That was definitely a stellar-performing receiver after your work... incredible... it matches the stellar condition and all-around beauty of that set. Great job and thanks for sharing, Mike. :-)
Just got a Navaho TRC-490 and your videos are awesome man. Mine was messed up by someone who THOUGHT they knew what they were doing. Luckily I have a guy very local in Boston that’s a wizard like you. I’m very grateful for your videos and I’m looking forward to getting my radio back. Your appreciation for old equipment is something we have in common. I will definitely give you some business in the future. You are the real deal amigo
If you are having a problem with setting the voltages on (RT301) to adjust for 13.8V make sure you take out the brown ceramic .1 cap (104) brown ceramic cap solder in and connected between the Base and collector on 2SC1618 (TR401) That disc cap has a high failure rate, which in turn shorts out that transistor between the collector and base, also change out (C304) 25Volt 3300u with a 35v/3300uf.this fixed my problem.
I have a kenwood 820s that I picked up on EBay that was minty like that. It was dumped on EBay with a problem that wound up being a problem in the tube heater circuit. Easy fix and a complete alignment and now I have a great radio.
Great video, funny you mentioned the tantalum cap problem, that was the problem my Teaberry Stalker 202 had (same board I think). Mine would transmit for a while and after a few minutes of talking it would just drop out. Later it would TX again. Was hard to find since it was intermittant of course. I didn't know that was a common problem on that board! I love the radio and should re-cap it one of these days I guess.
Believe it or not, I have quite a few radios like this on my shelf that need minor repairs that I acquired awhile back, just haven't gotten around to fixing them. I have one like this, a TRC-457, a Royce 1-641, and a Midland 78-999 just to name a few. All of them look like they just came out of the box...super clean inside and out...mint condition. Matter of fact, I got the Midland base still in the original box still packed in the styrofoam packing. I just gotta make the time to look at them and get them working again. Great example of what you can find out there.
Definitely should consider changing the electrolytic caps before they start leaking corrosive electrolyte on the board. Worst thing you can do to something electronic is never use it. At least once or twice a year it should be powered up for a while. That will help prolong the life of the electrolytic capacitors.
MikesRadioRepair -- Yep, you got that right for sure. I haven't had them very long, just got them in a trade deal within the year, but I will definitely be replacing the caps and whatnot. The TRC-457 is doing exactly what you mentioned in your video, and it was "gold" info for me, I have been looking into the transmit problem and you mentioned that capacitor being blown being the problem, but I haven't had a chance to crack the case and take a look. Great info, man. I subscribed and have been checking out your videos, you provide very useful and valuable information that I use, I write it all down for future reference...lol.
Hi Mike, i just got one of these yesterday after looking for a CB SSB unit, back on the air after 40 years,i had a started up trc 419 now to get this i am so happy. The front of this rig is spotless, i amd going to get a new power cord then hook it up to my Siro27 GPE 5/8th wave. I guess i will look inide but i got this from a older gentleman and it was taken care of he had it working when i got there to buy he just had a little mobile antenna in his house. I hope i can contact you back if it needs some work,, i will look inisde and look at the wax covered adjusments to see if anyone was messing so those Capacitors you changed out are the plug in or solder? i have no skill on radio stuff.. i wont pretend to know TY
Nice Radio and I remember selling them as fast as we could get them in the early 70’s at Radio Shack. Unfortunately some capacitors could still need replacing due to age. Nice find.
FYI - About 2 months I bought a Pace 1000B Sidetalk base station. It was the rare 40 channel version and was absolutely MINT. The zinc plating on the chassis (outside) was so amazing it was mirror-like and reflected everything around it with no distortion. It actually put this TRC-457's plating to shame. Everything else about the radio was PERFECT, no scratches, scuff marks etc. and no mods. BUT... it smelled like an ashtray and the tar from the previous smoker/owner was so bad that my hands STUCK to the exterior of the radio when I lifted it out of the box. The smell was unbelievable and I ended up returning it because I knew that it would be next to impossible to clean it and get the smell out. The seller reposted it on Ebay within 24 hrs for half price ($100) and sold it immediately (he still didn't disclose that it was a rancid radio'). The audio portion (mic or audio ckt for mic) didn't work (probably easily fixable) and it keyed 3.8 watts (dead key) on AM.- the receiver , speaker and meter worked, as well as the SWR bridge and the clock was accurate. Since then, I've seen a few more of the rare 40 channel 1000B's out there, but they sell fast.
Smoke residue isn't that hard to remove. External parts easily cleaned with mild detergent and internal parts cleaned with IPA. And if there's any smell left after that a week in a sealed plastic storage container with a couple dryer sheets does the trick.
Those tantalum caps are friggin' nuts...little hard, sealed capsules, no vent of any kind so they just explode from inside when they short out and heat up internally and build up gas-pressure.
Nice radio. If anyone has a channel selector with ribbon cable. Please contact me. My wife's departed father's radio is very dear to her and she wants to get it backed on the air
One thing about these radios, there are a BUNCH of factory Service Bulletins that must be addressed. Check the serial numbers on the unit and then look up the service bulletins on CB Tricks and see if any/all applies to your particular radio. These radios had many issues surrounding the components in the final/driver area from the factory.
hi Radio Gypsy i just picked one of these up yesterday my first CB with SSB the serial number on mine is earlier than the one on thevideo i stopped and checked his and mine i have a 70020009 his had a 4 after the 700 i wonder if it just standins for month made also?
