1955-1962 E.F. Johnson "Viking Valiant" 
AM/CW Transmitter

This page was created to chronicle repairs made to an E.F. Johnson "Viking Valiant" AM Transmitter. Latest revisions are at the bottom of the page.



Contents:


AM Rig (160 to 10 meters):

E.F. Johnson "Viking Valiant"
Serial Number 28819

History:

On Friday, November 2, 2007 I went to the annual RARA (Rochester Amateur Radio Association) auction and bid on this E.F. Johnson "Viking Valiant" AM/CW transmitter. I got it for $325. I added "AM mode" capability to the shack in a heavy, retro way. It will initially be used with a Hallicrafters S-40 receiver. I had to get an antenna relay (a.k.a. "Dow Key Relay", or "T/R switch") to toggle the antenna between the transmitter and receiver. The brand of T/R switch was "Alliance". I was originally considering a Johnson "Viking Ranger", but after doing a little research, I decided I would need the extra power of the Valiant.

RARA auctioneer, Ed (K2MP) with the ex-K2JD Viking Valiant.
The radio on top is a Yaesu FTDX-400.

The set was part of the RARA club station (K2JD) located at 111 Westfall Road. Auctioneer and historian, Ed Gable had this to say about the radio's history, "The set was purchased by the County of Monroe (NY) for RACES in the mid 1960s. The Radio Officer was Chuck Brelsford (K2WW). The Valiant was used as the NCS (Net Control Station) on the NY Counties 75 meter CD (Civil Defense) Net. It was first used in the Radio room in the basement of the County Hospital at the corner of Westfall Road and East Henrietta Road."

Crystals:
There were two crystals in the radio when I got it. A Type FT-243 (3745 kc), and a Type HC6 (3730 kc). I subsequently (15-jan-2008) got a Type FT-243 (3837 kc) for use on the AWA AM Net. The FT-243 3837 crystal came from Brian (AF4K).


Specification Overview:

Serial number: 28819
Type or Cat number: 240-104

This particular "Viking Valiant" was Factory-wired, as verified by the rivets at the back of the cabinet.

Modes: AM/CW
Bands: 160 - 10 meters
Input Power: 200 watts (AM), 275 watts (CW)
VFO: Internal
Power Supply: Internal
Final Tubes: ( 3 ) 6146 parallel
Modulator: ( 2 ) 6146 push-pull
New Price: $349.50 (kit) / $439.50 (wired)
Years Produced: 1955-62
Size: 11 5/8" high x 21 1/8" wide x 17 3/8" deep
Weight: 83 lbs.

Schematics:

  1. Viking Valiant Schematic
  2. N2AWA shack wiring diagram

Fuses:

  1. F1: 1.5A 3AG (inside the chassis on the rear edge). Protects circuits associated with low voltage supply (T2).
  2. F2: 8A 3AG (in the AC plug)
  3. F3: 8A 3AG (in the AC plug) 

Pilot Lamps (VFO dial, power, etc.)

To replace the pilot lamps, it is necessary to remove four long, 14" (actually: 13 13/16") 10-24 round-head bolts and star washers from the rear of the cabinet. Also remove twenty short (˝", 10-24, round-head) bolts at the back of the cabinet. Slide the chassis out the front of the cabinet to gain access to all pilot lamps (bulbs).

  1. Type 51 (bayonet base). Three required. The "power on" lamp shines through the green lens to the left of the VFO. There are also two Type 51 bulbs for the VFO dial illumination. Available from the usual antique supply stores (Radio Daze).
  2. Type 6S6 (120 volt, screw base). One required. This lamp comes on when transmitting, and shines through the red lens to the right of the VFO. Possible sources included Home Depot, or any number of electrical supply stores. On-line sources were Ken's Electronics, and The Bulb Man, among others. The usual antique radio suppliers (Radio Daze, AES) did not carry the Type 6S6 (120 v) bulb. I got mine from Glenwood Sales on Hague Street. See Table 2.

Notes: (parts / repairs / manuals, etc.)

