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Re: Drake repair service
On Sat, Jan 18, 2025 at 07:18 PM, amfone wrote:
Its all over the last 3 years on e-ham? repair reviews.? ?Dunno what has happened, but it has gone from really, really? good...to really bad.? ?Even w7ry posted a bad review.? ?
?Scott just got L4B's that were beyond a dog's breakfast.? ?The customer had previously sent? the amp to ron....who totally gutted the HV supply....and made a mess of the RF deck.? Said it was not repairable...and wanted to keep it for parts...which would pay for the shipping and initial diagnostic + attempted repair.? ?Customer said send it back.? Then it was sent to scott, who did a total rebuild job on the hv supply....and repaired the RF deck...... now it runs like a top.? ?The customer also got his money back from Ron.? ?That amp is on scotts? u tube site. Dunno if ron's health is failing or something else is amiss.? All the items he deemed...'non repairable'? ?were all repairable.? ?I wish ron all the best.? |
Re: More Literary Drake Fun
The demons have been released from Pandora's box, I see. ? On Sat, Jan 18, 2025 at 4:36?PM Tony Sokol via <tony.sokol=[email protected]> wrote: OMG!? This will become a literary classic for sure. --
Frank Barnes
W4NPN
Chapel Hill, NC
Grid Square FM05
Cell 919.260.7955 |
Re: TR-4C tuning issue
A pity my video clip didn't work here because it would have been a perfect illustration of the problem.
During tuning up there is a hum in the speaker, but only on 40, 15 and 10 meters, i.e. only on the bands where the band oscillator is used. When increasing XMTR GAIN in X-CW there is midway a strange BLOP sound, which disappears when XMTR GAIN is increased even more, but the hum is still behind.
I did alignment of crystal oscillator injection and injection coupler alignment, replaced V1 and V3, checked groundings and voltages. Everything seemed fine. I pulled out the driver tube (V6) and measured drive on pin 2 with a scope and a 1:10 probe. Nothing unsual happened on any band when XMTR GAIN was turned slowly CW.
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Peter OZ8CTH |
Re: Drake repair service
Right Gary for sure you would get over loaded. In the past I purchased some Parts from you but glad to know that if I get stuck I have back up. Tim
On Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 04:52:08 PM EST, Gary Follett via groups.io <xntrick1948@...> wrote:
I do not have a web page. I like doing work on radios (keeps me sharp) but I don¡¯t want a deluge. I think a webpage would bring about such a deluge because there are so few folks still working on this stuff. Gary W0DVN
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Re: Drake repair service
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýI do not have a web page. I like doing work on radios (keeps me sharp) but I don¡¯t want a deluge. I think a webpage would bring about such a deluge because there are so few folks still working on this stuff.Gary W0DVN
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Re: More Literary Drake Fun
OMG! This will become a literary classic for sure.
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Tony - W9JXN On Jan 18, 2025, at 3:16?PM, jerry-KF6VB via groups.io <jerry@...> wrote: |
Re: PS-7 Troubleshooting Tips
Possibly dirty pots (I know it sounds strange but caused my PS-7 to fault) or something in the sensing circuitry for the crowbar.
On Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 03:52:43 PM EST, bill KE7KK via groups.io <wkipping@...> wrote:
Hi Drakey's I purchased an estate sale PS-7 that has no 13.8 v output. Both fuses are good, 120v on both fan plugs, no obvious burt components, transformer "thud" felt? when powered on by the TR-7 . Any hints on were to start or common failures ? Tnx Bill KE7KK?? |
Re: Drake repair service
Thanks Gary for the info on Drake repair, do you have a webpage? Tim
On Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 04:24:11 PM EST, Bill Blodgett. AI5RP via groups.io <whb5k@...> wrote:
Gary, it was about Ron Baker. 73, Bill AI5RP ++++++++++++++++ Bill Blodgett Arlington, Texas On Jan 18, 2025, at 12:01?PM, Gary Follett via groups.io <xntrick1948@...> wrote:
Jim! I hope you are not talking about ME! I have NEVER told anyone an item was not repairable and then offered to take it from them for next-to-nothing. In the case of SOME Ten Tec Orions and Omni¡¯s with bad CPU¡¯s I have bought radios for parts, but only because the CPU parts are not available for them. As of today, there are no unobtanium parts for Drake radios other than ones for which I do have spares. Gary W0DVN
I can surely fix your 2NT. Estimate is $100 plus any shipping. Gary W0DVN
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Re: Drake repair service
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On Jan 18, 2025, at 12:01?PM, Gary Follett via groups.io <xntrick1948@...> wrote:
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Re: PS-7 Troubleshooting Tips
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýI don¡¯t think I have ever seen. PS-7 with zero output¡ The most likely candidate for failure in this supply is the 723 regulator. These have not been made for many years but are plentiful on eBay. Gary W0DVN
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More Literary Drake Fun
Write about fixing a Drake TR4 in the style of a Raymond Chandler detective novel:
--------------- snip -------------------- It was one of those nights when the air¡¯s so thick you could slice it with a knife, and I was nursing a glass of bourbon that¡¯d gone flat with the sorrow of too many repairs. The city hummed outside like a broken circuit, but I wasn¡¯t listening. I was looking at the old Drake TR4 sitting on the bench in front of me¡ªits knobs shiny but its heart hollow. She had problems, all right, and I wasn¡¯t sure if I had the patience for her lies. The TR4 had a voice once, a smooth, steady hum, sending out signals like a well-dressed man at a party. But now it was sputtering, skipping like a broken record. It was the kind of problem only a desperate man would tackle¡ªtangled wires, faulty resistors, a power supply that couldn¡¯t keep up with its promises. She was a dame who had seen too many miles and wanted too many fixes, but she was mine for the night. I reached for the schematic¡ªthose crumpled blueprints always looked like something out of a pulp novel, scribbled on paper that was more coffee stains than diagram. I needed to find the problem, and fast. The Drake had a nasty habit of throwing a tantrum when it wasn¡¯t happy. And lately, she¡¯d been spitting out signals like a jealous lover, overdriving the AGC and messing with the detector like it was a dirty secret. I knew this rig better than I knew my own skin. I¡¯d taken the back off her before, stared into her guts, felt the burn of her circuits as they shorted out. But tonight? Tonight was different. I could feel it in my bones. Something was off¡ªsomething deep inside her. The audio was off, too. No low-end warmth, just a harsh, clipped sound that gnawed at your nerves like a cat on a tin roof. I rolled up my sleeves and dove in. The first thing that caught my eye was R19, the resistor on the AGC/Detector board. She was supposed to be regulating the signal, keeping everything in check. But her resistance was out of whack, and that was making the whole rig run hot. The signals came in too strong, pushing Q6, the poor transistor, to its breaking point. I¡¯ve seen radios burn out from less. This was no different. I cracked open my toolbox and pulled out the right resistor¡ªone with a little more resistance, a bit more subtlety. Nothing too flashy, just the kind of part that would keep Q6 from popping its top. I unsoldered the old R19, careful not to disturb any other connections, like a gentleman lifting a dame¡¯s veil for the first time. The new one slid in smooth, just like it belonged. I put everything back together, not giving her a second thought. I powered her up. The lights blinked on, the tubes warmed up, and the receiver hummed. But it wasn¡¯t the same hum. It was richer, deeper, like she¡¯d found her voice again. The signals were steady now, no more distortion, no more hiss. She was singing like a soprano in a smoky bar, smooth and clear. The job was done. But fixing this radio wasn¡¯t just about resistors and wiring. It was about something deeper¡ªmaybe something even I didn¡¯t understand. She was alive again, and for tonight, that was enough. I could hear her whispering through the speakers, telling me everything was going to be all right. But I knew better. In this town, things were never all right. You could fix a radio, but you couldn¡¯t fix the world. Not for long, anyway. --------------- endsnip ----------------- - Jerry, KF6VB p.s. "R19" and "Q6" apparently crept in from an earlier question about my Signal/One... |
PS-7 Troubleshooting Tips
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýHi Drakey's I purchased an estate sale PS-7 that has no 13.8 v output. Both fuses are good, 120v on both fan plugs, no obvious burt components, transformer "thud" felt? when powered on by the TR-7 . Any hints on were to start or common failures ? Tnx Bill KE7KK?? |
Re: TR-4C Problems with 28.0 and 28.5 bands
Dave, I had a similar problem a number of years ago with a TR-4. The crystal oscillator will "free wheel" when the tuning is not exactly at the frequency of the crystal. The result was the same or similar to what you hear.? Try adjusting the proper coil (I don't remember which one) for the 10M band until the oscillator "locks" to the crystal. GL ES 73, Bob Loving K9JU Maryville, TN
On Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 03:24:19 PM EST, Dave KD5FX via groups.io <land.dave@...> wrote:
OK, more work done today! I did check and double check all the contacts on the band switch, especially those around the Xtal area. They are all good and tested good for continuity. There's a big contest going on today and I was able to hear some signals on the 28.5 band and the 28.0 band too! BUT they are very distorted, you can tell it's SSB but can't understand a thing (and yes, I tried both LSB and USB). Even the CAL signal is distorted. Not a pure tone, almost a buzz sound. All the other bands are working OK including the 29.1 band, I can hear the CAL signal fine there. Oh yeah,? I swapped another 6EA in there for V1, no change.?
