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Mikes repair videos
- Thread starter twa77
- Start date
Shadetree Mechanic
Delaware Base Station 808
Greg T
WDX-945 (Jazz Singer) Upper Peninsula of Michigan
He answered when my friend called. Still doing radio work. The friend is a stand up guy and not a story teller. But for the last 4 years or so Mike has been like that hard to get a hold of. Maybe he is swamped with work.
Greg T
WDX-945 (Jazz Singer) Upper Peninsula of Michigan
I'll guess that Mike's widespread fame boosted his backlog up to around a year. Maybe longer.
If I were in that position, I would hire someone who answers inquiries and does little more than say "You'll just have to wait", or "Tough excrement" or whatever is needed. That way I would get to do the real work rather than spending the day on the phone not working.
And if the backlog swelled to much more than a year, I might just ignore everybody but the next guy whose stuff is ready to go home. Working solo, you can't fix more than one of them at a time. And that's who I'd be talking to on the phone, the next guy who owes me the price of that repair bill.
More than once I have spoken to a customer who is disappointed to find that he has a month or more of jobs in line ahead of him. He thinks that if he comes back in a month that he can get same-day service. I have to explain that will only be true if I nail the door shut, cut the phone wire and cancel all our Ebay listings for a solid month.
Just one problem. I'm unlikely to do any of those things, let alone all of them at once. Just means that if he talks to me a month from now that backlog might be shorter than a month. Might be longer. But odds are I'll still have a backlog ahead of him.
73
If I were in that position, I would hire someone who answers inquiries and does little more than say "You'll just have to wait", or "Tough excrement" or whatever is needed. That way I would get to do the real work rather than spending the day on the phone not working.
And if the backlog swelled to much more than a year, I might just ignore everybody but the next guy whose stuff is ready to go home. Working solo, you can't fix more than one of them at a time. And that's who I'd be talking to on the phone, the next guy who owes me the price of that repair bill.
More than once I have spoken to a customer who is disappointed to find that he has a month or more of jobs in line ahead of him. He thinks that if he comes back in a month that he can get same-day service. I have to explain that will only be true if I nail the door shut, cut the phone wire and cancel all our Ebay listings for a solid month.
Just one problem. I'm unlikely to do any of those things, let alone all of them at once. Just means that if he talks to me a month from now that backlog might be shorter than a month. Might be longer. But odds are I'll still have a backlog ahead of him.
73
No idea why Mike split YouTube, but I know the cb shop here locally is swamped trying to keep up with repairs, selling, installs and shipping items out. He has gone to a 5 day work week. . Looked kind of stressed the last time I was there. Should be making some good money though.
it would have been nice if Mike would have made a last video explain why he left.
it would have been nice if Mike would have made a last video explain why he left.
Greg T
WDX-945 (Jazz Singer) Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Except from the one minute mark when he said "April Fools" and "Mike and goin nowhere"
One of the vids he talks about getting a new position - it's on one of the many vids he talks, discusses about the different aspects of radio repair, not just "Bad mods" but the urban myth types of installs that seem to erode the quality of radio as a medium, not just for listening, but what a person will be inundated with and the radios themselves, the parts used, the design and their quality.
He makes a good effort to show by demonstration about Germanium (1N60 - types) versus using Schottky - the noise and frequency response differences are notable and noticeable.
Search for threads here, about (or abort) the 2SC2999 and Schottky Receive Mods - you'll see what he's talking about.
There are several YT vids regarding those mods. He kinda rants on some, but he shows data that tends to side with the OEM being better choices, versus the Tech-ies mods...regarding performance.
Many people "want" a good receiver or a better one, but some mods just are not possible for all radios to use.
You literally have to build a support platform from the ground up in order to use some of these new parts to even attain what they claim.
On top of...
Obtain and use parts and circuit designs that add far more complexity and expense to handle the output, and provide the input.
On top of ...
Rework, re-design - and/or/by modify add in and or otherwise change the audio filtering that will remove the newly added noises and signal levels and their aberrations that come along with this new sensitivity, to HANDLE the Selectivity of the newly attained performance the receiver seems to now have.
"SEEMS" is used here, loosely - for it's relative, on how you want people to sound like when you talk to them, versus what they actually hear what you sound like, from you, talking back to them - on these different platforms...
The strongest argument I can make to help Mikes' efforts on trying to "quit" getting blood out of a turnip...
https://www.worldwidedx.com/threads/2sc2999-mod-analysis.161809/page-4#post-633475
https://www.worldwidedx.com/threads/mike-debunks-shottky-diode-receive-mod.236937/#post-650445
Be vary careful with the parts you are buying...
The IEEE / IPC / JEDEC numbering will give you a current part and even sources of those current parts.
But, please remember - the CONSTRUCTION (Schottky, PN - Cats Whisker) and the MATERIAL used (Silicon, Si-Carbide, Germanium or Selenium) in their combinations used, will have dramatic effects on the receivers performance.
It's sad to say this but, if you can keep the old parts in there, the better off the radio is.
Now, why am I bringing this up?
