Most of us have heard the crazy stories surrounding 23 channel CB radios and their last days of life towards the end of 1977. It was a bloodbath, and not every manufacturer came out of it alive. I was personally caught up in this two different ways: I'd recently bought a Viking 352 sideband mobile, and I was involved with the sale of CB radios.
TWO BUSY HANDS
The most surprising aspect to me was the box the Feds put the manufacturer's into. On one hand they had to sell as much of their existing 23 channel radio lineup as possible before the cut off date, while the other hand was busy designing and manufacturing the new 40 channel models.
Can you imagine a company like Johnson dealing with the fact that 40 channels were right around the corner? With their warehouses full they had to continue to slug away on the existing 23 channel line, inclusive of following thru with new models that most likely had been designed, and been in pre-production since 1975.
It's as if someone was just told they were to be laid off in a year or two, and in the same breath, told to "keep plugging away" with the backlog of crap on your desk -as if your job was secure (err..maybe that wasn't the best analogy).
"By the summer of 1976, orders for new Citizens Band radio fell dramatically..."
That brings us to the June 1976 issue of CB magazine and on the cover: EF Johnson's NEW Messenger 323 "A".
By the summer of 1976, orders for new Citizens Band radio fell dramatically which prompted Wall Street to lower ratings on CB related companies. Gladding (Pearce-Simpson) saw its sales sag, and didn’t expect the industry to maintain itself with the lower priced 40 channel radios that were to hit the market soon**.
The FCC compounded issues by setting a date in 1977 (December 31st) when it would be illegal to sell the 23 channel radios any longer. In the midst of all this turmoil Johnson released the redesigned 323, a huge heavy, yet well designed AM-only mobile Citizens Band radio - one of the last CB radios Johnson would stamp with "Made in the U.S.A."
1977 saw CB magazines shrink in volume, probably due to much lower advertising budgets across the boards while consumers were still at odds on what to buy. Manufacturers tried to hang in there by coming out with their new 40 channel radios but the momentum had changed. U.S. Citizens Band companies were in dire need of help in 1977, so President Carter ended the duty-free status of Citizens Band radios imported from Taiwan.(1977) By June, the Tandy Corporation saw an overall decline in same store sales which they attributed to the lack of sales in CB radio and related accessories.
[ Shortly later, E.F. Johnson went to the ITC (International Trade Commission) to try and have quotas or increased tariffs on imports from Japan and other countries imposed. But by November, 1977 E.F.Johnson had announced that they were closing one of their two Citizen Band radio manufacturing plants due to the steep decline].**
ALL CAPACITORS ARE CREATED EQUAL. IT'S TIME AND HEAT THAT KILLS 'EM
Many components fail and show nothing-to-the-visible-eye, but more often than not when an electrolytic capacitor is close to failing (or flat out fails) visual clues are left for you to see -
THE TOP OF THESE CAPACITORS SHOULD BE FLAT. WHEN THEY'RE NOT - REPLACE THEM
ANY TIME YOU SEE "GUNK" COMING OUT OF A CAPACITOR (OR AROUND IT) - REPLACE IT
Electrolytic capacitors are vital to most-if-not-all radio circuits but the electrolytic capacitors more than any other component do not hold up well over time, regardless of the state of the radio. Whether it was a well used rig or one that never left the box it pays heed to replace them especially when it is something that was made 30+ years ago. AGE causes electrolytics to dry out and fail. HEAT, is another enemy of electrolytic capacitors and because a common place to find them is in the power supply section, it's best to keep yours in good shape. But even with those thoughts in mind, there are two schools of thought about replacing electrolytic capacitors:
1. You should replace old electrolytic's to avoid or fix various issued you are experiencing 2. Only replace them when they fail
If you are planning to replace all the electrolytics you have several options:
1. Pay someone else / or repair shop to do it 2. Do it yourself, full or partial
If you plan to do this yourself you'll need a reliable parts list to identify each and every capacitor, and while you could probably get away with only replacing the key electrolytic components (dc power for example), seriously, once it's all taken apart you may do well to get this over with in one shot. With your list of parts in-hand it's time to go shopping for cap's and here is where the plot thickens. Most consensus sez the capacitors made in China suck. They're produced so cheap and are so inexpensive that quality control goes out the window. The capacitor's in your old radio lasted 30-50 years, do you want to temp fate with something less?
"I found that only 10-20% of each lot was even close..."
