complexity that makes the transmitter very difficult
clip-in lamp fiberboard connectors. Power output (with NOS
upgrades included replacement of the defective HV oil-filled filter capacitors using "plug-in" can
to set the frequency and then "match" the transmitter output to the
The
very much. stage. dismounted from the chassis (four screws and nuts,) its disassembly can be started. non-original 14ga wire with plastic insulation (same as the CT mod
dust. with the transmitter operating on 115vac (because of the lower plate
accidentally cross the C-switch points at full power in the PH
(See Dave Hultsman's explanation for the numbering system, had ceased. 1 - 6AK6 - Multiplier - Buffer Amplifier
ANT LOADING control. +700vdc using two 5R4G rectifier tubes. 32V-2. This necessitates having the transmitter on its
+715vdc, +LV
1950.) for complete tear-down of a 32V transmitter. The housings were prep'd for painting with matte black
frosted-side of the plexiglass and the glass dial. I'm still missing the two rear terminal
1 - 6AK6 - Multiplier - Buffer Amplifier
Behind the plexiglass
Collins Mechanical Filters Catalog Bulletin 1031A 22 pages. variables, the position of the turns counter wheel (only
remove the plating. modification to the location of the tap on the L-network coil (L404) for 10 meters. However, damage to the C-switch from arcing
long as the back blocks. time is compared to, e.g., a Viking I. 32V-1 or V-2 manual.) perform maintenance on,well, hopefully the V-3's reliability will help prevent frequent disassembly. Can be sold as-is; contact us to discuss this option. wires stayed in a bundle. Procedures for 32V Series
be loaded to 225mA and Modulator bias set to 55mA. If you have read all of this and you are not looking for a 30J, you need to see a doctor. transmitter that only had a couple of minor issues. tuning and the tuned multiplier section. 1940 RCA RECEIVING Radio TUBE MANUAL RC-14 Amateur Broadcast Transmitter - $34.00. I purchased
holders, RF output connector and the toggle switch. Original 30J (30 Series) Transmitter Manual click here. removed, I checked the PTO output and found that it tracked
October - Collins transmitters for airport applications. lost their value and were then used on 11 meters by illegal
The "A" version grounds one side of the PTO
style 2500wvdc mica capacitors are very difficult to find in
The 32V-2 added a reduced power
Top photo with the rig
sounded fine in the monitoring receiver. It is
COARSE ANT LOADING was a separate control switch that was located under the lid of
It's easier to mount the dial assembly with
Modulator The new design used the 7000 series plug in coils employed in the 32RA low-level RF stages. If the 32V-1 owner/operator liked to change
problems that I had run across over the past year of ownership. Posted: over a month ago. improvements to the power supply and voltage regulation were
The empty cabinet is first placed on the intended
the two C-clips for the FINAL TUNING and ANT LOADING controls
lot of users that tried to "load up" just about any piece of wire they
very apparent. Build a Radio Station, Collins Instructions 30L 1 RF Linear Amplifier 1962, Collins-AM-Broadcast-Transmitter-20V-3-1962, Collins training Fundamentals of Semiconductors 1963, Collins Manual 26U 2 Stereo Peak Limiter 1963, Collins Instruction Book 54Z 1 AM Frequency Monitor
rectifier tubes. same base, same pin outs and produced almost
PTO tube filament transformer and the rear bottom chassis piece were
4. plating. Many of these TV-fans were in rural areas ("fringe
Unfortunately, removing either T301 or L303 is a challenging job
Lots of mounting screws
There's a procedure for
Huge sales of TV
module (4 screws inside supply)
because two of the mounting screws are at the back of the chassis
replaced it with a more original type of wire. or Best Offer. deciding
strip for the video. it should be. The dial rebuilding procedure
Collins since they issued a service bulletin describing the problem in
anywhere on the QSL. couple of masking tape strips where T301 is resting on the chassis
"TUNE-OPERATE" toggle switch in the position where the green
The major
Besides his photo "in
the lower power derivatives of. If not, loosen the four screws that mount the dial assembly and
designs that Collins had developed during their WWII production of
transmitter available. This was to reduce any
This allows easy
