How to replace a Vintage Ham Radio power transformer National NC-173

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  • Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
  • This fine receiver came to the shop in need of a new life. Normally these units are in poor cosmetic condition. This ones a solid 8, well worth restoring. As you can see, it is quite the undertaking if you do not have the original type transformer. Lucky D-lab has a mill in the shop. Makes easy work out of chassis modification. If you have one of these radios and the original transformer is installed and operational, word of advice, change the filter cap and those negative bias caps! A little preventative maintenance will save you a world of stress & work. As always, D-Lab changes out caps on all these old rigs that enter the shop. They have done a great job for 50+ years. They will last an easy 50 more with TLC. Thanks to all that have been supporting my efforts. This piece was purchase with donation funds, so you can enjoy the results.

Комментарии • 61

  • @preiter20
    @preiter20 5 лет назад +4

    Great video Terry! Love the troubleshooting of the cause of the initial failure.

  • @rciancia
    @rciancia 5 лет назад +6

    Terry, that radio chassis looks like a first cousin to the Hammarlund HQ129x.. What a great job retrofitting the new transformer.. and even better job finding the root cause... that sets you apart from alot of other folks I watch... well done my friend. P.S... You may want to check my latest video... LOL

  • @themongoloid8944
    @themongoloid8944 5 лет назад +1

    You seem like good people Terry, if you ever drive through Cincinnati or Corbin, KY. Give me a shout and I will buy your dinner if I am in town. I am waiting for some mulberry wine from a friend of mine, it’s like nectar from the gods. I will send you a bottle when it’s ready this year.

  • @kornami8678
    @kornami8678 5 лет назад +2

    Dad had a NC-173. I loved it. Wish I still had it.

  • @materialsguy2002
    @materialsguy2002 5 лет назад +1

    Nice work, Terry. Great to see the National rx working again rather than scrapped. 👍🏻

  • @83roadstar
    @83roadstar 5 лет назад +2

    Love the vertical mill for projects needing machining! Great vid Terry!

    • @d-labelectronics
      @d-labelectronics  5 лет назад

      Yes Sir, very handy instrument

    • @drtidrow
      @drtidrow 5 лет назад

      Seems like overkill to me, when a sheet metal nibbler would work just as well.

    • @daleburrell6273
      @daleburrell6273 3 года назад

      @@drtidrow 1- THAT'S TOO MUCH WORK, AND 2- IF YOU HAVE THE EQUIPMENT, USE IT!!!

  • @8xlaxx
    @8xlaxx 5 лет назад +2

    Great video Terry! Keep them coming.

  • @JWimpy
    @JWimpy 5 лет назад +1

    Good idea using a mill. I miss having access to a lathe and mill. But I retired.

    • @daleburrell6273
      @daleburrell6273 3 года назад

      ...NOTHING SAYS THAT YOU CAN'T HAVE YOUR OWN MACHINE TOOLS-(!)

    • @JWimpy
      @JWimpy 3 года назад

      @@daleburrell6273 IF ONE HAD THAT KIND OF MONEY.

    • @daleburrell6273
      @daleburrell6273 3 года назад

      @@JWimpy ...THAT'S THE TRUTH- AND YOU'D NEED A DRY PLACE TO KEEP THEM: A DAMP BASEMENT IS A DEFINITE NO-NO!!
      I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT-!

    • @JWimpy
      @JWimpy 3 года назад

      @@daleburrell6273 Yeah, didn't think about the dry area. My workshop is a back room of my barn. It gets very humid in there being in the South.

  • @sennevilleeify
    @sennevilleeify 5 лет назад +2

    New to your Channel. Great work great guy great familly and surely great wine

  • @wolfhawg
    @wolfhawg 5 лет назад +1

    Great job Terry.