An article about the noise I hear, many others seem to hear, and how others tend to confuse the noise heard with other types of noises - like White Noise...Research is ongoing, but it's progress is worth a look, because it; the diodes' replacements and their inherited intrinsic traits, are not going away.
Appears Here...
We may have to accept the fact that using the older OEM - it's lifespan may not have too many more MBTF hours that are left to utilize the parts performance. Once they're gone, they're gone!
Why would MTBF matter? Well, you don't want to inject, add or otherwise make drastic changes in the parts power delivery and or ability to handle the loading as it appears across itself in circuit - like the engineers of older days would say...
It's not that the OEM parts aren't pushed to there, at that level, already.
You don't want to push your luck if you make changes to parts that will place them under more stress.
For example, I'm talking about 1N60 presuming it's still Galena/Germanium construction, comparing it to the now newer 1N60's being produced as replacements for said Germanium which are now Schottky, Si - types.
Why again, does this matter?
Read the linked threads...
Before he left, he left behind a lot of bread crumbs for the rest of us to follow.
It is up to us to start where he left off.
He makes a good effort to show by demonstration about Germanium (1N60 - types) versus using Schottky - the noise and frequency response differences are notable and noticeable.
Search for threads here, about (or abort) the 2SC2999 and Schottky Receive Mods - you'll see what he's talking about.
There are several YT vids regarding those mods. He kinda rants on some, but he shows data that tends to side with the OEM being better choices, versus the Tech-ies mods...regarding performance.
Many people "want" a good receiver or a better one, but some mods just are not possible for all radios to use.
You literally have to build a support platform from the ground up in order to use some of these new parts to even attain what they claim.
On top of...
Obtain and use parts and circuit designs that add far more complexity and expense to handle the output, and provide the input.
- It's an otherwise niche market that right now is not one of the hottest, it has it's fans and base of enthusiasts - but there little money to glean off the already saturated market.
On top of ...
Rework, re-design - and/or/by modify add in and or otherwise change the audio filtering that will remove the newly added noises and signal levels and their aberrations that come along with this new sensitivity, to HANDLE the Selectivity of the newly attained performance the receiver seems to now have.
"SEEMS" is used here, loosely - for it's relative, on how you want people to sound like when you talk to them, versus what they actually hear what you sound like, from you, talking back to them - on these different platforms...
The strongest argument I can make to help Mikes' efforts on trying to "quit" getting blood out of a turnip...
https://www.worldwidedx.com/threads/2sc2999-mod-analysis.161809/page-4#post-633475
https://www.worldwidedx.com/threads/mike-debunks-shottky-diode-receive-mod.236937/#post-650445
Be vary careful with the parts you are buying...
The IEEE / IPC / JEDEC numbering will give you a current part and even sources of those current parts.
But, please remember - the CONSTRUCTION (Schottky, PN - Cats Whisker) and the MATERIAL used (Silicon, Si-Carbide, Germanium or Selenium) in their combinations used, will have dramatic effects on the receivers performance.
It's sad to say this but, if you can keep the old parts in there, the better off the radio is.
- Every time you try to install newer parts to replace the older ones, more work has to be done in the downstream side of the new parts location.
- Response is different.
- Why?
- By the way the new part "appears" to the circuit it is used in
Galena
Cats whisker...
IT "appears" one way in a circuit
while another diode
Schottky
Appears another way.
Cats whisker...
IT "appears" one way in a circuit
while another diode
Schottky
Appears another way.
Now, why am I bringing this up?
An article about the noise I hear, many others seem to hear, and how others tend to confuse the noise heard with other types of noises - like White Noise...Research is ongoing, but it's progress is worth a look, because it; the diodes' replacements and their inherited intrinsic traits, are not going away.
Appears Here...
- Equivalent circuit diagram of the diode. | Download Scientific Diagram (researchgate.net)
- https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Equivalent-circuit-diagram-of-the-diode_fig1_263883459
We may have to accept the fact that using the older OEM - it's lifespan may not have too many more MBTF hours that are left to utilize the parts performance. Once they're gone, they're gone!
Why would MTBF matter? Well, you don't want to inject, add or otherwise make drastic changes in the parts power delivery and or ability to handle the loading as it appears across itself in circuit - like the engineers of older days would say...
It's not that the OEM parts aren't pushed to there, at that level, already.
You don't want to push your luck if you make changes to parts that will place them under more stress.
For example, I'm talking about 1N60 presuming it's still Galena/Germanium construction, comparing it to the now newer 1N60's being produced as replacements for said Germanium which are now Schottky, Si - types.
Low voltage drop,
Intrinsic Resistive and Capacitive, their reactive elements,
Shot Noise,
Barrier threshold of operation,
Avalanche effect
Intrinsic Resistive and Capacitive, their reactive elements,
Shot Noise,
Barrier threshold of operation,
Avalanche effect
Read the linked threads...
Before he left, he left behind a lot of bread crumbs for the rest of us to follow.
It is up to us to start where he left off.
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Greg T
WDX-945 (Jazz Singer) Upper Peninsula of Michigan
If I were a tech I would wholeheartedly agree. But I just need someone good and reliable to fix my shit. So far, haven't found anyone.
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