Ham Radio Gear Repair

[@thestingyham1188]

I spent 7 years going to university, earning 2 degrees. I now teach at a university. I look at someone like you, and what you do, and I feel like I'm a complete dummy. I just wanted to let you know how impressed I am.

[@aldenhoot9967]

What a relief to see someone so skilled still has to check once in a while to figure out which direction their dial is reading, as a newb I though it was me. Thanks for showing us your process and not hiding these bits!

[@anderskarlsson9881]

Another one saved. As a ham I really like this. This kind of gear is often scrapped just because it has no big monetary value. Way to much equipment is lost and we run the risk of losing our history. As a mechanic I really like this for the same reasons as above :-)

[@Sketch1994]

I was recently cleaning up and was thinking how often the last of a kind is just thrown away in ignorance of it's nature and value. Even the cheapest Chinese crap that you wish never existed have a value to someone and show a timeline worth preserving.

[@jmh8743]

old is bad. really gets on my last nerve. wd4sew

[@aserta]

Aye, truth spoken.

[@jeffryblackmon4846]

@@jmh8743 I shall have to disagree. My Drake R4 and 2NT are fun to operate (read: analog) and dependable with no ESD worries. W8YI

[@jmh8743]

@@jeffryblackmon4846 think you took my sarcasm wrong way. "old is bad, that really gets on my last nerve."

[@DonDegidio]

Hi Tom, They are called vernier drive reducers. The most common ones are 6:1 reduction, like the ones in that radio.

[@mitchwright1558]

patents.google.com/patent/US1713194 patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/8d/b9/ee/4a06e43c769d15/US1713194.pdf mgs4u.com/product/vernier-reduction-drive-14-inch-to-14-inch/

[@AldoSchmedack]

For those not in the know wondering on the frequency breakdown, 30 MHz is basically upper part of the long range HF band. That is a typical upper end. But 10 KHz is down more towards the bottom of the bowels of the spectrum, closer to ELF submarine deep seawater penetrating, very slow signal/data speed transmitting range. My R75 HF receiver only goes down to 30 KHz but goes up to 60 MHz, so that radio would have a better low end receive. That would make it better for things like beacons, maritime and marine applications and some time signals. Kinda odd duck in that respect for a radio. I hope that makes some sense for you non electronic/electrical but quite mechanical geeks out there.

[@RickRose]

Awesome demonstration of dividing head technique--Thanks! The tuning knob is connected to a variable capacitor rather than a potentiometer.

[@minasianjohn]

Thank you for the refresher course on the dividing head , I haven't used it in many years. Great pointers in-between.called common sense.

[@gregbauman8574]

My parents own RF parts and diamond antenna, they sell ham radio surplus parts and ham radio antennas. Great video as usual Tom

[@billlee5307]

Nice project Tom! Brings me back to all those 0-80 set screws I had to use in the Instrument Shop at NU for years. Just how many times could I use this 0-80 tap in stainless was always a concern I had before each hole to be tapped. As always, thanks for letting us look over your shoulder!

[@RGSABloke]

Yet again, I am honoured to be alive when this man is, he brings learning, humour and entertainment, what more can I ask?

[@gohuskies583]

Nice lesson on the dividing plate. Thanks Tom!

[@MichaelLloyd]

Pretty cool. Most of my ham shack equipment is vintage and uses tubes. Some of it is new. Some of it is home brew. Such is Ham radio. This video is a good example for those of us that like to restore and preserve the old gear. I see some of the corrosive glue that was popular to use. PITA... 73 NE5U Mike

[@gregmarino7325]

Hey Tom! LOL! "SUPER BOZO MISTAKES!" Caught your video on the ham radio site qrz.com. As I mentioned on THAT post, I NEVER get tired of watching machinists create! I was a commercial aircraft tech for almost 40 years and did have the opportunity to see some incredible and high dollar parts being made or refurbished. And, since I was raised...to be mindful of waste and simply tossing things in the trash...doing things like this is just plain cool! Thank you sir!