Thanks for everyone's help so far, any other ideas??
73, Dave KD5FX
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Re: TR-4C Problems with 28.0 and 28.5 bands
OK, more work done today! I did check and double check all the contacts on the band switch, especially those around the Xtal area. They are all good and tested good for continuity. There's a big contest going on today and I was able to hear some signals on the 28.5 band and the 28.0 band too! BUT they are very distorted, you can tell it's SSB but can't understand a thing (and yes, I tried both LSB and USB). Even the CAL signal is distorted. Not a pure tone, almost a buzz sound. All the other bands are working OK including the 29.1 band, I can hear the CAL signal fine there. Oh yeah,? I swapped another 6EA in there for V1, no change.?
Thanks for everyone's help so far, any other ideas??
73, Dave KD5FX
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Re: Drake repair service
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Re: Drake repair service
Thanks Gary I fixed my L7 that had an issue but for future reference do you repair the L7 and L4B? I have an original Orion, I really think the problem from what I am experiencing and reading on The Internet the issue is the A9 board, but not sure of course. Thanks Gary Tim WB8UHZ
On Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 01:41:21 PM EST, Gary Follett via groups.io <xntrick1948@...> wrote:
I do repairs on Omni V., VI, Orion¡¯s and most Drake items. Gary WDVN
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Re: Drake repair service
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Re: Mn2000 broken insulator
I ordered from DigiKey. ?Ceramic 5/8 in threaded 8-32. ?About 5$ each. ? ? I expect mine were broken in shipping; as this tuner had been shipped several times. They toss boxes, don¡¯t they?? ? bTW. I noticed photos in later MN2000 thread that those front standoffs had been replaced with something using a through the tube bolt. I think the proper standoff is likely needed for the high voltages even if there is no continuity shown on the vom.? |
Re: Drake repair service
Jim Where did you read the negative reviews for Ron Baker? Tim
On Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 01:17:35 PM EST, amfone via groups.io <amfone20000@...> wrote:
Gary do you repair TT Orions? Do you repair Drake gear as well? Tim
On Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 01:01:25 PM EST, Gary Follett via groups.io <xntrick1948@...> wrote:
Jim! I hope you are not talking about ME! I have NEVER told anyone an item was not repairable and then offered to take it from them for next-to-nothing. In the case of SOME Ten Tec Orions and Omni¡¯s with bad CPU¡¯s I have bought radios for parts, but only because the CPU parts are not available for them. As of today, there are no unobtanium parts for Drake radios other than ones for which I do have spares. Gary W0DVN
I can surely fix your 2NT. Estimate is $100 plus any shipping. Gary W0DVN
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Re: Drake repair service
Gary do you repair TT Orions? Do you repair Drake gear as well? Tim
On Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 01:01:25 PM EST, Gary Follett via groups.io <xntrick1948@...> wrote:
Jim! I hope you are not talking about ME! I have NEVER told anyone an item was not repairable and then offered to take it from them for next-to-nothing. In the case of SOME Ten Tec Orions and Omni¡¯s with bad CPU¡¯s I have bought radios for parts, but only because the CPU parts are not available for them. As of today, there are no unobtanium parts for Drake radios other than ones for which I do have spares. Gary W0DVN
I can surely fix your 2NT. Estimate is $100 plus any shipping. Gary W0DVN
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