Realistic TRC 449 Want to brighten LED Channel Display

[Kirk T]

The LED is not bright enough to see during the day. I read about VR17-LED Brilliance. I can not find a VR17 in the radio. I see VR17 printed on the circut board but nothing there. Any way to make the LED channel display brighter on this radio?

 

[unit_399]

If you try to increase the channel display brightness, you take the chance of overdriving the LEDs, and causing them to fail. Sometimes, the display is dim simply because the red plastic in the channel display window or the LEDs themselves are dirty. This is a 35 year old radio, and there is probably a lot of dust in there. Other times, the channel display will go dim because of dirty contacts in the channel selector. Before modding the circuit, try rotating the channel selector clockwise through all 40 channels several times, and see if the display brightens up. These are sealed switches, so you can't use contact cleaner on them. If this helps, then the switch is the problem, and the best way to try and cure it is to ALWAYS rotate the switch in the same direction. In this case, Clockwise. VR17 is actually a dimmer control used in some models, and adding it will not make the display brighter. If the brightness hasn't improved after several turns of the selector, and the window and LEDS are clean, then remove R151 and replace it with a 6.2Kohm resistor and a 1 Kohm resistor hooked in series. Don't use a lower value that this, as you'll smoke the display for sure. Good luck and 73s.

- 399

 

[Kirk T]

Thank you for your reply. This is the first Uniden 858 based radio that I have had but I like it. Im 49 years old and made my first DX contact last Saturday morning to Canton Ohio from Alva Oklahoma. I had CB radios in the 70's but never have made a DX contact until now. I appreciate you reply