Browning Mark 4A. Like Rosanne Rosannadanna said "It's always somethin'"

[nomadradio]

The Browning Golden Eagle Mark 4A is like any other 45 year-old radio. A product of the miles and the years, both.

Replacing every, single electrolytic capacitor is just the start. The 10-pin "Jones" plug that joins the transmitter to the receiver may or may not age well.

This plug gets changed. Somewhere along the line somebody used a knife or abrasive to 'clean' the pins. This removed the shiny tarnish-resistant plating, and exposed the brass base metal undeneath. This results in a noisy connection that cuts in and out.

Not exactly a commercial-grade result if you leave this thing in the radio.

A new one is still available if you turn over the right rocks.

I prefer to transfer the wires two at a time. Makes things less crowded for the soldering-iron tip.

The sharp-eyed reader will spot the plastic tubing slid over the black wire. Removing each wire from the old plug requires some care. I grabbed the black wire's insulation while it was still too hot, and it came off. The sleeve restores insulation well enough. Changing the length of one wire to "skin it back" would make the process awkward.

Fortunately the housing on this plug is plastic, so no shock-hazard worries like the old metal shell might cause.

Now to find out if the socket in the receiver also has to get changed.

73

 

[linearone]

Speaking of Jones connectors... I used to order any and all varietals from mouser. Maybe...10 years ago...
I recently picked up with some things that required Jones connectors, these were the large 8-pin ones that have a centering pin. No problem. My thought I'll just head over to Mouser and select the one that I need it. No go.
In fact their selection was actually pretty sparse and a lot of part numbers were coming up as obsolete. Sometimes this happens on websites and what it really means is that perhaps the vendor name changed and instead of updating the listing with a new vendor name, they cancel that one or register an obsolete and then make another listing with another vendor name that you'll never be able to find. I can't seem to find any Jones connectors save for a few on Mouser. Did the Company change hands again? Did production stop? Is this a production anomaly still left over from COVID?

I find it hard to believe that all the connectors are not being available anymore. For god sakes They're literally on everything.

 

[nomadradio]

There's a 'catch' to the chemistry of that hard black plastic.

It's a thermoset resin. Meaning, you mix up the stuff, push it into a mold and then cook until done. The heat solidifies the resin.

Forever. Bakelite-type resins can't be remelted. You gotta use up and cook the batch of the resin you made before it spoils.

Folks who make injection molded items any more want to use thermoplastic resins. Meaning, that they can be remelted. More to the point you can store them at room temp as small BB or marble-sized pieces, melt them and squirt into a mold as needed. No waste from mixing up a too-big batch, or aggravation from mixing up "almost" enough.

Thermoplastic injection molding is a far less critical process, and I'm told the cleanup is easier than for the hard thermoset plastics.

So-called "high-temperature" thermoplastics are now used for all manner of applications that used to call for a thermoset resin.

House-wiring wall switches, wall-socket outlets, hair dryers, you name it. Not sure I would trust a thermoplastic Jones plug, but I haven't seen anyone try to make one.

Jones plugs will get to be like tubes. They never go away, the prices just creep upwards year by year as the remaining stock dries up.

No technology stays dominant forever.

73

 

[linearone]

There's a 'catch' to the chemistry of that hard black plastic.

It's a thermoset resin. Meaning, you mix up the stuff, push it into a mold and then cook until done. The heat solidifies the resin.

Forever. Bakelite-type resins can't be remelted. You gotta use up and cook the batch of the resin you made before it spoils.

Folks who make injection molded items any more want to use thermoplastic resins. Meaning, that they can be remelted. More to the point you can store them at room temp as small BB or marble-sized pieces, melt them and squirt into a mold as needed. No waste from mixing up a too-big batch, or aggravation from mixing up "almost" enough.

Thermoplastic injection molding is a far less critical process, and I'm told the cleanup is easier than for the hard thermoset plastics.

So-called "high-temperature" thermoplastics are now used for all manner of applications that used to call for a thermoset resin.

House-wiring wall switches, wall-socket outlets, hair dryers, you name it. Not sure I would trust a thermoplastic Jones plug, but I haven't seen anyone try to make one.

Jones plugs will get to be like tubes. They never go away, the prices just creep upwards year by year as the remaining stock dries up.

No technology stays dominant forever.

73

Sooooo who stocks the line now?