Looking at capacitors from US vendors could possibly give you pause due to sticker shock, and it's tempting to try another venue like EBay - but it's buyer beware. When you see anything for sale on EBay and somewhere in the description you read "NOS" (New old stock / new or same) you know that the radio / camera / cassette deck etc. will look great on the shelf, but do you really want to buy NOS electrolytic capacitors, keeping in mind what I just told you in the first paragraph? I tried that route in the beginning and after having some strange results after replacement I began to wonder if it was all ME or was there something else in play working against me? So I bought a inexpensive capacitor meter - and the results floored me, so I bought some from several different EBAY vendors and compared them. Not one LOT was a 100% correct, in fact, I found that only 10-20% of each lot was even close, and those few capacitors weren't even near the +/- tolerances listed by the manufacturer. Some variances were drastic, for example, several 20uf capacitors tested to be over 100uf.
"I'd suggest that you purchase an inexpensive capacitor meter" Your other option, to buy from a major US component vendor, is fairly expensive so expect sticker shock. I recently went this route and bought in bulk because my project is "bulky". I'm planning to replace the electrolytic capacitors in all of the Turner +3 and Astatic amplified microphones I have laying around that are worthy of the cost/procedure and they number >20. It is still expensive, but considering the $$$ I wasted on EBAY trying to save a buck, the peace of mind is worth it.
So what's a radio Geek to do? Well, you can still try EBA. Not every vendor has old electrolytic capacitors and I'd suggest that you purchase an inexpensive capacitor meter - the one I bought was about $20. Whoa.....I hear some of you are already sounding the alarm about cheap meters, but, I have a "control group" of good capacitors that are right on-the-money and as long as these show their correct values (I re-verify my readings several times while going through a batch) and I feel just fine about not spending a bunch of money just to verify the value of a capacitor. If you only have one or two microphones that you want to restore their IS a vendor on EBAY that sells capacitor kits and he goes by the name Klondikemike, in Canada. I am not his shill. I have bought several kits from him and they have all been dead spot ON. Apparently he is careful about every item in the package and has weeded out anything you wouldn't want - but ask around some of the Internet boards(i.e. Worldwidedx)and you'll get similar kudo's. Canadian-to-US standard post is slow, but HEY - you've waited years to replace these, what's a few extra days?
RECENT SCANS: CB MAGAZINE DECEMBER 1977
GET READY FOR FIELD DAY!!
It's almost that time of the year, yes, Field Day is almost upon us (June 27,28). Usually this event is a time when many ham radio clubs go out in the wild, running equipment off everything but electricity from-the-wall. This year is special though, due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected us all. The ARRL has made several wavers with regards to which stations are eligible and you can find those HERE. I hope to hear you on-the-air!
80 METERS. AT LAST...
CHAMELEON F-LOOP
I made my first 80m contact's last month using a recently acquired F-Loop, made by the Chameleon antenna people. In the 35+ years I've been a ham, this is the 1st time I've ever had a way to get to 80m - and I'm pretty stoked!! If anyone's been counting, you'll know I have 3 MLA's now: An HF loop for 7-30MHz, the Chameleon for 80-60m, and finally a MLA for 6 meters (which I've yet to really use). The F-Loop is capable of higher frequencies, but the second loop has to be taken out-of-circuit to do this and it's much easier to just flip a switch on my coax switch box than going through all of that trouble when the upper bands may be silent once I got there.
6M MAG LOOP
In the event you are wondering about the small loop, which is hanging on the wall of the shack, it's an old 11m direction-finding MLA (there is a small variable capacitor at the top of the loop).
11M DIRECTION-FINDING MLA
Yes, I'm "loopy" now, and loving every minute of it. Indoor HF has never been so much fun! UPCOMING ARTICLE:
THE PHILMORE 7001, MY "GATEWAY DRUG TO ALL THINGS RADIO"
YOUTUBE VIEWING:
YouTubers Hamfest 2020
DINO DAVILA: SOUNDING GOOD
"CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?" OR:HOW FAR CAN A LAWNMOWER GO?
That wraps it up for the first posting of June, 2020. Stay safe, healthy, and...Radio-active!!
I'm working on some articles that have taken too much time to write/correct/re-write as well, there have been many days with high pressure domes (plenty of dx to chase), so I was distracted. Here are a few videos to watch while I toil (and play)...
FRED-IN-THE-SHED: EXPOSES FAKE NAGOYA
Wiring order for a KPO 532 mic to CRT SS 6900N radio
A multimode SSB CB radio makes sense over an AM / FM
Recently I added a scan of a 1974 Henshaws catalog and the link is on the right-side of the blog under "Woody's Favorite Links". I'll have additional links to ad in the near future. Lastly, I've finally updated most of the audio files (upper right) - enjoy.
