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Success Stories If you have successfully repaired or restored a piece of equipment, why not write up what you did and post details here. Particularly if it was interesting, unusual or challenging. PLEASE DO NOT POST REQUESTS FOR HELP HERE! |
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26th Oct 2008, 6:58 pm | #1 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK
Posts: 5,185
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Hacker sovereign II restored
Hi all, today I finally finished the restoration of a very sick tatty set
Luckily I had a couple of donor sets to help me complete this set. I bought this set for a quid at my local car boot sale, it was in a right state. The batteries had leaked and had badly rusted the hinge on the back and the set was filthy and covered with paint spots and the VHF aerial was but a memory . But on powering up it worked very well on VHF, but no AM (see this thread on solving this problem) https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=33228 After restoring the AM side, I then discovered that the volume pot was faulty. I replaced this with a known good one from a scrap Herald, this finished the set electrically, so now to the cabinet, as the chassis was already removed. All I had to do was remove the speaker and the rusty back hinge. As this set was so filthy, I used a mixture of washing powder and dishwashing liquid, this was helped by using a nailbrush, this bought the case up a treat! Most of the paint spots came off easily, the tuning scale was even worse (see pics) but responded well to cleaning & then polished most of the scratches out using T-cut, the speaker grille also came up like new. After re-assembly I gave the set a good polish with Mr Sheen and fitted a new back hinge, the set now looks good and sounds brilliant, just needs a new VHF aerial to complete. Mark Last edited by Darren-UK; 27th Oct 2008 at 2:31 pm. Reason: FSK problem fixed. |
26th Oct 2008, 7:00 pm | #2 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK
Posts: 5,185
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Re: Hacker sovereign II restored
And the 'After' pics......
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26th Oct 2008, 8:21 pm | #3 |
Octode
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Ashby-de-la-Zouch (it's not by the sea)
Posts: 1,254
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Re: Hacker sovereign II restored
Hello Mark,
Lovely sets these - well worth the effort. It's come up a treat hasn't it - congratulations. TTFN, Andy
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Now where on earth did I remove that from? |
26th Oct 2008, 8:51 pm | #4 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,820
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Re: Hacker sovereign II restored
Well done Mark!
Another tip to make it look even better... re-do the white lines on the knobs. Just scrape out any dirt and loose paint with a cocktail stick, clean with IPA, carefully mask the edges with Sellotape pressed firmly down, then fill the recess with a small amount of Tippex. Remove the Sellotape, allow to dry, then polish off any excess Nick. |
26th Oct 2008, 9:20 pm | #5 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK
Posts: 5,185
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Re: Hacker sovereign II restored
Hi Nick, thanks for the tip, i was going to use some white enamel paint.
Job now done Mark |
26th Oct 2008, 9:36 pm | #6 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,820
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Re: Hacker sovereign II restored
Nice one, Mark
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26th Oct 2008, 11:00 pm | #7 |
Pentode
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 229
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Re: Hacker sovereign II restored
Hi Mark
Thats come up very smart indeed! Good tip from Nick as well Great job well done Regards Stu |
27th Oct 2008, 2:35 am | #8 |
Heptode
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK
Posts: 990
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Re: Hacker sovereign II restored
Hi Mark,
You've done a really first-class job with the set, top marks! I've had a RP25 for quite a while now with the same problem, good VHF but no MW/LW. Its quite common to find these sets in such a condition electrically, and as you are aware its most likely due to the same few suspect electrolytics or poor/non-existent ground connections on the AM board. I'll have to definitely bump my set up the 'to-do' list, these sets are such good performers that they are well worth the time and effort to put right again! Regards |
27th Oct 2008, 9:22 am | #9 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Near Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
Posts: 4,609
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Re: Hacker sovereign II restored
Nice one, Mark - well done! Says he, listening to his office radio (which is an RP25B)!
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Mike. |
27th Oct 2008, 1:28 pm | #10 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Posts: 674
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Re: Hacker sovereign II restored
Wow, that's been resurrected, not just restored.
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Just playing with high voltage.... |
27th Oct 2008, 1:28 pm | #11 |
Octode
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Ayrshire, UK.
