Radio Restoration

Radio Restoration My main hobby is the restoration of vintage radio receivers - from the 1920's through 1960's

Posting part of the Geloso G 206-R schematic showing the small mod to by-pass the RF amplifier stage on Band 2.
06/17/2026

Posting part of the Geloso G 206-R schematic showing the small mod to by-pass the RF amplifier stage on Band 2.

I managed to find lots of 'radio time' yesterday(!), so worked on the Geloso until I had completed the project...I start...
06/16/2026

I managed to find lots of 'radio time' yesterday(!), so worked on the Geloso until I had completed the project...
I started by undertaking the IF alignment. This is a dual-conversion receiver, with the 1st IF at 4.6MHz and the 2nd IF at (nominally) 467KHz, actual crystal filter frequency dependent. By swinging an analogue (unmodulated) signal generator around this frequency and monitoring the AGC level, I found the filter crystal frequency in this chassis to be 465.95KHz, so as is typical for ageing crystals (this one is around 66 years old), it had dropped in frequency from its nominal value of 467KHz - it had also lost some of its activity (see later in this post). Sometimes this can be corrected by opening up the crystal holder and cleaning the crystal element with IPA, but, unlike the other three crystals in this chassis, the filter crystal is a sealed unit (the others can be disassembled by removing screws). I could have broken the seal, but this risks damage to the crystal, so I decided to leave it alone.
Having determined the 2nd IF frequency (465.95KHz), I set my HP8656B signal generator to this frequency, with 30% modulation at 1KHz, and peaked each of the 2nd IF transformers using an output meter connected across the speaker terminals. That done, I set up the crystal filter load coil per the instructions in the manual, ie. with the signal generator set 4KHz above the crystal frequency, however, the signal peak obtained in doing this was a little 'muted' and not very sharp, indicating that the crystal has likely lost some of its activity.
I then moved on to the 1st IF setup. This first involves setting up the oscillation amplitude of the two crystals in this circuit that provide the 2nd local oscillator frequencies for AM/LSB and USB, one at 4133KHz, the other at 5067KHz, using a VTVM. I found one oscillator (for USB) had low output, and this would explain why it had been 'hesitating' for a fraction of a second when the mode switch was thrown to this position. Setting the oscillators to the correct outputs fixed this issue. The 1st IF transformer was then adjusted (peaked) with a 4.6MHz signal injected into the control grid of the 1st mixer tube. No issues were encountered during this stage of the alignment. I decided to leave any checks on the IF bandwidth and response curve symmetry until after I had completed the RF alignment.
The manual provides a diagram of the antenna, RF interstage and 1st local oscillator adjustments exactly as per the silk-screened metal cover plate over the trimmers and coil slugs I mentioned in an earlier post, with no information on the preferred order of adjustment, other than setting the oscillator coils and trimmers first. It could have least mentioned that the 'Calibration Reset' control must be adjusted to mid span before starting the RF alignment, as, unless this is done, the alignment can be problematic, especially on the higher frequency bands. My only other 'gripe' is that the arrangement of the local oscillator trimmers and coils are different to that of the antenna coils and RF interstage coils and trimmers, that can result in tweaking the wrong ones by mistake if not paying close attention (wonder how I know this...?).
The air spaced trimmers were very stiff to turn, and had been locked in place with very tough sealant, requiring the use of a large screwdriver to free them. I found that the higher bands were significantly out of adjustment, requiring many iterations of the coil slugs and trimmers to obtain satisfactory tracking. Also, Geloso had used quite large value trimmers on these bands, making adjustment very 'critical', and the slots in the ends of the slug adjustment screws are very narrow, so even with my vast array of 'twiddle sticks' I could find only one that would fit them (and in on case I had to use the tip of a modelling knife - not the best design on a number of counts!
This meant the RF alignment took a very long time, but I got there in the end... however, Band 2, covering 26MHz to 28MHz (the one that was completely 'deaf' when I first checked the receiver and that improved with cleaning the band change switch), was still quite deaf when compared to all the other bands. I spent some time investigation the problem by resistance checks between circuit nodes in the RF sub-chassis, this identifying that the primary winding of the RF amplifier/1st mixer interstage transformer was open circuit on Band 2 (the primary winding of this transformer, in the plate circuit of the RF amplifier tube, is aperiodic and uses very small gauge wire compared to that of the tuned secondary winding that couples to the control grid of the 1st mixer tube).
