Yaesu FRG7700 AF Gain pot wanted

There is a very nice Yaesu FRG 7700 comunications receiver sitting on my desk, I can see that the BBC World Service is broadcasting, as the S meter is working on 17,639khz, that should be 17,640khz but the memory is 2khz off station.

That is not the bother, the audio pot control has failed, which is a great pity as I can now hear nothing!

Bought off my good friend Willie from the  Lello 34, Bucaneer. The set is a 1982 model,  so some 30 years old now.

The audio pot has stopped working, on the net I found some advice on using Q20 spray oil, the result was fine for a short while, then silence, I was worse off than when I started, so can not advise that idea.

This is the Potentiometer I need a replacement for, its a duel action type, being the AF Gain and also the Tone. The owners handbook on page 25 tells me its symbol number VR1 and the part number is J6280009, with a description of DM10A638A-10kb-10ka

click on the picture for a larger view.

Note, this is not the part number as above, its the M Fine/Squelch control but looks the same as the Audio/Tone control. Does anyone have a spare for me.

Note, I have emailed Yaesu GB ( England) with no reply, also Yaesu Japan, same again, no reply, at least a reply to advise no stock, would have advised me they can not help.  Would you buy a new radio from such a company?

Update:  I have a spare pot, which pin connects to what is the question, Notty and Justin advised I use this method.

I used small shrink tubes to allow me to fit the meters test pins, worked a treat!

You need this type of meter, the digital type will not work, there are three connections on the pot, the center is a common, while the outer ones are basically left or right, the knob is turned fully clockwise right now, so this will be full audio.

I now need to isolate the audio from the tone, leave the tone wires alone and then wire in this new pot, that can be either left remote or mabye fitted into the phone jack or recording hole position for now?

How hard can this be?


Roy

News from the shack:

Hello Justin,


Well well, each day I turn on the Yaesu FRG 7700 and hope and hope I can hear some sound.

Today and on BBCs 12,095khz, I found sound at the full clockwise postition as normal, I then turn it down untill the sound drops off as its really just noise. This morning was no different, excepting each time I turned the audio down,the sound came back and as the volume setting became lower the audio was becoming clearer, so much so that I have the BBC news on for the first time in years!

Right now the audio pot is set quite low, about position two, there is clear sound right the way across now, I assume I have burnt it back in, the years of sitting on a shelf, left on frequency but the audio pot turned right down may have done the damage?

So I can now do the required ground wire and a long wire antenna through the roof  I think.

Regards

Roy

Note, the FRG 7700 does get very hot when using a 220 volt supply and left on all the time, so much so that some wax in parts of the set melted and dripped down. I would advise the fitting of a small ventilation fan in the area left hand of the front face and near the top of the set, there is a transformer there? I assume if we use the 12 volt supply option this are will not heat up?

Introducing Bokke & Blomme

There was a first blog that dates to 2008, it was started to inspire Janets sister Lorna, who was a 1000 miles north and about to restore her husbands grandparents Victorian home.


http://decorinspirations.blogspot.com/

Lorna now has her own shop in Escort, Natal, KZN but either stores  can supply you by post or courier where ever you are, local or International.

 

Roy

Hout Bay YC outer marina

This was a few days back, we have been full for months now, please ensure you pre book prior to arrival, no big deal but it does help.

  Roy McBride photos.

This is whats termed the outer marina, we are looking seaward and to Chapmans Bay, the high hill on the right is named The Sentinal, you will see that from miles away when heading for Hout Bay.

A view in the other direction and towards the marina entrance, thats Table Mountain in the back ground, Cape Town being on the other side. Its a nice coastal drive there, bus services are good.

Roy

Watchmate AIS 860

With the unsettled piracy conditions north of Cape Town, we are seeing a massive increase of cruising boats arriving at the Hout Bay YC marina, more so than ever before.

With a request just in for pricing on the Watchmate AIS from a boat in Dar es Salam, I wonder how many others  could use  an AIS on their trip down to the cape?

We are the agents for the Watchmate AIS, we normally handle the order and ensure the factory ships direct to the customer, this stops double shipping and ensures the set is fitted with the latest up grades.

We offer continued back up and suport with the assitance of the factory, shipping via one of the main couriers such as DHL,UPS is at our cost.

Roy

Classe Mini 650 sail boat kit

In French its named Classe, in English Class but the one and two are both the same, the Mini 650 or in another way the Mini 6.5 .  Made to a box rule, changes are made over time but the changes will be additions and not to the boats principal dimensions, some Grandfather Rules apply too.

