• You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.
  • Click here to find out how to win free radios from Retevis!

Ranger AR-3500 memory backup

Copycat32

NNJ32
Feb 9, 2024
53
13
8
64
Northern New Jersey
Hi all.. I just Aquired a clear channel Ranger AR-3500 30 watt ver. went through the alignment all is great but.. Trying bto find how/where I can hook up a battery backup to hold my programed channels/frequencys so as not to lose them every time I turn off the power supply.. Thank you..
 

Best of luck with that radio; those 3500's do NOT age well. I have a local with one, and it has the fastest drift of any radio I've ever heard. After just a few minutes of use, it drifts from on frequency to 150 Hz below and the user sounds like Mickey Mouse on helium.
After five minutes of use it is so far off frequency that it goes beyond the range of the clarifier.

They were a good solid radio when they were new; I'm not sure what component(s) it is that fail and cause the drift to become so extreme. All those 3500's are getting long in the tooth age wise.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Copycat32
Best of luck with that radio; those 3500's do NOT age well. I have a local with one, and it has the fastest drift of any radio I've ever heard. After just a few minutes of use, it drifts from on frequency to 150 Hz below and the user sounds like Mickey Mouse on helium.
After five minutes of use it is so far off frequency that it goes beyond the range of the clarifier.

They were a good solid radio when they were new; I'm not sure what component(s) it is that fail and cause the drift to become so extreme. All those 3500's are getting long in the tooth age wise.
Guess I will see.. Made a couple adjustments.. Might change a couple caps.. I replaced the power cable to a heavier gage.. Have it swinging nice.. Good clear punchy audio... Nice receive.. But haven't use it long term yet.. I'll see how it works out.. Download the service manual.. To go through the alignment settings..
 
  • Like
Reactions: BC Coyote
Thank You
Hi nok so in tried this with a 3.7 battery back from a wireless phone and a 9 v battery.. Dosent seem to make a difference.. Neg is soldered to the ground at the edge of the pcb where bit mounts to the chassis.. And the positive at D74 as indicated in the diagram drilled a mini hole in the tracer and soldered it like if it was actually a part of the circuit same for the ground.. Dosent seem to make a difference.. Hasw anyone done this with any success with an AR3500?
 
Yeah, about 30 years ago. Finding the paper documentation that came with the upgrade kit might or might not be possible. Moving our service data onto computers didn't cover our entire paper library of manuals. Turns out I'm a terrible librarian. I'll see what I can turn up.

73
Hi.. OK I found my issue.. The minii connector I pit in line so I can swap remove the battery when Changing had a bad ground condition.. Replaced it and it's working.. Might have to clean up the buttons having some issues frogrami g past memory 1.. Need to change the quiz k scan from to 10 khz from 1 other wise sweet radio especially with the speach prosessor built in
Thank You for your help
 

dxChat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • @ Mark Malcomb:
    Hello BJ. Been a long time since I've been on. You doing well? Mark Malcomb
  • @ Naysayer:
    I’m
  • @ kingmudduck:
    Hello to all I have a cobra 138xlr, Looking for the number display for it. try a 4233 and it did not work