As noted in a previous post, access inside the RF sub-chassis is very limited without its removal from the chassis and significant further disassembly, with a risk that other RF transformers and/or the phenolic switch wafers could be damaged in the process. As this band is rarely used (if ever), my suggestion to the owner was to leave it as is, which he was ok with. If the receiver was a particularly rare type, or the affected band was one that would be used regularly, eg. 40M and 20M, then it may have been worth the time/effort (and risk) to undertake the disassembly work needed to access the Band 2 interstage coil.
However, after I had spoken to the owner, I thought of a way of effecting a repair that would render this band largely functional, if not quite as good as the others, ie. by by-passing the RF amplifier on this band. This can be done quite easily on this receiver by linking a wire from the 'hot' end of the interstage transformer secondary tuned circuit to the antenna connection using a small value coupling capacitor and short length of wire. The small coupling capacitor minimizes loading of the tuned circuit, and allows it to still be tuned ok, as well as minimizing any impact on the other bands.
I tried this idea out using a short jury-rigged jumper wire and found that signals on Band 2 were only around 2.5dB down (according to the S-meter) compared to the upper 10M band (28MHz - 30MHz) and 15M band (21MHz - 21.5MHz), though there would be a little loss of RF selectivity due to the loss of the antenna tuned circuit from the signal path on this band (not a big deal with a 1st IF of 4.6MHz).
I experimented with the value of the coupling capacitor and found a value of 35pF to be the optimal to provide sufficient coupling of the signal, still allowed the interstage tuned circuit to be tuned, and minimize any impact to the other bands. I then installed the wire and capacitor in place of the jumper lead and re-aligned the RF section again (only minor 'touch-ups' needed, apart from on Band 2).
With the RF alignment completed, I turned my attention to the crystal calibrator. This was working, but inaudible on the higher frequency bands. I added a short length of stiff wire to the end of the miniature coax that I had connected to the plate of the calibrator tube via a 15pF capacitor I mentioned in an earlier post, and wrapped this around the lead from the antenna socket to the 4.6MHz IF trap several times, forming a low-value 'gimmick' capacitor. This provided sufficient coupling to hear the 3.5MHz calibrator signal on all bands. I subsequently noted that the second (later) schematic I found had the calibrator circuit coupled to the antenna trimmer, so I think the poor calibrator signal on sets without this had been noted as an issue, with the modification added to fix it.
Next, I coupled-up the Siglent spectrum analyzer to the 2nd IF of the receiver and checked the IF bandwidth at various settings of the selectivity control and operation of the crystal filter. The response curve symmetry was good, with no tweaks of the IF transformers necessary. These checks again confirmed that the crystal in the IF filter is low activity, resulting in a much broader resonance peak than would be expected at the higher selectivity settings, however, the phasing control can be adjusted to provide a reasonably deep notch that will be useful to null out unwanted adjacent stations. The manual/specs. do not note the expected IF selectivities, only 'very broad' at crystal position 1, to 'very harrow' (sic) at crystal position 4. I found that without the crystal in circuit, the IF bandwidth (-3dB) to be 3.467KHz, and crystal positions 1 (3.333KHz), 2 (3.167KHz), 3 (2.600KHz), and 4 (1.760KHz), with a maximum notch depth (in position 4) of -35dB below the peak - not great, but not too bad. The 1.78kHz bandwidth is a little too broad for CW reception under crowded band conditions, or if there is significant QRM present on the bands.
With that, I placed the chassis into its cabinet and re-tweaked the RF trimmers/slugs through the access slots on the base of the cabinet (as the proximity of the metal cabinet affects the tuning slightly - especially on the 10M and 15M bands). That done, I undertook some mid-band sensitivity (minimum discernable signal), and signal to noise (uV for >6dB SNR) checks using the HP8656B signal generator and Agilent 8935 test set, results as follows:

