Unhacking a Galaxy 949

[buickid]

Hey all. Bought a used Galaxy 949 several months back when I first got into CB. Little did I know it was pretty old, and hacked up. Oh well. To make a bad situation better, I've already cleaned it up, and replaced the faded meter. Now I'm gonna go ahead and unhack it.

From what I can tell, and based on the Defpom site (Link), the following modifications were done: RF Output Increase, Super Swing, and clipped mod limiter. It'll be pretty simple to reverse the mods except for two parts that I think will be difficult to find. One test point that clips onto the jumper board is missing, and Q39, a 2SC945P transistor for the modulation limiter is missing, and looks like an obsoleted part. Any idea what can be substituted for it? I did a search, and could not come up with a conclusive answer, although there were some suggestions.

Thanks,
Trevor

 

[Lil'Yeshua]

Old as in pre-MOSFET prior to 2008'? If it's MOSFET,when you google,make sure you include the word, 'MOSFET'. I was fixing to mess my brand new 959(manufactured 12/11) up by getting mod info on that Defrom site.
Other than that I can't help you. It's a no- knowledge thing.
P.S. a phone call to Galaxy's Tech will help out a lot. He know little tricks that you can perform on your radio

 

[Robb]

If you need a 2sc945, just take it out of an old, junker radio if you have one. Plenty of them can be found there. If not; you can buy 25 new ones on eBay for a buck.

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5336136228&icep_item=260812091785

 

[jon666]

yes

sounds like it has the super hacky pack.
otherwise known as a npc mod if the test clip is gone
people that know me. know i am not a fan of the npc.rc mod.

 

[Robb]

sounds like it has the super hacky pack.
otherwise known as a npc mod if the test clip is gone
people that know me. know i am not a fan of the npc.rc mod.

Not really. Pulling out the limiter is not the same thing as an npc mod. Others that have pulled out the limiter seem to think that is all there is to it. Not so. Unless you have done the entire npc mod and understand each step then adjust the radio properly - you really don't have a clue.

Never worked on a Super whackpack radio; couldn't tell you about restoring it. Most of the mods on that Defpom page are OK to do; others should not be done at all.

 

[jon666]

Not really. Pulling out the limiter is not the same thing as an npc mod. Others that have pulled out the limiter seem to think that is all there is to it. Not so. Unless you have done the entire npc mod and understand each step then adjust the radio properly - you really don't have a clue.

Never worked on a Super whackpack radio; couldn't tell you about restoring it. Most of the mods on that Defpom page are OK to do; others should not be done at all.

he said the the test point on the mirror board was missing.
so i asumed they did the npc mod. i have done the npc mod. i did not like the way it showed on the scope. very dirty signal. with the limiter intact. so i reversed it back

 

[9C1Driver]

sounds like it has the super hacky pack.
otherwise known as a npc mod if the test clip is gone
people that know me. know i am not a fan of the npc.rc mod.

I think the super whack pack and NPC mod are two different animals. The NPC is either a love it or hate it mod. Two of the best ever talking AM radio's I ever ran had the non-volted version of the NPC mod, PPE I think it was.

That said buickid, if possible have a tech with a scope check it out. Might just need the limiters restored and e re-tune for a nice signal.

 

[Robb]

he said the the test point on the mirror board was missing.
so i asumed they did the npc mod. i have done the npc mod. i did not like the way it showed on the scope. very dirty signal. with the limiter intact. so i reversed it back

The part often missed are the adjustments. Playing with the driver bias for the best waveform with the mic audio set low enough. Not to mention that the limiter doesn't need to be removed; but bypassed thru using a resistor on its collector to keep it intact on the board to maintain proper SSB function.

 

[buickid]

Hey guys, thanks for the responses!
First, yes, its an older non-MOSFET radio. I tried calling Galaxy at the number listed on their website but guess their phones were quite busy. I'll try again later this week.

As far as as the 2SC945, whats the difference with the P version? Is the pinout different or something? Otherwise I guess I'll go ahead and order the bunch off eBay. Are they legit? Being from overseas screams counterfeit to me...

I don't think this radio has had any SWP or anything, inspecting the board has shown that all modified solder traces can be accounted for with the mods I listed off the Defpom site, with the exception of the missing TP clip. No idea why it would be missing, but its gone. Any idea where I might find one? If it comes down to it, I'll just solder in a little wire from the TP trace and tack it onto the jumper board.

I've only got a Sencore frequency counter here, so once I get all its guts back where they should be, I'm going to do the frequency switch expansion then send it out to have it properly aligned and set back into spec. No doubt its waaaaay out of alignment. What turned me onto opening the case was seeing it swing backward on a meter when I first got it. If it can talk as clean as my DTB tuned 979, I'll be happy. I don't need an AM monster or anything, I'm primarily on SSB anyway.

 

[sonoma]

the npc/rc mod is not bad if done right. as Robb said you have to know what you are doing as far as peaking the radio after the mod. the bias plays a big part in the mod. too much bias and the radio will go crazy. not enough the same thing again. same thing with the dead key. it has to be right.

 

[psycho]

At best the 949 is a $130 throwaway radio, so is it really worth screwing with?

 

[sonoma]

most of the parts now days are made in china. even the ones you buy out of the states most come from China. its a luck of the draw if they work or not. I have bought parts out of the US and they would not work either. so a lot seems to depend on the batch you get.
just my 2 cents worth on this parts issue.

 

[liquidh8]

You can find the 945 transistors from various places here in the states. I too was weary of the overseas dealers.

I used these guys a few days ago for the same transistors and some diode for my DX2517. Fast shipping and awesome prices. I order some audio chips and AM modulation regulators just because the price was awesome.

Consolidated Electronics Inc

 

[buickid]

At best the 949 is a $130 throwaway radio, so is it really worth screwing with?

Its only a few bucks in parts, and there are other parts I need to buy from Mouser anyway, so why not

most of the parts now days are made in china. even the ones you buy out of the states most come from China. its a luck of the draw if they work or not. I have bought parts out of the US and they would not work either. so a lot seems to depend on the batch you get.
just my 2 cents worth on this parts issue.

I guess I'll just buy a bunch and swap em out till it works!

You can find the 945 transistors from various places here in the states. I too was weary of the overseas dealers.

I used these guys a few days ago for the same transistors and some diode for my DX2517. Fast shipping and awesome prices. I order some audio chips and AM modulation regulators just because the price was awesome.

Consolidated Electronics Inc

Thanks, I'll check them out!

 

[buickid]

Okay, found a 945 in a parts radio, as well as a clip to put back to the test point. There is a wire going from the TP8 solder points to the B+ point on the board... I assume that was done when the TP8 point was removed, to supply whatever feeds off the jumper board. Since I'm putting TP8 back, I should remove that wire, correct?