??????????? It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. I had been off the air for 35 years. I purchased the complete station of a silent key that included a TR7 (serial #3900). I worked 49 states and 39 countries with that radio as I slowly acquired the rest of the equipment which today makes up my Drake 7-line station.
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??????????? Then, the display went haywire. Thinking this would be a good time to get the rig ¡°spec¡¯d up¡±, I sent it to a recognized Drake ¡°guru¡±, who worked on it and pronounced it ¡°good¡±. Sadly, it was not and after two more attempts, one of which involved driving to his residence with all of my gear, I gave up.
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??????????? Fortunately, I came across The Radiosmith online and sent ¡°3900¡± to him. Here¡¯s what he did to the radio previously proclaimed to be ¡°up to spec¡±:
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Work Performed (TR7 Serial #3900)
Reworked completely mis-wired ALC LED circuit
Repaired 26V and -5V power supply sections
Repaired 5645 KHz oscillator on PBT board
Attempted to repair damaged PA block, but still had low output on 10m
Display spontaneously began erratic operation
**Note**
Customer elected to not pursue further repairs and sent us another TR7
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??????????? ¡°7359¡± proved to be a gem; easily brought up to spec and now enjoying pride of place in my shack.
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??????????? Perhaps you have room in your heart for ¡°3900¡±. Consider it a rescue. At $450 plus $100 for shipping via FedEx (I¡¯ll refund any difference immediately), it¡¯s makes for an attractive project.
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??????????? Need a power supply to go with it? PS7 #5028 is available for an additional $175 plus shipping and PS75 #706 is available for $125 plus shipping. Both come with a handy stand that promotes generous air circulation.
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??????????? Photos of ¡°3900¡± are attached. Photos of the PS7 and PS75 will be sent shortly. Please contact me privately with any questions or requests for more photos or information.
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Best 73,
Joe
K4JNG
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Joseph K4JNG