Band Frequency AM CW/SSB dB (uV equivalent)
1 29MHz

Busy editing the Summer issue of 'Canadian Vintage Radios' today (and expecting the arrival of two new computer monitors...
06/14/2026

Busy editing the Summer issue of 'Canadian Vintage Radios' today (and expecting the arrival of two new computer monitors as the backlight in one of the ones I am using started to flicker and then dimmed so I can hardly see the picture!).
So, with the editing work and monitor setup/playing, I will likely not find a large enough chunk of quality time to undertake the IF and RF alignment on the Geloso receiver today. That said, I did a couple of small jobs on it this morning on the chassis, and added a couple of labels to note fuse ratings and to help prevent any future mistakes with the 6H-6 ballast tube(!).
The first job was to replace the 'oddball' antenna socket on the rear apron with an (Amphenol) SO-239 socket, as requested by the owner. The second was to attach a 15pF disc ceramic coupling capacitor to the plate of the calibrator tube, the other end of the capacitor connected to the inner of a short length of miniature coax, the other end of which I placed close to the antenna connector to see if I could improve the calibrator injection at higher frequencies. Without connecting the coax to the antenna, the stray coupling helped a bit, but maybe a 'hard' connection is needed, or, possibly use a 'gimmick' capacitor, ie. a length of wire wrapped around the antenna socket connection wire. That experiment will have to wait though as I need to 'get editing'!
On a very different note, I had a run out to Oak Bay yesterday -absolutely beautiful weather and great drive along the coast route - looked like the Mediterranean!

I spent some time working on the Geloso receiver last night.  While tuning around the bands, I had noticed there was som...
06/13/2026

I spent some time working on the Geloso receiver last night. While tuning around the bands, I had noticed there was some noise as the tuning gang rotated, indicating that either its rotor contact areas needed cleaning and/or there was dirt between the capacitor vanes.
The tuning gang in this set has a metal enclosure (cover) over it - this is good, as this keeps out most of the dust. However, the three nuts holding the cover in place are not the easiest to access (actually two nuts, as one was missing, indicating someone had been in there before and gave up trying to replace one of them!).
I managed to remove the cover after some effort, and gave the tuning gang the usual 'treatment' (clean between the vanes with a long-bristle paint brush, clean the frame and insulators with IPA, blasts of compressed air between the vanes, Deoxit D5 on the rotor contact areas, cleaned congealed grease from the ball race front bearing and applied new lithium grease, and a spot of light machine oil to the rear bearing. After this treatment, there was no more noise when tuning.
While the cover was off the tuning gang, I took the opportunity to give the top of the chassis a thorough cleaning, removing all the tubes to do this. I also cleaned the tube sockets and shields with IPA. As I was doing this, I noticed two hairline cracks in the plastic over the central brass boss of the large plastic dial cord pulley - both associated with the holes for the set screws securing the pulley to the tuning gang shaft. The cracks were likely caused by stress due to the plastic shrinking over time over the brass boss. To mitigate propagation of the cracks, I scored the surface of the pulley around them, cleaned the surface with IPA and applied a layer of 2-part epoxy over the cracked areas.
After replacement of the tubes and tuning gang cover (I managed to fit all three nuts!), when I powered-up the set - silence, and the S-meter did not 'end-stop' as it had been doing since I fixed it, indicating there were no B+ voltage.
I quickly switched the set off and investigated. I found that the ballast tube had been inserted incorrectly - I must have been more tired than I thought, but I had definitely not ‘forced’ the tube into its socket. On inspection, I noted that the keyway on this tube’s (octal) base was not very prominent, and the mating slot in the octal socket maybe a bit worn, allowing the tube to be inserted with an incorrect orientation. Given the way the tube and the base are wired, this had effectively shorted-out the B+ supply through the ballast tube element, the 200ohm series resistor, an 8.2ohm resistor to ground, as one of the unused lugs on the octal socket is used as a tie-point for the B+ line(!). Re-installing the ballast tube (correctly!) fixed the problem and no harm seems to gave been done - the heaters of the tubes fed by the ballast were at the correct voltage and so was the B+ supply. I marked the ballast tube base and the chassis to make sure such a mistake could be easily avoided in future.
I then decided to investigate the S-meter zero issue, ie. why the meter would only zero when the zero adjustment pot was at one end of its travel (fully CCW when looking from under the chassis). I suspected that I had maybe missed measuring one of the resistors that form the S-meter bridge circuit, so I started to compare the schematic I had (dated 1958) to the components in the chassis. Well, this led to an interesting discovery - the circuit was very different!
I reverse-engineered the circuit that the chassis had been wired to, and concluded that one of the resistors fitted into this version of the meter bridge was incorrect - a 2.2Kohm resistor should be between 1Kohm and 1.5Kohm for the bridge to balance with the (2kohm pot) near its mid-travel. So, I replaced the 2.2kohm part with a 1kohm resistor and, that solved the problem - I could now easily zero the S-meter with the pot around half-travel. I later found a second version of the schematic (dated 1961) that had the revised S-meter circuit shown (see photos attached to this post) - this indicated the resistor to be 1.5kohms.
I noted several other changes from the first schematic I had been using, though some component values in this chassis seem to be a hybrid of the two schematics(!), eg. the screen resistor for the 2nd 467KHz IF stage is shown as 100kohms on the second schematic, whereas that fitted to this chassis is and as shown on the first schematic is 68kohms. I also noted that the 6H-6 ballast circuit is slightly different on the two schematics, with that in this chassis matching the first schematic. So, it would appear that the Italian communications receiver manufacturers were also prone to design changes during the production cycle of a set, just like those in North America(!). Oh well, at least the problem is solved... One last point on this, close inspection of the track of the S-meter zero pot showed that it had likely only ever been adjusted around the fully CCW position (less tarnish on the wire track), so the issue had probably been there since the set was new because an incorrect resistor value had been fitted.
This morning, given my experience with the incorrectly-inserted ballast tube (and in case someone repeated the mistake in the future), I decided to fit a fuse in the B+ supply line, between the 200ohm series resistor and the reservoir capacitor. Thinking about it overnight, it occurred to me that if the power transformer in this set was damaged, it would be very difficult to replace as it has an unusual set of secondary windings for the heater supplies and the bias supply, warranting some additional protection to that afforded by the line fuse. I fitted a chassis-mount fuseholder, again using one of the original rectifier mounting holes, and fitted it with a 200mA slow-blow fuse.
Next I removed all the k***s and the dial cover and gave the front panel a good clean - some of the more 'ground-in' dirt around the controls required rubbing with Novus #2 to remove it, finished using Novus #1, which I also used to clean the dial and dial cover and the k***s before re-fitting. I touched-up the pointer a black market pen, and replaced the dial bulb. The set looks much smarter now!
I then checked operation of the calibrator - this operates at 3.5MHz, and uses this fundamental or its harmonics to calibrate the low end frequency of each of five bands, ie, Band 1 (28MHz), Band 3 (21MHz), Band 4 (14MHz), Band 5 (7MHz) and Band 6 (3.5MHz), with Band 2 being calibrated at its upper end (28MHz), with the 'Calibration Reset' control bringing the relevant band onto the calibration signal (this control operates a small trimmer in the 1st local oscillator circuit). I could hear the calibrator signal on the lower bands, but not on the higher ones. I checked the output of the calibrator using a TinySA, and found that harmonics on above 14MHz were quite weak. I also found that the dial calibration is over 200KHz out on some of the bands, so the calibration signal could not actually be tuned in(!).
So, the next job is to carry out an alignment...

