I will try to keep this short. I just got into the CB thing at 48 years old! A friend of mine hooked me up with a radio and now I have three and a base antenna.
My question to is to some of you seasoned veterans of all things electronic. I have always been fascinated with electronics but they baffle me. How did you guys get proficient at picking up the repair and modification of radios and other electronics. I would love to learn about this stuff but most of the technical stuff I try to read just leaves me scratching my head. LOL
Is there a method of picking this stuff up with out having a degree in mathematics and electrical engineering? Is it one of those thing were you just look at it enough and you suddenly see it. Like one of those picture that you stare at. LOL. Thanks for the help in advance from a new old guy that may be to old to learn.
let me preface this by saying I certainly am NOT a seasoned veterans of all things electronic!
I think the best thing for an absolute beginner, is to pick up some DIY electronics kits (to practice soldering), or buy old and broken hardware to learn on; after a while things become apparent, & "pop out, at you".
If you don't have one, get yourself a digital multi-meter (Volt/Ohm) and become familiar with taking measurements.
https://www.livescience.com/53875-resistors-capacitors-inductors.html
Basic intro to:
Inductance
capacitance
resistance
Some of the best advice I got on here was to learn how to read schematics, I still laugh when one of my (Ham) friends cannot understand how I can rewire an entire radio from only a schematic, if need be.
He thinks I'd need another radio (of the same model) to copy, lol (he would, & I have in the past, but not anymore).
Learning the theory of how basic components work, will help you gain a limited foundation of understanding. You don't need an engineering or mathematics degree to fix old busted up electronics..
I found this online:
Want to build a 27mhz crystal radio receiver?
Guys can anyone pls help me how to tune a LC circuit to 27MHz perfectly,how to do it .pls explain it clearly pls pls
I am using a inductor and a capacitor.tell me how much micro farad capacitor i should use and i much length of the inductor should i use to get tuned into 27 MHz radio.!
The response:
use this
2πfL = 1/(2πfC)
find an adjustable cap, say 5-15pF, and pick a value in the middle of the range, say 10pF. Then calculate the inductance needed to resonate with that cap.
2πfL = 1/(2πfC)
L = 1/(4π²f²C)
L = 1/(4π²(27e6)²(10e-12))
L = 35e-7 H or 3.5µH
you can buy this value or wind it using the following:
Inductance of a solenoid, air
L = µ₀n²A/L
n = turns
L is length in meters
A is area in meters²
µ₀ is the magnetic constant
1.2566×10−6 H/m (or T·m/A)
The above quote is something that requires a lil' education to understand and put into practice, I could find the formulae online, but using them effectively would be a challenge. ;-)
This is like reading Mandarin to me, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
I'm just a guy spraying dirty controls with some cleaner, kind of like a monkey going through the motions..
& I'm okay with that, limitations are important to understand.
"I'm no genius, and others can outwork me. What I do is ask the naive, honest questions, and then I'm not satisfied until I get the answers." - Herman Daly
My point is, take your time and don't be too harsh on yourself if things don't click immediately. Eventually you start to realize things, I've burned/ruined a few CB sets to get to the point where i'm at today, but I don't make the same mistakes I used to anymore. So in a way I've learned what NOT to do, haha.
If you think of a radio like an automobile, and break it down into sections; this can help you diagnose a problem, one section at a time. See what all is working correctly first, and then try and locate the failure.
It is one thing to google "clip D9, spread L10", and a totally different thing to create your own circuit modifications by studying the schematic. We need more people in the latter category, so... welcome!
Eventually things click, like if I lower resistance here, then X happens, or X increases/decreases because of the change, but you won't need advanced knowledge to get there, just time and practice; practice everyday, push yourself to read and the pieces start to fall into place, if I have a hard time grasping something I research it until it clicks, or I reach out to someone and ask for clarification/explanation. Sometimes, often times.. It is the real-world examples that set off a light bulb for me.
I second the recommendation for a book by Lou Franklin, from what I gather the book "Understanding & Repairing CB radios" goes into more depth than the "Screwdrivers Expert Guide".
Honestly I should have made it a point to get one of his books, one day I will.
You could buy
The Art Of Electronics by Paul Horowitz, a lot to read though and radio is not really the main focus.
I don't believe you are too old to learn, mankind is a creature of habit and building new habits or routines can be a challenge, but doable; you have to set yourself a certain amount of time for study, and be 'religious' about it, even if you are just ripping into an old radio.. Do it everyday, and things will happen right before your eyes, realizations..
Just confirm your understanding against another person's, to be certain you are not learning the "wrong way" or believing in something incomplete/incorrect as fact.
"You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another".
73