  • @SteveHacker
    @SteveHacker 5 лет назад +1

    Fantastic video as always! Always something new to learn. I just wish more actual “how to” was shown instead of just “here’s what I did” (after the fact) though; longer videos with less editing (which would actually be easier to make - less editing, less labor time) and actually showing more “how to” would be amazing. And remember, boys and girls, “EK-specially” is not a word; not in any language, region, dialect, accent, state or nation...
    LOL! 😂😂😂

  • @crosleyfiver8686
    @crosleyfiver8686 5 лет назад +1

    Really enjoy your posts.

  • @javierbiaggi3072
    @javierbiaggi3072 5 лет назад +1

    Beautiful job, its looks like factory.

  • @Justplast
    @Justplast 5 лет назад +2

    Good Job

  • @jimgiordano8218
    @jimgiordano8218 5 лет назад +1

    Nice heart transplant. Seeing these old rigs, brings back memories. Question, have you ever worked on a Heathkit HW-100 or HW-101.

  • @dneitzke
    @dneitzke 5 лет назад +1

    Dr. D-lab, Do you offer DVD's on all your repair you tube Vids? many thanks!

  • @user-cn5kv5ey4c
    @user-cn5kv5ey4c 2 года назад

    Благородное дело... Спасибо! Привет Вам из Москвы, UA3KBD (60 годы..)

  • @msaradio7455
    @msaradio7455 5 лет назад +1

    Awesome Terry, 73.

  • @renegade44040
    @renegade44040 5 лет назад +4

    Oh yeah broke out the milling machine. A milling machine will fix anything 🍷

    • @douglasjude714
      @douglasjude714 3 года назад

      i realize I'm kind of off topic but do anyone know a good website to watch new tv shows online ?

    • @daleburrell6273
      @daleburrell6273 3 года назад

      ..."IF YOU'VE GOT IT- FLAUNT IT"-(?)

  • @evananderson8452
    @evananderson8452 5 лет назад +1

    Another great job

  • @geoepi321975
    @geoepi321975 5 лет назад +1

    you are great amp doctor

  • @clydedenby1436
    @clydedenby1436 5 лет назад +1

    Nice job, though I was more impressed by the presence of a milling machine in an electronics shop. I'm guessing that you have a few other areas of interest.

    • @daleburrell6273
      @daleburrell6273 3 года назад

      ...MILLING MACHINES COME IN MANY SIZES, AND MANY PRICE RANGES- MAYBE TERRY WAS EXTRAORDINARILY LUCKY ENOUGH FIND AN INEXPENSIVE MACHINE-(?)

  • @RobertKohut
    @RobertKohut 5 лет назад +1

    Nice!! Great work... :-)

  • @DeadKoby
    @DeadKoby 5 лет назад +3

    The average nerd would be trimming that cavity with a dremmel tool. A super nerd owns a bridgeport.

    • @ZenithClarity
      @ZenithClarity 5 лет назад +1

      I keep wishing for one of those.
      Hows it go? Wish in one hand and ...

    • @lwilton
      @lwilton 5 лет назад

      You could do it with a $9 saber saw with a metal cutting blade and a hand file about ten times faster than a dremmel.

    • @daleburrell6273
      @daleburrell6273 3 года назад

      @@ZenithClarity ...MILLING MACHINES COME IN MANY SIZES AND MANY PRICE RANGES-!!!

    • @daleburrell6273
      @daleburrell6273 3 года назад

      @@lwilton ...THAT'S THE TRUTH- BUT YOU NEED TO REMEMBER THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF WIRES THAT YOU HAD TO STAY AWAY FROM WITH THE SAW BLADE-!!!
      A MILLING MACHINE ALLOWS YOU TO STRICTLY LIMIT HOW DEEP YOU ARE CUTTING INTO THE CHASSIS.

  • @fabinhoosmar
    @fabinhoosmar 5 лет назад +1

    Mais um bom trabalho colega. Parabéns !!!!!

  • @daleburrell6273
    @daleburrell6273 3 года назад +1

    0:51...WHO TOOK IT?!!

