A Beautiful 1 Dollar Radio

[iparodyall]

It cost 1 dollar and came with the original mic and wires, only issue is it won't send or receive.Don't think i can fix it but it sure does look great on the shelf.

Should i try to fix it or just hang on to it?

[Bobcat]

I am betting there are multiple opinions on that.
Me? I would think it more impressive if it DID work BUT I would have to weigh it against the possibility of fixing it.
If you can perform radio repairs you are that much ahead.
If not you are going to have to find someone to do it and THEN pay them!
I just pulled the schematic up on CBTricks and it looks like a pretty simple radio.
It will depend on what is wrong with it. If all of the solid state is good, again, you are that much ahead and it is possible that either a re-cap would fix it or some rather simple troubleshooting.

When you turned it on... does it act like anything comes on? Does the pilot light come on? Does the relay "ker-klunk" when you key and unkey?

[iparodyall]

When you turned it on... does it act like anything comes on? Does the pilot light come on? Does the relay "ker-klunk" when you key and unkey?

Yes, the light comes on and it does "ker-klunk" when i key and unkey hahaha.

There's also slight needle movement, but no transmit and no sounds, i can even get it to transmit a pop or static.

i tried different mics, i haven't tried an external speaker yet, but if it doesn't transmit its probably not a speaker problem.

[MDYoungblood]

For a dollar I would have bought it to use as a donor radio, old parts are getting hard to come by. If the relay is working it probably just needs a good cleaning and go through the pots with some deoxit.

3's

Greg

[iparodyall]

For a dollar I would have bought it to use as a donor radio, old parts are getting hard to come by. If the relay is working it probably just needs a good cleaning and go through the pots with some deoxit.

3's

Greg

I'm still learning, but hopefully soon i'll be able to work on some radios.

I have another radio TRAM D42, that is a really expensive looking radio but it is very rusty. It broadcasts a hum and the speakers hum. I talked to a guy about it and he said to clean the rust off the board because there was a power leak and it was causing the power hum to bleed through on the mic and speakers.

So i've got my hands full but maybe i will keep it around for parts, it certainly wasn't a bad price for a functional mic not counting the radio haha

[MDYoungblood]

The hum could be the power supply your using.

3's

Greg

[iparodyall]

The hum could be the power supply your using.

3's

Greg

I thought about that too, i used two different power supplies and the hum was there.

BUT having said that the power supplies that i'm using are not real power supplies, its just printer power supplies or 12v drill power supplies.
nothing to cut down on dirty power or regulate it, i know i need a real power supply but i don't have the cash to spend 50 bucks on one. Maybe i'll look around for a used one.

[nosaj]

Whats your 20?
Ok near charlotte, you should be able to find an old ham who would haves several. Try flea markets also, you should be able to get one to power a CB for a few bucks.
nosaj

[iparodyall]

Whats your 20?

nosaj

hello there I just updated my signature to show my location!

i presume you live near me? Seems like we all live near eachother.

p.s. yeah i'm gonna hit the jamestown flea market and see what i can grab. People practically throw CB stuff away now, sad sight to see.

[nosaj]

No I'm in NWFL just outside of Pensacola. I just pulled your profile then clicked your 20 google location zoomed out saw charlotte.
If you were near I'd give you a power supply. Nothing beats a regulated supply.
nosaj

[iparodyall]

No I'm in NWFL just outside of Pensacola. I just pulled your profile then clicked your 20 google location zoomed out saw charlotte.
If you were near I'd give you a power supply. Nothing beats a regulated supply.
nosaj

Yeah thats the truth, i appreciate the offer but i'll pick one up somewhere i'm sure.

I've been down to florida myself, hottest place i've ever been in my life hahaha heck even tucson was cool compared to daytona, how are you getting along?

[Bluerunner]

An old IBM type desktop computer power supply usually puts out plenty enough amps on the 12 VDC output and is quieter than the external power supplies and is regulated to provide a constant 12 volts as the load changes. Old computers are not too hard to find as junk. The Apple /Mac type computers are not really suitable for it.

An unregulated external "12 volt" power supply voltage may actually range from 18 VDC to 6-8-0 VDC especially if it is too small to provide the needed amperage when you key up or just turn the radio on. Those external printer/ monitor/ laptop power supplies are typically unregulated as the equipment they plug into does the voltage regulation.

Do you have a multimeter and a soldering iron?

Might help you get started. Once the CB bug bites you we have sponsors on this forum that can provide you with quality equipment.

[iparodyall]

Do you have a multimeter and a soldering iron?

Might help you get started. Once the CB bug bites you we have sponsors on this forum that can provide you with quality equipment.

The CB bug bit me nearly 20 ago when i was 9 years old, i could never talk out of this hole i live in (having no idea how to properly setup an antenna didn't help) after years of failure i ended up giving up. Recently my mother asked me to find an SSB base station and damn if that bug didn't bite twice hahaha.

