[MRCG] GRC-9 repair

[Craig VonIlten]

All,
I am going through a GRC-9 for a relatively new ham with his General ticket (Bryce Dilger, KK6PTR).  He is getting hooked on old military gear (N6CC site is like heroin).  I'd like some repair pointers from some of you who know this radio better than I do.  I know they're tough...so there may be a common failure mode.  I have checked all of the tubes with an I-177...and they are all good.  Here are the symptoms when powered by a DY-88:

Receiver
It produces some very mild hiss and pop when switching bands and adjusting RF and AF knobs, but it isn't passing RF.  The output volume (hiss) into an LS-7 is VERY week with RF and AF cranked all the way up.

Transmitter
Keying up the transmitter in AM phone, lights up the antenna load (resonance) indicator, but it isn't really loading the antenna...I didn't have a scanner...but went up and down the dial on another radio near the intended xmit frequency and did not pick up any signal.  If operating normally, you can hear the radio load up the DY-88 when the antenna is resonant and you key the transmitter.  In this case, the DY-88 is not getting loaded down and the antenna resonant indicator is illuminated regardless of the antenna tuning knob position (yes...the knob is connected and moving the inductive matching coil/core).

Any ideas?  Specific capacitors to check first on the hit list?

Also...if any of you would be willing to take a look at this radio and identify the work needed, Bryce would be willing to pay you for your time.

Thanks!

Craig
N6CAV