I plowed-on with the resistor checks and replacements yesterday - I replaced a total of 22 of the old carbon composition...
06/12/2026

I plowed-on with the resistor checks and replacements yesterday - I replaced a total of 22 of the old carbon composition resistors (probably around half of the total number in the chassis). None of the ones I replaced were more than around 30% above their nominal values, though some looked like the had been a bit 'toasty' (mainly screen and plate resistors). I then cleaned the track of the 'S-meter' zero-adjustment pot using a Q-Tip soaked with Deoxit D5 - I think this component used to have a back on it, as evidence by traces of glue around the edge of the body - likely removed by someone that cleaned it previously.
I also replaced two more (brown plastic-encapsulated) tubular capacitors. One of these had no measurable leakage, but their values were both 'off'. They looked like UK-manufactured 'Hunts' types - a 'replace on sight brand! - but were not.
This morning I replaced both the finned selenium rectifier and the Siemens flatpack selenium bridge rectifier - both were working ok, but are 'ticking stink bombs', so best to replace them for reliability. I used 1N4007 rectifiers for both applications, and selected suitable series resistors to provide approximately the correct negative bias and B+ voltages - I fitted a 270ohm metal film flameproof 1W resistor in series with the single 1N4007 bias supply rectifier to provide the nominal -40vDC bias supply, and a 200ohm 5W wirewound resistor in series with the B+ supply rectifier (4 x 1N4007 rectifiers in a bridge circuit), the latter series resistor dissipating around 2.4W. Series resistors are often needed when replacing selenium rectifiers with silicon ones as the selenium parts have a higher internal resistance. All these components were mounted on a pair or tagstrips fitted to the chassis using the original selenium rectifier chassis holes.
I left the chassis on soak-test for an hour and then checked temperatures using a thermal camera - nothing untoward, so I then turned my attention to the broken S-meter...
As per a previous post, the S-meter was open-circuit, however, the bridge circuit seemed to be functioning ok when an external meter was connected to it.
I removed the S-meter from the front panel (one retaining nut is particularly difficult to access(!), and removed the meter movement from its case. The problem was immediately apparent - the wires connecting the meter movement to the connections on the rear of the meter were disintegrating - both the insulation and the fine wire inside(!) - I have never seen this happen before. This made the repair very straightforward - simply replacing the wires!
While the meter movement was out of its case, I cleaned the inside of the glass cover and case with Novus #1 (anti-static). After testing, reassembly and re-installation on the front panel, I found that the meter was now working, although I noted that the zero pot had to be at one end of its travel to zero the meter. This is likely due to imbalance in the meter (bridge) circuit that I will investigate when I have more time - its far too nice an afternoon for the workshop, so I am off out!