  • @gbowne1
    @gbowne1 5 лет назад +1

    My favorite was the HRO-50T1

  • @douro20
    @douro20 5 лет назад +2

    I wonder how that mill compares to an actual RF-45.

  • @generator73
    @generator73 5 лет назад +1

    I have another oscilloscope that powers up fine but CRT screen is not illuminating ! Do you know why ? Can you give me an idea please ?

  • @bobl1636
    @bobl1636 5 лет назад +1

    Terry
    It looked like there is enough height that you could of placed the transformer on standoffs that would miss the chassis

    • @daleburrell6273
      @daleburrell6273 3 года назад

      YOU'RE FORGETTING THAT THE TRANSFORMER IS A VERY HEAVY COMPONENT- AND STANDOFFS MIGHT NOT BE UP TO THE JOB OF SUPPORTING SUCH A HEAVY PART.
      WHAT'S MORE, IT LOOKED LIKE THE LEADS ON THE TRANSFORMER WERE TOO SHORT TO REACH VERY FAR...

  • @daleburrell6273
    @daleburrell6273 5 лет назад +1

    5:35...that's called the "quill"-!

  • @scole901
    @scole901 5 лет назад +1

    so the original owner replaced the cap backwards?

  • @stevec5000
    @stevec5000 5 лет назад

    But now there is a National 240D without a transformer!

  • @generator73
    @generator73 5 лет назад +1

    i have a question, i have vintage vacuum tube oscilloscope and it keeps blowing fuses away, how can i fix that

    • @d-labelectronics
      @d-labelectronics  5 лет назад

      Hi Bob, sounds like a very leaky power supply capacitor. Have you looked over the caps? Are any leaking? Try pulling the rectifier tube, see if the scope powers then, if not the power tranny may be bad. TD

    • @generator73
      @generator73 5 лет назад +1

      @@d-labelectronics I have no idea how capacitors and rectifier tube looks like.
      I think I am gonna send it back to eBay and get my money back. There is no way I can fix that because I have no special tools for that. I am musician, I make music . I have no idea what leaky cap is and how to tell if it leaks or not. I am also know how to lift heavy weights at the gym but nothing about capacitors.

  • @langhilau
    @langhilau 5 лет назад +1

    Terry is it worth the time and expense to do all this time consuming work for what could be called at best a mediocre receiver. The labor alone on your part had to be very expensive.

    • @ianbutler1983
      @ianbutler1983 5 лет назад

      Yeah, but then we would not be able to watch his fix it...lol.

    • @daleburrell6273
      @daleburrell6273 3 года назад

      ...WHEN YOU'RE RUNNING A BUSINESS: "TIME IS MONEY"- BUT WHEN IT'S A HOBBY, TIME AND MONEY ARE A HECK OF A LOT LESS IMPORTANT-!!

  • @adrongarretson6195
    @adrongarretson6195 5 лет назад +1

    I love your videos dude you need to use a vacuum cleaner instead of sweeping that crap down inside that chassis what the heck are you thinking of

    • @d-labelectronics
      @d-labelectronics  5 лет назад +2

      Always sweep the shavings onto the mill table, then vacuum. The chassis bottom was open. No worries

    • @daleburrell6273
      @daleburrell6273 3 года назад

      ...I'M PRETTY SURE THAT TERRY KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING-(!)

  • @stormchsr101
    @stormchsr101 5 лет назад +1

    i hate theses things! the cabinet was a bear to get off and the layout was icky!. i guess its cuz im not fond of national stuff. so my repair for mine was.....i sold it

  • @nor4277
    @nor4277 5 лет назад +1

    Cant you get a new one.

    • @d-labelectronics
      @d-labelectronics  5 лет назад +2

      Nope, those transformers were specific for the receiver back in 1950

    • @nor4277
      @nor4277 5 лет назад

      @@d-labelectronics thanks for the info I had no idea,it's a shame you just can't buy new transformers as needed,but I understand now .