#126

In this video we have a look at an ICOM IC-746
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[@rfmonkey4942]

746 was one of first clangers when i first started icom its tough unit been thrashing on jt65 and ft8 for while now still going strong

[@IamDerick]

Fixing the "repair" is not my favorite thing. I know most times the owner had nothing to do with it and bought it unknowingly. Thanks for keeping the video family friendly. ;)

[@henkw1562]

Very nice repair video Buddy and i hope you are doing wel. For the completeness of your analyses i like to point out that at timestamp 6:27 you point out pin 91 or 41 of IC1704. It is pin 91. SQSS (Outputs squelch signal to (MIC) and (ACC 1/2) connectors. High: While squelch is opened) according to the service manual. Have a nice day, best regards Henk

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks for the info

[@PapasDino]

Great way to spend the afternoon inside watching Buddy work where thank goodness the AC is working; the temp peaked a little while ago at 96 ambient and 115 degree heat index. As for the fix, I keep telling you guys sometimes all you have to do is let the bad air out and it'll fix itself! ;-) Thanks for sharing Buddy! 73 - Dino KL0S

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks Dino. Yes way to hot. Heat index was 115 yesterday. Agreed. Bad air has to go. Thanks for stopping in.

[@bigmac965]

Man, I was holding my breath when you were unsnaking that folded up trace! Good work!

[@TheRadioShop]

Yeah, scary stuff. Break so easily. Thanks

[@PaulHigginbothamSr]

I kept thinking it gonna pull off its gonna pull well he did it good job. When the copper melts it's gone

[@dougmcartin3881]

Nice job Buddy showing the thought process of troubleshooting from board to board. Could have been any kind of conductive debris left behind from previous attempts at repair. Reminds me of a problem we had at the building where I work with one of the elevators. Every once in a while the elevator would start behaving erratically. This went on for months. Service guys from Otis coming all the time. Finally a tech came and took off the control panel inside the elevator. He was probing around taking voltage and resistance readings on the contacts of the switching buttons. All of a sudden we heard a clink as something fell to the bottom of the cabinet. Somebody had managed to push a penny inside the control panel and it was sitting there balanced perfectly on the shut down key switch. Sometimes it would just move enough to make contact and cause the elevator to do all kinds of strange things. 73 Doug.

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks Doug. I actually found the problem early on in the repair. But what fun would have that been. So went back and edited the video to show more of the flow of troubleshooting. Tried to make the video more interesting. Thanks for sharing that story. Lucky the penny only caused a small problem. Thanks for watching.

[@texasvarmint9542]

Thanks for another fine video. I'm going to have to go into my IC-756 pro II and troubleshoot the CIV port. These videos help to boost my confidence - HI. I hate replacing SMD components...

[@mikesradiorepair]

James Gaines It's more intimidating than it really is as long as your not dealing with tiny 0201 or 01005 sized componemts. Even if you don't have a fancy rework station like I do. The first thing that simplifies removal of SMD components if you don't have a hot air reflow system is using something like Chip Quick or Fast Chip. It's a very low temperature solder removal alloy. Just flood the area with the removal alloy and you can remove the old part with tweezers. Because it's melting point is so low it stays a fluid a lot longer than normal solder allowing you time to pluck the part off the board. Be sure to clean up the solder pads throughly with desoldering braid before installing the new part. Flood the area with flux. I can't overstate this part, flux, flux, flux..... I think this is what hangs up a lot of people. Soldering the new part in should be the easy part and flux is what allows that. You can then either drag solder the part if it's an IC or even solder it in pin by pin. With lots of flux applied the solder should easily flow and make a good heel to toe connection with good fillet.

[@TheRadioShop]

As Mike said, lots of flux. It is the key to smd soldering. Watch Louis Rossmanns videos on mac book repairs. He makes it look easy.

[@N5KDA]

GREAT JOB getting that trace unfolded!

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks, was not hard at all.

[@thecosmologist]

Your videos are so educational, I have 2 sony radios to fix and I have prepared myself by watching yours, Mr Carlson's and a couple of other youtuber's quality repair/restoration videos. You commentary is superb and your logical, methodical approach a pleasure to behold.

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks for that very kind comment.

[@thecosmologist]

@@TheRadioShop you are always welcome.

[@williammalenfant4864]

Wow. That job was incredibly done!

[@call5sam]

Excellent training video! That is why I keep coming back!

[@bobyoung3440]

Thanks Buddy for your down-to-earth approach troubleshooting the 746 Icom. I have the 746Pro, and it is a used unit. So far I haven't had any problems with it, other than an audio whistle coming over the speaker/phones while transmitting on 2 meters. Going to have a look at the AGC adjustment and see if I can remove the audio whistle. It's not painfully loud but is a distraction!

[@Ronnie9710]

good video Buddy.I just bought a 746 to use for 6m and 144 SB.And 10-12 and 15. 73 from kn4u

[@bundylovess]

Nice repair buddy good demo on fault finding thanks for showing us how it's done big thumbs up my friend

[@TheRadioShop]

Really appreciate it allan. As always thanks for watching.

