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Thread: Something(s) followed me home - old Tempo (Uniden) 2020 station

  1. #11
    Tribal Warrior AA1OH's Avatar
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    Nice looking rig-I remember going into Henry Radio and wishing for the Tempo One rig, walked out with a National NC-300 as my first "Ham" receiver.
    I thought religions were prophet based organizations.
    What do you mean I am out of money? I still have checks!
    Remember, amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic

  2. #12
    "Island Bartender" KG4CGC's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AA1OH View Post
    Nice looking rig-I remember going into Henry Radio and wishing for the Tempo One rig, walked out with a National NC-300 as my first "Ham" receiver.
    I still have the rusted out chassis on an NC-33 I got when I was 10. It was working until I was 33. Then it got put away and eventually ended up in an outdoor building. By that time I had the fever for the newest offerings from Japan.
    Last edited by KG4CGC; 07-06-2016 at 03:31 PM. Reason: It in place of an "I"

  3. #13
    Tribal Warrior AA1OH's Avatar
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    I had the big brother to the NC-33, A NC-57! 9 tubes!
    I thought religions were prophet based organizations.
    What do you mean I am out of money? I still have checks!
    Remember, amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic

  4. #14
    Administrator N8YX's Avatar
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    An update on the original post:

    The 2020, remote VFO and speaker are in service now, having replaced my FL-101/YO-101/SP-101 in the "vintage" lineup. A basic rundown of what was done -

    * Replaced the RF Attenuator/Cal pot-switch assembly
    * Reworked the input header to the VCO Board
    * Fixed a cold solder joint on the VCO Board and aligned the VCO
    * Replaced a defective RF transformer on the RX Board - will eventually rewind the stock unit as it's shorted. Replaced a fixed ceramic capacitor to allow the tank circuit to resonate correctly on 80M
    * Replaced the stock rear panel SMK 4-pin accessory connector with a DIN-5 type, and wired up an accessory cable to match
    * Fixed a loose coupler in the PA bandswitch area
    * Cleaned the antenna changeover relay and fixed a broken lead on its socket
    * Diagnosed a TX Board condition wherein the 80M drive level couldn't be reduced. This needs further investigation but the rig is usable on all bands now
    * Aligned LO, TX, RX, Regulator and Generator Boards
    * Physically and electrically rebuilt the external VFO. Additional work needed; more on this later
    * Combined parts from a non-amplified Astatic 878 and Drake 7077 mics to get a fully functional high-impedance unit then wired it to the rig
    * Verified function of the Operation board, including rework of its connecting header and rotary switch leads
    * Applied DeOxIt to every potentiometer and rotary switch in the rig

    The local 10M crowd (audiophoolsphiles...errr, ESSBers, all of them) will give me a ration of sh!t if I show up on frequency with something that doesn't sound quite right. (I've done a bit of SSB generator work for the gang, so I better be eating my own dog food...) To a man and woman, they all like the way this rig sounds - a lot more than the FL-101 which it replaced, and which is going on the bench this winter for R&R work.

    I still have to figure out why the Remote VFO quit "fully operating", and I think it's due to an intermittent switching relay - an Omron MH6P 12VDC unit, long since obsolete. The non-ZD FT-101 series used these for the same basic functions (i.e., meter switching, T/R control line switching) and after studying the schematic I think it's where the trouble lies.

    (Of course, it WAS working - somewhat - before I applied a bit of DeOxIt to the contacts. :( Fortunately, I have another inbound - and can always change the setup over to use a Magnecraft equivalent if that fails.)

    At the moment I have my FR-101S slaved to the 2020, albeit in "separates" mode. No way to have the radios run in full transceive operation (like the 101 twins, or the TS-820S/R-820 pair sitting next to them) but it isn't that big of a deal to re-spot the VFOs if they drift. To the Yaesu's credit, once warmed up it stays put on frequency for days on end.
    "Everyone wants to be an AM Gangsta until it's time to start doing AM Gangsta shit."

  5. #15
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    Nice rig. I need to get back on HF. The rig is sitting upstairs and I still have a 30' vertical...

  6. #16
    Administrator N8YX's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by N2CHX View Post
    Nice rig.
    It's a geezer radio, as one of our infrequent members calls rigs of the period. But it works for its intended (rag chewing) purpose - no way this thing's slicing and dicing on contest weekend.

    I need to get back on HF. The rig is sitting upstairs and I still have a 30' vertical...
    And I still have crystals for you for that 30M project of several years back.
    Last edited by N8YX; 07-27-2016 at 10:31 AM. Reason: Grammar
    "Everyone wants to be an AM Gangsta until it's time to start doing AM Gangsta shit."

  7. #17
    I must have forgotten all I ever knew about R/C @ audio frequencies because altering the input network , C526-C529 / R547 , R549 , R550 has had demoralizing effects at worst and no effect at best . I have changed R551 to 15K and C532 to a 10uf@25V to get a bit more gain but it seems at the expense of low end frequency response .

    Better late than never ...

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