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  #46  
Old 03-10-2015, 12:06 PM
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It creates tiny steel fragments that get EVERYWHERE are impossible to see and short everything imaginable.....Essentially you dumped electronic termite eggs all over it.
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  #47  
Old 03-10-2015, 02:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by old_coot88 View Post
Oh groannnn (face palm) Please say you didn't....


....use steel wool on the chassis.
Better a face palm than a face plant (ouch).
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Originally Posted by Electronic M View Post
It creates tiny steel fragments that get EVERYWHERE are impossible to see and short everything imaginable.....Essentially you dumped electronic termite eggs all over it.
Well, that sucks. Time for the leaf blower treatment I guess.
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  #48  
Old 03-10-2015, 02:57 PM
old_coot88 old_coot88 is offline
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Seems like a real good vacuuming would be first in order, to minimize driving the stuff in deeper.

Last edited by old_coot88; 03-10-2015 at 03:06 PM.
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  #49  
Old 03-10-2015, 04:16 PM
quaddriver quaddriver is offline
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well we certainly do not want termites, electronic or or other. Fortunately Its my 53rd rodeo, I use the shop vac method ;-)

And lets be honest, its not the valve body of an automatic. But she is clean, working and I got one .03 dip to go - which is fortunate because I have exactly one left. I rebuild them in chunks to minimize surprises, about every 3-4 components I fire it back up. Very sensitive FM tuner. But horrible build, my zeniths are a lot neater inside and they can be said to suck build wise...

surprisingly the very crummy looking carbon comp resistors are coming out in spec, pushing the 15% envelope, but in spec. I do not have the hum the OP complained about.
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  #50  
Old 03-10-2015, 04:51 PM
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How new of Zeniths do you have? Their tube offerings were among the best built sets among companies not solely dedicated to HiFi. Anyone that would say tube Zeniths were poorly built either has a last gasp unit, or is rather picky/snobby.
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  #51  
Old 03-10-2015, 05:25 PM
quaddriver quaddriver is offline
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Originally Posted by Electronic M View Post
How new of Zeniths do you have? Their tube offerings were among the best built sets among companies not solely dedicated to HiFi. Anyone that would say tube Zeniths were poorly built either has a last gasp unit, or is rather picky/snobby.
I have a number, the 7H8222Z (I may have that model slightly munged) was the first tuber I did. 21 (I counted) .01uf couplers. Mebbe they got a group rate. (1951 model designator, 1948 chassis designator). Im not being snobbish at all, these radios were assembled by hand in the electronics version of a sweatshop by essentially women earning 'egg money'. Not much rational thought to the layout. Now dont get me wrong, stuff like zenith 5Mxx etc chassis you can get working with cat whiskers and chewing gum - I never said they didnt work or worked poorly. There is a big difference.

And this bendix is worse. At least they made good brakes...



...now if you would see the Hallicrafters 4 band I just did....comparative nirvana
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  #52  
Old 03-10-2015, 06:49 PM
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Comparing consumer electronics to Ham/communications gear (such as Hallicrafters) is like comparing a Chevy SUV and a military hummer. Sure they may both get you and your stuff around but the consumer use/demands and the way they are met are radically different. I almost included Ham/communications gear in with 'that companies not dedicated to HiFi' qualifier, but did not figure you owned any of that gear to compare.

Do you have evidence to back up your sweat shop claim? Because Zenith used to brag on their items that they were designed and built "by well paid American workers", and I doubt they could get away with saying that (or would even do so to begin with) if it were a lie.

Also unless an electronics company is a tiny fly-by-night garage operation the assembly line workers DO NOT design the layout of the chassis. The engineers or production plant managers/engineers do, then they show the line workers, and say "build it like this"....Though how good of a job those workers do at 'building it like this' is another matter.
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  #53  
Old 03-10-2015, 08:28 PM
quaddriver quaddriver is offline
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Originally Posted by Electronic M View Post
Comparing consumer electronics to Ham/communications gear (such as Hallicrafters) is like comparing a Chevy SUV and a military hummer. Sure they may both get you and your stuff around but the consumer use/demands and the way they are met are radically different. I almost included Ham/communications gear in with 'that companies not dedicated to HiFi' qualifier, but did not figure you owned any of that gear to compare.

