Kenwood 520.....????

[WX2MIG]

Cleaned up a few more contacts today, and got the digital frequency display to work. The frequency did a lot of drifting until the unit warmed up, and only then were we able to get reception on the LSB & RTTY settings, nothing on USB, or CW modes.
Couldn't pick up a local 10m beacon, or the WWV signals, but did manage to hear some CW on the 20m band on LSB......

This radio spent many years in the home of a heavy smoker, and everything inside and out is coated in nicotine. Every time we clean up a few more connections or contacts something else starts to work, or work a little better.

I have it apart now, and will go over everything I feel comfortable going over, if the radio doesn't properly respond to that, then it'll be time to send it off to the pro's.....

I'd at least like to get all the nicotine off the control knobs and panel before I ship it off....assuming it comes to that.....

 

[BJ radionut]

Some of my restoration ideas

Tony:
Just a few things I have tried and gotten good results. I always suggest trying small areas until you see how it reacts...as every rig has things that have changed over time and exposure to chemicals and environment.

For Knobs: Remove from radio and soak in a mild soap solution of dish soap...I like Dawn or Palmolive best....serveral hours or overnight.

Then with a clean very worn soft toothbrush simply brush off the gunk. Be sure to be careful around the white or silk screen lines not to get to aggressive and remove them.
I have replaced those markings with model paint and had good luck though.

Radio Face: Remove from rig and clean with same type solution as above only with clean cloth(old cotton WHITE T shirt) works best for me.
Also I have used good old drug store rubbing alcohol.
remember the lettering...! again try a small spot before getting to carried away...They can just disappear!

I have also used a product called GOO-B-Gone for smoke and works very well but once you start you will be doing the whole face as it really can bring back the old luster. Then you remove it with mild soap and let dry and buff with a old T shirt. AGAIN try a small spot around lettering but I have used several times and have never removed any.

DO NOT USE WINDEX or 409 or FANTASTIC...do not ask me about this!!! OH Boy!

Band switches and relays good old rubbing alcohol and Q-Tips works great or the old T shirt if you can reach them

On Plastic VFO covers or Digi readout covers...Use only a eyeglass cleaner and a eyeglass cloth or camera lens cloth others will scratch and can discolor them...don't get to aggressive.
Sounds like your making progress...I am guessing the band switch and mode switch need the most attention from past experience.

The Warm-Up time on the TS-820's is about 30 minutes and she will settle down...do not concern yourself with this pretty normal really.

Keep your eyes open for a SHURE 444D or 444M Mic they will make her sound like a dream!
All the Best
BJ

 

[WX2MIG]

Thanks Bj, I went over the metal cabinet with Goo-Gone, always have plenty of that stuff on hand cause it's the best solution for removing old wax off of surfboards.
I appreciate the advice on the knobs, I'll soak them tomorrow, and I do have an old soft tooth brush just for that task.
Been cleaning up the contacts and connections with Radio Shack tuner cleaner & lubricant. The problem is this radio is wired with those multi pin connectors, some are easy to reach and pull off, but many are burried under other things, and I need to pull them with needle nose.....(I can't find my needle nose pliers)....:redface:
Having big hands with fat fingers doesn't help either.....
Some of the boards are next to impossible to get to, for instance the two boards that control the digital readout are inside a metal box, I would have to dismantle the entire radio to access them, that's a job for a professional restorer....not me.....:blush:

Mechanically there's still a couple of things not functioning right, or not at all. Once I finish this last effort, I'll fire it up, let it warm for an hour, then see what it'll do, if it doesn't respond to my clean-up efforts then it's time to make some phone calls and see how much a full refurbishing will cost. If I'm looking at anything over $400.00 then I'm pissing in the wind, a brand new IC-718 is only $559.00, so for me it's just not worth dumping more than 3 or 4 hundred into an old radio with limited features when I can have a full featured general coverage radio for a few bucks more.

But I'm far from giving up, still got a few more tricks up my sleeve......

 

[SR385]

Half a case of Blue Shower into all the switches and relays should help ;-).

It's worth it at least IMO, the price was right and that era of rig is always fun to have in the shack to play with. I'll likely wind up with one of these myself at some point.

Oh and for a rig of that era that has been down a long long time, let it power up and just sit there....even overnight. Let all the components get warmed up again and or fail, and slowly work on troubleshooting from there.

Stability is a common issue for that era rig until they are running 20mins or so, they will wander around, pretty normal.

 

[WX2MIG]

the TS-820S project......

just a couple shots of it on the bench.....

The knobs are soaking, and I'll clean them up later today.

Still can't find my small needle nose, looks like I'll have to hit Radio Shack and buy another pair......

 

[WX2MIG]

Up-Date......

on the outside, this radio looks like it just came out of the box, but the inside is an entirely different story.......:headbang

got it cleaner than clean, the knobs are shiney new, the glass is spotless, but now the display stopped working again, and it won't even receive on LSB like it did the day before.
Don't know what or where I went wrong, but I walked away from it for a day or so, and will open it back up and try like hell to figure this mess out......

 

[hotrod]

if ya can get it working or power up leave it on for several days it wont
hurt it .if anything it will be good for the radio.did ya checkout all the tubes
cause if i remember right it has tubes for tx and rx both

 

[Beetle]

The tubes in the TS-820, as with most hybrid rigs, are the driver (usually a 12BY7) and the finals (6146s or the Japanese equivalent). ONLY for the transmitter. No tubes for Rx.

 

[74IN]

Can it have dried out old caps?

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Hmmmmm....not sure how I missed this thread until now. Treat that 820S with lots of TLC and it will return the favour. I have the TS-820S,matching external VFO-820, SP-820 speaker with built in filters, and the AT-230 antenna tuner as well as the MC-50 desk mic.The station looks nice sitting on the desk and I constantly get reports of great audine thing to be carefull of is the shaft couplers on the bandswitch etc. They would crack over time and cause part of the switch to rotate while another part would not.That is a great way to fry something when TX'ing and may be a reason why the RX is not up to par. Here is my station.

 

[Beetle]

What IS that object sitting just to the right of the ARRL Log Book? I know what it LOOKS like....

 

[WX2MIG]

What IS that object sitting just to the right of the ARRL Log Book? I know what it LOOKS like....

Ain't dat one uh dem dare thingies dat make dah radio go dit, dah, ditty.....

I'm going to thow the switch and let it cook for a day or two, then go from there......

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

What IS that object sitting just to the right of the ARRL Log Book? I know what it LOOKS like....

You mean that old Nye Speedex H15.682 thing with the navy knob that is mounted on the piece of stained maple with the middle hollowed out and filled with lead sheet so it will stay put? I have no idea what it is. Actually it's my carrier generator. I use it when tuning the finals and the antenna tuner.