Talking about Drake dials, I'd like make a WARNING to the group. (I have told
this story before, but a long time ago. The warning my save some VFO dials.)
Back in the middle ages, (the 60s), I had a TR-4 with metal gears in the VFO
dial train. I was in the habit of spinning the dial up and down the band until
the VFO hit the stop pin. I did this on a constant basis with no ill effects.
Then Drake came out with the C-line twins and I had to have one of the new R-4C
receivers and T-4XC transmitters. When getting them I did the same thing to
them as I did with my metal gear TR-4. This was a BIG MISTAKE as the plastic
gears started to bind up in the R-4C and the tuning became much more difficult.
Mind you this was happening to a rig around one week old. I called Drake and
they sent out a new VFO to swap out in my receiver. I did this and again in
about a week this new VFO was starting to bind up and turn harder then when
new. Drake sent me a third VFO which I installed and by then I suspected I was
some how warping these plastic gears by "banging them" on the end stops. So on
the third VFO, I no longer did this end stop banging and I never again had the
problem. So it was OK to do what I was doing with the brass gears, but not
with those plastic gears. I do know Drake did some experimenting back then
with different plastic but I don't know if a permanent change was ever made
over the long haul with plastic gears. I do know the very last VFOs were again
made out of brass, but there were tons of VFOs built with plastic gears. So
my message is, don't "bang " those plastic gears on their end stops. Hopefully
you did not inherit the problem when acquiring your plastic gear Drake rig.
One more caveat , Never ever put a petroleum based grease or lubricant on
those plastic gears as was done with their meta l gear VFO gear trains. The
petroleum grease will swell the plastic and also bind them up. The plastic
gears are "self lubricating" and nothing should be put on them. This warning
came direct from Drake.
I know a lot of you guys know all this, but maybe the warning can save a few
VFOs owned by newcomers to Drake.
Lee, w0vt
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