[Johnson] Need Viking Ranger EXPERT

Tue Mar 21 17:28:15 EDT 2023

 My Ranger has the keyer on a sub chassis left of the VFO.
Leads are connected to the 6AL5, NO THING has been disturbed on the 12AU7 socket. As suggested the perf board containing 4 silicin siodes are connected to the 6AL5 and the loosr wires from the perf board on the diode out side have not yet been connected NYWHERE. iT APPEARS THE PRIOR OWNER WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A MOD USING THE SILICON DIODES.
 I am told his health was failing and he wasn't able to complete the mod  .It looks like something simple to reconnect however since I entered the picture in the middle of the action, I am somewhat lost.
Thanks and 73, John, K5PGW    On Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 03:29:40 PM CDT, Bill Cromwell <wrcromwell at gmail.com> wrote:  

 Oops...
I have already deleted those messages. I will look in the electronic trash bin and forward them if I can recover them

Bark less - wag more

On Mar 21, 2023, at 9:04 AM, John King <k5pgw at yahoo.com> wrote:

 The only response I received was yours, Bill. Would you please forward to me all the responses to my query that you have. Thanks and 73, 

  jOHN          k5pgw

    On Monday, March 20, 2023 at 11:05:32 AM CDT, John King <k5pgw at yahoo.com> wrote:  

  Thanks for the wonderful responses regarding my Ranger. It appears generally nice.  It appears to have been ORIGINALLY owned by a silent key in Moore, Oklahoma because when I removed from its cabinet, I found his QSL inside the cabinet. Being a nostalgic 85 year old HAM of 65 years, I was thrilled to find the QSL inside.
I acquired the Ranger from an Amateur in the State of Mississippi who was ill and whom I never met or communicated with. I was advised that Mississipi Ham had been working on the Ranger but was unable to complete the fix due to his health. When I received the Ranger and removed from its cabinet I discovered that the keyer board was loose from its mounting and hanging by its leads. As I looked at it all I experienced was questions. 
It appears that the prior owner was in the process of making some type of mod on the keyer. One tube socket has 12AU7 written on the chassis and the other socket has 6AL5 written in pencil by it. There is a  3/4 X 3/4 inch piece of perf board with 4 silicon diodes mounted on it with very neat leads hanging from the perf board. There are only 2 of the 3 o4 four leads connected and they are to the 6AL5 socket. There are NO other disturbances of the circuitry on the keyer board.
It appears that the previous owner was making a modification to the keyer circuitry. The Ranger is in very good physical shape and I plan to keep it. I have manuals for most Rangers before the Ranger 11.
Sounds like he was making a modification and may be simple for those younger than me.
Thank you so much for your assistance. Now I must return to planting K5MOL's new Azeleas and Lillys. I plant better than I fix radios !!!!!!
73, John, K5PGW    On Monday, March 20, 2023 at 09:08:58 AM CDT, Bill Cromwell <wrcromwell at gmail.com> wrote:  

 Hi John,

The original Ranger had a simpler keying circuit that Johnson upgraded long before the Ranger 2. They also sold a kit to upgrade the earlier keying circuit. Does yours have the original circuit or the upgraded circuit? The upgrade has a small sub chassis on the left side of the VFO box - looking at it from the front. You will be able to see part of the upgrade though the vent holes on top. It has a couple of tubes on that sub chassis.

Johnson also sold the Ranger as a kit or factory assembled. The factory built rigs have the parts riveted onto the chassis and the kits have screws and nuts. You will have to remove the transmitter from the cabinet to see this difference. Rivets can make repairs more difficult. Some problems occur with age through oxidation between the chassis and parts fastened to it. With the screws and nuts you can loosen and retighten the screws to "cure" a lot of problems magically. Not so simple with the rivets.

There also a voltage regulator dropping resistor inside the VFO box that runs very hot and is known failure point. Hams have replaced it with higher wattage resistor and relocated it out side the VFO box to remove the heat source. Others just replace it in situ.

Do you have the manual?

Mine has the keyer upgrade and was sold as a kit (screws and nuts). I was lucky to have acquired mine from the original owner/builder who was radio engineer and maritime radio officer.

73,

Bill  KU8H

Bark less - wag more

> On Mar 19, 2023, at 11:43 PM, John King via Johnson <johnson at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
> 
> I have a nice Johnson Viking Ranger of 1960 vintage that precedes the Ranger II. It has a problem in the keying circuit that existed prior to my acquisition  of the Ranger. Since the problem existed while the former owner owned it, I don't know the problem with the keying Circuit.
> I need someone who can direct me in repairing the keying circuit in the Ranger. At the age of 85, I am not much on trouble shooting a circuit that I know very little about. It would be appreciatedif a knowledgeable person could walk me through learning what the problem with the keying circuit actually is.
> If someone can assist me with troubleshooting the keyerCircuit I will greatly appreciate the help and be forever grateful.
> Please email me.Thanks and 73., JOHN KING K5PGW
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