  1. AM Transmitter Notes
  2. "AMfone" Forum: http://www.amfone.net/Amforum/index.php
  3. "AMfone" Forum: My tune-up question
  4. Cabinet hardware: Short (˝") 10-24 round-head machine screws (20) and star washers.
  5. Cabinet hardware (original): Extra-long, 14" (actually 13 13/16"), 10-24 thread, round-head bolts (4). Sometimes advertised at back of Electric Radio Magazine
  6. Cabinet hardware (replacement): Extra-long (14"), 10-24 thread, pan-head bolts. McMaster-Carr part number: 99117A610. Description: Extra-Long Pan Head Combo Drive Machine Screw 10-24 Thread, #2 Drive, 14" Length. Price: $9.29 (package of 5) plus shipping.
  7. Cabinet refinishing: Chuck Hurley (K1TLI).
  8. Crystal (Type FT243): 3.837 MHz (AWA AM Net)
  9. Crystals (xtals): Jan Crystals http://www.jancrystals.com can make "FT243" style xtals for Viking Valiant transmitter. Could use 3.837 MHz and 3.885 MHz xtals for AWA AM Net.
  10. Dow Key Relay (T/R switch): An antenna switching relay that switches transmitter and receiver between a single antenna feed line.
  11. E.F. Johnson Transmitter Model Overview: http://www.radioing.com/museum/tx4.html
  12. E.F. Johnson Viking Valiant modifications (for consideration): http://amfone.net/ECSound/Valntmods1.htm
  13. E.F. Johnson Viking Valiant Photo
  14. E.F. Johnson Viking Valiant Photos: http://www.w1nej.com/viking_valiant/viking_valiant.htm
  15. RF "Dummy Load" References: MFJ products
  16. Microphone, high impedance (Astatic "D-104", or similar). Viking uses an Amphenol microphone connector with a dual soldered dot in the middle (dual because of PTT). New crystal elements are available from Mouser (part number 25LM024). Description: 2" diameter, 0.65 height, 50-8k Hz frequency response, 9k ohm impedance, -55 dB sensitivity. Manufactured by Kobitone. Price: $5.26 (as of December 29, 2007).
  17. Manuals & Schematics: Bought reproduction from eBay
  18. Manuals & Schematics: Downloaded .pdf from Bama mirror site
  19. Manuals & Schematics: Copied select pages from Johnson manual at AWA Annex
  20. Manuals & Schematics: Sam's Photofact does not exist for this radio.

RF Dummy Load:

To "tune up the finals" without sending the signal over the air, an "RF dummy load" (50 ohm impedance) should be used. Originally, the "paint can" style wet dummy loads (reference: Heathkit Cantenna HN-31) were filled with transformer oil (dielectric oil). In the 1960s, transformer oil contained PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). Most PCBs were manufactured as cooling and insulating fluids for industrial transformers and capacitors. PCB production was banned in the 1970s due to their high toxicity.

In lieu of transformer oil, mineral oil could be used. The only difference is when the dummy load is being used at maximum power ratings. The transformer oil will keep the load cool for a longer period of time than the mineral oil. Figure about 50% less time at maximum ratings. Reference the power dissipation derating curve on the side of the Cantenna for details.


Table 1
Valve ( tube ) line-up for E.F. Johnson Viking Valiant ( 21 valves total ):

Replacement prices per Vendor X as of November 11, 2007

Tube Schematic Ref. Nr. Type Reference Price
6AU6 V1 Variable Frequency Oscillator (VFO) http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aam0057.htm x
0A2 V2 VFO Screen Voltage Regulator http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aaa0696.htm x
6CL6 V3 Crystal Oscillator / VFO Isolator http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aaa0039.htm x
5763 V4 RF Multiplier/Driver http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aam0048.htm x
6146 V5 Parallel Final Amplifier http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aaa0546.htm x
6146 V6 Parallel Final Amplifier http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aaa0546.htm x
6146 V7 Parallel Final Amplifier http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aaa0546.htm x
6AQ5 V8 Clamper http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aaa0874.htm x
0C3/VR-105 V9 Screen Voltage Regulator http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aam0002.htm x
0C3/VR-105 V10 Screen Voltage Regulator http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aam0002.htm x
12AU7 V11 Time Sequence Keyer http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aam0051.htm x
12AX7 V12 Cascade Speech Audio Amplifier http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aam0038.htm x
6AL5 V13 Audio Clipper http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aaa0873.htm x
6C4 V14 Third Audio Amplifier http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aam0043.htm x
12AU7 V15 Parallel Audio Driver http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aam0051.htm x
6146 V16 Push-Pull Class AB2 Audio Modulator http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aaa0546.htm x
6146 V17 Push-Pull Class AB2 Audio Modulator http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aaa0546.htm x
866A V18 Mercury Vapor H.V. (660 v) Rectifier (power transformer T1) http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aab0018.htm x
866A V19 Mercury Vapor H.V. (660 v) Rectifier (power transformer T1) http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aab0018.htm x
5V4G V20 Low Voltage Power Supply (T2) Rectifier http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aaa0597.htm x
6BY5GA V21 Bias Rectifier (-265 volts) http://www.radiomuseum.org/tubes/tube_6by5ga.html x

Repair History:

November 3, 2007 (Saturday):
Cleaned the exterior and removed some old masking tape, scotch tape, tuning notes (typewritten) and a CD (Civil Defense) decal. The decal was peeling off anyway. It said, "Monroe County" at the top, and had the CD logo in the center and said, "New York" at the bottom. It has another decal which read, "9332", "Property of County of Monroe". This certainly was part of the history and patina of the radio, but my feeling is that whoever applied those decals more than 50 years ago, did so with a legitimate purpose, but essentially defaced the original appearance of the radio.