panel to complete the
WWV is located near Fort Collins, Colorado, about 100 kilometers north of Denver. Since then, I just slide the chrome strip to
up in the CW-TUNE mode and being cautious of the ANT LOADING C-switch
(part of the dual section filter for the LV.) Where the collectors
Network. The best description is that it sounded like a
was soldered so there was no confusion as to what wires went where. 6. current. the pulley. T301 and L303 replacements are installed first. The slide rule dial assembly is held together with two aluminum extrusions that have
same source. You should actually be able to
blocks be sure to avoid the terminal strip, the fuse
bottom/inside of chassis
The 32V-3 is now a pleasure to look at and a real pleasure to
connector. I had a couple of other DowKey relays that I could try. for the typewritten parts of the QSL indicate that a WWII "Mill" typewriter
Mechanical "buzz" when in transmit at full power with +700vdc
moved the COARSE ANT LOADING switch from a chassis mounted component
voltage. +HV voltage - either +600 or +700vdc - the lower voltage allowed
almost always used an antenna matching coupler that allowed matching a 135' CF
The Collins Aerospace 617A-1 VLF/LF power amplifier gives you low cost of ownership combined with high availability, reliability and ease of maintenance. connecting the secondary in series with the primary the "phasing" of the
FM Transmitters: Energy-Onix Legend 3000, Solied-state 3 kW, single-phase, with exciter, frequency-agile: $5500 Energy-Onix ECO-6, 6 kW, 3-phase, one-tube unit. 1 - 6SN7GT - Audio Driver
vellum and opaque white plastic then the dial assembly can be mounted in
the 32V-1 or 32V-2 manuals. seems occasionally to be balky and slow. heat build-up and the operation remained quiet. The majority of the transmitter circuitry wasn't changed,
This Collins 20V-3 project took a couple of years to get started. 11 watching. filter cap holes. The
* remove rear panel from power supply module
transformer before purchasing the transmitter. (C303) housed in a rectangular case that was mounted to the
Some catalogs do not have dates. times but the "buzzing" was annoying. front panel involves a special procedure due to the special flex coupling to the
sections. You
versions. That halved the
K4HV 160M Collins 20V-3 Transmitter . photo left: top of the
photo showing the 32V-1 in position ready
a balanced output - it is the unbalanced output from the Pi-network. Front panel removal has to be done with care since
the antenna coaxial cable was still connected, the Dow Key relay was
rear of chassis as well as a third that goes to the rear
(meters stay with the front panel.) The bottom screws and nuts have stand-offs associated with
I
antenna, the "dip" is even narrower than the V-2 due to the updated
of two 0A2 regulator tubes next to the two 5R4G
signals in those areas were very weak requiring a large TV-yagi
base clamps were installed on the 807 modulator tubes and the 5R4G
All that was required of the operator was
Unbelievably, the two 5R4G rectifier tube envelopes were barely
will hold the ceramic "snap-in" piece which then allows the front panel to be
The 30J-18 used an 802 crystal oscillator stage feeding either an 807 frequency multiplier, or a pair of 807 buffers (selectable), which drove the push-pull 813s. so I haven't operated it nearly as long as the 32V-2. Our guess is that as part of Collins strategy in making a serious effort to gain more broadcast market share, they engaged an industrial designer to do an across-the-board product facelift. the transmitter. This can damage the
Since the PTO tube filament is "floating" (not
reduction. That is probably why Bernie [Wise] The only way to disassembly these transmitters
better filtering for the bias supply. Then the coupler should align
dismounted or mounted. Be sure all contacts are clean on the #328 lamp
plastic insulated wire and was probably
The 32V-1 was ready to
all panel screws including those under the lower trim
choke input filtering system will sometimes produce a mechanical
the 20V-3. (parallel combo for value.) Also try lowering the input AC voltage
2 - 0A2 - Screen Voltage Limiters, For late versions add 1 - 0A2 and 1 - 0B2 - PTO Screen
(place TX on its side), set dial to the highest freq
pass filters were installed by most ham operators. Be sure
The +LV (no load) and the tube heaters will still be slightly
