Hey guys, I just bought a used Galaxy 959 which I have hard wired to a 30 amp fuse box in my truck. When I power on the radio the LCD does not come on. I can only hear a very faint hum. I discovered that if I turn the radio upside down and shake it that the LCD screen will light up and I can hear radio traffic. It will continue to work until I go down a rough road and then it stops working again. Is tgere anything simple or obvious I can check or do I need to ship this unit to a CB shop? Thanks!
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Galaxy only powers on after shaking upside down
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SnowWalker
Member
Hmmmm; it works only after you turn it upside down and shake it? My wife isn't inside that radio, is she?
Actually, I have three, 2016 & 17, Galaxy DX 959s (2 are SSB) and all three have have not given me any problems. Unless you are up to date to work on these radios, I would take it to a reputable CB or radio shop. By the sounds of it, something is loose on the radio's circuit board.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
If you are comfortable opening it up, I'd look for loose connections. Make sure everything is properly seated. -Carefully- unplug and replug each one if you can. Be really careful with the flat ribbon cables.
If that doesn't fix it, off to the shop it should go.
If that doesn't fix it, off to the shop it should go.
RFI-EMI-GUY
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Once a friend of mine dragged me over to his friends house to fix a TV. It was apparently an emergency because they had the small TV upside down on a kitchen chair and the family was watching it that way. It only worked upside down. How they discovered that was a mystery. Anyway, I sent the guys wife off to find a small artists paintbrush and used it to lightly probe all the parts until it failed again. I located an unsold eyed coil in the color section.
Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
I pulled the bottom cover off and am a bit lost as to what I shoukd be looking for. Are there certain areas more likely to be the ussue or do I just need to look everywhere for something out of the ordinary? Do I need to take the top cover off too?
SnowWalker
Member
Then don't touch it.
The new units are not as robust as they were twenty & twenty-five years ago. They can be very easily damaged. I now sit with a ham operator (VE7 BZE) who loves to tear radios apart and put them back together. He has shown me time & time again the difference between the older radios and the new ones. The new radios, in a lot of cases, require specialized tools to work on them.
Spend a few dollars to have your radio repaired by someone who is equipped with proper tools, analyzers and "knowledge".
The new units are not as robust as they were twenty & twenty-five years ago. They can be very easily damaged. I now sit with a ham operator (VE7 BZE) who loves to tear radios apart and put them back together. He has shown me time & time again the difference between the older radios and the new ones. The new radios, in a lot of cases, require specialized tools to work on them.
Spend a few dollars to have your radio repaired by someone who is equipped with proper tools, analyzers and "knowledge".
RFI-EMI-GUY
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Should read unsoldered not unsold eyed. Damn you auto collect.
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RFI-EMI-GUY
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Use my artists paintbrush technique to find the loose component or wire. You will likely find the solder missing or cracked upon inspection. A small bit of solder and he can say you fixed it yourself.
Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
kf4eyr
Member
chiming in here but many radio i have seen with this problem turned out to be the screws that hold the circuit board to chassis was loose,,,, have you tried to tighten them? make sure power is off to radio so as not to short any thing out while covers is off,,,
I made a 2 hour round trip today and dropped the radio off at a place called Crossbow's CB shop in Olivia, NC. It was the closest shop I could find in which the person who answered the phone was friendly and acted like they wanted my business. I will report back what they find wrong
FiveFilter
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Good luck with the fix.
I just picked it up from the shop. The owner said the power regulator was bad which is why I was having problems. He also said the 959's have places that are common for there to be problems with the soldering that he went ahead and soldered. He said he also fixed a problem with the wiring in the mic. He also "peaked and tuned" it and that the radio is now opperating at it's max potential, "swinging 35 watts" whatever that means. Anyway, I spent $75 which was more than I wanted to but the owner of the shop says it is going to be a good, reliable radio for me so I am happy.
FiveFilter
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It's probably in better shape now than a new one. At least yours has been tested and reinforced much better than a new one, and the weak spots reinforced.
Best of luck with your new and improved Galaxy 959!
Best of luck with your new and improved Galaxy 959!
K5MPH
Member
That swinging 35 watts,is 35 watts of Modulation on SSB not bad for that radio......
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