[@jeffryblackmon4846]

You have just quadrupled the value of that receiver. It was enjoyable seeing you work in such small scale. If any of my ham rigs need gears replaced, I've just had a great lesson about how to proceed. Thamk you.

[@ChazzC]

Great video Tom! While there are times when I get annoyed that KZbin makes recommendations, this is not one of them. As others have said, always nice to see a project from start to finish. While my wife certainly won't thank you, I do for introducing me to another tool I must have (0-1/2" mike). I immediately though of the disk micrometer since I have one, but then thought in this case with all of the interferences that my groove mike could also work: the 0.250"Ø disks are 0.057" deep for "outside" measurement, which would be plenty for the 1/4" shaft. Thanks, Charlie

[@lwilton]

Great job Tom! So glad you were able to repair it without having to replace all the capacitors!

[@smitty2868]

I hope you don't mind me mentioning it but you have made a wonderful change in your narration - your uploads always were excellent content wise and now they don't suffer the previous vocal pauses, interruptions and repetitions. Kudos to you for what must have been difficult...

[@yambo59]

What an impressive bit of mini machine work almost like something clickspring would do, the setup takes longer than the machining. Id cut one more just to have an example on hand.

[@alcampbell]

I`m a ham, and I know some electronics. But I dont know a lot of mechanical stuff. Thanks for this video. The great moment of course was that karate kid moment when you realize what all that waxing on and waxing off was for. Of course i`m talking about actually seeing how the gear like groves are cut into the cylinder. KD6CFE was here 73`s

[@meboyd7796]

Wonderful to see you do a project again. I learn so much in watching how you and the other KZbin machining gurus attack the problems in front of you. The solutions, even when they are fairly simple, provide me with new routes to problems I might face in the future. Good stuff.

[@carneeki]

Oh man... I am super stoked to see this on the healing bench! My father had one of these receivers when I was a kid :D He frequently tuned in to WWVH in Hawaii (from Sydney, Aus) to synchronize his clocks and watches.

[@Keith_Ward]

Yep, awesome repair. For those who are not aware, WWVB is slated to be axed in 2019 ... hope they change their minds and come to their senses and do away with something like DST instead. Btw, tonight is the night to screw up your clocks.

[@infoanorexic]

@@Keith_Ward You got the "screw up" part right. I hates coming off of DST because it suddenly gets dark way too early for my taste. I'd rather stay on DST and just make that standard time, all the time.

[@injun-gman6216]

Nice! Very cool to see some "tiny" machine work being done. Thanks Tom!

[@AustrianAnarchy]

Nice touch with the manual tapping. It gives the illusion that you are a mere mortal, like the rest of us.

[@mxcollin95]

Always love these real world problem fix videos! I always learn something watching a master work through a problem from troubleshooting to a created, machined solution. As a fairly new hobby machinists, I’ve really been seeing how the ability to machine things is such a powerful skill to have. Please keep up the great videos Tom! 🤙

[@gregfeneis609]

A nice feature of the ball based reduction, it can slip if it needs to.

[@danbreyfogle8486]

I learned something here, I had no idea how you would make a gear and now I know and don't need to ask a dumb question, grin...

[@wlogue]

I bought some hydraulic components from a chinese outfit who was our oem for some drilling machines. Several thousand usd worth, they finally showed up and the shipping doc. identified them as christmas ornaments valued at $100, they have some creative ways around their own tariffs/fees. Hahaha. Thanks Tom!

[@artmckay6704]

Good stuff! I so love machining because you can make anything you want and you can help a friend when their vintage stuff has a hiccup. I know doing these videos has to be a pain in the backside so I wanted to emphasize that I truly appreciate the effort you put into production. Thank you! :)

[@jcs6347]

Thanks Tom, I am always nervous doing small work, thanks for sharing to get some confidence with this size of work.

[@dougankrum3328]

Realistic/Radio Shack...YEAH...I loved their stuff from back n the 1970's when I was in my 20's...batteries and cell-phones....that sure soured me on the Radio-Shack right up the road here in Sacramento, Calif....when they closed the doors, all they had were huge bins of batteries....mostly the seldom sold 'C' cells...

