Collectin things to go on the air

[Ragwire]

Picked up some connectors today and think I figured out how to run my coax for a new base station setup. Getting good info on this forum, thanks to all the friendly and experienced users.

Finished up my homebrew modulation meter too:





Haven't got to use it yet, so I'll see if it holds up in everyday use.

73's
Rob

[MDYoungblood]

Great looking little modulation meter, will be interesting to see how it handles swing wattage.

3's

Greg

[Ragwire]

Thanks, Greg. The input is pretty attenuated, and it works great on a 50 ohm dummy. I used a scope to calibrate the meter face at various modulation levels.
I'll look at it again when it is actually on the coax to an antenna.

73's
Rob

-- Tuesday, 20 January 2015, 22:02 PM --

Got my radio delivered yesterday, and the manual with schematic and all today (different seller).
It's a Kraco KB-2345, 23 channel base station. Manufacture date, February 1976. It needed some pretty good contact cleaning. All the trimpots were black. I deoxidized them with IOSSO brass case cleaner followed by electrical contact cleaner. All the controls and the channel selector got just lube and cleaner.

The microphone needed a new plug because it was trying to transmit when it was wiggled.

Also, the 120 VAC power cord was shot so I replaced that. I will not be using the 12 VDC power option, so I disconnected that (which had to be disconnected) when I removed the power cord socket. The new cord in installed permanently in a Heyco cord grip through an aluminum cover plate where the socket was before.

I did a temporary check with uninstalled homebrew dipole antenna, and I can't tell much with the antenna not properly installed yet, but the receive was not working. I hooked up my mobil unit (a newish 40 channel) to the antenna and it was receiving fine from the Kraco, but the channels from the old Kraco were bleeding over one channel above and one below on the mobil unit. The mobil unit, could not be heard on the Kraco, however.
So next I set my signal generator in the vicinity of 27 MHz with internal modulation, put a 50 ohm dummy in the Kraco, and brought the hot signal generator lead to within 2 inches of the dummy. It will receive that as I tune the genny through the channel. I suspect the Kraco needs an alignment to raise the sensitivity to normal. It could be old, dried up electrolytic coupling capacitors, too. I'll twiddle with it tomorrow.

73's
Rob

-- Thursday, 22 January 2015, 21:54 PM --

I don't have a lot of info to go on, but it looks like this transceiver has at least one bad crystal. Probably have to junk it for parts.

73
Rob

-- Saturday, 24 January 2015, 7:34 AM --

Good news...the crystals are good. There was a PC board short so small that I couldn't see it, and it had taken out a resistor elsewhere on the board...that, and a horrible misalignment. I suspect someone who had owned it "tightened down all those little loose screws" to try to make it receive.
So I now have a working base station.

Waiting for my RG8 to arrive...

73
Rob

-- Tuesday, 27 January 2015, 12:15 PM --

Thought I'd add a picture of that old Kraco over here:

Put up my antenna yesterday, and ran the coax I had on hand as far down as I could. Put on the ground wire too to get the system and lightning arrestor grounded...so that's done. I bored a 1/2" hole through the block foundation and have it ready to pull in the RG-8. Still waiting for the RG-8. I should have checked truck stops to see if they carried it before I ordered online. Today I built a shelf for the base station over the workbench in the "man cave" but I can't do anything more until my coax gets here.

73
Rob

[jetdriver]

Hello Rob, Peter here from Queensland, Australia.
last year i bought a Kraco KB-2345 also from a guy in another state here.
he bought it from someone in California a few years back.
It is in mint condition inside and out.
as i repair and restore 27MHz CB radios now after retiring from UHF radio repairs early last year. UHF is the Main Radio used here and the Australian UHF band for CB use is unique in the world. it is used by truck drivers, 4 wd, industry and farmers who took to it in droves. it enables them with CTCSS installed to remotely operate things like water pumps etc on their properties which can be 100's of square miles in size.

Any way the reason for the message is do you have a copy of the manual and most importantly the schematic that you could please send me.
i would be most gratefull if you could please do this as i havent been able to find one anywhere on the net.
this radio also unlike the AM/SSB model does not appear in the Sams manuals.

Kind Regards

PETER NEWMAN
COOL DRIVE COMMUNICATIONS
NEWTOWN, 4305
QUEENSLAND
AUSTRALIA