It is UNIDEN used the Tayloe QSE/QSD on their citizens band transceivers (QSE=Quadrature Sampling Emitter/QSD=Quadrature Sampling Detector) might have made for a better transceiver means that the LO frequency has to be LO*4 which gets divided down in the Johnson counter which drives the Tayloe QSE/QSD maybe they could have used the QSE/QSD for the AM side also i.e ((LO+455000khz)*4) to get 455khz for driving a phasing RF transformer driving the AM detector circuit.
Hi Mike I have the next model down just no clock but a few years ago I had the 457 both have same chassis I bought this radio at a fleet market 40.00 no microphone no cords but I have cords and it has a digiscan sorry spell check it has all the old caps I haven't check it out yet it's missing outside case screws but 1 just looking it's been peaked and tuned by someone how much don't know but mog is wide open alc also I'll put them at 12 :00 before testing
I have been watching E-Bay for years looking for good buys to pass along or give too some of the old guys on social security that cannot afford a new radio. I have steered away from realistic because I get most of my manuals from CB Tricks and there is no information on what boards their radios use. I have seen beautiful radios for near nothing - but without technical info to work on them I pass right over them,just take a look no-body really bids on them. You look at the President Radios and you see some with six to eight hundred dollars on them,you cannot even get a parts radio for under one hundred dollars and now I see they are the same radio. Cobra base radios I just do not like the looks of the stepped down front panel. Royce Radios are another radio I see a lot that goes for near nothing.
That high pitched noise that was coming in on some of those channels - is that just the skip conditions causing that buzzing noise like high-line interference?
Yosemite Sam cb Yep, was used in several radios from different manufacturers. That's why I frequently tell people it doesn't matter what the outside of the radio has printed on it. Unless its one of the few exceptions its probably a Uniden or Cybernet chassis under the cover.
I just got one for $9.99 at Goodwill. What are some mods/preventative maintenance things I should do to increase the resale value? I've never worked on RF but I am an amateur electronics tech with experience in audio repair. I see recapping electrolytic and tantalums is a good idea.
Hi Mike, I have a Navajo 457 that is still in the original box. Can you restore mine too. How do I get in touch with you ? I purchased a D201 from someone that had you work on it and it's the best radio I have. Please let me know. I tried calling but your voice mail is full. Best regards.
Do you have a list of the Capacitors you change out including the Tantalum and what values not voltages you upgrade to for filtering. I usually try to stay with the Rubycon TWSS Capacitors - if I cannot find them in the right size then I use the Nichicon Capacitors.
I have a gentleman that lives right next to one of those major high-lines that looks like a big metal man with loads of wires from the top all the way down to the ends of the arm - and the guy has tried everything he can think of to be able to hear over that noise with no luck. Do you have any Ideas filter circuits or anything that will allow him to use a radio at his location?
nice radio...how do you tune L4 and L37? I find they like to be tuned 1 side high ch 1 side low ch....if I tune L4 on ch19 then 40 is weak or vice versa. The 40D has the same situation but its L4 and L24
Ron Edwards The 858 chassis has better receive and better transmit audio. Only reason Uniden stopped making this chassis was because it cost so much. Far superior than later Uniden chassis. I would take a 858 chassis over a 8719/8734 chassis any day of the week. Also had a narrower SSB crystal filter so less noise in SSB receive.
I know this video is old - but I want to say that I have one of these radios , a TRC 457 in pretty much mint condition with the instruction manual , no box but in clean storage - but I want to sell it - who do I talk to about that?
Not recommended. Tantalum capacitors have superior high frequency characteristics and extremely low ESR compared to aluminum electrolytic capacitors. Due to their higher cost manufacturers wouldn't use them unless they had to so when they do it was for a reason.
Ok well thank you very much mike and it's nice to hear from you as well I'll just order some tantalums I'm restoring a trc457 no tx and like you said that cap goes bad
Too bad you don't have even a basic 720p HD camera because the video quality would be so much better and viewers would be able to better appreciate top condition radios like this one... :>\
WelshWidgetMan2O1O If I did it would probably take two days to upload. Rather limited on upload speed here . Out here in the middle of nowhere I'm still stuck with high speed over the old twisted pair phone line. Doing the best I can.
Ah, I understand. In the early half of the 2000's I used to live in the mountains and the only option for internet was a satellite service (Hughes). Although they advertised it as being "broadband", it was barely faster than dial-up and cost $60 per month to boot. Thank God those days are gone.
WelshWidgetMan2O1O Download speeds are great. I can view live stream with no glitches. And I understand that's what most people want, download speed. Problem is upload speeds are always slower and for me that's what I need. So I make do with what I have. It gets the job done, just takes a while to do It. :-)
I'm not getting nothing got it still in box when I first used it I would turn it on then few min it will click then u could ear them now it not working
I understand the changeing of the caps to restore a radio,,, BUT I almost hate to see it happen to this one! I wonder if it has ever been powered up after it left the factory. It's only original one time!!!
Lee Jordan But eventually they do go bad, leak externally and do physical damage to circuit traces and surrounding components. Nothing worse than having a radio in mint condition only to find it has been eaten from the inside out by corrosion caused by leaking caps.
Ultrasonic cleaner for knobs, TRC Big Red concentrated cleaner, ZEP foaming glass cleaner, microfiber towel and a scrub brush. Nothing special, just a lot of elbow grease.
First thing I would do is see if the glue that gets corrosive and conductive over the decades has started to do just that. It could be shorting out circuits in the radio. Tantalum capacitor in the final circuit is known for shorting out and killing output. They are vintage radios and probably just need some TLC to bring them back to good working order.
