[ARC5] Transmitter Antenna Terminal Replacement

[WA5CAB--- via ARC5]

Wayne,

All antenna push-post type terminals used in the Command Sets (and in most 
other sets of the period) have a brass stud sticking out of the push post.  
The end is turned down to form a solder post.  The panel is sandwiched 
between the two nesting insulators and the thing is held together by a nut and 
flat washer and sometimes a lock washer.  If the nut is sealed with red glypt, 
there usually isn't a lock washer.  In addition, there are three flat 
washer made of either fiber or more commonly on the Command Sets, mica (I think - 
today they would probably be some plastic).  On separates the inner 
insulator from the brass flat washer.  The other two separate the insulators from 
the aluminum panel.  De-solder the antenna wire from the stud and try to get 
all of the solder off of the threads.  Once in a while I have had to run a 
die nut onto the stud.  It depends upon how sloppy the original installer was 
with the solder.

One thing that I started to comment on earlier is that when straightening a 
part, you must bend the part slightly past the straight point because of 
spring-back.  To straighten the front panel around the hole, I would suggest 
something like a piece of 1" square aluminum bar.  Put it in a 4-jaw chuck on 
a lathe and use the compound to cut a very shallow male cone on the end.  
Take a very short piece and cut a matching female cone on one end.  I don't 
know what angle to tell you to use but would guess something around 1 to 3 
degrees.  Anyway, sandwich the panel between the two cones and squeeze.  If 
you overshoot, reduce the angle, reverse the cones, and press it back the 
other way.  This may be a five hands job.  :-)  Oh, and press it flat first and 
then use the cones to get rid of the residual bend.

Robert Downs - Houston
wa5cab dot com (Web Store)
MVPA 9480

In a message dated 06/05/2015 09:10:28 AM Central Daylight Time, 
releazer at earthlink.net writes: 
> Speaking of straightening dents and warped panels, ya'll may recall that 
> I got a nice deal on a SCR-274-N transmitter with rack but that the Post 
> Office walloped pretty hard.  I'll have to bend the front panel forward into 
> place and the top cover has an interesting S curve in it that will take 
> some figuring to correct - I think I'll use a hunk of 4X4 plus some other 
> lumber as a forming block. 
> 
> I will have to replace entirely the antenna terminal.  It got punched 
> right through the front face and the ceramic parts have disintegrated. I have a 
> gutted transmitter I can use as a donor, but how do you get the antenna 
> terminal off without using tin snips and destroying the front face?  And how 
> do you get new one back on the set to be repaired?  I can make a 
> reinforcement plate if the hole is too big and rivet it into place using real 
> aircraft rivets and add a note that says "certified as original by Mike Hanz" but 
> how does it fit on there?  
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Wayne