A Class Mini 650 at our previous Cape Town factory, number 447 was the second Didi Mini Transat 650 we built that year, we also did a Didi 26.
Kits or a built up hull and deck unit are available.

The classemini 6.50 round red logo.


Roy

Figaro V

With the continual restoration, Figero V keeps looing better and better, the boat has been refitted with a new engine, genset, instruments, boom, main sail,mast track and roller cars, genoa, roller furl unit,stainless stantions and bow pulpit.

The old blue hull paint was changed a year or two back, in white the boat looks cleaner to me, the re painted decks and none slip surface really have cleaned the topsides up. The construction was done in laminated mahogany and has a stainless steel back bone the full length of the hull, a very rare build method?

http://ckdboats.blogspot.com/2009/04/figaro-v.html

New information on Figero IV and V has just come in, read about it in the link above.

 Pictures by R McBride

The Hout Bay YC marina, Figaro V to the right, the commodores Far 40, Faraway is on the left.

Class Mini 6.50 kits

We have been asked twice in recent weeks will a Didi Mini Transat be class legal? The design known as the Didi Mini Transat was conceived by Dudley Dix as a starter way to get yourself on the water and racing.

Roy McBride photos at RCYC.

The boat had just been renamed as SCM when a sponser was found, it was lauched as Warlock.

Warlock, later SCM was the first Class Mini 6.50 built to the Didi Mini Transat design, it was built and launched here in Cape Town, CKD Boats cc supplied and built the kit, one of two done.

The rudders and dagerboard are now CNC shaped and supplied as an extra, either as blanks or epoxy and glass cloth finished. That alloy keel foil was made locally and we hold the mould to the lead ballast keel, we can ship world wide.

This is the second Class Mini 6.50 we built, boat number 447, Running With Scissors.

Classe Mini 6.50 in French, Class Mini 6.50 in English.

Roy

Shaped by wind & wave

The new book writen by Dudley Dix has just been published, find it on line and at this link.

at  http://www.lulu.com/commerce/index.php?fBuyContent=8793670

Price:	$30.00

Ships in 3–5 business days

This book is a collection of random writings by a boat designer explaining boat design in layman's terms, explanations of various boatbuilding methods, how to loft the lines of a boat, how to turn the hull over and various other boating subjects that you will not find in other books about boat design. It includes a chapter on recommendations for sailing around the Cape of Good Hope.

A Neil Rusch photo.

Well done Dudley I look forwards to reading my copy and being one of the first to post my comments.

Roy

A new Tumlaren?

Some years back I was given a wreck of a boat and told it was mine on the understandiing I restored it, I think offers like that are more common than those who see the deal through to a launching party?

The plans have been in my files for some years, now more have come to light and again I wonder would anyone like one of these amazing boats?

Strip plank construction would be the way to go, moulded in ply or veneer, there will be too much spliling of the planks as the topside become the keel.

For the full restoration of a Tumlaren named Astra, check the link below.

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/06/designs/astra/index2.htm

Roy

Simple begininings, the Optimist

Our first kit was the Didi 26, we have since done a number of those and of course built one and exported the hull and deck unit to the USA. The boat that followed was the Didi Mini Transat, lots of those went overseas, they are a very good stepping stone to bigger things I think.

The HBYC (hout bay yacht club) has just started a sail training course using these boats, why not enrole your child now, they run the training on a thursday afternoon around 5pm.

The one that fitted in with all the other boats was of course the Optimist, what a name, what a boat!
It was the first order of five kits from the Knysna Yacht Club that started the ball roling, they later took two more, so have a class of their own up there now.

Not one of ours, this is a moulded plastic copy which will not pass the required class rules.

Tee Shirts

The CKD Boats cc Tee Shirts were printed with an Optimist on the front, in a small size and on the back a Didi Mini Transat in a large size, the two boats rather state what we can do, small and large boat kits.

More Tee Shirts are to be ordered, place your order now, three sizes, small,medium and large, the cost will be around R75 each, which is around U$10 right now,postage will be extra and will depend where you are cost wise.

This Optimist was built from one of our kits, it will weigh no more than imported GRP boats, less most probably.

The optimist kit with the required builders jig.

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/06/designs/optimist/index.htm

Check the link for the full story on this kit.

 

Bob and Sea Canary

Bob re launched after a long session in the HBYC boat park, the yard has been re furbished as has Bobs boat which now looks great!

The HBYC boat park looks good too, now open to accept yachts of various sizes on request.