Do you have evidence to back up your sweat shop claim? Because Zenith used to brag on their items that they were designed and built "by well paid American workers", and I doubt they could get away with saying that (or would even do so to begin with) if it were a lie.

Also unless an electronics company is a tiny fly-by-night garage operation the assembly line workers DO NOT design the layout of the chassis. The engineers or production plant managers/engineers do, then they show the line workers, and say "build it like this"....Though how good of a job those workers do at 'building it like this' is another matter.
He who forgets history is doomed to repeat it....

Quote:
While it is true that men made many of the key inventions in electrical devices and electronics, women played a role that was equally important—it was women more than men who assembled these technologies in factories. The prominence of women in electrical and electronics manufacturing was because of reasons, which, from today’s perspective, appear to be unjust. Because of sex discrimination, women could be hired as factory workers for lower wages than men. Hiring women instead of men for assembly jobs meant more profits for the company. The irony, however, is that they were often as well-educated and as highly skilled as their male counterparts.
Quote:
The electronics industry was the largest employer of women in the United States by 1960. In the United States, the assembly of consumer electronics devices declined after 1960, and many of these jobs were transferred to Latin America and Asia, where labor was even less expensive. Today, many women around the world are employed assembling televisions, cellular telephones, computers, and other electrical devices.
I actually had an nth cousin who worked in these factories from the 40's to the demise in the late 70's. She did radios, kitchen appliances, sweepers and lastly sweeper bags. All from New Kensington PA!

Anyways I obviously touched a zenith nerve but hey, Im equal opportunity, Im inside SS and tube stuff to the tune of a couple hundred of them a year - you see all types to the point where you can anticipate the task at hand before you get all the screws out.

The Japanese kicked our asses for a reason compadre.

Anyways the Halli was a 5R10 - hardly ham equipment. Just cuz It can receive many bands? so can a LOT of things - its pretty darn easy to tune into different bands once you have the 'radio' part figured out. In fact, Id bet that MOST of the big old top line floor standers from before the war (2) had more than one band - its how they communicated back in the day. This was of course before the FCC sold all the freqs to our corporate masters. Not much to listen to if you are not into digital carrier signals.

But any rate, lest we turn this into a debate of radio guts, I am done soldering in parts. All the wax is gone, all the power wires, some resistors, cleaned and lubed a bunch of stuff. It works. Does not smoke too much (im kidding) and Im now getting the smokers hack off the case.

everyone wants pick-sures
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  #54  
Old 03-11-2015, 09:28 AM
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You gave evidence to what I already knew (women were a good portion of the assembly line workforce in electronics), but have failed to convince me Zenith's employees were underpaid or worked in 'sweat shop' conditions (which is what I objected to).

The 5R10 IS ham/pro SW listening gear. It is however the stripped down bottom of the line model. I've got it's big brother with more features (such as a BFO which only HAMs had use for back then), and tubes. After WWII FM replaced SW as the additional band of consumer interest and high end SW sets were limited to Ham's and passionate SW listeners mostly. If that were a consumer model it would not have a metal cabinet like that (Wood for the nice models and plastic for the cheaper ones had been basically standard since just before WWII).

SW has always been an international broadcast and ham band, and is still in use by many analog stations, but unless you are near the coasts, or atmospheric conditions are right you are not likely to receive much since there are few stations in the USA.

The reason the Japs kicked our buts was dumping and our squishy politicians not enforcing our trade laws properly (carmine has gone over that here on VK in depth a few times).

I currently have about 150 vintage radios (over 100 being tube) most of which I've worked on, and have had many pass through my ownership over the years.

You do nice neat work.
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Zenith: The quality stays in EVEN after the name falls off!
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  #55  
Old 03-11-2015, 11:54 AM
quaddriver quaddriver is offline
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Well lets meet halfway: during that time frame the vast majority of electronics workers were women who worked in substandard conditions for substandard pay, except for zenith workers who had climate controlled safe facilities with no glass ceiling.

