[R-390] Help getting unstuck! - Call for Mr. ATC

Sun Apr 3 12:07:20 EDT 2005

Barry,

Thanks for the effort and tip. I need to add the website to my favorites.
The calibrator hopefully with a good 17MHz crystal might be necessary. The
Motorola is dead below 8MHz.

Again Tnx,
         Craig

-----Original Message-----
From: Barry Hauser [mailto:barry at hausernet.com]
Sent: Sunday, April 03, 2005 4:55 AM
To: Cecil Acuff; Bob Camp; Craig C. Heaton
Cc: R-390A
Subject: Re: [R-390] Help getting unstuck! - Call for Mr. ATC

Hi gang ...

Unfortunately -- no IF coils/transformers.  Those were harvested and sold
off a long time ago, well, before I got involved.  The IF decks have all
four filters, but no IF cans.  Most of what's there is still on the ATC site
(http://www.atc-us.com).  Click on the cascading drop-down menus to look
around.

I'd suggest contacting Phil at Fair Radio.  They often sell individual parts
which they pull off parts modules as needed and which are not necessarily
listed in the catalog or website.  Further suggest waiting until you have a
replacement in hand before getting any more aggressive with that stuck core.
As someone pointed out (maybe Bob), it's broad-tuned and may well be fine
set the way it's stuck.

Barry

> Barry Hauser has all his stuff....He'd be the man to talk to....I'm sure
> he is copying this...
>
> Cecil...
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bob Camp" <ham at cq.nu>
> To: "Craig C. Heaton" <wd8kdg at worldnet.att.net>
> Cc: "R-390A" <r-390 at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Saturday, April 02, 2005 6:33 PM
> Subject: Re: [R-390] Help getting unstuck! - Call for Mr. ATC
>
>
>> Hi
>>
>> I think the king of the American Trans Coil parts pile is still lurking
>> around here. If so he may have some IF strips for sale. I'm not sure if
>> they have the IF coils on them or not though. Other than that Fair radio
>> may be a good bet for an IF strip.
>>
>> Hope you can find a coil!
>>
>> Take Care
>>
>> Bob Camp
>> KB8TQ
>>
>>
>> On Apr 2, 2005, at 4:54 PM, Craig C. Heaton wrote:
>>
>>> Hello to All,
>>>
>>> The worst of the caps were the Brown Beauties! Using a Sprague TO-6A,
>>> couldn't get any of these to provide a reading as to value. As far as
>>> insulation resistance, most were close to nil. Some of these had
>>> something
>>> that looked like dried brown snot on them. Good stuff to auction as Rare
>>> vintage Collins equipment on that E place.
>>>
>>> The Vitamin Qs were for the most part fine business, good values and IR.
>>> Since I had them out for inspection, it was easy to replace these while
>>> the
>>> iron was still hot.
>>>
>>> C603, all three 30uF sections read about 60uF and somewhat leaky. C606,
>>> both
>>> 47uF sections read about 75uF and leaky. Not bad for 1956 vintage, they
>>> served their country well. C103, a Pyramid from 1957 was a dead short.
>>> Stuffed that can with a new 50uF 50Vdc electrolitic cap. Last, C551 that
>>> oil
>>> bath 2uF can, it read 2.25uF and no IR. I cut that bad boy open with a
>>> dremel tool and put a NTE-MLR205K630 (Mylar 2uF) inside. Never tested an
>>> oil
>>> paper cap before, maybe didn't need to replace C551, but didn't like the
>>> zero insulation resistance.
>>>
>>> Was this Motorola a Saint Julians Creek special? I don't know, its a
>>> Order
>>> NO 14-PM-56-A1-51, if that adds to the conversation. All the sub-chassis
>>> have the same Order NO and are Motorola.
>>>
>>> I've been trying a little WD-40 applied with a tooth-pick and a hair
>>> drier
>>> to free the slug. Gots lots of time to free that pesky critter up. Could
>>> leave it alone and do the best I can with the others. But I do like the
>>> idea
>>> of a root canal. Need some spare parts before surgery!! Either a good
>>> T501
>>> or a slug will do the trick.
>>>
>>> Tnx,
>>>    Craig
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Cecil Acuff [mailto:chacuff at cableone.net]
>>> Sent: Friday, April 01, 2005 2:38 PM
>>> To: Craig C. Heaton; R-390A
>>> Subject: Re: [R-390] Help getting unstuck!
>>>
>>>
>>> Craig I don't have any magic answers on the stuck slug but I am curious
>>> about the caps.  Black Beauties?  Brown Beauties?  Split, leaky or out
>>> of
>>> spec in some way?  Was it a Saint Julians Creek special?
>>>
>>> Others experiences are important info in this area.
>>>
>>> Common wisdom ranges from "Leave em alone it's not necessary" to "Change
>>> em
>>> all their evil"....and even "Only change em if they came from the SJC".
>>> (not so common a wisdom I guess)
>>>
>>> You might try removing the can cover on the stuck slug and gently
>>> heating
>>> the form with a blow dryer or the slug with the tip of a soldering iron
>>> then
>>> trying to break it loose.  In another product with the same problem I
>>> have
>>> actually drilled out the center of the slug progressively....like a root
>>> canal and eventually reduced it to pieces to fully remove it and
>>> replaced it
>>> with a similar slug....I wouldn't think it would be too critical.
>>>
>>> My couple pennies worth.
>>>
>>> Cecil...
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Craig C. Heaton" <wd8kdg at worldnet.att.net>
>>> To: "R-390A" <r-390 at mailman.qth.net>
>>> Sent: Friday, April 01, 2005 12:35 PM
>>> Subject: [R-390] Help getting unstuck!
>>>
>>>
>>>> Good Morning to All,
>>>>
>>>> Just finished putting a Motorola R-390A back together. Had to replace
>>>> many
>>>> evil out-of-spec and leaky capacitors. The good news is no magic smoke
>>>> escaped while plugging the receiver into a source of electrons. Thought
>>>> it
>>>> might be a good idea to realign the receiver, it was receiving slightly
>>>> before my attempts at restoration.
>>>>
>>>> Now the sticky question. Can't seem to get the top slug in T501 to
>>>> move.
>>>> All
>>>> of the other slugs will move. This transformer has a cover with a hole
>>>> punched in the top center. Looks like a little rust between the slug
>>>> and
>>>> coil form. I doubt I'm to first to tackle this sort of challenge.
>>>> Anyone
>>>> been here before? What sort of fixes for a stuck tuning slug? Of
>>>> course,
>>>> if
>>>> it never moves again or I break it, does anyone have a spare?
>>>>
>>>> Seem to remember hearing in the Navy, "If its tight, its right". This
>>>> one
>>>> is
>>>> real tight, need to make it wrong.
>>>>
>>>> Tnx,
>>>>    Craig
>>>>
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>>>
>>>
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