Roy

Domicella winter refit

Mark used some of our AR600 epoxy to do some deck repairs, he did it himself too, he remarked how easy it was to use and also how well the epoxy cured, which fixed the problem. The decks have now been repainted using a twin pack top coat named Interthane 990, just in time for our winter rains which started last night.

Mark and his cold moulded Lavranos design, a Pellican 42 built in Richards Bay I believe.

AR600 epoxy is ex stock, the International Paints Intergard primer  and Interthane top coat are to your order.

Its a dogs life on Marks boat, one of two dogs, they are quite at home on board. The twin masted free standing rig is a Lavranos Pelican 42 design, we can kit set this for you.

Roy

John Ross film critic

The best way to get an idea how good our cruising DVDs are is to ask a well known cruiser to view them, I asked John, he has lots of sea miles under his keel and has done at least two ocean crossings as far as I know.

 

John had so much enjoyment that he was sorry when the disc came to an end, seems John has itchy feet once more.

Disc one is the 1988  Rio to Cape Town return trip, with the 1995 Cape Town to Salvador,Bahia, Brasil trip included, both trips being on two Endurance 37s,  Ocean Planet and Ocean Cloud. Disc two is the later trip of Family Notman on their Fortuna 37.  Both discs are the work of Alex Notman, Notty to his mates.

Roy

AR600 epoxy stops smells in the boat

The boat in question is now twelve years old, designed by Dudley Dix its named a Dix 43 and was built using his steel boat plans as a Radius Chine construction but in wood/epoxy, the first such build, I believe one other now exists.

The boat is very dry, the bilge is largely clean and dry, so much so that with the center saloon cabin sole left open when the boat is not used, there is good ventilation above and below the cabin sole, there is no foul bilge smell either.

Some months back a smell was found in the engine room, its a small room under the cockpit and large enough to get inside to work on the Perkins 4108 engine. The smell continued to be a mystery, why only in the enclosed engine space?

Some years back the sea water cooled Henry Meadows gear box developed a small sea water leak, the box was run without the cooling as the makers suggest can be done but the box got so hot it melted a hole in a 5ltr plastic oil container on one trip into the bay. so the box had to be water cooled again, first the leak had to be fixed.

Using Shell Chemicals 816 epoxy and a suitable 205 cure agent, the alloy case was prepared and epoxy sealed, that fix lasted about 36 months, not bad for such a little amount of labour and epoxy? The leak eventually returned, not so bad it would fill an egg cup in a week but a leak all the same.

This box is now 30 years old, it works fine having been rebuilt around six years ago but age has got the better of its alloy castings. Removal is a two man job, the box can not be lifted by one man easily.

The return to the mini grinder and hand tools soon had the old hole opened again, it was no larger than before as the epoxy had stopped further rot by keeping the hole airtight. The new repair saw the alloy case cleaned up, washed with warm water and Teepol (not Fairy Liquid) then when the water was dry the next day a return to the epoxy fix.

This time it was the AR 600 we now have packed specially for CKD Boats cc, an addition was the biaxial glass cloth and plenty of epoxy to fill its woven spaces, biaxial cloth lays down supper easy, please do not try this with chopped strand mat.

The addition of the glass cloth will bond the two sides together, plus thicken the depth of the AR600 epoxy.

The fix being made, a day and night was given for a full cure of the epoxy and the next job was hand sanding with 60 grit floor paper, followed by Hammerite blue paint, the job was soon looking finished.

Note, Hammerite  paints need about three days to fully cure and International Paint 713 thinner works well with Hammerite, that advice alone should be worth the price of a beer!

The finished job, it takes a little time but does work, another 36 months? longer this time I hope!
AR600 and related glass tapes and cloth, plus micro balloons and fumed silica are always in stock.

The smell?  well its gone, that tiny amount of sea water was rotting and enough to cause the smell!

Note that the Henry Meadows gear box on the Perkins 4108 engine has two sections to it, the main section is closer to the engine, the back section which drops down and has the output drive is the reduction box. They both have their own oil fillers, the main box has a dip stick and a large removable plug for oil filling,  to work out the correct level on the reduction box there is a removable side plug, the filler is near the top and in normal use is closed, when the oil comes out the opened lower level is correct, do not forget to put that plug back!

Oil,both boxes use 20 grade, your probably not going to find that, use a 20w/50 grade, that will be correct according to the makers TMP in Weybridge, Surrey, England.

Check here for the full news list        http://www.thameswaymarineproducts.co.uk/






Roy