I Fixed It!

roadranger · #1 (**permalink**) 10-27-2009, 07:29 PM

I can't believe that I finally fixed it! I fixed my twelve year old Radio Shack TRC 485 SSB CB radio! (Cat 21-1577) I took off the case, originally to check for an easy mod for another radio, and noticed a bunch of corrosion on some of the boards. Its the same kind of corrosion on a car battery. I cleaned, and inspected as much as possible. Then, I continued to utilize some of the adjustments inside the radio. I think the AM pot is in backwards compared to the other radio. I figured that one out by mistake. I had my wife listen to the 485 while I went out to the pick-up to talk on the Cobra. I knew then that the 485 received. (She answered my questions through the window). After that's when I realized that I had turned the pot the wrong way, cause then I couldn't hear myself on another radio in my shack. I also adjusted the pots for both sides of SSB. Now it works. It scans fine, changes modes, Talks really well.

JayMojave · #2 (**permalink**) 10-30-2009, 10:01 AM

Hello Roadranger:

GOOD FOR YOU!!!!!!

Its always good to hear that someone got his radio, antenna or amplifier working.

I have a Tram D201A that took a while to get working. Buts its ah hummin now. I keep a towel over it and only use it once and a while.

Jay in the Mojave

BNSFrailfan · #3 (**permalink**) 11-01-2009, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayMojave

Hello Roadranger:
I keep a towel over it and only use it once and a while.

Jay in the Mojave

That's what I do. I keep a towel on my Radio all the time. Not just to protect it. But to limit the dust on it. And it won't hurt the Radio eather.

roadranger · #4 (**permalink**) 11-17-2009, 01:05 PM

I keep mine under the dash. After a few more tweeks, I find that the volume knob, when bumped, shorts to full volume. There must have been some moisture damage at some point. The squelch has a stopping point midway open. I can still crank it clockwise all the way. It works okay over-all.

kb2vxa · #5 (**permalink**) 11-17-2009, 08:21 PM

Uh oh, the golden screwdriver does it again. I have a nasty feeling that you not knowing what you're doing just may have messed things up including things you're not aware of. Just because it sounds good doesn't mean it IS good, spectral purity is of prime consideration. It must meet FCC certification specs if for no other reason than to avoid interference to other radio services and keep other users of the band happy.

First things first, give the squelch and volume pots on the panel a squirt of cleaner, work them through full range a few times to scrape out any crud and see if that fixes them. If not and in any case it's wise to have the rig checked by a competent technician familiar with CBs and adjusted if necessary. By "competent" I mean a trained tech using proper professional test equipment, not one of those Redneck truck stop tweak and peak jockeys... <groan>

It would be nice to have a classic radio back on the air operating properly and properly operated. I'm rather fond of them having once been a CBer myself back when real radios glowed in the dark and hummed a one note tune under the dashboard. Your radio doesn't bristle with tubes and have a vibrator B+ supply? Oh what a pity, here's one of my old rigs from the age of the dinosaurs... 5 whole channels too!

MeddleMan · #6 (**permalink**) 11-18-2009, 10:08 AM

What is it?

kb2vxa · #7 (**permalink**) 11-18-2009, 11:49 AM

Hallicrafters CB-3A

freqs · #8 (**permalink**) 11-18-2009, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kb2vxa

Hallicrafters CB-3A

I had a old citi-phone that kinda looked like that

kb2vxa · #9 (**permalink**) 11-19-2009, 05:54 PM

Verrrrry interesting, my base was a Multi Elmac Citifone CD-5A but I don't have a picture of it.

MeddleMan · #10 (**permalink**) Yesterday, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kb2vxa

Verrrrry interesting, my base was a Multi Elmac Citifone CD-5A but I don't have a picture of it.

I own an AF-68 TX, AM and CW. Gotit for a buck.

kb2vxa · #11 (**permalink**) Yesterday, 02:19 PM

Good show! Sometimes called the poor man's Ranger which was a bit more common I had one of those. Happiness is a big Johnson.

Eh, what happened to the "I fixed it" guy? (;->)

roadranger · #12 (**permalink**) Today, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kb2vxa

Good show! Sometimes called the poor man's Ranger which was a bit more common I had one of those. Happiness is a big Johnson.

Eh, what happened to the "I fixed it" guy? (;->)

Oh I'm just reading the mail. I worked on my Midland SSB radio. I think it might need a new mike conn. It may allow a short, causing no audio on tx. I might just buy an extension cord for my mic., because the connector is opposite the op's position. It plugs into the left side of the radio, but it sits sideways on the hump, so that faces forward the vehicle. That causes undue stress on the wires at the screws on the mike plug.

JayMojave · #13 (**permalink**) Today, 10:25 AM

Hello Warren:

The Golden Screwdriver..... more talking down your nose, what a shame. This type of unfriendly response is so typical of the ham radio fraternity. Most ham radio operators and the cb techs do not have a procedure or the test equipment to measure the "Spectrial Purity" most fix it to were it sounds good.

This is so typical of the unfriendly ham radio fraternity to resite the rules and not give any technical insite.

Maybe one of the reasons the CB Radio Service was started.

Jay in the Mojave

Quote:

Originally Posted by kb2vxa

Uh oh, the golden screwdriver does it again. I have a nasty feeling that you not knowing what you're doing just may have messed things up including things you're not aware of. Just because it sounds good doesn't mean it IS good, spectral purity is of prime consideration. It must meet FCC certification specs if for no other reason than to avoid interference to other radio services and keep other users of the band happy.

First things first, give the squelch and volume pots on the panel a squirt of cleaner, work them through full range a few times to scrape out any crud and see if that fixes them. If not and in any case it's wise to have the rig checked by a competent technician familiar with CBs and adjusted if necessary. By "competent" I mean a trained tech using proper professional test equipment, not one of those Redneck truck stop tweak and peak jockeys... <groan>

It would be nice to have a classic radio back on the air operating properly and properly operated. I'm rather fond of them having once been a CBer myself back when real radios glowed in the dark and hummed a one note tune under the dashboard. Your radio doesn't bristle with tubes and have a vibrator B+ supply? Oh what a pity, here's one of my old rigs from the age of the dinosaurs... 5 whole channels too!

va3hub · #14 (**permalink**) Today, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kb2vxa

Good show! Sometimes called the poor man's Ranger which was a bit more common I had one of those. Happiness is a big Johnson.

Eh, what happened to the "I fixed it" guy? (;->)

You talk like a Johnson (;>)
You can always send the "I fixed it Guy" a letter in his inbox,and find out.

va3hub · #15 (**permalink**) Today, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayMojave

Hello Warren:

The Golden Screwdriver..... more talking down your nose, what a shame. This type of unfriendly response is so typical of the ham radio fraternity. Most ham radio operators and the cb techs do not have a procedure or the test equipment to measure the "Spectrial Purity" most fix it to were it sounds good.

This is so typical of the unfriendly ham radio fraternity to resite the rules and not give any technical insite.

Maybe one of the reasons the CB Radio Service was started.

Jay in the Mojave

Yep,they also hang around here to show how Superior they think they are every chance they get.
But in all fairness,there not all Johnson's or "Dick's" if you will.
This will probably open up the door to another resident "know it all"............. I call him Bubbles. ;0)