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Good idea. A lot of folks don't seem to like or want to do that procedure. It sounds more complicated than it really is. They just slap in the tubes and off they go. Besides improving the quality of the signal characteristics, neutralization will also help extend the useful life of the tubes.
Well, I didn't get any serious offers on the Drake twins so I decided that, since it looks as if I'm gonna keep them for a while, I might as well finish up the restoration process. I brought the T-4X over to George, our local boat anchor expert, for some final tweaks and spent a few bucks on a sheet of theatrical lighting gel to replace the faded blue filters on the meter and tuning dial lamps on the R-4A. It looks pretty cool now:
Attachment 6599
I'll do the same for the transmitter once I get it back.
Anyhow, I had to buy a large sheet of the stuff and only used a few square inches of it so I have a lot left over. If any Islander needs some to restore a Drake 4-line* radio, let me know and I'll send you a piece.
*Might be the same as what they used in the 7-line as well.
Identical to my reaction to my TR-7 after nothing but synthesized rice boxes for so long. Sooooo nice!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by KJ6BSO
There's nothing like the Old Drake & Collins gear to warm up a shack!
I wish you would have said something about the film, Carlo. I have 5 big sheets of it here.
Looks good, by the way!
And one's heart and soul.Quote:
Originally Posted by W9WLS
BTW, full disclosure: after I replaced the filters, I hooked the receiver up to an antenna, turned it on, waited for it to warm up and...got nothing. All the lights were on but no signal beyond the usual broadband racket I always get here.
"Fuck, what's wrong with this thing?? It was working fine last time I turned it on!"
(Much time spent jiggling knobs and turning switches, checking that all the tube filaments were glowing etc. etc. etc. before giving up because it was time to get ready for work.)
Tried it again this afternoon, with the same results. Sat there in a funk for a while, then a light bulb lit—the crystal/VFO switch on the left side! Sure enough, it had gotten switched to the "Crystal" position, which completely disables the VFO. Flipped it back to the "VFO" position and it's working fine once again.
I also took the time to RTFM again and discovered why the crystal calibrator and noise blanker weren't working. Fixed that problem with a shorted RCA plug in the "Muting" jack on the back panel.
Well, I always do learn better via empirical methods...