[@gh778jk]

I am a HAM radio op, and a few decades ago I finally got my hands on a working radio like this! I had been lusting after it since I was 12 and I saw it for the first time in the local Tandy store! They are great receivers, and were quite pricey back in the day. There is more HAM equipment that uses comparable tuning systems, and the problem is often that the plastics used back in the day just turn to goo or to dust. Even if you have a working specimen, it pays to open it up and get the details on the mechanism, in case it has to be remade and replaced...sooner or later it will have to Paddy

[@infoanorexic]

The workings on the Ten-Tec Omni A has to rank as one of the poorer examples. I had to resort to dedicating a frequency counter to it (another Rad-Shac item). My station has been back in a corner for so long now that I don't know where that is, or if it's even still any good. The radio itself has been rock solid reliable, though. As long as your power supply is steady and clean, you can expect good performance.

[@JWH3]

Love the small gear work. I'd like seeing more miniature work like this.

[@kg2nc]

Oh, I remember all the radios and scanners that radio shack sold. I use to buy a lot of electronics for building and repairing. I got my first shortwave radio from Radio Shack that's how I got interested in Ham Radio so I study hard and got my license. Today I hold an Extra Class Licence. My call sign is kg2nc. Thanks, Tom for sharing.

[@brianwarburton4482]

Excellent video, I'm very impressed. Just shows how you can do little stuff with big machines. Not so easy to do big stuff on little machines.

[@ls2005019227]

Tom, Thanks again for another fantastic video, chocked full of knowledge & machining practice. Getting to watch you work, & the fantastic repair on a classic machine; it's kinda a "two-fer." Your machining videos are some of my favorites. Thanks!

[@googacct]

I had been on the fence for a while on buying a 4K monitor for my computer, but finally deicded to get a 42" (104dpi) one. One of my favorite uses for it is to go full screen on videos like this and really be able to get an expanded view of what is going on.. I had been a little uncertain about how a dividing head is used until I was able to really see in large format what was going on.

[@PeopleAlreadyDidThis]

Very cool. Hewlett-Packard 8640B RF signal generators have a fairly complex gear train in the tuning mechanism, molded nylon gears that have now shrunk and split like this. As I recall, there are bevel gears in that one, though...not so straightforward. There was some talk years ago about having a batch of gear sets machined, but the cost was too high to gain much interest.

[@jmwarden1]

Tom, the little old watchmaker, fine repair my friend.

[@charlieromeo7663]

Great video Tom. I love to see gear cutting, cool tools, and old radios. Cheers. K4CFR

[@bobandres5559]

Well done Tom, thanks huge. I've been waiting for someone to do a vid on that very subject. Now i can fix my telescope. Sometimes a person needs a little inspiration and a push.

[@alfredneumann4692]

Very fine piece of work!

[@63256325N]

Great job! That little stuff can be tricky. Thanks for the video.

[@bulletproofpepper2]

Great job! Super slick setup. Tee shirt just in time for Christmas. Thanks for sharing.

[@killercloud7019]

Nice repair Tom, I have the same radio that I baby the tuner. I have read in various forums that little gear is a common failure due to the aging process. I now have the information what the gear specs are. Thanks for your informative videos and knowledge.

[@evilbrat5376]

Have worked with some small items but ever as small as that gear OR set screw[remind me to grab magnifying glasses]. Nice fix for your co-worker, enjoyed the whole job and explanations of each fit. Thank ya for the ride along with ya.

[@chumbuddy100]

Nice one. Didn't feel lucky enough to power tap 0-80 today. LOL

[@glenn5077]

it comes from pool or snooker to put spin on the ball the spin is called English so to spin the job up or down on the machine

[@bostedtap8399]

Excellent project, a very small project, but great job.

[@AmateurRedneckWorkshop]

Great video. I always love gear cutting and threading. Thanks for the video.

[@motor1395]

Excellent video Tom!! Thanks for the efforts in keeping Mr Bozo away 😊. All the best, Norm in Arizona

[@raincoast2396]

Really like when you do delicate stuff Tom.