THINGS I RECENTLY STUMBLED UPON AT YOUTUBE - FUNNY AND INSTRUCTIONAL
SNAP-CRACKLE-POP-SMOKE GOES HIS AMP
"I JUST GOT DOWN" (he's no longer living, but the videos live on)
MOVING UP TO HAM RADIO
THIS IS HAM RADIO
FROM THE STUCK-AT-HOME CORNER.....
Like everyone else, and being at home every day, it didn't take long for me to realize how crappy my shack looked due to wires being run-hung-dropped-laying EVERYWHERE, so I did something I normally don't do - I grabbed my DX Engineering catalog and looked for a way to clean it up. For some reason I've always shied away from Anderson Powerpoles because (to be honest) they seemed intimidating to me. Other concerns (i.e. - financial) had also played a part in my reticence because I didn't have a decent crimper. By gazing at the price of connectors + a Powerpole crimper I'd always channeled my money into other things, like radios, microphones, antennas, and yes - more power cords. I had some extra cash left over from a recent sale of a radio so this time I took what I needed, jumped online to DX Engineering's website and ordered a Powerpole crimper, some connectors, and Rigrunner 4012 DC power outlet panel.
Just to be sure I didn't screw up the incoming connectors I found a great step-by-step video on YouTube that showed me it was as easy as everyone had told me over the years (that video is just beneath this article).
In minutes I was be-bopping all over the shack, crimping everything I could think of (much like someone who gets their first label maker and suddenly labeled items are everywhere). The power leads within the shack are now organized, crimped, and easily plugged/unplugged into the Rigrunner, which is wired directly to my big power supply. For the first time, the light's on my two watt/swr meters actually work. I can kick myself for not do this sooner, but I'm glad I finally took the plunge!
(next project: big antenna switch and same-length coax jumpers). The video below should really set your mind at ease regarding doubts about difficulty...
HOW TO CRIMP THOSE POWER-POLE CONNECTORS (RECOMMENDED VIEWING)
That crossword puzzle I attempted (a couple posts ago) never really worked well, but after spending a lot of time searching old hard drives, I found the original software that I used before 2010. Here are two links, one is a java driven page for real time solving and the second is a plain HTML page that you can print out and work on the puzzle at your leisure, and I'll do another one next month!
CB AND HAM RADIO IS SOCIAL DISTANCING
In the beginning, CB was created, and all was well. It became popular, and then it became a fad. During this fad, in the mid-70's while driving into Houston down I-45 at least 75% of the cars I saw had CB antennas on them, and everyone was trying to talk at once with a "coffee break" on Friday's almost every other exit, from one I-Hop or Denny's to another. And then it wasn't a fad, and it was quiet again, but people were still lurking on the channels (yes, there were other factors like the 40 channel radio bloodbath - but I digress).
"we've been practicing social distancing for over one hundred years..."
The late sixties was my introduction to two-way radio by way of CB. Ham radio had been there for decades earlier, but if I'm being honest with you I'd have to say that CB base station radio had a cool factor going for them that Ham radios of that same period did not. My friends were all on CB and I decided that this 11m band would be my home for awhile (approx. 15 years, before a ham license).
I guess we've all read recent stories about people who can't deal with the isolation, whereas a radio operator may not even blink when it comes to staying home - we've been practicing social distancing for over one hundred years. Before the mad chaos of the mid-to-late 70's it was a much less technical world. At home in Connecticut, we had 2 VHF and 2 UHF TV stations so getting local news was rare, and even national news was usually on once a day. There was one local newspaper which had only a few pages, and two larger newspaper editions: The Hartford Courant (early morning) and the Hartford Times, delivered each evening. I had the misfortune of getting up at 4 a.m. to sort and deliver the Courant. Peddling a bike while loaded down with papers wasn't the easiest thing to do with a foot or more of snow on the ground... If someone required their news faster than that they had to turn to their broadcast radio, CB radio, or Ham station.
"I got pretty good at forecasting when school wouldn't open, or how long it would stay closed"
Besides using CB to talk among friends I remember getting much of my local news and information by sandbagging some of the adult (over-25) frequencies as well as asking truckers on channel 10 about things like road conditions after a severe snowstorm, current weather conditions regarding a Nor'easter that was headed out way, to even asking about the origin of that smoke rising on the horizon. Using this information I got pretty good at forecasting when school wouldn't open an how long it would stay closed.
