TRC-449 repair

[TM86]

Got the PLL alignment done yesterday. Went to do the transmit alignment and noticed that the meter wasn't moving. Took me a good part of the afternoon but I did get it unstuck without destroying it. Now I just need to figure out what shade of orange needs to go on the needle since all the old paint flaked off.

Now that the meter is working, I can dive into the rest of the alignment.

 

[TM86]

Got 'er done and decided to try an on the air test. I can hear other stations but no responses. Conditions sound kind of fecal, so I put the Quad5 on the antenna and confirm that I can hear, but nobody seems to hear me. So, nothing definitive yet on how well it turned out. It seems OK to me, but I don't have to listen to it.

 

[unit_399]

Good for you. Another 858SSB set getting resurrected. Nice piece of work. While you're in there, check out D23 (next to VR7). In the Realistic 858 ssb rigs, a 220 ohm resistor is installed in the D23 location. Replace this resistor with a 1N914 diode. Replace C87 (2uf/25V) with a 10uf/35 volt electrolytic. This will make the 449's limiter the same as all the other 858SSB sets. Really opens up the audio.

- J.J. 399

 

[brandon7861]

Got the PLL alignment done yesterday. Went to do the transmit alignment and noticed that the meter wasn't moving. Took me a good part of the afternoon but I did get it unstuck without destroying it. Now I just need to figure out what shade of orange needs to go on the needle since all the old paint flaked off.

Now that the meter is working, I can dive into the rest of the alignment.

Walmart carries this stuff for under $3 a bottle. I got it when playing around with UV LED meter lights.

with my out of focus mask curing UV laser (marketed as a purple cat toy)

 

[TM86]

Nice! And we do have a Walmart in town. Not much else, but we do have that.

 

[TM86]

Good for you. Another 858SSB set getting resurrected. Nice piece of work. While you're in there, check out D23 (next to VR7). In the Realistic 858 ssb rigs, a 220 ohm resistor is installed in the D23 location. Replace this resistor with a 1N914 diode. Replace C87 (2uf/25V) with a 10uf/35 volt electrolytic. This will make the 449's limiter the same as all the other 858SSB sets. Really opens up the audio.

- J.J. 399

You weren't kidding about it opening up the audio. I had to crank it down to keep it from overmodulating.