I have several pc power supplies laying around from when i built PCs, i have a multimeter and soldering iron. But ive never been good with a soldering iron (my hands are clumzy due to a birth injury yadda yadda) long story short i use aligator clips more than soldering irons. If i had some decent solder it would help though, the solder i have is really bad, high melting point and no added flux. I think its nickle or something either way it won't stick to anything.


I'll grab a PC supply and see if i can use the 12v rail to power the radio, hopefully i don't blow something up, which in my case always seems to be in the realm of possibility hahahaha

the Pc power supply i have is rated for max 16amps and minimum 1 amp on the +12 rail.

im bad at electricity, how many amps do i need?

[Bluerunner]

That is fine the radio will only draw the amount of current it needs. The power supply just needs to have the capacity to put out what the radio needs plus a little fudge factor. A typical CB only draws about 3-4 amps. Do you know how to make the power supply stay on when out of the computer? Connect the green output wire to a black output wire to make it come on when out of the PC. Search "PSU power supply" on the internet. The ballast resistor may not be necessary. No more Radio Shack but I find a car running tail light bulb works just fine and you can get parts from the internet and our sponsors.

[Bluerunner]

I sent you a PM (private message).

[iparodyall]

That is fine the radio will only draw the amount of current it needs. The power supply just needs to have the capacity to put out what the radio needs plus a little fudge factor. A typical CB only draws about 3-4 amps. Do you know how to make the power supply stay on when out of the computer? Connect the green output wire to a black output wire to make it come on when out of the PC.

I remember that trick, i used to do it with a paper clip when i needed to test video cards outside of the PC.

But i don't know anything about a ballast resistor

[Grinder74]

I would just try a car battery, vs your other power supplies. That will show if the him is PS related. I hope you have a good antenna hooked to these radios when trying to transmit.

[nosaj]

I would just try a car battery, vs your other power supplies. That will show if the him is PS related. I hope you have a good antenna hooked to these radios when trying to transmit.

Can't get any simpler than that and make sure you have the inline fuse installed. Cheap easy and most likely sitting in your driveway.
nosaj

[iparodyall]

I would just try a car battery, vs your other power supplies. That will show if the him is PS related. I hope you have a good antenna hooked to these radios when trying to transmit.

Can't get any simpler than that and make sure you have the inline fuse installed. Cheap easy and most likely sitting in your driveway.
nosaj

Yeah i can use a battery i have one sitting around here somewhere i'll make sure to use a fuse.

I'm gonna make another thread about the TRAM D42 i'm working on so i can update people on the progress because i'm fixing it.

The cobra 85 i started this thread on is starting to work, only on certain channels will it broadcast and receive, other channels it loses all capabilities. but the speaker is fully working.

[Bobcat]

If those channels stay the same..... make a chart of what channels work and what channels don't.
That is a crystal synthesized unit and it sounds like you may have at least one bad crystal (or dirty rotary switch lug!) and channels will fail in a pattern. Usually from the schematic you can figure out which crystal without ever opening the case.

[Bluerunner]

Some guys put a 10 ohm 20 watt resistor across the 5vdc output. Its supposed to make it more stable. It gets mounted over the fan to keep it cool.
I have used them without it just fine. The radio is usually enough of a load to keep it stable.

[iparodyall]

Some guys put a 10 ohm 20 watt resistor across the 5vdc output. Its supposed to make it more stable. It gets mounted over the fan to keep it cool.
I have used them without it just fine. The radio is usually enough of a load to keep it stable.

i'll take your word for it, you probably have plenty of experience. plus its not like i have any expensive equipment to worry about right now. if i ever get my TRAM D42 working i'll buy a decent power supply, best radio i've ever had was a cobra 25LTD that was stolen but when i saw that rusty old tram with all those bells and whistles i knew i wanted to get it working.

If those channels stay the same..... make a chart of what channels work and what channels don't.
That is a crystal synthesized unit and it sounds like you may have at least one bad crystal (or dirty rotary switch lug!) and channels will fail in a pattern. Usually from the schematic you can figure out which crystal without ever opening the case.

Thats interesting, seems like 14 through 18 works but not much else. I'm no electrician so i don't think i can replace anything.

[Bluerunner]

I often found the channel selector switch contacts to be grungy on those crystal synthesizer radios.

Sometimes you could reach it with a q-tip and alcohol or a pencil eraser to scrub it clean.

[iparodyall]

I often found the channel selector switch contacts to be grungy on those crystal synthesizer radios.

Sometimes you could reach it with a q-tip and alcohol or a pencil eraser to scrub it clean.

I'll try it out before i try anything else

[iparodyall]

I often found the channel selector switch contacts to be grungy on those crystal synthesizer radios.

Sometimes you could reach it with a q-tip and alcohol or a pencil eraser to scrub it clean.

You were right, the channel selector was grimy all i had to do is swirl it around a few dozen times!