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Don't worry-- I covered it with tape |
This week I found myself with some unexpected free-time, courtesy of the government shutdown. And of course, my thoughts turned to the HT-37. I started thinking about the open choke in the power supply. Four wires were sticking out of one side, four sticking out of the other. Figuring out which went to which would have driven me nuts. But it occurred to me that I could just wrap the four one on both sides together, and then just connect them with a piece of wire (see above). I'd end up sacrificing three windings, but that shouldn't matter.
It worked. My AADE L/C meter won't measure up into the full Henry range, but the choke was no longer open and the resistance looked right (about 230 ohms).
I put it into the HT-37. It works. I had a long rag chew with AE2EE -- a guy who really knows his boatanchors. He said it sounded great. This contact was like icing on the cake. TRGHS.
Thanks to everyone who wrote in with offers of parts or suggestions on how to acquire a suitable replacement.
Special thanks to Steve Murphy, N8NM who removed the LV choke from a junker HT-37and mailed it to me JUST AS I WAS LEARNING THAT THIS REPAIR WOULD WORK. I feel bad about putting Steve to the trouble. I blame the shut-down. Idle hands are the devil's workshop. And that broken HT-37 was bothering me.
This was a very satisfying repair. It was great fun to put the old rig back on the air. And I did it without injuring myself. Straight Key Night is right around the corner.
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Terminal strip for newer caps. Repaired choke went to the two ends of the strip. |