[Johnson] Ranger died - reviving

[Pat Thompson]

Bill:

Sorry to hear your bad luck.  There's still straight key night ;-).

I'm interested in your replacement for the drive pot.  I'm assuming 
you're going to use a small wattage pot to control what amounts to 
variable DC power supply for the drive control.

Have you or someone else written this up where I can see the circuit?  
My drive control for the Ranger still works but it's otherwise ubobtanium.

Pat
wa4tuk

On 12/30/2012 8:33 AM, Bill Cromwell wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I got my Ranger ready to run in the Stew Perry. Some contact cleaner got
> the ancient drive control working again, transmitter all tuned up and
> waiting for the Stew. Don't touch the drive control. So the Stew started
> and I started with it. The ancient drive control pot finally opened. For
> me the Stew ended right at the starting gun. I have some high voltage
> transistors coming (already have the other needed parts) and I'll be
> installing that for the screen voltage control of the driver tube.
>
> I took the DX-100 out of the cabinet hoping maybe I could doctor it well
> enough get into the Stew. It hasn't been powered up in many years and is
> in the queue for overhaul. There is just no way. Caps too rotten. You
> might know the drive control in the DX-100 also feels a little
> "crunchy". I did order more than one transistor (evil grin). Those
> transistors can withstand the full, solid stated B+ on the Ranger (750
> volt rating) so the "wimpy" low voltage will be safe in both
> transmitters.
>
> I have a new audio filter that does a very nice job with my receivers
> that I got finished just in time for the Stew. I got to listen in the
> crowded 160 meter band and it does a very nice job helping to sort out
> the signals. That thing completely eliminates *ALL* of the noise.
> Doesn't completely remove all of the stations on the air that are
> outside the filter's passband but does drive them to very low levels. At
> the same time it seriously peaks up the "desired" signal. So I still
> have an "audio panadapter". I'm liking that!  At least one thing turned
> out right for me (grin).
>
> 73,
>
> Bill  KU8H
>
>