[@mellagarde7142]

Wow, Buddy, this was awesome. Your patience and troubleshooting ability was impressive. You say it was really simple in the end, but maybe for you. My limited ability was really being stretched watching you on this one. Thank you for the video and helping me grow a bit more in my appreciation for what you guys do repairing these great units. Hope your summer is going well. Glad your AC is back up and cooling. Hot as blazes here. Mel

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks for watching Mel. Really not hard at all my friend. Just takes a little time. Summer has been great, Just too hot lol. Take care.

[@jonmullins8460]

So I could have fixed the 5V short myself if I re-seated the cable. But I'm glad I let you tackle the component replacement. If I tried that it would not have been pretty. Thanks for bringing it back among the living. Also I may have laughed a little too hard at the alien ice cream truck comment.

[@TheRadioShop]

Pretty much yes. A problem that was caused by a previous owner. That 416 package was a pain lol. First time I heard the comment from another person I laughed also.

[@902Steeler]

I learn alot watching your videos thanks

[@dalebrooks6816]

Hi Buddy Great video and fix. I got a kick out of you saying that equipment would seem to fix themselves by just being on your bench. I've seen it myself and have always wondered why, but the strangest part of the story is they seem to stay fixed more than not. Glad you found the fix for the old air conditioner problem. I seem to always get the bad compressor or major failure costing the price of replacing they darn things. I have always wanted an IC746 but can't justify buying one but I understand they are a great radio and a pleasure to operate. 73's Buddy,,,,,Dale kg7ssb

[@TheRadioShop]

Hi Dale. Yes it is a good thing when they fix themselves. Looks like this radio has had plenty of help along the way. The 746 is a nice radio. Thanks for watching

[@johnroccaro5491]

Wonderful video, thank you!

[@TheRadioShop]

Thank you too!

[@boxingday11]

Thanks Buddy, always a pleasure to watch you at work solving these puzzles out, All the best, regards Carl G0lka.

[@TheRadioShop]

Thank you Carl And thanks for watching.

[@albertmorris4889]

I agree on theboard layout in manual. I have 2 of the 746 (one is a parts doner). I need to get off my duff & get good backlight board in the working one with toasted backlight board. I dont have your patience to try & reconstruct the traces ha ha.

[@TheRadioShop]

Yes manuals are crap. But cost too much to buy original manuals for everything I work on. Trace repairs can be quite challenging. The microscope helps in that area. Good luck on your repair.

[@jaybats7865]

What a nightmare with the schematics. But no problem for Super Techman lol. You lead a charmed life Buddy that’s why they “fix themselves”. Great video you’re amazing👍

[@DonDegidio]

Hi Buddy, Another nice repair video. When you put the new transistor out on the paper, only thing I was thinking was "Don't sneeze Buddy". :-) 73 WB3BJU

[@TheRadioShop]

LOL, yeah I thought about that also. Even the air from the over head vent could have blown it off the bench. These 416 packages are very small.

[@cuban9splat]

Alien Ice Cream trucks ROFLOL... I was just taking a sip of water and when you mentioned that and I almost watered my keyboard LOL. I have worked on a lot of high end telephone systems and I have seen those ribbon cables cause similar problems like this. They have to be aligned perfectly when they are plugged into the ribbon connector. They are ALWAYS tough to find too. For some reason I tend to never suspect the cable or connections. Very good job on trouble shooting this, Buddy. Well done! Regards, Frank

[@TheRadioShop]

LOL, I thought that was funny the first time I heard it. Long story. These ribbon connectors can cause all sort of problems. Thanks for stopping in Frank.

[@pierrelataillade7564]

Actually this video was really pretty good considering some of the hic cups. Nonetheless a very educational one for shure..... Thank you.

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks Pierre

[@mikesradiorepair]

I really hate those board layout diagrams that superimpose both layers of the board in one picture. Such a pain to trace circuits using them. Glad to see you got it fixed. Bet you were saying "You have got to be s#!++! ₩& me" to yourself when you found that short at the ribbon cable. Luckily the short didn't cause any further problems and resetting the cable fixed it. Glad you got your AC fixed. Nothing like working on electronics when your all sweaty. Yikes, a spec of 13uV for 10db Sinad. 13uV is a S7 signal, I sure hope it can reach 10db Sinad at such a high input level.

[@TheRadioShop]

Yep those layouts are terrible. You know it is no telling how long this hidden error in the cable has been hiding out. Just waiting for the right moment to show up. Glad it was that simple. Yes that spec threw me on that.

[@jonmullins8460]

If it's gonna happen, it will happen to me....

[@jonmullins8460]

MikesRadioRepair Thanks for helping Buddy identify this component.

[@mikesradiorepair]

Jon Mullins Happy to help whenever I can.

