Hi. On a whim, I bought a vintage CB radio, a Realistic CB-Fone 23. To my delight, it works! I can hear its signal clearly when testing with other radios. However, the signal is scratchier when receiving from other radios. Can someone provide 1) a way to troubleshoot and resolve this, and 2) a general checklist for maintenance and things I can do to make sure this thing is performing its best? I'm a radio newb but technical, so I can open it up if need be. Any advice would be great. Thank you!
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Help Tuning Up a Vintage CB Radio
- Thread starter OneBadUukha
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prcguy
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Buy this and you will have more info on repairing and aligning the radio than you know what to do with.
Vintage Sams Photofact CB Radio Series CB-87 May 1976 Manual Book Magazine | eBay
Vintage Sams Photofact CB Radio Series CB-87 May 1976 Manual Book Magazine.
www.ebay.com
Buy this and you will have more info on repairing and aligning the radio than you know what to do with.
Vintage Sams Photofact CB Radio Series CB-87 May 1976 Manual Book Magazine | eBay
Vintage Sams Photofact CB Radio Series CB-87 May 1976 Manual Book Magazine.www.ebay.com
Hey there's my radio on the cover. I'll get it. Thanks!
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I have that same radio, as well as the 40 channel model that replaced it and the Messenger (a different company) version of the same radio.
As I understand, you are describing a "scratchy" on receive condition. Transmit is fine, sounds good to other radios, but when you receive other radios the audio is scratchy.
There are several common issues that can cause what you are describing, as well as some less common ones. Not going to cover them all here, but maybe a good starter list.
First and foremost, something up with the volume potentiometer. Does the scratchy sound change (other than just louder or quieter) as you turn the volume knob? It is very common for older radios to suffer this problem, and it is typically dirt, crud, or corrosion, in the volume potentiometer. You can often use spray contact cleaner to rectify this situation. Be careful though, some contact cleaners can destroy plastic, so don't overspray.
Also possible is the same condition in the Squelch potentiometer. So while you are in there do both of them.
Also, the same possible problem in the switches on the front of the radio, the Delta Tune, Speakers, Blanker, and PA switches. You might want to hit them all with cleaner.
Not uncommon is a deteriorated speaker. The voice coil or the suspension material may have degraded, and the speaker just may be bad. Typically you will be able to find a suitable replacement.
Those might provide some starting points, even before you get the SAMS.
T!
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