Clear channel ranger ar-3500 no receive! Help!

[William G Ransom]

Hello to all, I have a recieve issue on my Ranger AR-3500 radio,maybe someone could help me shed some light on what's going on, I have transmit with audio all bands, but there is no sound coming from internal speaker or when I hook up external speaker, nothing at all but a slight buzz or hum from external speaker when volume is turned all the way up, I can see the S meter moving when people are talking, i even hooked up another radio next to it with antennas into both radios and still nothing at all when I key the second radio, same slight buzz or hum from speaker not even a click of static, has anyone ever seen this issue before? Really would like to fix this relic, seems like a really nice radio any info is gold.
Thanks

 

[William G Ransom]

Hello agian all, a little more info now on this ranger ar-3500 with no receive, I took the covers off and was probing around with my continuity meter on solder side of board around the speaker lugs I seen the continuity meter actually climbing like it was charging something up did not really pay no mind to it so I kept following to each component alone the trace from speaker lug just to see if the connection stops alone the line, I dont really know what I was looking at, lol but desperately trying to learn something here, anyway I plugged the speaker wires back to board and plugged in power connector and turn it on and the receive was working for about 30 seconds, still I dont have a clue to what just happened so if anyone has input into something I can try to fix this issue, really confused about this, any info is greatly appreciated for sure.
Thanks again

 

[nomadradio]

Now I'm lost.

Did it come back to life and than quit again?

Or is it still working?

This gets to be like "My 1978 daily driver won't start. What could it be?"

One symptom, many possible causes.

73

 

[William G Ransom]

Now I'm lost.

Did it come back to life and than quit again?

Or is it still working?

This gets to be like "My 1978 daily driver won't start. What could it be?"

One symptom, many possible causes.

73

Hello NomadRadio, everything works on the radio except the receive, incoming signal on a meter working, I can see the other person's carrier go up on meter when they transmit, just no sound, and after I poked around on a few solder joint alone the board and the powered the radio up, turned on power switch the receive was working nice and loud just for about 30 seconds then the receive went off again, my eyes lit up when I heard it actually working, thought maybe it was a bad connection so I lightly tapped the board in the area I was probing but nothing happened it just stayed quiet, s meter continued to operate with movement from people on the channel talking, just receive went dead quiet. Does it seem like it is something minor wrong since it came back on? Would a bad capacitor cause something like this to happen? Or what would you think could be going on,
Thanks for your help NomadRadio, your a blessing!

 

[Holydvr]

You may need to either take Klondike Mikes advice on the capacitor kit, (he is a good one to deal with in my experience) or you need to potentially be probing for cold solder joints. I understand that you are trying to learn, but I would start with cold or broken joints as a search tool online, then order a kit from Mike if you really wish to run the rig long term.

 

[nomadradio]

Quickest first test is to wet your index finger and lay it across all ten pins of the TA7222P speaker-amp chip.

If you get a raucous squall, that part of the receiver audio is probably okay.

And if you get nothing, the chip MIGHT be the culprit, or might not.

If you haven't tried an external speaker, try that before poking around inside.

73

 

[William G Ransom]

Thanks Holydvr, I ordered the capacitor kit from mike today, and thank you NomadRadio for your info, man I cannot find that TA7222p transistor chip anywhere in this radio I been looking over and under my friend, but listen to this one messing around looking for bad cold solder joints like Holy DVR suggested, did find a loose resistor on solder side of board and fix that, plug it up and nothing, so I went to grab the front of the radio by the face and the receive came on then went off when I moved it again, now I loosened the 4 side screws hold face and lower it and gently touched on boards attached to face and the squelch board made the receive go on and off, squelch is all the way down, I turn the knob and wiggle it gently and it seems to be the squelch knob causing the problem, now is that repairable without replacing the knob? I haven't even tried to take any of the boards loose from the faceplate, I know its probably a part I cant get because the radio is old, is there a way that the squelch can be bypassed where its always open? Like the do with rf gain knobs, by just putting the wires together temporarily ?
Thanks again for everything man.

 

[nomadradio]

I cannot find that TA7222p transistor chip

Because it doesn't have one. My mistake. This radio is older than I remembered. The audio power amp chip is a uPC1182. Has two screws holding it to a heat sink. The input pin is number 1. There will typically be a dimple or such mark in the plastic mold at the pin 1 end of the single row of pins.

That's the pin where your Manual Digital Signal Injector should touch.

73

 

[William G Ransom]

Because it doesn't have one. My mistake. This radio is older than I remembered. The audio power amp chip is a uPC1182. Has two screws holding it to a heat sink. The input pin is number 1. There will typically be a dimple or such mark in the plastic mold at the pin 1 end of the single row of pins.