[@harbselectronicslab3551]

Re- Aircon, I once learned the hard way.......I was working on a very expensive HF Military RX , and it was a hot day......I got up out of my chair and leaned forward over the radio with its lids off and one drop of sweat dripped of my forehead and landed on the mainboard right on the Tracks leading into the CPU..........it sizzled and bubbled and before I could get the power of it destroyed the processor....a rare and hard to get part. I eventually replaced it and all was good, but I soon upgraded the aircon because it was cheaper than the parts I blew....lesson learned the hard way.

[@wa6gxq]

I enjoy talking to alien ice cream trucks myself! Great video Buddy. I have a ic-746 also.

[@TheRadioShop]

I have to try it one day. Thanks Barry.

[@CT1JRZ]

A brand new set of ribbon cables for that radio, would be great, in my opinion. They suffered a lot on connect and disconnect procedure.

[@TheRadioShop]

You are correct, and they still make them.

[@musictester4743]

I need to send him my FT1000 Mark 5 with High SWR and power supply when out too. Bet he would get a kick out of fixing it.

[@bigfoottoo2841]

Hummm, I'm dealing with the exact same short on the 5 volt line going to the tuner board. I'm going to study the tuner board schematic for a while.

[@TheRadioShop]

Cool deal, please let us know what you find.

[@joehoelzli1670]

Sir, are you still working on radios and if so where are you located? I have a 746 pro and my backlight doesn't work that I would like fixed. Thank you!

[@FredW-yt1ce]

Nice trouble shooting, Buddy! Widely distributed power buss shorts can sometimes be a nightmare to find. Where did you get the magnetic ground meter lead adapter? Pretty cool. Take Care and keep up the great videos. I never miss them.

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks Fred. That adaptor was an accident. Mike sent me some goodies and it tagged along for the ride. I just never sent it back :-)

[@jonmullins8460]

It's the video I've been waiting for ...

[@TheRadioShop]

I think this is the very one. Enjoy the ride!

[@jonmullins8460]

I know the radio is fixed, but watching the removal and trace repair is making me nervous.

[@TheRadioShop]

LOL. Long repair eh

[@Beretta96Dan]

Good job, Buddy. You got it working like new! One can't ask for anything better! 73...Dan w4mnc

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks Dan

[@PelDaddy]

Alien Ice Cream trucks! LOL... JT65 is annoying to listen to. I call it carnival mode, as it sounds like carnival music. Nice troubleshooting. Sometimes things turn out to be simple problems.

[@TheRadioShop]

Long story behind the ice cream truck comment lol. Carnival mode is neat! I like that. Thanks for watching

[@zdzislawsq1lzz787]

Very useful information for repairing the ic 746 antenna box, a very interesting video greet sq1lzz

[@billysessions7583]

very good video

[@rhythmstic]

Bit worried when you put your finger in but otherwise very interesting. Good job.

[@vhfgamer]

well that tears it.... if I ever run an ice cream truck its gonna be playing JT65 over the speaker. And I will have an alien clown ornament on the hood.

[@TheRadioShop]

Oh that would be classic!

[@basiliskourounian2266]

Nice video . I view it all

[@N5KDA]

Also I would much rather have a real book instead of computer page any day. I prefer paper catalogs over ones on computers but because of cost most companies don't like to have them printed.

[@TheRadioShop]

I agree. Paper is so much better

[@SuperMeganw]

brilliant video will done .

[@TheRadioShop]

Thank you Gary

[@w.rustylane5650]

This is the reason I will never buy an ICOM anything. Too difficult to work on. Screwy ribbon cables and surface mounted components are NOT for me. Gimme an old Kenwood or a Yaesu HF radio any day. Now I'm glad I got an old Kenwood TS-430S with PS-430 power supply. 73 from K9POW in eastern Tennessee.

[@davidelsea9938]

Nice repair. This happens to me quite often also Buddy. Is Your friend John in California? I ask because my friend John has an IC-746 and he's the one who turned me on to your channel. Just curious.

[@TheRadioShop]

I think that is where he lives David. I will check.

[@davidelsea9938]

John Schuler is his name. He lives in Livermore CA.

[@Dratchev241]

JT65/JT9 about the only HF mode I use

[@jonmullins8460]

Yeah I like summoning the alien ice cream trucks too.

[@TheRadioShop]

Never got into this. Maybe one day.

[@Dratchev241]

i happen to like using it on the low bands. worked much DX down there I would have not been able to with most other modes

[@1OFGODSOWN]

It's modes where their computers make ALL of the contacts & they make ZERO.Any weak signal station can work digital modes but it takes a great station too work DX under the current band conditions. I'd rather work nothing than let my computer make any contacts since my computer does NOT have a license for any band.Digital modes are for the lazy as well.

[@rickgunther7328]

wow thats very small work. I need to get me a microscope. every thing is geting so small. ricks radio shop

[@TheRadioShop]

Sot 416 is tiny stuff. Those microscopes really help. Thanks Rick.

[@rong3194]

Good microsurgery there, Mike.

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks Ron. Should be better quality next time.

[@Ronnie9710]

good video Buddy.tnx.73 kn4u

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks Ronnie

[@blpblp-tj7ux]

1:02:54 😂

[@davidcasper312]

lighting was fin. do your job and relax. haters will hate.