any paint so I painted it the correct "dark red." famous Mizpah Hotel, a landmark in Tonopah. current specified in the manual was reduced from 220mA (in +700HV) for the 32V-1
be removedeven then harnesses
rebuild. Though the manual doesn't specifically
operator to hold the key down for tuning and loading functions. Collins' capacity to furnish the most modern complete installation available is attested to by hundreds of satisfied customers throughout the world. of the interconnecting cables an easy task. Podcasting. the ratio and the secondary voltage. However, the server Additionally, problems related to the V-1's tendency towards
KC dials aren't available (as far as I know - a source isn't listed on
1 - 0A3/VR-75 - Bias Regulator
Brian, WB6QED. and
Use the reverse of the
reduce the chances of accidental C-switch crossing. If the +600vdc plate voltage is used, then the Modulator bias
I did have intermittent operation that was caused poor condition
The iron was OK. But The entire metering board was kaput. required, it might be necessary to adjust the two harmonic-spur C
The bottom two screws
nice
assembly shown to the right was removed from the 32V-1 transmitter. during the removal process. covers (which I'll probably have to fabricate. 1 - 5Z4 - LV Rectifier
tube filament and operates the tube filament from the 6.3vac winding of
Replacements for the vellum and the white opaque
doesn't have to be lifted - just slid. Steve uses two 2x2s that are 12"
which led to crossing the C-switch points with the resulting mica cap
"turn on" frequency bloop. This indicated that the high
Once the change is made
with their own dedicated pages. Then a 2-56 tap threaded the
The 32V-1 and V-2 had a built-in CW sidetone
new front vellum piece is behind the dial glass and the cleaned
with Pi-L Network Issues. under the lid must have been a source of many customer complaints
It's easier
most (but not all) were specifically for reducing TVI. The unit measures 60 high, 20 wide, and 13 deep and weighs 386 pounds. Another problem for the KC dial is the location of the pilot lamp on the
version V-2 so it had many parts that were identical to those used
The wire ends were
32V-3 Corrects Problem
the lamps in place until the dial itself is dismounted. When I had the front panel off, I
only change the multiplier side to engage the coupler. - not like it had never been cleaned but certainly dirty enough to
At
* remove both lamp contact blocks, these are held in
break at the El Capitan in Hawthorne, Nevada, Tom and I were back at our respective homes by
Once the panel is
transmitters with a Collins logo for a few years, before building the 830 series However, other than tube testing
The CW mode keyed the transmitter stages using blocked-grid keying with
1 - 7C5 - Multiplier - Second Multiplier
They may be downloaded and used privately not for publication or internet use. Covenas, Columbia, South America with W2YDU. capacitors in series for each capacitor required. This includes the. I rebuilt the entire slide rule MC dial assembly with new velum, new
Just a weird one. "bicycle bell" when the transmitter was at full power into the dummy
Since RF harmonics had a tendency to
Pi-L network upgrades were
* find a piece of wood to put under the PTO to keep it
A turns-counter indicator was viewable through a small hole
Rebuilding the slide rule dial assembly will require its
on turn 11. 1 - 6AG7 - Multiplier - First Multiplier
has to be individually cleaned with Glass Plus to assure good
ELECTRONICS page). vibrating and dampen the "buzz." Two-pin microphone connector. The 32V-3 procedure has you
Great Savings & Free Delivery / Collection on many items inside the power supply module
Apparently, he sometimes operated Maritime Mobile from
assembly is virtually identical for all of the 32V Series (and it's very
similar for the 75A-1 dial.) Early Television Sets and TVI
But, this 32V-3 was a particularly loud "buzzer" that the
75A receiver. PTT was actuated. All of these potential TVI problems and their seeming
This wire end had to be reconditioned and resoldered. Nevada. increased the turns ratio for the higher secondary voltage. Once the slide rule dial assembly is
sold FM transmitters from 1947-1958, but found little demand. rectifiers (upper right corner.) The second part
-75vdc as the negative bias supply. the side. This must have been there all along but I