[@BossWelder81]

Thanks for sharing your skills, Mr. Lipton. I always learn something about clever setups watching you work. BTW Who in the heck would "thumbs down" this video??

[@RRINTHESHOP]

Very nice on the gear. I thought you were going to hand file it.

[@connormouse]

Great vid! Man, so much effort for a gear! I’m an amateur radio op. My friend is a machinist! I have to send him the link. Thanks for making the video, I appreciate they take work as well.

[@DudleyToolwright]

Another great educational video and I love the quote at the end.

[@denniswilliams8747]

Very cool little job!

[@djberg3483]

Good stuff, and great timing since it's a drab cold rainy day here.

[@HomeDistiller]

when will we get an etching press update??!! its been a long minute :P

[@trickengg]

Love this kind of work you share Tom. I sent this video over to a young aspiring machinist that this is perfect for him to apply to some projects he's doing. I ordered my shirt last week, cant wait to get it. I will be representing down here in Houston Tx.

[@krazziee2000]

very cool project .. nice work ..thanks for the video,,

[@mrdr9534]

Thanks for another nice and interesting video. ... 2 bucks for a gadget ... Sounds about right, I think that's the going rate... All jokes aside the internet is indeed a fantastic thing, as is the global logistic network that manages to get us our "gadgets" and at such low costs... The economy of scale, It literally boggles my mind. Best regards.

[@TonyHammitt]

I'm kind of wondering whether the position of the shaft the main knob turns and the one that the new gear turns have to be in a particular alignment? I'm thinking of something like an engine's crankshaft to camshaft alignment. Obviously the set screw can be loosened and it can be adjusted, but is there a way to know where it's supposed to be set to, if it's actually important?

[@randomdude1786]

ya hey thanks for the heads up on those cutters. I've been thinking of making some bronze/stainless gears for my abu Garcia shore casting reel and the smallest cutters I've been able to find are Z 1. been so long I have to brush up on the calculation for sizing. gotta find the tiny ceramic barrings to make it all worthwhile. real good documenting of the gear cutting process love the o-ring for holding the wires

[@fredgenius]

Damn that's nicely made! Must be old!

[@Cttruckn]

Great video love this kind of stuff. More interesting than some of the big jobs

[@cpcoark]

Just want to say that I love these repair videos you do. Very inspiring.

[@craigs5212]

Tom, really nice video. I had to do something similar years back before I had any machine tools. I ended up making an impression and casting it in some epoxy, worked but I had to be very gentle with it.

[@ydonl]

Happy to hear you breathing at least a bit better!

[@KeithMakesWine]

Always learning something from your vids. Thanks for taking the time. I'll buy another shirt in support of the great education you provide.

[@eformance]

Tom, your chuck is cropped in frame and it says "CHUCK No" and I can't but help think "Chuck Norris". When you get a BIG chuck for your lathe, you need to call it CHUCK Norris. :-D

[@nicholas9900]

Hey, good video. what is the purpose of the six jaw chuck?

[@robertkutz]

Tom nice work.

[@network005]

The gear reduction drive on the HAM receiver is called a planitary drive. Because the balls "Planits" revolve around the axis of the shaft. Used by Collins and Hammerlund in the in the 1950s and 60s for the same thing. T. Smith

[@ericcommarato7727]

Really nice video Tom, thanks for posting.

[@jerryobrien5979]

Another great Video Tom. thanks for sharing.

[@isbcornbinder]

Fine job by a fine gentilman

[@stansmith1030]

MR TOM,YOU ARE THE MAN,BIG THANKS.

[@CAZARINHO]

wow! Excellent work!

[@vandenpiaff]

Thanks Tom. First class as allways. Greetings from Denmark

[@hottoddy9789]

*_Tom, you're my Hero!_*

[@juanrivero8]

Very nice video. Now, if you read the really old engineering texts (1900s) they define Module as M=1/DP. If you look at the gear cutting formulas you find a lot of 1/DP factors. So in an era when dividing two numbers was difficult, and multiplication easier, it made sense to use Module. But on the metric side, the definition still holds, but the units are changed. So the "modern" definition of module is M =25.4/DP.The term DP has come to mean Diametral Pitch in Imperial units.