November 5, 2007 (Monday):
The public library did not have the manual for this transmitter. So, I purchased a re-print of the Viking Valiant manual from eBay. Price was $11.95 plus $6.00 shipping. The vendor's description of manual was,

"Reproduction of the factory Operation Instruction (service) manual for the E.F. Johnson Viking Valiant amateur radio transmitter. This transmitter was a very nice performer on 160-10 meters, using three 6146s for the final output amplifier. It ran 275 watts on CW, 200 on AM phone. The Valiant was renowned for its stable built-in VFO, TVI suppression, its powerful signal, and its splendid sharp audio quality on AM. Includes pertinent diagrams and/or photos, installation and connections, operating instructions for all controls, a complete parts list, tube placement chart, easily readable schematic diagram to identify all parts, assistance vital to maintaining, repairing and operating this transmitter. Printed on high quality acid-free bond paper size 8 1/2" x 11", bound in a water resistant binder. This is a heavy manual, so I apologize for the higher shipping costs, but it's worth it."

The guy had good feedback, so I bought a copy to see what kind of "high quality" he was talking about. Note his description focuses mainly on the radio, and does not describe the quality of the text or images. Beware! Unfortunately, the quality of the printing and images was about average and similar to the .pdf files which were available from the BAMA mirror web site/s for free. I would have done much better to make copies of the original manual at the AWA Annex. I did in fact make copies of the original manual at the Annex for the pages that were most difficult to read. 

Also downloaded manuals & schematics (.pdf format) from the BAMA mirror site. Some of the images (photos) were unreadable. Most of the text was fine.

November 6, 2007 (Tuesday):
Spent the day at the AWA Annex. Got an antenna relay and plug (see photo). Also made some photo copies of selected pages from the Johnson Viking Valiant manual.

110 Vac antenna switching relay (before restoration) and power plug.

Antenna switching relay (110 Vac) and power plug made from an HC6 crystal case, and zip cord (courtesy: W2BSN). Note the relay SO-239 connector designations: "T" (transmitter), "R" (receiver), and "A" (antenna). The "HC6" power plug mates with a socket (J4) on the back of the radio, and the brown zip cord needs to be soldered to the tabs of the relay coil (one tab is visible in photo). The bracket with the holes is for mounting the relay to the rear of the radio cabinet. When the transmitter is keyed, the socket at the back or the radio supplies 110 Vac for the purpose of energizing the relay coil and pulling the contacts in so that the transmitter is connected directly to the antenna feed line. When the operator is finished transmitting, the relay coil is de-energized (the 110Vac drops out) and it goes back to its normal state, which is to connect the receiver directly to the antenna feed line. I tested the relay on December 31, 2007 and it worked fine. It performed somewhat less than perfect in action however. I cleaned the SO-239 connectors with silver polish, cleaned the contacts with fine sand paper, lubricated the pivot point, and bent the center pole (the moving contact) of the relay as to make it work 100% of the time.

November 8, 2007 (Thursday):
Spoke with Bob Harrison (W2ICQ) on the phone. He has a lot of experience with these particular radios and is willing to help out if needed. He sent a "mode" knob with a white "dot" insert. Price: $5.00. Bob lives near Syracuse, NY.

November 11, 2007 (Sunday):
Carried the 83 pound Valiant down to the "operating theater" and changed the two 10A 3AG fuses (F2, F3) which were in the AC plug with the correct value, 8A 3AG fuses.

AC plug with correct 8A 3AG fuses installed.

Top (left) and Bottom (right) of Johnson "Viking Valiant" chassis.

Removed three long, 14" (actually: 13 13/16") 10-24 round-head bolts and star washers from the rear of the cabinet. There were supposed to be four bolts, but one was missing. Also removed nineteen short (˝", 10-24, round-head) bolts at the back of the cabinet. There were supposed to be twenty, but one was missing. Slid the chassis out the front of the cabinet. The 14" long round-head bolts were supposedly available through vendors listed in the back of Electric Radio magazine, but I struck out there. I soon located them on the McMaster-Carr web site. The short round-head machine screws and star washers were available at Debbie Supply.

