On Sat, 30 Jun 2012 13:35:41 -0400, KR4HV wrote:
>Are there any documents that compile or list the "must do" vs. "should do" >vs. "very nice to do" upgrades/changes and modifications for the TR-7? Yes and no. The list archive can be your friend, most mods have been discussed pretty thoroughly. Web site wb4hfn.com has some excellent articles, and also look for the GW4ALG and PA0CMU mods pages (but don't go nuts with mods). And, of course, the Drakelist home page. If there's a specific mod that strikes your fancy, ask about it. My page on the 2nd IF/Audio board is a good read, although still a work in progress: http://radiojim.exofire.net/pages/TR7_2IFA.html Do re-seat all the plug-in cards. Do replace the filter electrolytic on the power supply board. Do the 10V adjustment, frequency, and AGC (if the 10V was very far off) adjustments in the service manual, or if nothing else, do the fixed passband adjusments. If the PTO lamp has ever been replaced, you can just about guarantee that one or more of those pots was bumped. Upgrading them to 10-turn trimmers is a worthwhile mod. There's been some debate about ALC mods lately, but I don't seem to have the ALC overshoot that others have seen. I need to get back on that.... Do put a fan on the back, pulling air out, if you don't have one already. If you're a CW op, do look at K8AC's fine tuning of the CW waveshape. K8AC and I have both done some recent work in the S-Meter area, but we may both arguably just have too much time on our hands... Don't use the published Drake allband transmit mod, there's a better way. Again, check list the archives (and the Drakelist Online Forum). Don't use a preamplified mic. Don't set the ALC adjustment (bottom side of rig) for more than 150 Watts CW output, some ops prefer less. Don't freak if the RX appears to be dead, there's an internal jumper that will have been cut if the rig was slaved with an R-7 in a previous life. Remember that this rig has no speech processing built in, so average power on SSB will appear lower than on modern rigs - use the ALC light to determine proper drive level. >Or should I just try to search all the posts for the info, like newer board >versions etc.? Yes. There's lots of stuff out there about mixers, Schottky diodes, DDS VFOs, DSP, whatever. Some of it good, some debatable, some bad or not worthwhile. You can spend hours sniffing it all out (I did :) ). Google (or Ixquick, if you're paranoid) can be your friend. Also recommended is the DrakeRadio Yahoo group. There's not much in the way of newer board versions that offer any real advantage that I know of, and at least one ham that I know of has found the version 1 2nd IF/Audio board to be preferable. Have fun! 73 -Jim NU0C -- Theres something out of place lets go and poke it with a stick. The Doctor (Amys Choice episode) _______________________________________________ Drakelist mailing list Drakelist@zerobeat.net http://mailman.zerobeat.net/mailman/listinfo/drakelist
