I've narrowed down the problem in between two tubes. Here is the location where you can find the schematic if you want to see what I'm talking about
http://bama.edebris.com/manuals/military/r392/ If I inject the 455kc if at the grid of the 1st IF amplifier (v501) if receive is dead or alive I get the same signal out so I know everything ahead of this to the speaker is fine. If I inject the 455kc signal at the plate of the tube before it, which is the VFO mixer (v801) when the receive dies the signal dies so I figure well it's got to be in between(I verified the voltages are getting to the tube even when silent). The only thing in between is a 15k resistor and a .01uf capacitor which goes to ground and these are on the plate of V801. Then there is a transformer (T801) which the secondary goes to the grid of v501.
Now here is something interesting I've noticed. The way I have been injecting the signal is wrapping a piece of wire around the tube pin I want to test and plugging it into the circuit and using the piece of wire sticking up to inject the signal, using a capacitor to block DC to the sig gen. Now 50% of the time or more if the receiver is dead and I am hooked up to the plate (pin 5) of the vfo oscillator mixer AS SOON as I touch the capacitor to the signal generator output the receiver will come alive. So that has me thinking is it the tube acting funny? I need to buy some spare tubes for this thing anyways but I have none right now to swap in. And this is the only 26d6 in the receiver so I have no extras.
Now this v801 is a mixer and an oscillator so it's loosing oscillation and the 455kc I'm injecting is enough of a bump to get it going again. Is this the sign of a weak tube? Because it works great when it's working. Z801 is an LC coil pack that has an inductor tapped to the cathode of v801 to provide feedback. There is some kind of adjustment in the schematic but I'm not sure what it's for, it's called(additional controlled circuits). I guess I just need to order a tube.