After removing the chassis, I did a quick visual inspection and noticed some melted shrink tubing (see photo) connected to the plate of one of the 6146 modulator tubes (V16). It revealed a burned resistor (22 ohm, ˝ watt, carbon, 10%). The resistor (R48) is part of a parasitic suppressor and can easily be fixed.

Also noted the band switch arm (D1) was binding on the internal cam (D2) (see photo) that switches the three VFO tank circuits (three separate frequency ranges) by way of the planetary drive assembly (D3) (not shown in photo). The first band switch position is for 160 and 80 meters. The band switch will activate the cam D2 (and the second VFO circuit) for 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters. A third cam position is used for 11 meters. The band switch (SW3) only had a few clicks before it hit the cam, but without rotating the cam. The photo shows the tines (fingers) of the band switch drive arm (D1) which are supposed to engage and rotate the cam (the square "E" shaped gray thing), but the cam was frozen. Lubricate the cam shaft from the bottom, or by removing the side cover of the VFO box.

November 16, 2007 (Friday):
Purchased cabinet hardware: Extra-long (14"), 10-24 thread, pan-head bolts. See Notes.

November 25, 2007 (Sunday):
Replaced resistor R48 (22 ohm, ˝ watt, carbon, 10%).

Tried to free up the band switch (SW3). The cam lobe would not rotate when the knob was moved to different positions. Removed the left side of the VFO enclosure and sprayed some contact cleaner-lubricant on the switch to no avail. Also dripped some penetrant (Liquid Wrench®) on the camshaft from under the chassis. The entire switch assembly finally broke loose, but the wires inside the VFO enclosure were moving along with the switch and they might have broken. So I removed the cam lobe with a hex (Allen) key, and tightened the nut so the switch assembly would not rotate. Let sit overnight and try again tomorrow.

December 4, 2007 (Tuesday):
Took the day off from work and went to the AWA Annex. Several of the guys tried to free up the band selector switch to no avail. The switch did begin to move when two 250 watt soldering guns were placed against the shaft of the switch. But as soon as the shaft cooled it would freeze up again. I expect that it will require more heat (possibly a small butane torch) to free it up.

December 6, 2007 (Thursday) 19:00:
Went to Lynn's QTH (W2BSN) and freed up the band switch. Talked to Chuck (K1TLI) earlier in the day via email, and he suggested removing the small circular retaining ring at the base of the switch shaft. I had not noticed the retaining ring prior to his message. Believe it or not, removing that retaining ring was the key to solving the frozen band switch problem! Many thanks to both Chuck and Lynn on this one.

Removed the square cam (D2) first. Gently removed the small circular retaining ring that is around the base of the switch shaft, on the underside of the chassis. An awl or the edge of a small screwdriver will work. First, we applied some heat from a small butane torch, which has a small, controllable flame. Then, using a Q-tip, apply some penetrating oil on the shaft where the ring was removed. Use a small "vice grip" pliers to work the shaft back and forth, and up and down to free it up. If it moves up or down too much, the ball bearings can fall out of the switch on the top side. You can get them back in place, but it takes some patience. The circular retaining ring was blocking any lubricant from getting down into the shaft and that is why all previous attempts to lubricate it failed. The retaining ring needs to be removed first! When it is free simply take a pair of needle nose pliers and reset the ring by squeezing it. You can use this same procedure on any rotary switch.

Reset the cam block (D2) so that the band selector knob on the front panel lines up correctly with the switch. The positions for 160, 80 and 40 meters are at one VFO switch setting. Positions for 20, 15 and 10 meters are at the second VFO switch setting, and 11 meters is the third setting.

Skip to... Repair History, Continued ...

