• You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.

AR-3500 HELP!!!

hacksaw

Active Member
Jan 25, 2009
191
11
28
I just bought this sweet looking AR-3500. It's the 30 watt version. It is smoking clean! Very clean case, almost brand new looking face, 8 pin mic plug, factory installed SP-1 processor, and scan board for a factory Palm Scanner mic. All MINT! I'd say its a 9 out of 10. Still has the factory sticker on the top cover for warm up info. No bracket, but it has the factory power plug. Verg radio except for 11 meter coverage. When power is removed it resets back to 26.000.0. All buttons work perfect, all knobs work smooth. I don't think the NB/ANL is working and I noticed some fluttering audio at full RF gain with the heavy skip this evening. Have to roll the RF gain back to 12 o'clock position. Then it clears up the receive. I made a contact last night on lsb and he could hear me 20 miles away but said it sounded rough. And I observed a swing around 15 watts. As far as it looks its never been tuned or probably aligned. Diodes and resistors are all in tact. No cutting in this rig!

So, where should I start? This is a fine piece!!! Thanks

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1361581953.138063.jpg
 

it's junk. i'll give you a hundred bucks for it :)
the battery is dead, that's why it resets to 26.0
i'm not home so i can't check, but look for the 3500 manual with the factory updates & make sure they are all corrected. they fix the delay when you unkey the mic in ssb, they correct the 'too much receive gain' issue you describe, and by fixing all the grounds you resolve the 'low swing/rough audio in ssb' i'm guessing you have.
i'm on 4040's watergate somewhere exhibiting the audio issue you have....if i could only find which gate. it was on nov 10, 2011
http://www.worldwidedx.com/dx-contacts/128501-contact-4040-a.html
 
it's junk. i'll give you a hundred bucks for it :)
the battery is dead, that's why it resets to 26.0
i'm not home so i can't check, but look for the 3500 manual with the factory updates & make sure they are all corrected. they fix the delay when you unkey the mic in ssb, they correct the 'too much receive gain' issue you describe, and by fixing all the grounds you resolve the 'low swing/rough audio in ssb' i'm guessing you have.
i'm on 4040's watergate somewhere exhibiting the audio issue you have....if i could only find which gate. it was on nov 10, 2011
http://www.worldwidedx.com/dx-contacts/128501-contact-4040-a.html

Thank you so much! That's the best Wes I've heard all day. I actually posted this radio along with an Emperor TS 5010 for trade into a Magnum s9hp but I'm still debating on keeping this radio. It's beautiful!
 
Once you Get your AR-3500
Set up Properly..

Few radios work as well.
It has Great Ears as well as a Really good sounding SSB radio.

Even Most of todays HF ham rigs do not out perform it
( i used to have the 100 watt version of the AR-3500 )
Only my IC-7000 had Slightly better ears
(as good as my 706 MKIIG )
 
I recently sent two AR3500's 100w models to CB Bobs for a complete tune up and updates. He should have the parts that you are looking for.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
I emailed him asking about my radio and never got a response

I called...

I talked to some woman and she initially said Bob wasn't taking any repair jobs but when she asked him he said send them on in. It may take 3-6 months for the radios to get worked on but from what I have read...Bob is the man for AR radios.. If I remember correctly...he was initially involved in either the design or build of these radios.

Good Luck
 
I knew bob

I knew the guy personaly he had a shop about ten minutes from my house in chelsea growing up and he always did bang up work.Guys a legend still talked about till this day up this end.
 
I knew the guy personaly he had a shop about ten minutes from my house in chelsea growing up and he always did bang up work.Guys a legend still talked about till this day up this end.

Are you talking about Bob?
 
I know this is a bit of a dead thread, but I just wanted to clear up a few things concerning this radio.
1) There is no battery backup! Not installed but the factory anyways. And yes, it is completely normal for the radio to "reset" to 26.000
2) If you turn the Sq all the way counter-clockwise, that will also reset the radio. Radio must be turned off though.

If you don't mind me asking, what about the protection Diode? What does it protect?
 
Just an update: I sent two Ranger 3500's 100W units to Bob for: a) SP1-a Speach Processors b) Battery Back up circuit c) complete tune up. It took right at 1 yr for Bob to go through the radios. Once I will install (I think) one into my 70 C10 I am confident these will be top knotch. Preasently they are in storage.
 
Here is some info from CB Tricks site. Very good AR-3500 info here.
 

Attachments

  • secret_cb_vol_25_pg05_06.pdf
    957.1 KB · Views: 58
  • secret_cb_vol_25_pg08_11.pdf
    4.7 MB · Views: 51
  • secret_cb_vol_26_pg30.pdf
    432.7 KB · Views: 46
  • secret_cb_vol_26_pg29.pdf
    383 KB · Views: 45
Last edited:

dxChat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • dxBot:
    Tucker442 has left the room.
  • @ BJ radionut:
    LIVE 10:00 AM EST :cool:
  • @ Charles Edwards:
    I'm looking for factory settings 1 through 59 for a AT 5555 n2 or AT500 M2 I only wrote down half the values feel like a idiot I need help will be appreciated