Roberts R707 aerial replacement

[JC16450]

Hi All,

Could anyone kindly give me some pointers as to how to replace the telescopic aerial in my R707?

My wife banged down on the top to retract it and accidentally (carelessly) bent the second retractable from the top and it's now separated entirely.

I've found this http://www.spares2you.co.uk/Robers_R707_aerial which looks to be a direct rplacement part but I don't want to trash anything by blundering in with trial and error.

Any help much appreciated.

Thanks
JC

[Mark the Mender]

JC
from memory, if you open the back of the set to reveal the battery compartment, you will see the aerial, there is a clip with the pink aerial wire soldered on to it.
on the bottom of the set is a screw holding the aerial in, if you take that out the whole unit should pull up through the dial glass, I think it is just a case of pulling the whole thing through the grommet, and replacing the aerial unit, remembering the clip for the wire which of course goes on the bottom part of the unit.
I dont think you have to take the whole chassis out but I may be wrong.

kind regards Mark

[Darren-UK]

They're frightfully easy to replace.

Open the back and remove the wooden battery retaining bar, then remove the lefthand battery. You will see a metal clip on the aerial with a wire attached to it, remove the clip and take care not to break the wire off.

Look underneath the radio and you'll see a screw which secures the aerial. Remove that screw and watch for a little cup washer which may be present.

Withdraw the aerial through the top of the cabinet (you may feel some resistance from the rubber grommet). Fitting the replacement is the reverse of the aforementioned.

EDIT....I was typing whilst Mark posted but my post confirms what Mark says.

[JC16450]

Thanks Mark & Darren for the advice, it sounds much more straightforward than I would have thought.

Just realised that with postage the new one comes in at £15.00 which is quite a lot for an old radio (or am I not living in the real world as far as prices are concerned)

If anyone has an unwanted functioning spare aerial from an old R707 I'd be happy to buy it.

Thanks
JC

[Mark the Mender]

JC
you will be lucky to find a used one I need one for mine! I guess it depends on how much you are willing to spend on the set

cheers Mark

[VHFHerald]

You used to be able to get them direct from Roberts, not sure if this is still the case.

[JC16450]

Originally Posted by Mark the Mender

JC
you will be lucky to find a used one I need one for mine! I guess it depends on how much you are willing to spend on the set

cheers Mark

Oh really, are they specific to the R707 (size & number of sections)?
Thought maybe they'd use the same one across a range, as you can see I'm no expert on the subject.
Cheers
JC

[JC16450]

Originally Posted by VHFHerald

You used to be able to get them direct from Roberts, not sure if this is still the case.

Thanks I'll give them a bell on Monday.

[Darren-UK]

Roberts are based in Yorkshire nowadays but I think their spares department is a London telephone number. Someone will know.

Regarding size, aerials vary enormously but the crucial factors are length and diameter of the base section, internal or external knuckle and method of securing. The 707 aerial is internal knuckle. For radios which include SW, the aerial could well have more sections and consequently be longer when extended. All these factors, plus a couple of others, make the choice of aerials, where a choice exists, a minefield - hence there's no across the board standard.

We do have a forum member who delights in repairing these aerials but it's up to him to spot this thread and respond if he's willing.

I have a misty recollection that there's a Hacker aerial which also suits the R707 but someone more expert would have to comment on that. Not much help but, if true, it would help your search scope.

Failing all the above, you could keep using the radio as it is until you come across a beaten up wreck, cheap, with a good aerial you can salvage.

[G8KBG Tony]

Roberts spares ~ 0208 560 6644

email ~ spares@roberts.com

[Mike Noble]

I did exactly this on an RP26 so I used Araldite to stick the end section into the lower section if you see what I mean. The radio worked fine with the shorter aerial and stayed like this until a replacement was found. Also when I found an exact replacement I just pushed the pin out on the pivot and replaced the telescopic section. Maybe the same for a 707.

[Mike Phelan]

Originally Posted by Darren-UK

We do have a forum member who delights in repairing these aerials but it's up to him to spot this thread and respond if he's willing.

Duly spotted!

Failing all the above, you could keep using the radio as it is until you come across a beaten up wreck, cheap, with a good aerial you can salvage.

JC - PM me if you still need help.
Always keep any damaged telescopic aerials as sections can be replaced fairly easily.
Have a look here.

[crockhamtown]

I have damaged many portable radio aerials and am fed up with paying through the nose for such a simple bit of metal.

Usually all that has happened is that the aerial is pulled through its retaining tube and in the process the copper "shims" are lost.

Does anyone know where I can buy replacement shims?

[JC16450]

Thanks for all your suggestions, I might have a go at a repair at the weekend.
Cheers
JC