Table 2 (part I):
Replacement Parts for E.F. Johnson Viking Valiant
Compiled: 13-nov-2007 through xx-xxx-200x. Placed order: multiple days
Vendor 1 (for reference): RD (Radio Daze) - www.radiodaze.com
Vendor 2 (for reference): AES (Antique Electronic Supply) - www.tubesandmore.com
Vendor 3 (for reference): MC (McMaster-Carr) - http://www.mcmaster.com
Vendor 4 (for reference): M (Mouser) - http://www.mouser.com
Schematic part number Value (original) Original component and composition Value (replacement)
Composition of new part Vendor (Part number) Price ($) Quantity (actual) Purchased / Ordered Date Total ($)
    "mode" knob. plastic with white "dot" insert   "mode" knob. plastic with white "dot" insert Bob (W2ICQ) 5.00 1 1 08-nov-2007 5.00
    Extra long cabinet bolt. 13 13/16", 10-24 thread, round-head   14", 10-24 thread, pan-head MC (99117A610) 9.29 (package of 5) plus 4.50 shipping 4 5 16-nov-2007 13.79
R3 18k, 2 watt, 10% resistor, carbon 20k, 10 watt, 10% metal oxide RD (R-PW10-20K) These were not exactly correct, so I ordered the 18k wire wound resistors from Mouser 0.50 1 2 27-nov-2007 1.07
R3 18k, 2 watt, 10% resistor, carbon 18k, 5 watt, 5% wire wound M (71-CW5-18K) 1.03 1 2 30-nov-2007 $8.87 (2.06 plus $6.81 freight)
C89 0.5 uF, 400V capacitor, wax paper, axial leads 0.47 uF, 630V capacitor, metallized polyester film, axial leads RD (C-MF.47-630) 0.93 1 2 17-dec-2007 1.86
C91 80 uF, 450V capacitor, electrolytic, axial leads 100 uF, 450V capacitor, electrolytic, axial leads RD (C-EA100-450) 3.99 1 2 17-dec-2007 7.98
C92 80 uF, 450V capacitor, electrolytic, axial leads 100 uF, 450V capacitor, electrolytic, axial leads RD (C-EA100-450) 3.99 1 2 17-dec-2007 7.98
C92A 15 uF, 350V capacitor, electrolytic, axial leads 22 uF, 450V capacitor, electrolytic, axial leads RD (C-EA22-450) 1.49 1 2 17-dec-2007 2.98
C92B 15 uF, 350V capacitor, electrolytic, axial leads 22 uF, 450V capacitor, electrolytic, axial leads RD (C-EA22-450) 1.49 1 2 17-dec-2007 2.98
C98A 15 uF, 450V capacitor, electrolytic, axial leads 22 uF, 450V capacitor, electrolytic, axial leads RD (C-EA22-450) 1.49 1 2 17-dec-2007 2.98
C98B 15 uF, 450V capacitor, electrolytic, axial leads 22 uF, 450V capacitor, electrolytic, axial leads RD (C-EA22-450) 1.49 1 0 (Ordered 6, above. Only needed 4.) 17-dec-2007 N/A
C99 10 uF, 25V capacitor, electrolytic, axial leads 10 uF, 160V capacitor, electrolytic, axial leads RD (C-E10-160) 0.59 1 2 17-dec-2007 1.18
NYS tax on capacitors: C89, C91, C92, C92A, C92B, C98A, C98B, C99 17-dec-2007 1.99
Table 2 (part II):
More Replacement Parts for E.F. Johnson Viking Valiant
Compiled: 31-dec-2007 through 02-jan-2008.
Vendor 1 (for reference): RD (Radio Daze) - www.radiodaze.com
Vendor 2 (for reference): AES (Antique Electronic Supply) - www.tubesandmore.com
Vendor 3 (for reference): MC (McMaster-Carr) - http://www.mcmaster.com
Vendor 4 (for reference): M (Mouser) - http://www.mouser.com
Schematic part number Value (original) Original component and composition Value (replacement)
Composition of new part Vendor (Part number) Price ($) Quantity (actual) Purchased / Ordered Date Total ($)
I1, I2 Type 51 pilot lamp, bayonet base. One for green "power on", two for VFO dial. Type 51 pilot lamp, bayonet base RD (DL-51) 0.34 3 (parts list shows two, but there are three) package of 10 02-jan-2008 3.40
I3 Type 6S6, 120V pilot lamp, screw base, 120 v. For red transmit light. Type 6S6 pilot lamp, screw base, 120 v Glenwood Sales 1.00 1 2 02-jan-2008 2.14