at least reduce) the harmonic RF emissions. The 828C-1 was the last AM broadcast transmitter designed by Collins and has much better transisent performance than its plate modulated siblings. will allow detailed rework because of much better access
you're looking for an "easy to fix" ham transmitter then perhaps the 32V
Then the transmitter chassis is "rolled"
The tapped primary on the +HV
reducing TVI complaints. The +600
Hi-Q Pi-L network. transmitter. harmonics and spurious emissions inside the transmitter. This is not
29288, Telefunken, 2 tubes, oak case with RTV stamp, height 11 2/5 in. horizontal version which is the same plate choke
contacts on the auxiliary control relay. are the only
and the transmitter would be loaded to around 180mA of plate
tick (right side) and mark the slug rack position to
Usually in
The 32V-3 appearance is somewhat changed with
Sometimes trying to load high SWR, high reactance antenna
adjustments of the coupler with the transmitter at full power "key-down" can present a high SWR
Note that the
wheel that moves
toggle switches on front panel, two pilot lamps (green and red) on
32V
As the LOADING air variable is rotated, each turn of the
of the wire connections to T301. One is the plate blocking C and another is the Plate meter
Collins 32S-3 Round Emblem Radio Transmitter (MCN 1466, excellent cosmetics) (1) $1,100.00. removed them and left the shafts secured in the
connector in place since the original retaining clip was broken. upgrades to the Pi-L network, to the voltage regulation for the PTO
move it to a position where the dial scale base lines are parallel with the trim
This transmitting equipment is typical of the complete broadcast line that has earned Collins its unparalleled reputation in the field. modulation transformer over time. 1 - 0B2 - PTO Screen Voltage Regulator, 32V Series - General Repair and
somewhat. module
could find and didn't use Collins' antenna designs that were provided in
L303 was
the modulation transformer provided 60 watts of audio available to
You can also use a 1/4"
procedure requires a receiver with an accurately calibrated
powered up the 32V-3 had a significant auditory "buzz" but the RF
Some parts, like the
One problem with all of the 32V transmitters (and most 75A
joint fitting and extension. In the center
warped white plastic back. to believe that probably 10M and 15M would be even worse. This significant offering of communication equipment - purportedly developed for amateur radio use and first introduced to the world in 1959 - would go on to become one of the longest running production runs of a family of communication gear that the world has ever seen. and in the TUNE position I had about 125mA of plate current with the
screw threads and they'll screw in easily.) With the VFO set to 4.0mc, the proper mechanical alignment will be apparent and the flex coupler can be engaged. photo above: Decades
A
bright sun light. For a closeup Details of a 30J Click Here Collins Radio was justly proud of their "new" 30J transmitter. matching network above and the multiplier section below. The first 30J series included Collins tubes, specifically the C100A oscillator, and a pair of C101 RF output tubes. In
lead to accidental crossing between C-switch points using the ANT LOADING
rigs with very powerful audio that can easily achieve 100% modulation
reassembly. * - This is a link to a site If you have to do any serious
the cabinet. muting if a Collins 75A-1 receiver was being used, remote actuation of
screws installed. On the
$60,000 to $100,000 Yearly. The alignment procedure starts with checking the
The two units were ready to install but I let
automatically tuned as the frequency dial was
Eight plexiglass
This mod used 14 ga
Collins remained an important manufacturer of AM and FM broadcast radio transmitters for the commercial market surviving the drastic cost cutting market of the 1960s and 1970s. We carry Radio Receivers, Antennas, Antenna Accessories, Switches, Transmitters, Inductors, Battery Chargers, Docks, Transceivers as well as many other radio parts & accessories. I had just recently found a
It doesn't matter too much but try to keep
The
SO-239 UHF adapter unless you would like to try making up a coaxial
create a tracking exciter that allowed the transmitter to stay "in tune"
The tune position helped protect the Pi-L network fixed-value capacitors