The snow is falling and so is the temperature... it's AM BCB DX season!
Blew the dust off my trusty CCrane Radio EP (original analog version), dropped in four fresh "D" batteries, turned it on and started to tune up the band...
scratch, crackle, scratch, scratch... what the ...? Something is definitely wrong. Rechecked all the controls and batteries... all OK.
Well, time to open it up and see what may be the problem. Eight screws on back of the case secure the front of the radio to the case. Note, one of the screws is hidden under the inspection sticker... there goes the warranty (the radio is nearly nine years old so any warranty is probably long since expired). The screws are clearly marked by arrows molded on the case, nice. The three knobs on front have to be removed. They pull straight off. The front, with the speaker still attached, separates from the back case. At first glance, the build quality looks impressive. Everything is well laid out. The large (200mm long) ferrite rod captures my attention. Probably part of the reason the radio is so sensitive. The slide rule dial arrangement is old school pulley and dial cord. A large dial pulley is attached to the shaft of a pot. Hmmm... must be how the tuning voltage is varied. So, gave the pot a shot of contact cleaner and tuned the dial back and forth to work it in. Reassembly is reverse of disassembly, be careful not to pinch the speaker wires.
Anyway, turned the radio on again and... velvety smooth analog tuning one station to the next, no scratchy scratch. As a test, tuned to local 50kw flamethrower WJR AM 760 Detroit. Then tuned down to 750 and there was WSB Atlanta. Next, tuned up to 770 and WABC NYC pops in. Pretty good selectivity for a under $100 portable especially in the presence of a strong local station. btw, tweaking the fine tuning control can be a big help here when it comes to separating stations.
So, the CCrane Radio EP is ready for another DX season.
Blew the dust off my trusty CCrane Radio EP (original analog version), dropped in four fresh "D" batteries, turned it on and started to tune up the band...
scratch, crackle, scratch, scratch... what the ...? Something is definitely wrong. Rechecked all the controls and batteries... all OK.
Well, time to open it up and see what may be the problem. Eight screws on back of the case secure the front of the radio to the case. Note, one of the screws is hidden under the inspection sticker... there goes the warranty (the radio is nearly nine years old so any warranty is probably long since expired). The screws are clearly marked by arrows molded on the case, nice. The three knobs on front have to be removed. They pull straight off. The front, with the speaker still attached, separates from the back case. At first glance, the build quality looks impressive. Everything is well laid out. The large (200mm long) ferrite rod captures my attention. Probably part of the reason the radio is so sensitive. The slide rule dial arrangement is old school pulley and dial cord. A large dial pulley is attached to the shaft of a pot. Hmmm... must be how the tuning voltage is varied. So, gave the pot a shot of contact cleaner and tuned the dial back and forth to work it in. Reassembly is reverse of disassembly, be careful not to pinch the speaker wires.
Anyway, turned the radio on again and... velvety smooth analog tuning one station to the next, no scratchy scratch. As a test, tuned to local 50kw flamethrower WJR AM 760 Detroit. Then tuned down to 750 and there was WSB Atlanta. Next, tuned up to 770 and WABC NYC pops in. Pretty good selectivity for a under $100 portable especially in the presence of a strong local station. btw, tweaking the fine tuning control can be a big help here when it comes to separating stations.
So, the CCrane Radio EP is ready for another DX season.
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