Table 3 (Part I):
Parts Needed for Separate AM Transmitter and Receiver
Compiled: 13-nov-2007 through 17-dec-2007. Placed order: 17-dec-2007.
Vendor 4 (for reference): UR (Universal Radio) - http://www.universal-radio.com
Overview:
  1. Microphone adapter cable (2-conductor, shielded) with: 4-pin, male microphone jack (plug) on one end for the Kenwood "TS-530S", and a  2-pin, male microphone jack (Amphenol 80-MC2M, 2-pin male) on the other end for the "Viking Valiant"
  2. Multiple RG8X coaxial "jumper cables" to accommodate the antenna relay for the Viking Valiant transmitter and Hallicrafters receiver, and to allow the AM station to be located on other side of the shack (possibly*) from the SSB (Kenwood TS-530S) HF transceiver.
  3. *May need to build shelves for the Viking (transmitter) and Hallicrafters (receiver) so that they can be located near the other equipment and the common ground point.
  4. Switch (with SO-239 connectors) to toggle between the SSB (Kenwood) rig and the AM (Viking) rig.
  5. Price comparison: It would cost $39.30 to buy (and "D.I.Y.") 32.5' of RG8X coaxial cable and ten (10) PL-259 connectors.
  6. Price comparison: It would cost $39.90 to buy six (6) pre-fabricated RG8X coaxial jumper cables from vendor [(5) 18" cables, (1) 25' cable = 32.5'] with PL-259 connectors soldered on each end.
Part Description Vendor (Part number) Price ($) Quantity Date Total ($)
Microphone Jack 2-pin, male, chassis mount (for Johnson "Viking Valiant") UR (2793) This part was incorrect. The actual 2-pin plug is an (Amphenol 80-MC2M, 2-pin male) 2.99 1 17-dec-2007 2.99
Microphone Jack 4-pin, male (adapt to Kenwood "TS-530S" mic. cable) UR (2398) This part was incorrect. Wanted the shell, but this was the chassis mount 2.89 1 17-dec-2007 2.89
Microphone Cable 2-conductor, shielded ("Heil" brand: Two 18 gauge audio leads residing in a 100% silver braided shield) UR (2645) 1.00/foot 20' roll 17-dec-2007 19.95
Switch 2-position, 500 MHz, with SO-239 connectors (Alpha-Delta "2B") UR (4787) 56.95 1 17-dec-2007 56.95
Coaxial cable (RG8X) jumper cable, 18" with PL-259 connectors soldered at each end UR (2578) 4.99 5 17-dec-2007 24.95
Coaxial cable (RG8X) jumper cable, 25' with PL-259 connectors soldered at each end UR (0539) 14.95 1 17-dec-2007 14.95
Shipping & Handling 17-dec-2007 9.95
Total 17-dec-2007 132.63
Table 3 (Part II):
More Parts Needed for Separate AM Transmitter and Receiver
Compiled: 04-jan-2008. Placed order: 04-jan-2008.
Vendor 4 (for reference): UR (Universal Radio) - http://www.universal-radio.com
Overview:
  1. Additional (longer) RG8X coaxial "jumper cables" to accommodate the antenna relay for the Viking Valiant transmitter and Hallicrafters receiver, and to allow the AM station to be located on other side of the shack (possibly*) from the SSB (Kenwood TS-530S) HF transceiver.
Part Description Vendor (Part number) Price ($) Quantity Date Total ($)
Coaxial cable (RG8X) jumper cable, 36" (3') with PL-259 connectors soldered at each end UR (2580). (Astatic A8X3) 6.49 3 04-jan-2008 19.47
Shipping & Handling 04-jan-2008 4.95
Total 16-jan-2008 24.42
Overview:
  1. Type FT-243 crystal (3.837 MHz) for use on the AWA Sunday afternoon AM Net. This crystal served as a backup in case of VFO problems.

Part Description Vendor (Part number) Price ($) Quantity Date Total ($)
N/A Type FT-243 crystal (3.837 MHz) Brian Carling (AF4K) 12.00 1 15-jan-2008 12.00
Shipping & Handling 15-jan-2008 5.00
Insurance and Priority Mail 15-jan-2008 (arrived 22-jan-2008) 4.00
Paypal Offset Fee 15-jan-2008 1.00
Total 15-jan-2008 22.00


Repair History, Continued:

December 7, 2007 (Friday):
Ordered a 5 oz. can of "Nevr-Dull" [sic] "Magic Wadding Polish" from www.amazon.com. This enabled me to clean the tarnished silver tank coils (L13A and L13B). Price was $2.82 plus $6.27 freight for a total of $9.09. Arrived on December 12. The tank coils looked much brighter afterwards, you'll agree.

December 16, 2007 (Sunday):
Used a product called, "Goddard's Silver Dip" (10 oz. jar) to clean up the numerous silver switch contacts. Used in conjunction with generic (Q-tip type) cotton swabs on each individual switch. The Goddard's Silver Dip was purchased at Wegmans grocery store.

Took inventory of the electrolytic capacitors I needed to replace. (See Table 2).

December 17, 2007 (Monday):
Placed order with Universal-Radio for pre-fabricated RG8X coax "jumper cables", microphone connectors, and microphone cable (See Table 3). Picked up replacement capacitors (See Table 2) from Radio Daze.

