Quote:
Originally Posted by jr_tech
The alignment procedure for these sets is somewhat complicated, but if followed correctly, using the proper equipment, good dial calibration and sensitivity over the entire band may be achieved. I suspect that your set has been "messed with" by someone lacking the proper equipment/skills to do a proper job. I don't believe that there is any inherent design problem that affects dial calibration on these sets.
jr
|
Thanks much for the reply. From what you said, however, it looks as if I am stuck with the alignment problems this radio has, since I do not have any test equipment other than a digital multimeter and I do not know anyone in my area who could realign the set. There is a TV/radio repair shop about five miles from me, but I don't think they would even look at a radio as old (mid-1960s) as my T/O, let alone align or service it; they probably only provide warranty service on flat screen TVs these days, and wouldn't touch an old radio with a 10-foot test lead. I found this out when I asked them over the phone about ten years ago for an estimate on repairing my 1951 Zenith Consol-Tone H-511Y radio; the person I spoke to acted as if they never heard of it. I repaired the set myself, including replacing the crumbling AC line cord with one from a defective RF modulator.
The former owner of my T/O stated (in his eBay item description) that he had realigned all 12 bands, but the performance problems I am experiencing on the AM broadcast band (and also on shortwave) lead me to believe that the alignment wasn't done properly, or else something was jarred out of place during shipping; I'm not sure what the problem is. The FM band, however, seems to be in proper alignment, so it isn't a total loss. Further, most AM stations in my area near Cleveland are on frequencies from 850 to 1540 kHz, so I don't have much use for the low end of the band anyway--except of course for AM DXing. The radio does receive stations such as CKLW (800kHz) in Canada and WJR (760kHz) in Detroit, as well as AM 740 in Toronto quite well, and of course the AM dial lights up with stations after dark, so sensitivity isn't the issue. As I mentioned in my previous post, I have heard several very small Canadian and North American stations, such as "News Radio 1310" somewhere in Ontario, while tuning this set through the BC band, so I am reasonably certain the problem is simply poor alignment.