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Vintage Amateur and Military Radio Amateur/military receivers and transmitters, morse, and any other related vintage comms equipment.

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Old 17th Aug 2018, 4:21 pm   #1
Poseidon
Retired Dormant Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Oban, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 2
Default New member...(needing help)

Hello Group - newly joined and interested in reviving my old pastime of SWL, but all my rigs have gone deaf after many years collecting dust in the shack whilst I cavorted on the internut for my amusement.
I have a few old rigs - AR88D, Panasonic DR29 and Yaesu 7700 as well as various vhf rigs and assorted marine HF and VHF sets.
In particular, I'm hoping the group might be able to offer some support/guidance on getting my old Panasonic DR29 back into use. It's gone stone deaf on the 3 HF bands, both on SSB and AM. All other functions work fine with good audio, clear tuning on VHF etc. I suspect dirty switches but it's proving too tough for me to separate the various circuit boards and mechanical parts to gain access to the rear of the rotary pots and pole switches so I can inject some liquid gold in the form of the hideously expensive Deoxit. I suspect I may have to pass the rig on for professional attention as I have a habit of dismantling and destroying electromechanical devices through my inability to re-assmble. But actually finding anyone willing and able to take on the work at an affordable price is proving tough. Any comments or suggestions from the group gratefully received - Keith (Oban)
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Old 17th Aug 2018, 5:58 pm   #2
SiriusHardware
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,482
Default Re: New member...(needing help)

Welcome!

Weighing up the likelihood that every single radio in your collection has developed a roughly similar fault while standing unpowered and doing nothing, I have to say that this sounds unlikely. For a start, I must ask if you are using a common aerial for all of the sets.

How long have you been away? Broadly, two things have happened since you have been away.

One, broadcasting on long, medium and short wave has gone into steep decline. There are nothing like the numbers of stations on Medium wave, for example, that there used to be.

Two, sources of interference to those bands have increased greatly, computers, routers, power line network adaptors, switch mode power supplies now power everything, and even modern lighting can now render medium and short wave almost unlistenable. If you haven't turned a short-wave radio on for a couple of decades I imagine things will be very different now to how you remember them.
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Old 17th Aug 2018, 9:25 pm   #3
Poseidon
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Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Oban, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 2
Default Re: New member...(needing help)

Hello - sorry, I've misled you - it's only the Panasonic that's playing up badly. The other rigs are 'sub optimal', I think because of antenna and atu and earthing issues, but they do work to a degree. The Panasonic is my preferred 'daily driver' as it covers local FM/VHF as well as HF. Yes, I've been out for about 25 years (since early internet emerged). Main interest is utility/ssb traffic and data comms like RTTY/TOR/FEC etc and occasional amateur and exotic broadcast listening. One of the issues that drove me away from VFOs to screen and keyboard was the emergence of RFI from computers and the problems trying to screen out massive QRM at receivers anywhere near early home computers.... Yes, I do tend to use a long wire (c.40m) for all the RXs, fed through a simple home made ATU with tapped coil and air spaced capacitor and all earthed well. As I said, all the antenna and front end connectivity does need overhauled, but I've been a bit dismayed at how quiet the bands are generally and I have dipped into web based SDR (Eschende) so I appreciate that it's not all down to my defective equipment...
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Old 17th Aug 2018, 10:20 pm   #4
Jolly 7
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Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Southampton, Hampshire, UK.
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Default Re: New member...(needing help)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Poseidon View Post
Any comments or suggestions from the group gratefully received - Keith (Oban)
Hi Keith
PM sent regarding your DR29.
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Old 18th Aug 2018, 6:29 am   #5
dsergeant
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Bracknell, Berkshire,UK.
Posts: 1,168
Default Re: New member...(needing help)

Not to mention at the moment propagation conditions on the short wave bands are absolutely awful due to us not only being approaching the 11 year solar minimum but also in the past couple of days high geomagnetic activity from solar holes. You will hear nothing on the higher bands and signals on the lower ones (up to 10MHz or so) will be very weak. There may well be nothing wrong with your radios - but you might have to wait many years before you start hearing the sort of signals you used to

73 Dave G3YMC
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