possible to set this code into ARD300 to allow decoding of the encrypted Digital CR and NXDN signals (limited to the 15-bit digital scrambling type). Note: In case of a non-encrypted transmission, ARD300 will simply decode it, no matter what code you have set.
⑤ Validate your choice with ENTER. The star has now become an arrow again. To change the other digits, repeat steps ② to ⑤. When you have finished entering the entire code, press ESC.
14. Firmware update Please inquire the official AOR distributor in your area about possible firmware updates. The distributor contact details are available at http://aorja.com/aboutus/dealers.php 15. Device RESET If you need to reset the device to its default settings, proceed as follows: Power ON the device while pressing and holding the ENTER and ESC keys for about 5 seconds, until the firmware version is displayed.
16. Specifications Item name: ARD300 Multi-Digital Voice Decoder Supported modes／modulations／vocoders D-STAR／GMSK／AMBE ALINCO／GMSK／AMBE (*1) YAESU／C4FM／AMBE+2 (*2) DIGITAL CR／C4FM／AMBE+2 (*3) NXDN／C4FM／AMBE+2 (*4) dPMR／C4FM／AMBE+2 (*5) P25 (Phase1)／C4FM／IMBE (*6) DMR／4FSK／AMBE+2 (*7) Signal input 10.7MHz or 45.05MHz @50Ω Power requ. 10.7〜16V DC Power cons. Audio output At 12V DC, 300mA in stand-by. Max. 450mA. Internal speaker: 0.2W @12V DC. External speaker:1W 10% THD (8Ω)@12V DC. Operat. temp.
® AOR Ltd. 2-6-4 Misuji, Taito-ku, 111-0055 Tokyo, Japan www.aorja.com Authority On Radio Communications AOR is a member of the dPMR (Digital Private Mobile Radio) Association. ©AOR, LTD. All rights reserved. Sept.
