[Johnson] How many years should it take to rebuild a PTO?

[Glen Zook]

I am the one who has had the 3V-2 for over 3-years.  The transmitter had all sorts of problems including a bad PTO, all sorts of bad capacitors, changed value resistors, mechanical problems in the linkages, etc., as well as the shorted 5 volt windings in the power transformer.  He wanted to pay a flat amount for the repairs and I agreed with the consideration that doing so would require a long time since I would work on the transmitter as "fill in" work.

The transmitter had to be basically disassembled including removing the PTO, completely rebuilding it, and so on, as well as replacing all the other parts.  Putting the transmitter "back together" is like working a 1500 piece jigsaw puzzle.  The transmitter is going together slowly and when it is complete the transmitter will be working.  I don't know exactly how much time I have in the project, somewhere between 50 and 60 hours and there are still more hours to complete it.

I definitely should not have agreed to the terms of a flat rate.  However, as a favor I did agree and, eventually, the project will be completed.
 
Glen, K9STH

Website:  http://k9sth.com


________________________________
 From: Eddy Swynar <deswynar at xplornet.ca>
To: Ed <elh54 at sbcglobal.net> 
Cc: Johnson at mailman.qth.net 
Sent: Saturday, May 19, 2012 5:59 AM
Subject: Re: [Johnson] How many years should it take to rebuild a PTO?
 

On 2012-05-18, at 11:38 PM, Ed wrote:

> I paid a frequent poster to this reflector $350 back in November of 2007 to rebuild the PTO in my rig. I have seen him through one problem after another, from health to whatever. I have read his posts on this reflector as well as several others, day after day. His problems have not kept him from these posts nor his website/business from Richardson,TX. I know for a fact that he has completed work on many other rigs in the years since he has had mine. I have asked him just to return my rig in parts, so that I or someone else could repair it, as I wanted to operate it with the friend that gave it to me (n5drv/w5zkt) before he died, now this is impossible. I have even told him I don't want any money back, just let me have the rig to set on my table in rememberance of my friend John. Would you folks tell me what you would do if you were in my shoes?


Hi Ed,

As you may be aware from my previous posts on the *other* Drake Reflector, I've had MORE than my share of issues with the frequency stability of the PTO in my T-4X...!

I learned that, once you get over the "trauma" of dis-assembling that rascal (and it is NOT particularly easy freeing it from its "moorings"!), you get pretty good at it, & the task becomes less daunting.

Anyway, I replaced a tank capacitor, re-soldered cold joints, etc.---yet the "jumpiness" in my signal persisted...finally, I made a list of ALL of the resistors in the PTO, and replaced each & every one of them one afternoon...

That tactic finally seemed to have worked for me...

~73` de Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ

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