I am having issues with a recently acquired OpenSpot2.

I have the following environment at my condo:

- OpenSpot v1 – paired with a TP-Link ethernet/wifi converter
- OpenSpot v2 – recent acquisition
- Ruggedspot clone
- AT-D868 VHF/UHF transceiver (AnyTone)
- CS-700 UHF transceiver (Connect Systems)
- 50/10 Mbps download/upload VDSL
- Apple Airport Express

OpenSpot v1 unit works flawlessly and it is based on that experience, that I decided to acquire the OpenSpot v2 for my travels.

The problem in a nutshell – the transmitted audio (received by remote user) during a long exchange (~3-5 minutes) becomes increasingly choppy and unintelligible. The BER displayed by the Status page remains below ~1%. Received audio is clean.

Details about the triage and problem discovery efforts - I can easily configure the OpenSpot v2 to integrate with my wireless network. TG 9999 plays back clean audio. Parrot audio (TG 9990) is sometimes clean and sometimes choppy. I have noticed that the “network” signal received by the OpenSpot2 is more orange and red. Regardless of how close the OpenSpot2 is to the AP, it has no appreciable gain or benefit.

I have completed a number of AutoCal attempts and I have the same result – All testing has been done with the AnyTone unit. When I have a battery for my CS700, I will run the same tests that I completed with the AnyTone.

I have done a factory reset and re-inserted the parameters. After a few minutes of use, the choppy audio returns.

Another suggestion was to reduce the tx power. This was done and the same result is yielded.

For every test that I completed with the OpenSpot v2, I would follow it up with the same test on the OpenSpot v1. V1 gave great audio results, but V2 would after a period would progress to choppy audio.

My suspicions:
- The OpenSpot2 hardware is overheating and it is impacting frequency stability of the unit.
- I believe the OpenSpot2 does not have the auto frequency control found in the OpenSpot1

The OpenSpot2 is not useable in it’s current configuration, what ideas or suggestions do you have so that I can use it with my handhelds?

73, Keith, VA3YC