An exciting new solder connection

[kl7aj]

Some of you just wont GET it. But it was a magical moment.


Well....yesterday I was resurrecting this old Johnson Ranger II I picked up from an old estate which worked pretty well, except the audio sounded sort of tinny. I figured it might have been a bad coupling or cathode bypass capacitor somewhere in the audio chain. The rig had some of the earmarks of a kit, but I wasn't sure...it was obviously pretty well built.

Well, after close inspection I found a two section capacitor, and ONE of the sections had NEVER been soldered! (It was indeed a cathode bypass) It was just flapping in the breeze. Just to confirm my suspicions, I got out the old magnifying glass...and what should I see, but a BRAND NEW (but 45 year old) virgin, unsoldered lug! This called for a celebration.

I fired up my ancient "war club" soldering iron, plunged it into a vat of flux and inhaled deeply. I ceremoniosly SOLDERED the connection that had evaded detection for, lo, nearly half a century. I paused for reflection. I fired up the rig. It sounded like a REAL Johnson now!

How often does one get to FINISH building a 45 year old kit?

This was the highlight of my month.



eric

[w8gtf]

Pics or it didn't happen. :-P

Seriously, I think that is very cool.

[wb5ydk]

I wonder if the previous owner has a posting in the eHam rig reviews complaining of poor audio in this particular model of radio. :)

[kl7aj]

I wonder if the previous owner has a posting in the eHam rig reviews complaining of poor audio in this particular model of radio. :)


I'm pretty sure this rig was put in cold storage LONG befoe the Internet was around!

[KA4DPO]

Good catch Eric.:D

[kd8hho]

Pics or it didn't happen. :-P

Seriously, I think that is very cool.

^what he said.

[n3ef]

Here's what I found last year in a new DXEngineering balun...oops!

http://home.comcast.net/~fairbank56/dxbalun.jpg

[K8ERV]

How often does one get to FINISH building a 45 year old kit?

This was the highlight of my month.



eric

Glad it doesn't take much to keep you happy---

TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo

[WA9SVD]

I have a few unfinished projects almost that old. :rolleyes:

[N4AUD]

That actually was a neat find.

[VE2ITZ]

I have a few unfinished projects almost that old. :rolleyes:

You can send them here and i will finish the job!

Donate for a good cause!

;)

[KI4WCA]

That is really cool.I wonder how many missed it?

[VO1GXG]

How envious i am!

I was restoring one of my 30 odd vintage recievers. i bought one that was never really used as it would run for a hour or two and die. when i opened it up i found that the B+ lead from detector tube was never EVER soldered in place and the wire just flapping back and forth. I have several Virgin sets and my most prized vigin set is not a radio but a WWII/Korean war era mine detector never used and never had the chassis seal broken, one of these days i will find tubes for it!.

[m0dcd]

Ever looked inside a piece of MFJ equipment? I wondered why my matcher was microphonic until I found a lug like the one pictured. Applied hot stick and some good olde 60/40 and it's better than new.

[va7aax]

Well, nice rig there! I am really jealous now! Ya know, How can one not be jealous , Ye Olde Tube Transceivers and even getting to finish the kit!

73 de va7aax

[ka5piu]

Hello.

Good find!
I have not had unsoldered rigs, just poorly soldered ones.
The MFJ products I have bought in the past were sometimes semi-kits, almost fully assembled.
But, I think it would be fun to find something like that.

[wa9cwx]

:)

Nice catch eric, and I KNOW it was a neat feeling !

(however be carefull telling your non-ham friends you..."Fixed your Johnson")

Frank

[k3wrv]

Had the same experience with a TenTec Corsair, built in about 1980 or so. One of the legs of the audio gain pot was virgin of solder! Guess these rigs must have been made by real hooman beings. Afterall, robots don't make mistakes ... do they?

[EDIT - turn off "autopost"]