That's the pin where your Manual Digital Signal Injector should touch.

73

Because it doesn't have one. My mistake. This radio is older than I remembered. The audio power amp chip is a uPC1182. Has two screws holding it to a heat sink. The input pin is number 1. There will typically be a dimple or such mark in the plastic mold at the pin 1 end of the single row of pins.

That's the pin where your Manual Digital Signal Injector should touch.

73

Ok my friend, I think this is the one here in picture, I did wet my finger and when I held across all the pins on that chip it did make a loud old radio noise like a old tuner radio sound, tell me something, can I unhook the squelch knob in anyway for now until I can locate the squelch knob from someone, like can I bypass it in anyway?
73

 

[nomadradio]

The control has three lugs. One for the clockwise end of rotation, one for the other counterclockwise end and one in the center, called the wiper.

Removing the wire from the center lug and soldering it to the counterclockwise lug should lock the squelch open no matter the condition of the control.

Tricky part is to remember which of the two outer lugs is which when looking at it from the rear.

73

 

[sp5it]

Replacing parts without diagnose, brilliant idea.

 

[guitar_199]

A couple of other things to check while you are waiting.....

First I understand that you are transmitting with modulation....so that may cast a little shade on what I am about to suggest.... but... just take it as a possibility.....

First, double check the ground pin(s) in the mic connector. In many of these electronically switched radios... one thing that the ground in the mic does is ground the internal speaker .... so that the ground is OPEN in transmit (kills the speaker during transmit) and CONNECTED to the speaker in receive.

Second, poke around in the area of the external speaker jack inside the radio. Usually the audio headed for the speaker passes through a switch on the external speaker jack... so that if you plug in a speaker... that switch can disconnect the internal speaker and send audio to the speaker that you plugged in. If that switch is mangled or a wire is broken..... no audio would go anywhere!

I am just thinking this way.......

1) if modulation works... the lion's share of your audio section is working.

2) if the meter is showing received signal.... then the received signal is making it WAY down the IF strip and is right at the point of demodulation.

When you tie those two things together.... I can't see much left....

Again, just offering some thoughts for while you wait....

Bob

[Edited to add]
Also nose around in the squelch area to make sure that a fault in the squelch isn't killing your receive audio.

 

[William G Ransom]

The control has three lugs. One for the clockwise end of rotation, one for the other counterclockwise end and one in the center, called the wiper.

Removing the wire from the center lug and soldering it to the counterclockwise lug should lock the squelch open no matter the condition of the control.

Tricky part is to remember which of the two outer lugs is which when looking at it from the rear.

73

Thank NomadRadio, finally able to check it today, and I took the wire from center lug and tried it on each wire on the switch and nothing, the i touched it to chassis and receive came on as it should ,just no squelch now but now i know what the problem is i can try and locate the part and replace it, now another issue with it seems only on am/FM the recieve is distorted with everyone even floor noise is distorted, i turned the rf gain down and distortion is not there, only close up stations are still distorted, only on am and FM this is happening any ideas?
And Happy Thanksgiving to you sir.
73

 

[William G Ransom]

A couple of other things to check while you are waiting.....

First I understand that you are transmitting with modulation....so that may cast a little shade on what I am about to suggest.... but... just take it as a possibility.....

First, double check the ground pin(s) in the mic connector. In many of these electronically switched radios... one thing that the ground in the mic does is ground the internal speaker .... so that the ground is OPEN in transmit (kills the speaker during transmit) and CONNECTED to the speaker in receive.

Second, poke around in the area of the external speaker jack inside the radio. Usually the audio headed for the speaker passes through a switch on the external speaker jack... so that if you plug in a speaker... that switch can disconnect the internal speaker and send audio to the speaker that you plugged in. If that switch is mangled or a wire is broken..... no audio would go anywhere!

I am just thinking this way.......

1) if modulation works... the lion's share of your audio section is working.

2) if the meter is showing received signal.... then the received signal is making it WAY down the IF strip and is right at the point of demodulation.

When you tie those two things together.... I can't see much left....

Again, just offering some thoughts for while you wait....

Bob

[Edited to add]
Also nose around in the squelch area to make sure that a fault in the squelch isn't killing your receive audio.

Thanks for info Bob, it actually ended up being the squelch knob was no good, I put the center wire to chassis ground and it works now, thanks again

 

[guitar_199]

Great news! I am glad to hear it!

Thanks for info Bob, it actually ended up being the squelch knob was no good, I put the center wire to chassis ground and it works now, thanks again