On multiple accounts a simple turning of the selector forth and back repeatedly for few minutes should fix the issue. It did few years back but the trick doesn’t work anymore.
Anyone with direct experience of it? Thanks for sharing.
On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 7:03:10 AM UTC-5, Wu Ming wrote:
On multiple accounts a simple turning of the selector forth and back
repeatedly for few minutes should fix the issue. It did few years back but >> the trick doesn’t work anymore.
Anyone with direct experience of it? Thanks for sharing.
If you look at the tuning capacitor in any older radio, you'll see that
it consists of a bunch of interleaved plates, half of which are mounted
on a shaft that rotates to let them mesh more or less. The more they are intermeshed, the higher the capacitance and the lower the tuned
frequency. Taking a more careful look, you'll notice that the stationary plates are insulated from the frame of the capacitor while the rotatable plates are mounted directly on the shaft which is in contact with that
frame. The electrical connection between the shaft and the frame is thru
a ball bearing on one end and usually a brass spring on the other end.
Both ends were lubricated at the factory, but, with time, that
lubrication dries out and oxidation occurs. Metal oxides tend to be insulators. Once the contact between the shaft and the frame, where the
radio makes its connection, becomes unreliable or intermittent, you'll
stop getting reception or there will be a lot of noise as the shaft is turned.
Moving the shaft back and forth can break thru those insulating films.
You can try Deoxit to remove the oxides and follow up with Shield to
provide some longer term conductivity. I like to also add a bit of high quality corrosion preventive grease at the same time, for the longest term benefit.
jad...@vwtype3.org <jad...@vwtype3.org> wrote:
On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 7:03:10 AM UTC-5, Wu Ming wrote:
On multiple accounts a simple turning of the selector forth and back
repeatedly for few minutes should fix the issue. It did few years back but
the trick doesn’t work anymore.
Anyone with direct experience of it? Thanks for sharing.
If you look at the tuning capacitor in any older radio, you'll see that
it consists of a bunch of interleaved plates, half of which are mounted
on a shaft that rotates to let them mesh more or less. The more they are intermeshed, the higher the capacitance and the lower the tuned
frequency. Taking a more careful look, you'll notice that the stationary plates are insulated from the frame of the capacitor while the rotatable plates are mounted directly on the shaft which is in contact with that frame. The electrical connection between the shaft and the frame is thru
a ball bearing on one end and usually a brass spring on the other end. Both ends were lubricated at the factory, but, with time, that
lubrication dries out and oxidation occurs. Metal oxides tend to be insulators. Once the contact between the shaft and the frame, where the radio makes its connection, becomes unreliable or intermittent, you'll stop getting reception or there will be a lot of noise as the shaft is turned.
Moving the shaft back and forth can break thru those insulating films.
You can try Deoxit to remove the oxides and follow up with Shield to provide some longer term conductivity. I like to also add a bit of high quality corrosion preventive grease at the same time, for the longest term benefit.
Thank you for the details. Interesting. Will try.
On Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at 6:47:33 PM UTC-4, Wu Ming wrote:
jad...@vwtype3.org <jad...@vwtype3.org> wrote:
On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 7:03:10 AM UTC-5, Wu Ming wrote:Thank you for the details. Interesting. Will try.
On multiple accounts a simple turning of the selector forth and back
repeatedly for few minutes should fix the issue. It did few years back but >>>> the trick doesn’t work anymore.
Anyone with direct experience of it? Thanks for sharing.
If you look at the tuning capacitor in any older radio, you'll see that
it consists of a bunch of interleaved plates, half of which are mounted
on a shaft that rotates to let them mesh more or less. The more they are >>> intermeshed, the higher the capacitance and the lower the tuned
frequency. Taking a more careful look, you'll notice that the stationary >>> plates are insulated from the frame of the capacitor while the rotatable >>> plates are mounted directly on the shaft which is in contact with that
frame. The electrical connection between the shaft and the frame is thru >>> a ball bearing on one end and usually a brass spring on the other end.
Both ends were lubricated at the factory, but, with time, that
lubrication dries out and oxidation occurs. Metal oxides tend to be
insulators. Once the contact between the shaft and the frame, where the
radio makes its connection, becomes unreliable or intermittent, you'll
stop getting reception or there will be a lot of noise as the shaft is turned.
Moving the shaft back and forth can break thru those insulating films.
You can try Deoxit to remove the oxides and follow up with Shield to
provide some longer term conductivity. I like to also add a bit of high
quality corrosion preventive grease at the same time, for the longest term benefit.
