Viking Ranger lives - briefly

[KB2WIG]

K,

You may wish to move the 20uF cap away from that wire wound space heater.....


Somewhere, I think maybe Electric Radio, someone removed all the original TVI coils and replaced them with more modern coils. Saved a lot of space for other things.......

klc

[N9axl]

My first issue her is I have a resistor marked 20000 oh mite which I think is either r6 or r38 connected to terminal 2 of x16.  There is an identical resistor connected from x15 to x16. But I can't find these values in the parts list. Where does the other end of the first resistor go?  A parts replacement of some sort.

Second, the instructions are quite clear to connect terminal end of the HV bleeder resistor to pin 1 of 5u4.  This makes no sense since pin one of this tube is connected to nothing. Assuming that pin one is the first pin clockwise from the tube notch.  There's a pin directly in front of the notch which I think is eight.

Back to tracing the cabling. There was never any connection from the HV bleeder to pin 1 so I begin to wonder if this ever worked in the first place in 1958 which explains it ending up in a barn. 

[N2DTS]

Octal sockets do not have a pin in front of the notch/keyway, one on either side, pins 1 and 8.
Sometimes unused socket pins are used as tie points...

The sockets usually have numbers on them you can see with a lighted magnifier.

[N9axl]

Thank you.  I found a very light number on pin 6 a red wire and counted counterclockwise to find 1. There appears to wiring connecting to pin 1 so this makes sense and this comforms to the wiring diagram.

there are two 20000 ohm resistors on the terminal strips. One is disconnected and I need to find out where it goes. Where it is connected now on the end of the bleeder resistor is wrong.

I removed the 20 mf electrolytic cap as I think it shouldn't have been in there to begin with.

I'm finding the assembly manual has ambiguity and was clearly written for people who knew what they were doing. You must read every paragraph carefully.

  read page 29 paragraph 3 in regards to "temporarily" putting the positive end of c77 to terminal 2 of x15. It never says another word about where you should permanently attach the positive end until the end of page 36 when it says to connect it to the bleeder resistor.

For us the end of the bleeder resistor, 50 years on, is the "normal" position of the positive end of c77.  I also think this may solve my HV issues once I put in that jumper. Yea!!!

[N8ETQ]

   Hello, Hello, Check check, Is this thing on?


/Dan

[N9axl]

I finally got set right on this deal when someone emailed me the following schematic. What has been confusing me is the remnants or an attempt at a push to talk circuit - which explains the 20000 ohm resistors and the mystery electrolytic cap - there was no relay which would have been a tip off. Seems like they started the project and didn't finish it.



I can now simply remove these resistors and get on with checking the wiring. I wonder if having this half completed circuit has been a partial reason I have been having HV and LV issues through this whole process?

I am beginning to wonder if this was a kit that was never really working correctly and the original owner finally gave up on it?

[Pete, WA2CWA]

The PTT information and the schematic you posted is in the Ranger manual (pages 19 and 20).

[N9axl]

Thanks. It was in the operating manual and I was working from the assembly manual.  As I said the power supply appears to be working which is a major step forward. 

[KB2WIG]

"  the power supply appears to be working "




Keep one hand in yer back pocket and use your Jesus Stick on the caps.


klc

[N8ETQ]

   I think you only got 1/2 the story.. You will need to add
jumpers to SW4 to restore the unit to stock.  IIRC the "R"
was only there to accommodate the obscure relay COIL. There
was a page of "Steps" to preform along with the schematic.
I'll post the whole story when I find it.. Again if IIRC
I think the contacts of the relay replaced jumpers on
the Mode Sw.

   If U still need a drive control PM me..

/Dan

[N9axl]

The jumpers and everything was there. It looks like whoever did this followed the paperwork. 

I have found that R38 three 33k in parallel, which was supposed to be 11k, was actually 111k.  That may explain why I was getting no buffer current?

 I have new resistors on order so I will replace that and check the rest of that circuit this cooking weekend when I have time. The power supply circuits appear stable. The rig turns on and stays on with no issues. I get oscillator current. The filaments light on everything.

[N9axl]

I fired this up using the tuning procedures in the manual on 40 meters. For a few minutes it appeared I had normal readings.  Then it stopped. In tune I see no buffer current. In phone I see 20ma oscillator current and 200ma plate. Plate current will not dip.  

I did check the buffer variable cap and realized it was binding. This was corrected - it needed an oiling and rotation - and is now moving freely.


I am suspecting V4 or v3 6CL6. Perhaps one or both was weak and simply gave up the ghost when normal operation was expected of them?  This did spend 25 years in a barn which I suspect wasn't the best environment even for a rugged vacuum tube. I replaced both tubes and now see with vfo turned to zero about 1ma buffer current on tune with the drive turned up all the way.  On phone the plate current shows full scale and it can't be dipped. I see no grid current in any case.  I wonder if the drive control needs replacing?

[flintstone mop]

I replaced the bad cap, checked everything over, and also checked the new fused line cord.

The line cord goes hot to one side of the fuse, a jumper to one end of the terminal strip, neutral to the third connection on the strip, and ground to a lug on the chassis.picture attached.

All looks good so I set this up with a ground, a dummy load, watt meter, key,  fire extinguisher at the ready, and  plug this into my outlet strip. This is a big metal industrial strip. All controls set to what the manual says.

On standby the unit turns on, lights up, no smoke, no drama, fine. Before it went for 10 seconds on standby and blew - which turned out to be a bad cap.

When I turn it to tune, which remember turns on the high voltage, the ground fault interupt outlet, next in line from where I have no outlet strip, trips.  The fuse in the unit doesn't blow, but the GFI does.  I tried a different outlet strip. Same deal. I saw no grid current, but a small amount of plate current.

this is a dead project until I figure this out as I have no interest in burning down my house. 
Clearly there's some kind of high voltage short in the system.

[N2DTS]

Tubes do not go that way.
Maybe a dirty switch contact or tube socket, or a cap failed.

I fired this up using the tuning procedures in the manual on 40 meters. For a few minutes it appeared I had normal readings.  Then it stopped. In tune I see no buffer current. In phone I see 20ma oscillator current and 200ma plate. Plate current will not dip.  

I did check the buffer variable cap and realized it was binding. This was corrected - it needed an oiling and rotation - and is now moving freely.


I am suspecting V4 or v3 6CL6. Perhaps one or both was weak and simply gave up the ghost when normal operation was expected of them?  This did spend 25 years in a barn which I suspect wasn't the best environment even for a rugged vacuum tube. I replaced both tubes and now see with vfo turned to zero about 1ma buffer current on tune with the drive turned up all the way.  On phone the plate current shows full scale and it can't be dipped. I see no grid current in any case.  I wonder if the drive control needs replacing?

[N9axl]

Probably. I replaced the drive pot.  It needed doing anyway.  For those interested there is a black wire (left), green wire (center), red wire(right). If you lose the interior nut behind the panel there is a work around- wrap the pot in electrical tape, put a grommet in the chassis hole.  This with a knob will hold it in place. Better than having to remove the entire panel. Don't ask how I know this - please. 


Now  im back to no buffer current.  I think I'm putting this project away for a while and doing something else.  It was a great learning experience having never fixed anything before. Getting it to turn on without drama and do anything was an achievement. And I see that the wafer on the VFO/Crystal/zero switch has developed a crack. given that's made of unobtainium it may be a while before this gets finished. and that will require removing the entire front panel.

[W2JBL]

Locate the two red wires coming from the plate transfomer and connect them together at the HV rectifier tube socket, and then connect that junction to ground. You will have plenty of grid drive after that and not have to mess with the buffer or drive level pot.