[Johnson] Wanna buy a Valiant, cheap?

[Kim Herron]

Hi John,
>  Finished re-capping with all-new expensive parts - now there's no grid 
> drive whatsoever - none of the tuning procedures work - won't align...
>    Are these things this much frustration and bother to you others who 
> have rebuilt them and are using them?? Because, appearances 
> notwithstanding, this is really *not* my first attempt at repairing a 
> piece of radio gear in the last, oh, 40 years...  first my little Ranger 
> doinks me, now this expensive Valiant is 'dying on the table' faster than 
> I can keep it breathing...

         This is where the scope and freq counter come in, along with the 
DVM.  I've found, more than once, wiring errors are the root
cause of this type of thing.  Check the VFO for operation, and then once 
you verify that it's working, you can trace the signal through each
succeeding stage until you get to the finals.  Do the same with the audio 
side, again verify that the mic amp is working and then you
can trace each succeeding stage until you get to the modulator.  Check both 
of the power supplies for proper voltage first.  Remember that
these transmitters were, for the most part, kits and can have wiring errors 
in them that are present from improper assembly.  I recently bought
a Ranger that had NEVER transmitted at all because of an error in the 
assembly of the function switch.  The thing was basically brand new.
Whoever assembled it, grounded the wrong wire and so several stages didn't 
work.
         It's easy to make mistakes rebuilding these things as well, so you 
might have gotten yourself.  Been there, done that, gotten the T-shirt
and the frustration as well.


Thanks!!

Kim Herron  W8ZV
1-616-677-3706
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