If it's one of those open frame tuners, have at it. If it's one of those clear plastic super compact square tuners with plastic film separating
the plates, then any cleaner you use that carries a lube that doesn't evaporate will detune the tuner. It will work, but it will cause your
dial to be off, sometimes quite a bit. Over time, the error will slowly decrease but never go away. If the radio has an osc trimmer, you might
be able to fudge a lot of the error away.
ohg...@gmail.com <ohg...@gmail.com> wrote:
If it's one of those open frame tuners, have at it. If it's one of those clear plastic super compact square tuners with plastic film separating
the plates, then any cleaner you use that carries a lube that doesn't evaporate will detune the tuner. It will work, but it will cause your
dial to be off, sometimes quite a bit. Over time, the error will slowly decrease but never go away. If the radio has an osc trimmer, you might
be able to fudge a lot of the error away.
To be honest I have no idea. Maybe the video I linked in my original question will tell you. Won’t have access to the device until next time I visit my parents and this may take a while unfortunate.
Wu Ming wrote:
-------------------------
ohg...@gmail.com <ohg...@gmail.com> wrote:
To be honest I have no idea. Maybe the video I linked in my original
If it's one of those open frame tuners, have at it. If it's one of those >>> clear plastic super compact square tuners with plastic film separating
the plates, then any cleaner you use that carries a lube that doesn't
evaporate will detune the tuner. It will work, but it will cause your
dial to be off, sometimes quite a bit. Over time, the error will slowly
decrease but never go away. If the radio has an osc trimmer, you might
be able to fudge a lot of the error away.
question will tell you. Won’t have access to the device until next time I >> visit my parents and this may take a while unfortunate.
** See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hXeVQffq4s
Phil Allison
ohg...@gmail.com
To be honest I have no idea. Maybe the video I linked in my original
If it's one of those open frame tuners, have at it. If it's one of those >>> clear plastic super compact square tuners with plastic film separating >>> the plates, then any cleaner you use that carries a lube that doesn't >>> evaporate will detune the tuner. It will work, but it will cause your >>> dial to be off, sometimes quite a bit. Over time, the error will slowly >>> decrease but never go away. If the radio has an osc trimmer, you might >>> be able to fudge a lot of the error away.
question will tell you. Won’t have access to the device until next time I
visit my parents and this may take a while unfortunate.
** See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hXeVQffq4s
Auto lock-in, analog tuner. Interesting but doesn’t tell me much. Should not be the plastic kind mentioned by ohg…because is not super compact.
Next time I will try cleaning and lubing.
Wu Ming wrote:
-----------------------
Phil Allison
Auto lock-in, analog tuner. Interesting but doesn’t tell me much. Should >> not be the plastic kind mentioned by ohg…because is not super compact.ohg...@gmail.com
To be honest I have no idea. Maybe the video I linked in my original
If it's one of those open frame tuners, have at it. If it's one of those >>>>> clear plastic super compact square tuners with plastic film separating >>>>> the plates, then any cleaner you use that carries a lube that doesn't >>>>> evaporate will detune the tuner. It will work, but it will cause your >>>>> dial to be off, sometimes quite a bit. Over time, the error will slowly >>>>> decrease but never go away. If the radio has an osc trimmer, you might >>>>> be able to fudge a lot of the error away.
question will tell you. Won’t have access to the device until next time I
visit my parents and this may take a while unfortunate.
** See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hXeVQffq4s
** Fraid it is one of the "super compact' kind, open frame ones are much bigger.
Next time I will try cleaning and lubing.
** Note ohg's advice.
FYI it is common for open frame gangs to become noisy when moved but
rare with the compact examples.
....... Phil
Watched one video of restoration and the person performed a deep cleanse
with a spray: https://youtu.be/e8SwvMGxVik
** Fraid it is one of the "super compact' kind, open frame ones are much bigger.
Next time I will try cleaning and lubing.
** Note ohg's advice.
FYI it is common for open frame gangs to become noisy when moved but
rare with the compact examples.
....... Phil
Watched one video of restoration and the person performed a deep cleanse
with a spray: https://youtu.be/e8SwvMGxVik
With the compact kind we should obtain detuning if lube does not evaporate completely (@ohg). Also because is auto lock-in substantial wiggle is built-in already. As demonstrated in the video linked by you.
Wu Ming wrote:
--------------------------
** See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbjwiggmnrQ** Fraid it is one of the "super compact' kind, open frame ones are much bigger.
FYI it is common for open frame gangs to become noisy when moved but
rare with the compact examples.
I had one customer who decided to use spray lube ( WD40)) all over the
open tuning gang of his FM tuner.
De-tuned the band so much only one station was left on the dial, way down the bottom end.
..... Phil
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