Posts: 1,096
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Re: Hacker sovereign II restored
Great job Mark
I found a similarly filthy and neglected Sovereign II. Unfortunately however, mine doesn't work at all. It's in the to-do pile. Reading your report has inspired me to have a go at mine. Must find my round-tuit. TimR
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All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. |
27th Oct 2008, 7:23 pm | #12 | |||
Dekatron
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK
Posts: 5,185
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Re: Hacker sovereign II restored
Hi all, many thanks for all the kind comments,
Quote:
These sets do sound fantastic when working properly, and to think, i only bought it for the amp board! Quote:
Quote:
Mark |
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27th Oct 2008, 11:24 pm | #13 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 3,301
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Re: Hacker sovereign II restored
Nice job! I have a mostly working Blue one of these, but is very tatty. I don't think it'll ever look that good.
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"Nothing is as dangerous as being too modern;one is apt to grow old fashioned quite suddenly." |
28th Oct 2008, 3:32 pm | #14 |
Octode
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Bath, Somerset, UK.
Posts: 1,804
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Re: Hacker sovereign II restored
That has come up lovely Mark. I had the same rusted hinge problem on my Hacker "short wave" Herald. It took a few days of soaking before I could get inside to do the electricals. Of course, to be really fussy, it is a nice touch to replace the metal-bodied 3.5mm jack plug that Hacker always taped onto the aerial stem (so that the user could connect his/her tape machine to the panel socket) .
Neil
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preserving the recent past, for the distant future. |
30th Oct 2008, 4:32 pm | #15 |
Heptode
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Ellington, Northumberland, UK.
Posts: 815
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Re: Hacker sovereign II restored
That's a point; the first time I met one of these, it had a bit of masking tape on the aerial and I foolishly removed it as I could see no purpose to it.
Remedied that though, and I have a few with the plug still attached, albeit I've removed them, polished up the inevitable black tips and put them back with masking tape of the same width, in the original position! I also have a couple of leads with one of the original 1/8" plugs at one end (for the set) and a more recent 3.5mm plug at the other end (for computer sound). Great radios they are, and that one has certainly been improved beyond recognition. Aerials are available from Roberts, buy the one intended for their R707, the hole in the dial and the chassis beneath will need to be opened out by roughly 0.040" to accommodate this, but they look right on there and only a fellow restorer would ever know it wasn't the same aerial fitted at Maidenhead (in 1972/3 in the case of a 25B). Very nice. Great job.
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John. |
3rd Nov 2008, 12:25 am | #16 | ||
Dekatron
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK
Posts: 5,185
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Re: Hacker sovereign II restored
Hi all, thanks again for the compliments
Quote:
Quote:
i fit the replacement aerial, my vhf herald (on the to-do pile) also retains it's jack plug, did anyone use these? or did not realise what they were for Mark Last edited by mark pirate; 3rd Nov 2008 at 12:26 am. Reason: Added quotes |
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6th Nov 2008, 10:50 am | #17 |
Heptode
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Ellington, Northumberland, UK.
Posts: 815
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Re: Hacker sovereign II restored
Interesting! I've yet to meet a VHF Herald with the plug but will now scuttle off and attach one to my RP37's aerial with the period-correct masking tape.
But on the topic of the Sovereign here; may I ask what you used to get the piping that lives between the panels and the cabinet's central core so white? I have found that on some sets, this doesn't respond to the usual soaking in bleach. Yours has come up a treat. Was it simply that it wasn't as bad to start with as some of the dog-rough old nails I've had here to restore I wonder?
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John. |
6th Nov 2008, 4:41 pm | #18 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Near Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
Posts: 4,609
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Re: Hacker sovereign II restored
I've always found that they tend to be yellowish-brown and thought it was the result of sunlight; like John, I've tried bleach, but not with that much success.
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Mike. |
6th Nov 2008, 8:32 pm | #19 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK
Posts: 5,185
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Re: Hacker sovereign II restored
Hi all,
Quote:
Mark |
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7th Nov 2008, 10:25 am | #20 |
Heptode
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Ellington, Northumberland, UK.
Posts: 815
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Re: Hacker sovereign II restored
Wow! So you didn't have to remove the piping then? I'll remember that one, itc ould save Days of labour!
Nice work.
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John. |