[@edgarburnett2115]

Brilliant, Mr. Ox.

[@skiptracer8703]

Sweet fix, makes me wish I had stayed in machining instead of all the lame other things I did. nice job Tom -jim

[@beachcomberbob3496]

Oh, how I've missed your lathe! (and you working on it of course) More machining videos please.

[@myenjoyablehobbies]

Very enjoyable video, Thank you.

[@weshowe51]

Certainly there are multiple ways to flay a feline, but might one of them been to touch off on the top of the blank, touch off on the bottom and use the DRO half function, with everything cancelling out?

[@vincei4252]

Tom, gotta tell ya, when i saw this video in my KZbin recommendation I thought that my eyesight had deteriorated some more and I leaned closer to the screen to re-read the title and make sure it was actually your channel doing Ham radio repairs. :-) Good deal!

[@Cadwaladr]

Wow, 0-80 is pretty dang small. I knew such things existed, of course, but seeing one is something else. The smallest tap I have is a 2-64.

[@phooesnax]

Great repair! Jim

[@sydneyshinshi]

Nice repair mate. Greetings from Sydney Australia.

[@wyattoneable]

Amazing tools and skills Tom.

[@longlivepunk]

Great video, Tom! One question: what is with the melted-cheese looking stuff on the circuit-board to the right of the screen in the shots where you are mounting the new gear??

[@VirtualJMills]

Eric Beyer -- Likely stabilizing epoxy. Not quite potted, but headed that way.

[@aaronparris8591]

The digital display digit to the immediate right of the decimal point will only show a 9. All the other display digits work fine. Any suggestions?

[@ScottandTera]

cool little gear ..great video Thanks Tom

[@gliderp]

I wonder if Abom79 can tap a 0-80 hole? Maybe if they make a tap to fit his 3' long tap handles.

[@Strothy2]

hey tom next time call up mr clickspring himself with his auto divider this would have been a quicky :D anyway nice work thanks for the many details!

[@billdlv]

Great job Tom. I ordered my shirt last week 😀

[@godssoldier101]

i love watching you make shit.. even little stuff.. ANYTHING!

[@robingadney8018]

Hi can i buy 2 of the brass gears of you pleas or can you send link as to getting some in can be Nylon original types but as you say brass is better I love your video Rob

[@WildmanTech]

Those are pretty decent receivers.

[@deeremeyer1749]

Its basically a planetary gearset using ball bearings for the planet gears. That's great until it gets some wear and just slips. Kind of like the sprag clutch in an electric-start nitro-power Traxxas RC vehicle/engine. It works awesome until there's a little wear and then you have nothing and get to replace the sprag if not the crankshaft with it. Radio Shack "brand-names" were/are not known for "high-quality" hardware. As evidenced by the stripped plastic gear. Now with a metal driven gear you can start working on a replacement for the plastic drive gear which will fail next unless nobody that hits the end of the tuner "travel" and keeps on turning or "overspeeds" the knob ever touches that radio again, lol. The "problem" with that huge frequency range is the same one that caused the manufacturer to install planetary "gear" sets in the tuners. It takes for ever to crank multiple mechanical tuners through all that frequency range and "tuning" has to be super-precise so a big knob goes on an "underdrive" tuner operating mechanism and when something "hangs up" big knob plus gear reduction HOPEFULLY lets those "planet balls" act like a sprag clutch and "slip" before something breaks. After that happens hundreds or thousands of times every time somebody "overspeeds" the knob slipping that sprag/planetary "hybrid" the balls and/or shaft and/or "carrier" get worn and the worn-away metal "dust" ends up making "grit" out of the grease and the sprag/planetary "locks up" when it should "slip" and other shit breaks. Then if its "fixed" with "heavy-duty" replacement parts the next time it locks instead of slips, something else breaks. It would be very wise to flush and relube the sprag/planetary on that main tuner unless you want to go back in for more "fun".