UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post

sobell1980 · 24th Nov 2019, 12:52 pm

Good morning, Lawrence
Thanks for the reply. I did think about the RF alignment as if I clip a lead on one side of the tuning coils the set doubles in volume. If I go the other side of the coil no difference is made and the set remains audible but very quiet. But before i went through the alignment i thought i would go through the RF components, resistors and caps etc.
I should have just gone with my hunch on checking the alignment. Afterall, if you read my previous posts I found the IF transformers cores screwed all the way in on all 4 cores! The sealing paint, locking compound seal blatantly being broken. On this set the IF transformers cores are very easily adjusted simply with the back cover removed from the set, so the phantom twiddler could have easily been at work here, which they have. However the RF tuning cores and osc tuning are only accessible with the chassis removed. I was hoping this was not the case but upon closer inspection these too have all been messed with. L5,L6, L7, aerial tuning coils and L12, L13 and L14 have all been tampered with. The tuning screws are all completely loose and seals broken. Some are screwed way out and wobble. There is only one screw that remains tight and sealed in its coil. This why I when I put my sig gen on sockets a and e I couldn't here a tone/signal getting through. I will replace R2 as a matter of course as its gone high. I will run through a full and thorough alignment. This may not be today but hopefully throughout the week. This brings us up to where we are at.
Dave.

24th Nov 2019, 12:52 pm	#31
sobell1980 Octode Join Date: May 2011 Location: Bromyard, Herefordshire, UK. Posts: 1,241	Re: Ekco U49 restoration Good morning, Lawrence Thanks for the reply. I did think about the RF alignment as if I clip a lead on one side of the tuning coils the set doubles in volume. If I go the other side of the coil no difference is made and the set remains audible but very quiet. But before i went through the alignment i thought i would go through the RF components, resistors and caps etc. I should have just gone with my hunch on checking the alignment. Afterall, if you read my previous posts I found the IF transformers cores screwed all the way in on all 4 cores! The sealing paint, locking compound seal blatantly being broken. On this set the IF transformers cores are very easily adjusted simply with the back cover removed from the set, so the phantom twiddler could have easily been at work here, which they have. However the RF tuning cores and osc tuning are only accessible with the chassis removed. I was hoping this was not the case but upon closer inspection these too have all been messed with. L5,L6, L7, aerial tuning coils and L12, L13 and L14 have all been tampered with. The tuning screws are all completely loose and seals broken. Some are screwed way out and wobble. There is only one screw that remains tight and sealed in its coil. This why I when I put my sig gen on sockets a and e I couldn't here a tone/signal getting through. I will replace R2 as a matter of course as its gone high. I will run through a full and thorough alignment. This may not be today but hopefully throughout the week. This brings us up to where we are at. Dave.