I've typed enough (for the moment) about the good 'ol days, but what about ham radio? Well, there's plenty of fun to be had on the ham bands too. You have the ability to go up or down the frequencies to find the best amateur band of that moment. Some bands like 80m are great in the early morning, possibly for within the state communicates in the late afternoon, and most other times it's good to move up in frequency like 40 or 20 meters. There are plenty of ways to get your signal out, and many frequencies to do it.
6 meters, a.k.a. the magic band can work well locally, and hundereds if not thousands of miles during e-skip. You'll find AM, FM, and sideband along with a variety of digital modes. 2 meters is where you typically find satellite work, ssb at 144.200 and repeater's higher up. Many repeater's are hang outs for various local amateur radio groups. One of the Houston area ham radio clubs (BVARC) began having week day 2m net's at noon to pass along gathered information, as well as to keep some operators abreast of what each ham was up to since the stay-at-home orders were in affect. I'm listening to it right now, and today's subject is: "What was your first ham radio?" (brief pause while I check in) and my answer was: a Heathkit HW-5400.
Ham radio is valuable during events of major importance, like Hurricanes, floods, and Tornadoes, and I've done a bit of throwing my hat into the ring in helping out others over the decades, since licensed. It also allows you to practice social distancing across the world. In a nutshell: stay safe, and if you're stuck at home, a CB, Ham radio (or both) can be a great friend to have.
OM0ET USING MLA AND X-5105
VK3YE: Interesting Homebrew 100 watt 7 MHz magnetic loop for units and apartments
"if you haven't sent an email to the seller within the first minute or two of his posting, you're not going to be able to buy it"
HAMFEST'S ARE CANCELLED
Many ham event has been canceled so far this year, most notably Dayton's Hamvention. Because of the cancellations, several groups have flourished: Sellers (those stuck with a lot of ham gear) and buyers (some who just long for making a "deal"), and here are my observations:
EBay listings for 2-way radios are decreasing in the sheer number of posts due in part to the lack of garage sales.
QTH ads have been somewhat fewer than usual, for possibly the same reasons
But QRZ's buy-sell-swap forum has been swamped with sellers as well as eager radio op's who are going through hamfest withdrawal. Typically when an item was posted for sale, and it was a good price, it would get sold in 30 minutes to half a day. Radio items don't last that long now. If you've ever gone to a ham event early, before the main building is open to the public I'm pretty sure you've seen folks with flashlights running from tailgate to tailgate in an attempt to beat someone else to a good deal.
Flashlights have been replaced by mouse-clicks, and if you haven't sent an email to the seller within the first minute or two of his posting, you're not going to be able to buy it - it's that fast! For example, I saw an item where it had been posted for sale "2 minutes ago". It was something I could use, and at a very fair price. In the time it took to compose and send my email (less than a minute) I got my e-mail off to the buyer. I wasn't fast enough.
So, whether you're yakking with friends around town, across the country, or joining a pack of swarming mouse clicker's on a swap forum... have fun doing it!
I did some catalog scanning this week, and here's a few pages for your enjoyment!
Hi Guys. It's been awhile (actually a long time) since I've put a CB-Ham radio crossword puzzle together, but I figured as most of us have a lot of spare time it might be a good time to post a new one on the Blog to help while away the time. I lost the original software I used after a computer crash, but found one that will do for now, and it's supposed to be inter-active. Have fun. Stay safe. Woody
With all of our news channels talking Corona language it may have been easy to miss the report of a 5.7 magnitude earthquake that happened in the State of Utah, Thursday March 18th.
I've been keeping myself busy of late by refurbishing some of my Turner +3 microphones, occasionally watching news and/or videos on YouTube, and wanted to share some of this with you as we practice social distancing (I always have something tuned to the Triple Nickel but it's been very quiet)...
If, like me, you happen to have a bunch of resistors, capacitors, and other parts lying around it might be fun to build some KTKT (Kits To Kill Time). K7AGE has a lot of info-tainment to watch, so I've just selected a few of them for my blog post. Please select the link to see more.
How To Build An RF Sampler Box
How To Build A QRP Dummy Load
And, if you happen to have some old low pass filters around...
How to make a Ham Radio RF Dummy load using a Low Pass filter Conversion
Space Weather's Latest Forecast
The Blogger interface has been giving me some bother of late whenever I embed too much, so here is some recent stuff from my favorite channels (you know who they are)..
If you happen to have Xfinity cable and want to watch some movies (currently in Theaters), they have just started to offer some that you can rent for view on your TV. There are 3 of them right now (The Hunt, The Invisible Man, and Emma), but I'm fairly certain we'll see more as this Pandemic continues...
