[Johnson] Ranger Chirp

[Adrian Ellison]

Hello Harry,

Do you get this problem on all bands?  My Ranger always sounded pretty
funky on 40M but it was fine on 20, 15 etc.  What I did was adjust the
VFO coupling so that it uses the 160M tank on 40, clean as a whistle
then and there is still plenty of drive.

I didn't win any points by doing that, my CW buddies preferred it the
way it sounded before :-)

Anyway, just a thought ..

73 de Adrian
ZS1TTZ

Harry Vaught, KT4AE wrote:
> I decided to try to get rid of the CW chirp in my Ranger VFO.  It
> doesn't chirp using a crystal.
>
> I searched the archives and found a number of suggestions some of
> which I implemented:
>
> - adjusted the keyer.  Incidentally, I've always thought the
> adjustment didn't work, but it turns out that it was wired backwards
> so turning it all the way CCW didn't key the VFO.  I'd never tried all
> the way CW before.  Duh.  Hey, it worked on AM.
>
> - in the VFO, I replaced the 6AU6 with a 6AU6WA and replaced the 0A2
>         (twice).  You should hear the chirp with the top of the VFO
> off.  I cleaned the bandswitch, which cured a long-standing problem
> with low drive on 80M.  Checked R3.  It was 19.4K which is  within
> 10%.  I had replaced it with a pair of 38K 4watt units when I got the
> Ranger.
>
> I've seen it suggested elsewhere that a chirp is often a power supply
> problem.  I don't have a spare 6AX5 so I couldn't try that.  I hope to
> find one at the upcoming Ten-Tec Hamfest.
>
> Any suggestions?  It works fine on AM so before I'll open the VFO
> again any time soon, it can chirp with the fishes.
>
> Harry, KT4AE
> Maryville, Tennessee
>
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