There was a time when a customer might ask "Is this radio discontinued"? I would answer with the question "Is it in your hand?". If it is, the time that passed from when it left the assembly line, got packed up, sent to customs, packed into a container, shipped across the pacific at 12 knots, unloaded into a warehouse in California, passed customs, goes to the manufacturer's warehouse, then to a distributor's warehouse, then to a retailer's shelf and into your hands means the next model is already coming off that same assembly line.
In other words, if you bought it, then it's probably discontinued.
Tricky part with "10-meter" radios is that when production changes, the "Masonic Lodge handshake" needed to un-cripple it will also change.
Had the first RCI Base 69 "PLUS" come in to convert. Found several posts on YouTube that told me NOT ONE USEFUL THING about how to do this. Had to rely on an old friend who still sells new radios to get the details.
So here it is, un crippling the newest RCI 69 plus.
This is the new circuit-board number, mostly surface mount now.
So here's the front-left corner of the circuit board where all the PLL stuff resides.
Directly beneath on the 'solder' side of the pc board you'll find this 100 ohm 1/8-Watt resistor. Remove it.
You'll find one set of six jumper pins and one set of three at the front edge of the pc board.
Plug them as seen here, the one with three pins connects pin 2 to pin 3, the left two pins. The six-pin header gets 4 and 5 connected.
And that's it. The six-position band knob along with the "High/Low" lever switch gets you twelve bands.
And if I live long enough, maybe I'll start posting this stuff in a video.
Maybe.
73
In other words, if you bought it, then it's probably discontinued.
Tricky part with "10-meter" radios is that when production changes, the "Masonic Lodge handshake" needed to un-cripple it will also change.
Had the first RCI Base 69 "PLUS" come in to convert. Found several posts on YouTube that told me NOT ONE USEFUL THING about how to do this. Had to rely on an old friend who still sells new radios to get the details.
So here it is, un crippling the newest RCI 69 plus.
This is the new circuit-board number, mostly surface mount now.
So here's the front-left corner of the circuit board where all the PLL stuff resides.
Directly beneath on the 'solder' side of the pc board you'll find this 100 ohm 1/8-Watt resistor. Remove it.
You'll find one set of six jumper pins and one set of three at the front edge of the pc board.
Plug them as seen here, the one with three pins connects pin 2 to pin 3, the left two pins. The six-pin header gets 4 and 5 connected.
And that's it. The six-position band knob along with the "High/Low" lever switch gets you twelve bands.
And if I live long enough, maybe I'll start posting this stuff in a video.
Maybe.
73
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