December 30, 2007 (Sunday):
Replaced electrolytic and paper capacitors: C89, C91, C92, C92A, C92B, C98A, C98B, C99. For detail, see Table 2.

December 31, 2007 (Monday):

Resistor R3 tends to overheat, so it was replaced.

Replace resistor R3 (18k ohm, 2 watt, carbon) with a 18k, 5 watt, 5% wire-wound resistor. This was a precaution because R3 is known to overheat. Due to its location, it may be necessary to clip it out and drill holes through the chassis to relocate it on a terminal strip (a modification) on the other side of the chassis. This would keep it away from other things that can melt. The R3 resistor is located inside the VFO compartment. It goes to the voltage regulator tube (OA2 - V2) next to the VFO tube (6AU6 - V1) and is accessible by removing the plate on the left side of the VFO compartment. This is part of the screen voltage regulation for the VFO screen. Note that the theory about moving resistor R3 outside the VFO box to keep things from overheating may be a misnomer. The heat from the R3 resistor may also help to stabilize the VFO when everything is warmed up. The metal VFO box was provided for a reason, and it may have been to create an oven effect. However; I am not sure about it at this point.

Put radio back together, re-assemble VFO box, replace vacuum tubes in sockets. Attach dummy load (Cantenna) and solder leads to the antenna relay. Apply power from variable transformer. No smoke. Plug antenna relay into socket on back of radio and test. The antenna switching relay was good. Later experienced a problem with the antenna relay (aka "T/R switch") whereby the relay contacts would not release when the PTT switch was released. Need to investigate or get a new T/R switch.

Needed a Type 6S6 pilot lamp (120V, screw base). Lamp is used when transmitting - through the red lens to the right of the VFO. Needed three Type 51 pilot lamps (bayonet base). One Type 51 lamp is for the green power lamp, and the other two are for the VFO tuning dial.

January 2, 2008 (Wednesday):
Purchased two spare Type 6S6 bulbs (lamps) for "transmit mode" at Glenwood Sales. Picked up a package of ten Type 51 bulbs (lamps) for "power on" and VFO dial at Radio Daze.

January 4, 2008 (Friday):
Bought an Astatic D-104 microphone for $20. Schematic was included. Base plate cover missing. Otherwise in decent shape. Tested it, and it worked fine (got modulation).

January 5, 2008 (Saturday):
Soldered 2-pin connector onto D-104 microphone cable. The 2-pin connector is an Amphenol Type 80-MC2M.

Began following the tune-up procedure as described in the Viking Valiant Operating Manual. Tuned the pi-network into a 50 ohm dummy load (Heathkit "Cantenna"). All bands tuned up well except for 160 and 80 meters. There was no grid current on these bands. Brought radio back up to the shack and ran the coaxial cable and ground wire to it. Continued with the tuning process. The band switch internal cam (D2) may be out of alignment. I was also not able to "zero beat" any signals on the "presumed" bands. This could be due to the band switch alignment issue. Needed a frequency counter to verify.

January 8, 2008 (Tuesday):
Used my Kenwood TS-530S transceiver as a "digital frequency counter". Turned the Valiant up on its end, and switched it on. Set the band switch to 40 meters (was able to tune that band earlier) and set Valiant's VFO vernier dial to the low end of the band (near 7 MHz). Turned on the Kenwood, and listened to the low end of 40 meters. Was able to hear the zero beat signal on all bands except 80 and 160. Something was still wrong with those bands.

Compared my band switch cam block settings with photos from another Viking Valiant. Verified that my cam block is set up correctly. See photos of the cam block position on each band switch setting.

January 9, 2008 (Wednesday):
Removed the VFO box again and began looking for evidence of something which might have caused the VFO not to oscillate on the 80 m and 160 m bands. Used compressed air, vacuum cleaner, DeoxIT [sic] contact cleaner, some probing tools (needle-nose pliers, dentist type implements). Was able to separate a couple of wires that looked close to each other, applied the DeoxIT on the tube sockets of the VFO tubes, and the contacts of the band switch wafers. I wanted to identify something specific, but nothing appeared to be obviously wrong. Whatever I did, the problem was resolved. Was then able to see ample grid current on the 80 and 160 meter bands. It tuned up nicely into a 50 ohm dummy load on all bands.

January 10, 2008 (Thursday):
Made the first QSO with the rig. Talked to Ray (KC2OHL) on 3.837 MHz. He said it sounded good.

