So here's a problem that comes up over and over trying to fix a Magnum radio.
Where the devil do I find a part for it?
In this case, a pre-2006 bipolar S9 radio had a scratchy and intermittent mode selector. Cleaning was no help. Made me wonder if someone had jammed a knee into the knob somewhere back up the line.
No matter, the selector had to be replaced. Here's what it looks like, removed from the radio.
So just where on earth will a new one come from? In this case, a substitute is the only viable solution that I found.
These rotary switches come from Ebay/Taiwan. Not sure if they are genuine "Alpha"-made parts, but the part numbers are the same. This one is a two-pole 5-position switch. They call it "SRRN-152". A search on Ebay should take you right to it. We have used the other versions of this part for a slew of radios over the years.
This is the preliminary setup, with the diodes you saw behind the old selector replaced with totally-generic 1N4148 diodes.
The wire colors don't appear on the schematic that's posted online for this radio. The terminal numbers on the plug where the wires terminate *ARE* shown. Had to jot down a translation list for which color selects which mode. That's the basis for this final set of instructions for the tech here to wire up the new one. Yes, terminal number 1 has nothing connected to it. That's where "PA" is on this radio. Er, was on this radio.
The sharp-eyed reader will wonder why there are so many more clipped-off wires on the old selector than this diagram shows. Those wires are only for PA mode. I chose to ignore the PA feature altogether. Those wires get capped off with shrink and pushed out of the way.
This will still leave the receiver speaker disconnected. This brown wire from the external-speaker jack to ground takes care of that.
Where there's a will there's a way.
On a good day.
73
Where the devil do I find a part for it?
In this case, a pre-2006 bipolar S9 radio had a scratchy and intermittent mode selector. Cleaning was no help. Made me wonder if someone had jammed a knee into the knob somewhere back up the line.
No matter, the selector had to be replaced. Here's what it looks like, removed from the radio.
So just where on earth will a new one come from? In this case, a substitute is the only viable solution that I found.
These rotary switches come from Ebay/Taiwan. Not sure if they are genuine "Alpha"-made parts, but the part numbers are the same. This one is a two-pole 5-position switch. They call it "SRRN-152". A search on Ebay should take you right to it. We have used the other versions of this part for a slew of radios over the years.
This is the preliminary setup, with the diodes you saw behind the old selector replaced with totally-generic 1N4148 diodes.
The wire colors don't appear on the schematic that's posted online for this radio. The terminal numbers on the plug where the wires terminate *ARE* shown. Had to jot down a translation list for which color selects which mode. That's the basis for this final set of instructions for the tech here to wire up the new one. Yes, terminal number 1 has nothing connected to it. That's where "PA" is on this radio. Er, was on this radio.
The sharp-eyed reader will wonder why there are so many more clipped-off wires on the old selector than this diagram shows. Those wires are only for PA mode. I chose to ignore the PA feature altogether. Those wires get capped off with shrink and pushed out of the way.
This will still leave the receiver speaker disconnected. This brown wire from the external-speaker jack to ground takes care of that.
Where there's a will there's a way.
On a good day.
73