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Got another Saturn on the desk. The issue is low receive (it's got receive but just a little low). Evaluation: All the electrolytic caps were either high esr, shorted or dried up. Everything else looks great. Replaced all electrolytic caps with new ones. After: Receive came up some but not...

Got a question on the CTCSS function of the Retevis HS4. Is there anyway to lock onto someone's code they have set on their end? I've heard that if I go to a frequency in FM mode that someone has a code set on, but I don't have the code for, that I could go into the menu and move to the...

Got a Colt Excalibur on the desk today. Nice looking radio, eat up with roach tracks and crap. Cleaned it out thoroughly. Radio comes on but has very low volume on receive (signals are very good on meter though) even with volume wide open (barely hear it). Tried to transmit and it just makes a...

Got a Sears RoadTalker 40 base on the desk today. Issue: Powers on and that's it. Very little hiss in speaker with volume wide open. No transmit. Meter light out. Evaluation: Needs recapping throughout. No hackery anywhere in this radio. Got the receive and transmit issue fixed. Turned out to...

I had went through all my finals/drivers the other day with my tester (TC1) three times each. All these transistors showed as good transistors with good HFe. The NOS Mitsubishi 1969's I had checked and showed as 40 to 75, now show as 0 to 2 HFe. The NOS 2312's showed over 50, now show 0 to 2...

Got another Galaxy Saturn on the desk today. Someone stamped the sale date on the inside heat shield. Sell date was July of 1996. Issue: Low transmit power. Evaluation: Tested finals, driver, pre-driver, af regulator, Passthrough regulator, solder joints. All check out good, except for the...

Got an old Cobra 142 GTL on the desk today. Issue: Low transmit in all modes. This radio belongs to a local that I talk to on a daily basis. He talked on this radio for about 6 months after he got it back from me. I just recapped it and aligned it. It was doing around 18w in all modes and AM...

Got a question... There's a local around here that speaks often about his radio having two separate controls mounted on the back of his radio. He states one is to vary is RMS, while the other varies his Peak. He had it done by a well known radio guy down south of me (very well known in the...

Got a Cobra 148GTL on the desk today. Owner just wanted a checkup. No channel mods No clarifier mods Limiter(s) intact No swing mods Only mod is a variable key on the back of the chassis (they removed the AM power VR and wired an external potentiometer in its place). Wax still in VCO, xmit...

Got a Cherokee CBS-1000 on the desk tonight. Looks like it went through a metal shredder, lol... Cover is all mangled up and marked up. Evaluation: Carrier level too high (6w carrier). Limiter removed. Audio IC getting hot. Off frequency. Audio sensitivity down (receive and transmit). Power...

Got another Galaxy DX 55V on the desk. Been tracking this issue down for about 3 weeks now. New driver New final New pre-driver New Passthrough regulator New AF regulator New diode at D77 New 2.2uf 50v bias cap Both 22uh inductors new When keying, radio will switch from receive to transmit...

Omg, lol... I couldn't believe what I saw when I popped the covers off this old school 148 gtl. I'll let you guys/gals guess what it is. Hint, the srf/SWR/cal control has been removed from the front, taped off and laid inside the radio. for the control for what's in the cigarette pack,

Anyone know where the transmit frequency adjustment is on the HS4 boards? Also, a local friend of mine asked me if there's any way to add the VFO windup to the Retevis HS4, I told him I wasn't sure and would have to look over the schematic first. However, I can't find a scheme for this radio...

Hi everyone, Got a Galaxy SSB Echo (another one) on the desk. As was the first one, and an Excalibur I had, this one presents low receive (ambient noise, noise floor) also. After I got the others to receive, I just let the receive go as it was, thinking that's about all I could get out of...

Got a General Lee on the desk for an issue that reminds me of something heating up. The radio has a mosfet (520) driver and two mosfet (520) finals. Radio is not stressed out in any way, runs cool, receives great, transmit great, just an odd issue. The radio does 53w Pep, everyone says it...

The following pic is one of many instances I run across on my desk. Maxing these radios out just to see that swing on that watt meter is damaging parts due to excessive heat buildup. Guys/gals, you don't have to stress these radios out. You don't need any swing mods, regulator mods, etc... Just...

Hi all, Got a 959 on the desk. The owner wanted a VFO windup installed, so I used a 1000uf 25v electrolytic cap. I tied the negative lead to board ground (not chassis) and the positive lead to the flapper pin of the tx frequency adjustment (VR). This radio has a stock clarifier (will not...

Yes, you read that right. Sitting here in the hospital recouping after my 3rd widow maker heart attack. March 2013 - first widow maker, left me in a coma. March 2019 - second widow maker. April 2025 - third widow maker. Was arguing with the town drunk on the radio when this one happened...

Got a doosey on the desk today. It's a Galaxy Saturn (EPT360014B) 6 band. Story: Been sitting in storage for over 10 years (in a not very ventilated space). Visual Evaluation: Corrosion on SO239 connector. Rust on top cover. Operational Evaluation: Power supply cranked up to 16.65 volts DC...

Just wanted to take this time to say thank you to all that has helped me out through the past few years when I needed help. I feel the tension on this site from my recent thread of a rant. Some took it out of context, some took offense to it and some just can't let it go as just the rant that...