At the Repair Bench Repository
This is a collection of published repair case history articles…
All articles are copyrighted material as stated thereon; photo credits are given as appropriate and are also stated thereon. If no specific photo credit is given, the photo is the intellectual property of and is copyrighted by CMS in Pitman, NJ USA.
As you read these articles, please feel free to drop me an e-mail with any questions that you may have. I will be happy to provide an explanation for any of the material that you may find to be confusing.
A new feature, effective 23 March 2024, is that the article titles in the listings below will from this point on also be live links to those articles!
| Simpson 260® – July 2026 | TYT-MD-9600 – June 2026 |
| This month, we look at another repair to a venerable Simpson VOMM, arguably the most popular analog voltmeter ever produced… | This month, we look at the repair of a TYT MD-9600 mobile transceiver that had been subjected to a 120VAC power source instead of the normal 13.8VDC source… |
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| Icom IC-746 PRO – May 2026 | Alinco DX-70 – April 2026 |
| This month we look at the repair that was not a repair… or at least that had no parts replaced — when an Icom IC-746 PRO turned up with “low” power output… | This month, we dig into the complete failure of the PA chain in an Alinco DX-70 mobile transceiver… |
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| MFJ-704 – March 2026 | Icom IC-7300 – February 2026 |
| This month, we explore the failure and repair of an MFJ-704 Low Pass Filter unit, a very interestingly designed and constructed device… | This month, we take a good look at the radio that was damaged by the automatic tuner that was the subject of last month’s column… |
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| MFJ-993B – January 2026 | MFJ-998RT – December 2025 |
| This month, we dive into the repairs to an MFJ-993B IntelliTuner automatic antenna tuner, which was causal in some other failures… | This month, we look at some repairs made to an MFH-998RT remote automatic antenna tuner, with an unusual twist… |
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| Baofeng BF-F8HP – November 2025 | MFJ-949 Versa-Tuner – October 2025 |
| This month, we discuss the unusual repairs made to a very low-cost radio, that actually cost more than the radio did new, and why the repair was done… | This month, we look at the apparent failure of an MFJ-949 manual antenna tuner that was encountered during Field Day 2025… |
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| Ham-Soku SWX-777 – September 2025 | Kenwood TS-480SAT – August 2025 |
| This month, we look at the modification of a benchtop SWR/Power Meter to provide some meter illumination, and what we discovered in the process… | This month, we explore the repairs to the Club’s Kenwood TS-480SAT transceiver used as a remote HF station, which failed with reduced power output… |
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| MFJ-259 & MFJ-269 Series – July 2025 | Ameco PT Preamplifier – June 2025 |
| This month, we take a good look at an ongoing and annoying problem with some MFJ test equipment, and the surprisingly simple fix for the problem, which was one of a design nature,,, | This month, we look at a preamplifier that would not stay put as expected, but would drop offline whenever it was made active. Read about this repair and the cause of the failure, as well as some other useful information… |
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| Heathkit® IT-3121 Redux – May 2025 | Yaesu CD-41 Li-Ion Charger – April 2025 |
| This month, we look at another Heathkit® IT-3121 Curve Tracer that was shipped in for repair, by a friend of the owner of the last one we repaired… | This month, we look at the Yaesu CD-41 charging cradle, which has a deficiency in some models that will cause a failure of the charger. Read about the repair of the failure and the preventative modification… |
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| Yaesu FT-65 – March 2025 | Heathkit® IT-3121 – February 2025 |
| This month, we look at the repair and modification of a Yaesu FT-65 charging cradle for some popular hand-held radios… | This month, we dig into a vintage Heathkit® IT-3121 Curve Tracer that was shipped in for repair. This unit is used in conjunction with an oscilloscope to examine the characteristics of semiconductor devices… |
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| Icom IC-746 PRO – January 2025 | Yaesu G-2700 Rotator System – December 2024 |
| This month, we look at the repairs made to a defunct Icom IC-746 PRO to bring it back to life and restore it to its former glory on the ham bands… | This month, we explore the repairs to an inoperative Yaesu rotator system, one that had experienced considerable water encroachment into the rotator housing… |
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| Icom IC-703 – November 2024 | MFJ-407D Electronic Keyer – October 2024 |
| This month, we bat cleanup to a repair that was started several years ago by another shop. The IC-703 had no RF power output when keyed up… | This month, we tackle an electronic keyer that would not key the host radio… |
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| Astron VS-35M Power Supply – September 2024 | Para Dynamics PDC-50DL Dummy Load – August 2024 |