So, onwards with sorting out the Band 2 'silence' issue on the Geloso receiver...After a few resistance checks from the ...
06/11/2026

So, onwards with sorting out the Band 2 'silence' issue on the Geloso receiver...
After a few resistance checks from the three RF sub-chassis tube socket pins to ground, between socket pins, and from socket pins to connections on the side of the RF sub-chassis, I found a couple of significantly out of tolerance resistors (cathode resistors in the RF amplifier and 1st mixer stages - almost 100% high of their nominal value, however, nothing else seemed untoward.
So, I then spent some time figuring out how to access the inside of the RF sub-chassis in-situ, or the best way to remove it completely. First, I removed the cover plate from the trimmers/coil banks - this allowed me to at least inspect the (air-spaced) trimmers - nothing looked shorted on Band 2 (trimmers are only provided for the local oscillator and mixer stages, the antenna circuits have only slug tuning).
I then realized that the side panels of the RF sub-chassis can be removed with the sub-chassis in place (yeah!) - simply by removing three screws in each, the panels then slide upwards. This allows access to the three sections of the band change switch (the other section is external to the sub-chassis rear panel, and only switches different value resistors into the RF amplifier tube screen circuit, depending on the band selected.
With the rest of the band change switch wafers now accessible, although they are a little obscured, I managed to clean them all with a combination of Deoxit D5 soaked Q-Tips and microfiber pad sticks - some contacts were very tarnished, so I also applied some Cramolin., then Deoxit D5 again.
I tested the receiver after this and Band 2 was now working! - yeah!!! So, the problem was just tarnished switch contacts - I thought this might be the case rather than an open coil winding, as the coils on the 10M band are something like 20 gauge wire(!). Good news, however, Band 2 seems a little less sensitive than Band 1, though this may just be an alignment issue, as I had noted the mixer trimmer was fully open, indicating that maybe someone had been twiddling the trimmers (and maybe the coil slugs also) to see if they could render the band functional after it stopped working some time in the past...
Next, I double-checked the resistors in the RF sub-chassis, and decided to change out the two way-out of tolerance cathode resistors, even though this would likely not result in any great improvement in performance. Almost all the components in the RF sub-chassis are very difficult to access/remove/replace, including these resistors (though some are much harder to access!).
Each of the cathode resistors had a 4700pF disc ceramic bypass capacitor soldered directly across it. I checked the value of these capacitors and found them to be on the low-side of nominal, so I replaced both of these also.
The replacement of these parts took almost 1.5 hours, as great care is needed to avoid damaging other components - either mechanically, or with the soldering iron, and to avoid shorts between components and wires. I had to snip one wire in the mixer compartment to allow sufficient clearance to access the cathode pin of the tube socket, this being reconnected once the new resistor/capacitor combo was installed.
During this work, I made a careful inspection of each compartment and was pleased to note that no paper capacitors were present - all capacitors are disc ceramics, which tend to be very reliable, at least for leakage, although the capacitance values can drift a bit over time (and with temperature/applied voltage). That said, they have low internal inductance compared with most other capacitor types, and therefore make decent RF bypass capacitors through to UHF frequencies, and the absolute capacitance value is usually not too critical in bypass applications.
I checked the resistance to ground from the RF amplifier and mixer stage tube cathodes after completing the work and all was ok. I then powered-up the receiver and it was functioning ok on all bands - phew!
Next, I plan on working my way through the resistors on the main chassis, again replacing any that are significantly out of tolerance, especially where this can impact receiver performance - tedious work, but usually worthwhile...