January 11, 2008 (Friday) 18:00 - 18:45:
Had an extended testing QSO with Dave (KA2J). He said the audio was real good, and that audio modifications are probably not needed for this particular Valiant. I varied the CLIPPING dial settings and he said that full clockwise sounded the best, but the 10 o-clock position (3 on the dial) sounded as if there was more "power" to the audio. Left it in the full clockwise position.

Became aware of a vibration during transmit. Sounded like something loose inside a tube, but I was not sure. This was verified as normal "talkback" from the transformer, and does not indicate any trouble.

Noticed that the T/R switch was not always releasing after I let up on the PTT. Also, had to switch the receiver (Hallicrafters S-40) into stand-by mode in order to prevent massive amounts of audio feedback during transmit on the Valiant. This is standard practice with many operators of older AM equipment. It can be eliminated by using a T/R switch with another set of contacts that would need to be wired into the receiver's audio circuit such that when the operator is transmitting, the T/R switch would disable the receiver's audio.

January 12, 2008 (Saturday) 10:00 - 14:00:
Performed an operational set up, and calibration per the Operating Manual with Dave (KA2J). Dave brought his frequency counter, and vintage watt meter (TS-1771/U made by Electro Impulse Laboratories under contract by the Navy Bureau of Ships).

  1. Bias adjustment. Final amplifier. Adjust Clamper R13. Set R62 for -70 V amplifier grid voltage. Measure from either end of L7 and ground (chassis). L7 is under chassis (see layout photo in manual). Set chassis on end to perform measurement.
  2. Set static modulation current. Load transmitter to 8 mA grid drive, 330 mA plate current. Turn meter switch to MOD position. Adjust R61 to 60 mA (operating conditions are 50 - 70 mA).
  3. Clamper - R13 (pot near rear of chassis next to clamper tube V8 (6AQ5). Adjust by checking plate current when turning SW8 (MAN / PTT) switch to MAN position. Turn SW8 back to PTT position, and then adjust R13 ccw until 10 mA static plate current is achieved.
  4. Neutralization: Tune up on 20 meters to 250 mA. Note Final dial setting. Turn meter to grid position. De-tune final slightly in direction that causes grid current to increase. Completed when de-tuning causes little or no change or grid current falls off. There was not reason to adjust this, as it was set up fine.
  5. VFO calibration. Use adjustment taps on top of VFO box. Adjusted all bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 11 meters.
  6. Load Valiant on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 11 meters.

Later in the afternoon, I worked on the T/R switch. Removed the silver end-cap and cleaned the relay contacts with DeoxIT [sic] contact cleaner. Also lubricated the pivot point of the actuating bar with light oil (the oil was designed for model trains). the T/R switch performed with 100% reliability afterwards.

Made a patch cable for the T/R switch (antenna relay) to receiver. The Hallicrafters S-40 receiver has screw terminals for the antenna connections. Patch cable consisted of: PL-259 to coaxial cable (2 feet). Both center conductor and shield uses a spade lug. The center conductor lug goes to the separate antenna screw terminal on S-40. the shield lug goes to double-screw (jumpered) terminals on S-40.

January 13, 2008 (Sunday) 16:00 - 17:30
Checked into the AWA (Antique Wireless Association) Sunday afternoon AM Net on 3.837 MHz. Signal reports were all favorable. Bob (W2ICQ) in Syracuse (75 miles away) reported a "25 over S9" signal. Used the D-104 microphone and the Hallicrafters S-40 receiver. Antenna was a 135' #14 AWG solid copper random wire up about 15 feet. I was told that the radio does not need any audio modifications, and sounds good in stock condition.

This is the AM Station of N2AWA / January 14, 2008

1946 Hallicrafters S-40 Receiver (left), Astatic D-104 microphone (with amplifier bypassed), 1955-1962 Viking Valiant AM transmitter (right).


Still To Do:

  1. Fabricate "patch cable" for existing microphone. Four pin connector on one end and two pin (Amphenol 80-MC2M) connector on the other end. See Table 3.

Acknowledgements:

Many thanks to Lynn (W2BSN) power plug for antenna relay (HC6 crystal case), antenna relay, two pin connector (Amphenol 80-MC2M) for microphone patch cable. Bob (W2ICQ) mode knob with white "dot" insert, email advise and support. Chuck (K1TLI) for the advise on the band switch retaining ring. Dave (KA2J) photos of his Viking Valiant band switch settings and help with the operational calibration.



c o n t a c t / h o m e
© Black Sparrow Photography / Jeff Miller
E.F. Johnson "Viking Valiant" AM Transmitter
Established: November 4, 2007