| This month’s article describes the repair process for a linear power supply that would drop out as soon as high current was called for… | This article describes a minor repair to a damaged Para Dynamics dry 50W dummy load… |
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| Zenith R723 Table Radio Refurb – Special Report | MFJ-941E Versa Tuner II – July 2024 |
| This article details the refurb of a Zenith R723 AM/FM Table Radio circa 1954… | This month’s article describes the repair to the front panel meter illumination of an MFJ-941E Versa Tuner II… |
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| Icom IC-756 PRO – June 2024 | Heathkit® GD-1B Grid Dip Meter Frequency Dial Replacement – Special Report |
| This month’s article describes the encoder repair to an Icom IC-756 PRO HF Transceiver… | This article is a mid-month special report detailing the process followed in creating a replacement tuning dial for a Heathkit® GD-1B Grid Dip Meter… |
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| Yaesu FTM-400DRX – May 2024 | Yaesu FTM-7250DR – Special Report |
| This month’s article describes some repairs made to a Yaesu FTM-400 that would not hold its programming… | This article is a mid-month special report dealing with the repairs to a Yaesu FTM-7250 transceiver with no RF output… |
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| Conar 231 Tuned Signal Tracer – April 2024 | Heathkit® IT-5283 Signal Tracer – March 2024 |
| This month’s article describes the repairs required to restore a “dead” Conar 231 Tuned Signal Tracer to operating condition… | This month’s article is all about a simple but tricky repair to a Heathkit® 5200-series signal tracer that came to my shop in a “dead” condition… |
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| Landers, Frary & Clark CD V-715 Model 1A Radiological Survey Meter – February 2024 | MFJ-259B SWR Analyzer – January 2024 |
| This month’s article is a follow-on article to the August 2023 piece. This is the second of the two survey meters brought to me to be refurbished, but this one is of a different technology… | This month’s article discussed a minor repair to an inoperable MFJ-259B SWR Analyzer… |
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| GCARC VHF Antenna Rotator Controller – December 2023 | Plasma Lamp – November 2023 |
| This month’s article details the repairs to a homebrew antenna rotator controller that had a wonky display… | This month’s article describes the repair of a favorite toy of the son of one of my fellow club members, a retro-style plasma lamp… |
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| Heathkit® IM-5284 & IPA-5280-1 – October 2023 | Heathkit® IP-2718 Power Supply – September 2023 |
| This month’s article covers the refurbishment of a pair of Heathkit® items found at a Hamfest, and then offered for sale on ebay… | This month’s article is about the rapid turn-around repair of a Heathkit® IP-2718 Tri-Power Supply that had failures in all three of its outputs… |
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| Victoreen V700 Model 6A Geiger Counter – August 2023 | Icom IC-3210 – July 2023 |
| This month I tackle something truly different… a 1960’s era Victoreen Civil Defense geiger counter overhaul… | This month’s article covered a series of minor repairs to an Icom IC-3210 dual-band transceiver, which unfortunately did not fully repair the radio… |
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| NanoVNA – June 2023 | Brother P-touch 1400 – May 2023 |
| This month’s article covered the minor repair to and upgrade of a NanoVNA H4 that had lost its touch-screen capability… | This month’s article covered a repair to a Brother P-touch 1400 Handheld Label Printer with a defective “Y” key… |
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| Icom ID-800H – April 2023 | Icom ID-4100A – March 2023 |
| This month’s article covered a repair to an Icom ID-800H transceiver that would occasionally blow its power line fuse… | This month’s article covered a repair to an Icom ID-4100A transceiver that would intermittently shut down… |
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| MFJ-259 – February 2023 | Henry 1KD-5 – January 2023 |
| This month’s article covered a repair to an MFJ-259 SWR Analyzer with an inoperative panel meter… | This month’s article covered a repair to a Henry 1KD-5 RF Amplifier with intermittent operation… |
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| Kenwood TM-241A – December 2022 | Icom IC-706 – November 2022 |
| This month’s article covered a repair to a Kenwood TM-241A transceiver with no TX output power, among other issues… | This month’s article covered a repair to an Icom IC-706 transceiver with a “dead” front panel… |
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| Heathkit® HP-23B – October 2022 | Simpson 260 – September 2022 |
| This month’s article covered a repair to a Heathkit® HP-23B Power Supply unit that was blowing fuses… | This month’s article covered a repair to a Simpson 260 VOM with a broken PCB… |
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| Heathkit® HD-1234 – July 2022 | NanoVNA – August 2022 |
| This month’s article is the inaugural one, and it covers the repair of a Heathkit® HD-1234 coaxial switch… | This month’s article covered a repair to a NanoVNA device that had a blank LCD panel… |
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