At any rate thank you for the compliment, hopefully it wont sit long in my shop before someone gloms it up. Yes, I sell the units I work on, I have no cherished tube units - I barely have room for my surviving silver pioneers and most of them are in the closet...but in the interest of full disclosure lest I earn any ire from the omnipresent trolls who feel that someone who sells radios has no right to ask about fixing them (yes, I was told that): I earn sweatshop rates for my work. I aint a gurl. Is it self sustaining, i.e. acquisition+refurb cost < sold price? Yes, Does it pay the mortgage? No, but the point is gaining knowledge, experience and keeping people in the loop. These radios can finish off a room. Even better if they play. Plus admit it, there is a certain panache earned when you know something far more technical than the people whose only achievement so far is being able to use twitter...

To sum up the bendix world, I wish I knew how to get a shine on old thermoplastic cases subjected to smoke. Nonetheless, it has a great patina and that cheesy white c9 looks cool (I wonder what green would look like? they make bulbs that size now that draw 3.5w plus LEDs....)

Finished product:


(next up, an slqd33 TT then an old post war wood case AMFM that works now, the wife is going to 'shabby chic' the case and I restore the guts...)
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  #56  
Old 03-11-2015, 12:19 PM
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I'm guessing you talked to a bunch of snobs on AK. Whoever told you selling sets revokes your right to ask technical repair questions is full of crap. There were relatively few cookie cutter products made, and much of the non-generic stuff has various quirks that are not always easy to solve without help.

I buy and sell too...Some sets I will never sell, some I keep a while and grow tired of or need gone for space, others I buy to sell. Sometimes I make a profit and sometimes I take a loss to get back needed space. Ocasionally I just buy restore and sell something not to make money, but because I like the set (not enough to keep) and know if I don't save it, that will be the end of its existance.
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Zenith: The quality stays in EVEN after the name falls off!
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  #57  
Old 03-11-2015, 02:37 PM
quaddriver quaddriver is offline
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Actually it was antique radios.com!

I asked a question about a couplet I could not find the SCM on in case i had to make my own... Some guy found out it was a radio for sale and behaved poorly. I ended up selling 2 units to this older lady for her and her friend that she gifted one to - they spend quiet times drinking coffee and listening to whatever KDKA has become today... (turned out it was not the couplet but rather a volume pot that went rogue to 2.25Mohm and cause this weird feedback loop that played near full volume all the time as it caused some sort of oscillation in the 1st AF tube. go figure.

generally I can avoid the snobs on AK if I dont engage them in the discussions of what power cords to use, what CD polish and how much bottled air to use in the listening room....(people with too much time think of some WEIRD stuff)
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  #58  
Old 03-11-2015, 02:45 PM
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I can see some point of being bothered by someone asking a repair question on a set listed for sale at the time the question is being asked if no mention of the problem, or on going work is made in the for sale listing.

One should always be (and try to appear to be) honest with their customers.
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Zenith: The quality stays in EVEN after the name falls off!
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  #59  
Old 03-11-2015, 03:26 PM
quaddriver quaddriver is offline
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well what happened is, I have a couple hundred radios not worked on, stored in a trailer we have. A lady came to the store and picked out one she liked and wanted to see them all. she chose another one that was in the trailer I had never worked on. I told her i would have it done by the gift exchange....boy did I push that close! she had a backup radio chosen in case I had no luck but I got er done by pirating a vol pot from another zenith amfm. (had to be a pot with switch)

the guy in question on the forum took issue to it being on a radio I intend to sell - hell I intend to sell them ALL - gotta make room for news ones somehow. He felt that ARF is only for collectors and users.

On the AK you dont get that as much, its pretty much a given most of the stuff is acquired, polished, sold. some acquire, refurb/fix, polish, sell. I am in the latter group, cept for the ones I keep for myself of course....for example my sx3800 and 3900 have instructions in the will if no family want them. I literally list the MINIMUM to sell them for.
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