Forgot to mention, I got this radio back out the other night. The locals were dead so I needed amusement. I replaced every cap in the rig. The audio chip, voltage regulators. Well I was looking thru the board at a light, following traces. I know, cheating but it helps. I noticed a spot that I could see light thru. The jumper right in front of the 754 regulator wasn't quite soldered. So flipped it looked and the thing was snipped in half. Don't know how I didn't see that. I replaced it and the noise came back! Lol now, it sounds like everything is overdriving the front end. Far away sounds great, locals blare. Gotta retune and check diodes now. Thanks for all the help!!