Need some advice in Phoenix area Please!!

11/4/2006 3:56:10 PMJim Duncan

Hi all. I have been trying to teach myself through books and experimenting how to repair these boat anchors but will never get there at this rate so is there any old timers in the Phoenix area willing to share their knowledge. Im NOT looking for free repairs and will gladly pay you for any work done or lessons etc I just want to aquire these skills because of my own personal fascination with tube type radio equipment and where can you go for this kind of instruction? Any suggestions or help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks and God Bless. Jim

11/4/2006 6:27:31 PMPeter Balazsy

Too bad Jim... because that's something I'd really enjoy and be more than glad to do for free... but here I am in Jersey... lol

11/5/2006 12:33:18 PMJim Duncan

:Too bad Jim... because that's something I'd really enjoy and be more than glad to do for free... but here I am in Jersey... lol
Hi Peter, I will help you unpack your stuff on this end in sunny AZ. Hurry before Jersey gets too cold to escape from. Ha Ha..... If you have any reading material on the breakdown operations of a superhet that you want to sell off let me know as I can use all the help I can get. I have a precision 10-12 tube tester but need a sig gen etc for alignment so advice on that would help too as it gets a bit confusing when you dont have the experience to know better. Jim

11/7/2006 12:35:39 AMPeter G. Balazsy

Jim:
Thanks for the invite... lol
I'm actually almost tempted to come popping out there for a week or so... just for the diversion of it all...
(gotta find somebody to care for my 2 felines).
Are there some nice reasonably-priced conveniently located, local motels near by?

Here's some nice reading as a primer/refresher.

http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/funwithtubes/AA5-1.html

I too have a Precision tube tester model 10-20. But I rarely find the testor of great use in troubleshooting and repair. Mostly the actual radio circuit is your BEST test for actual (go/no-go)tube performance.
But I do use it once in a while to find out why a certain tube fails or acts funny as it does. Like one bad plate in a full wave dual plate rectifier for example that gets bad or goes weak. The other side will still work and you may not notice much difference.. but the tester will show it.

I think you MUST have or get yourself a signal generator and a reasonably good handheld digital multimeter.

I bought a nice Heathkit signal generator on Ebay for about $35 and my ExTech multimeter wasn't much more. It even has a capacitance reader and a frequency counter...
But I also bought a very nice 100mhz frequency counter on Ebay for only $30 and I bought (over kill) a 20yr old Tektronix model 475 (200mhz) dual trace osciloscope... for only $200.

So even though I could have done with just a 20mhz scope that only had a single channel.. the price wasn't bad at all.

I've only been doing this for a year now... but I really enjoy it.
So I bought a nice workbench and along the way I've been slowly acquiring supplies. I have quite a nice stash of most frequently used tubes that I find from time to time on Ebay for not much money... some new many used..
I also rounded out my resistor and capacitor supply.
I already had quite afew resistors but I now have them nicely sorted in little coin envelopes and I bought two complete sets of new resistors as kits.. all presorted in little drawers too... CHEAP.. nice.. great!
1 watt kit (g14239) 2.2ohm - 2.7k ohm = $15.95
1 watt kit (g14240) 3.3k - 10meg ohm = $15.95
http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/prodinfo.asp?number=G14239
http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/prodinfo.asp?number=G14240

Capacitors: both polarized Electrolytics and some non-polarized tubular 600v caps
... you can buy both types in kits from Justradios.com.
http://www.justradios.com/capkits.html#kit7

You'll need some electrolytics too :

http://www.justradios.com/capkits.html#kit6
http://www.justradios.com/capkits.html#kit7

(both 160v range and some 450v range)
..for replacing the smoothing capacitors in the powersupplies ( almost every old radio need these replaced)
So you can buy a nice little solder iron... also get a good solder vacuum tool.
Part# : SD1042
HEAVY DUTY DESOLDER PUMP Qty Price $3.59
http://www.electronix.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/9205

I have everything in quantities way beyond normal needs... like 25 or 50 of evey value capacitor.. and such.. but only because the prices aren't somuch.. and i like knowing that while I'm repairing a radio.. I have the part right handy ...and then I don't have to shelve the project waiting to order parts.

So let me know if you feel this is something to get started on or you need more.
Dive in and treat yourself to this stuff... I'ts cheap and helps make the hobby a pleasure
good luck.

11/7/2006 12:41:31 AMPeter Balazsy

Ooops.. I forgot the ost important thing.
Get yourself an isolation transformer 100va at least or prhaps better yet get a 200va... it'll save your life.

11/7/2006 9:29:07 AMRadiodoc

:Hi all. I have been trying to teach myself through books and experimenting how to repair these boat anchors but will never get there at this rate so is there any old timers in the Phoenix area willing to share their knowledge. Im NOT looking for free repairs and will gladly pay you for any work done or lessons etc I just want to aquire these skills because of my own personal fascination with tube type radio equipment and where can you go for this kind of instruction? Any suggestions or help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks and God Bless. Jim

Jim,

Perhaps there is an antique radio club in your area that may have a person or persons who may be of help. With a Google search I found one at:

Arizona Antique Radio Club (AARC). Art Heikkila, 4002 W. Beryl Ln., Phoenix, AZ 85051

Radiodoc