I worked on the Geloso receiver this morning - starting with re-stringing the dial cord.First, I matched-up the old line...
06/11/2026

I worked on the Geloso receiver this morning - starting with re-stringing the dial cord.
First, I matched-up the old line cord diameter with some new cord (this is important - never use a line cord that is thicker than the original, as it often ends up binding around the tuning k**b shaft!). I then cut the remnants of the old cord off the tensioning spring and measured the length, adding several inches for knot tying. The original cord was wrapped around the tuning k**b shaft 1.5 times, which is on the low side for reliable grip, so I added an extra turn. The cord arrangement is about as simple as it gets (none of that fancy German 'dial cord origami' here thank goodness!): just round the tuning k**b shaft (2.5 times), then one end of the cord around each side of the large plastic pulley on the tuning gang shaft, pass the ends of the cord through the slot in the pulley rim, tie a knot, and hook the end of the tensioning spring (already anchored at one end inside the pulley) over the knot. That's it.
The trick is making sure you have enough cord, looping the cord in the correct direction around the tuning k**b shaft, and making sure the cord is tied at exactly the right spot to allow sufficient tension in the spring for reliable operation. The main issue here though was that access to the tuning k**b shaft and pulley is not that good with the front panel in place (and removing that is a lot of work!), however, by using a couple of pairs of tweezers and some pieces of masking tape, the job was not too fiddly - at least compared with some 'nightmares' I have encountered in the past, usually on fancy European sets....
While I was re-stringing the dial, I noticed a tubular paper capacitor I had missed during my under-chassis work yesterday - located on the rear of the mode switch (AM/USB/LSB), which is above the chassis. I replaced that, then decided to clean the rotary switches and pots using either Deoxit D5 or Cramolin (both applied using Q-Tips), or Deoxit F5 (pots only), as I had noted that several were noisy when the set was operated, and that the crystal filter switch was not working at all. Some switch contacts were so badly tarnished that I had to first use a glass fibre pen before applying Deoxit.
I had also noted that the S-Meter was not working, so I then briefly checked this - I found that the meter movement was broken, so that would need to be dismantled to see if it can be repaired. I connected a Triplett VOM (measuring uA) across the S-Meter terminals and found that the Triplett meter responded, indicating it was a reverse-acting movement, ie, FSD is to the left. Hmmm - not so easy to deal with if the original movement is unrepairable. I left this issue for now as its not critical to operation of the receiver, so would be a job for another day.
As I was checking operation of the receiver controls, I noted that there was now a (120Hz) background hum on the audio - not strong, but noticeable when the audio gain was advanced fully. I checked the dual-50uF 450vw B+ supply reservoir/smoothing capacitors and found that the reservoir capacitor section had failed open-circuit, with only a few pF of capacitance(!). I had a new 'JJ'-manufactured dual 50uF 500vw part in stock, so I fitted that in place of the original - it fitted perfectly, and its clamp could even be secured in place with the original screws through the original holes in the chassis! I removed the gold-coloured carboard sleeve from the old capacitor and fitted it over the replacement (not perfect, but at least it retains most of the above-chassis cosmetics...). There was no trace of any hum when the set was powered-up again.
During my 'tea break' I left the set running, and entertained myself by testing some of the removed tubular paper and electrolytic capacitors using a Sencore LC53 and/or an ATLAS peak ESR70 meter - some tested (almost) ok, others had failed completely or were well on their way to doing so! - always good fun (and always a surprise to think the radio actually worked with these capacitors in place!). I also took a few thermal images of the chassis - some attached to this post.
While I was checking the B+ voltage with the new filter capacitors installed, I also measured the negative bias supply. I found this to be running at around -42vDC - I thought this odd, as the original filter capacitors on this supply were two 100uF 25vw parts(!) - also as marked on the schematic. I tried changing the primary voltage tap on the power transformer from 110vAC to 125vAC, but this only reduced the bias supply voltage to around -38vDC.
I then checked the voltage table in the manual - the notes under the table are in Italian, but 'Google Translate' on my iPhone confirmed that the negative bias supply should be around -40vDC. So, why had Geloso specified (and used) 25vw parts? Luckily, I had installed 50vw capacitors in this supply(!). The small finned selenium rectifier was working ok and running cool, but, in my experience these are a stinky smoke bomb just waiting to happen, so I will be replacing that soon. For now, I left it in place while I started to check out the 'dead' Band 2 issue.
The absence of signals on Band 2, and lower background noise on this band suggested that the local oscillator may not be working. However, on checking this with a TinySA, this was confirmed not to be the case - it was working well across this band. I ran out of time, but will continue this investigation tomorrow, along with the resistor checks I did not get around to today (too many distractions!).

Address

Victoria, BC

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Radio Restoration posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Radio Restoration:

Share