OT: RCA 500 Series UHF Repeater docs needed

[n8uhn]

Hi All,

hate to ask here but looking for manuals for the rca uhf 500 series repeater.

i need the schematic for the control panel as well as tune up for rx,tx and pa.
info on the ctcss "panel's" would be nice too.

if i understand correctly the rx and tx driver "strips" were close to the uhf 500 series mobile strips.

this rptr has the blue brick ipa driving a conduction cooled tube.

the reason i'm asking here is that rptr builder has only some 400 series info and the people at SHARC or SHARCNET that did offer the 500 series manuals sold the originals long ago due to "lack of interest" which in my opinion was "lack of sales".

it's really frustrating that manuals or info on the entire rca line of radio gear is almost gone like the company itself.

if someone can loan, sell or send me the ring binder manual complete or near complete - i'll scan and upload it to rptr builder so they are available to all.

same goes for any scans of pages.

the public url to my facebook album of my rptr that i need the manuals on is below.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... cc5c75ce23

thankx,
Bill

[Will]

I worked on a whole bunch of those when I worked for RCA.

The rx and much of the transmitter/exciter is the same as the Super Carphone 500. Lots of white wire.....

The lower remote/control panel was a major problem.

[d119]

I echo that, I've not heard good things about RCA products of this vintage. I'm struggling to understand why anyone would want to revive any repeater with a tube in it. The cost of electricity just to keep this thing online at idle boggles my mind. But to each his own, I suppose. I still use ACC controllers...

[n8uhn]

you would be correct on the rem con panel.

i have alot of experience in tube and newer moto and ge as well as johnson so the rca should be easy? NOT!

the unit was dead and the osc sections were not working.

i traced the white wires with the little black numbers and all was well - the unmarked wires led to the f1 switch on the panel - hmm these are not in the 400 series manual from rptr builder.

the unit appears not to use the latching relay and there is not one in the socket.

so i soldered the cut f1 jumper in the rcvr/exciter since this unit only has the f1 txco's in it.
the osc's came up - i traced wires no further - the 400 schemes are a guide but the 500 ctrl is not the same.

no tx on the panel lamp with a good lamp and no relay action - hmm whats this board by the antenna relay not in the 400 manual?

more white wire tracing - ahh it is a relay driver between the ctcss racks and the pa - ok, replace the transistor on the board - got tx lamps and relays now!

next thing the pa was dead - great! i did find the psu schematic and all was well - cool.
checked the output of the brick and got 300 mw - nice.
must be a bad tube - got a nos off ebay and still no power - great now what.

looked closely at the board next to the antenna connector and found the plate current metering shunt resistor burned in half - put in a new one - got power, 30w out - cool!

good thing this rptr only has the one tube in it.

tuned the pa deck for max power and got 70 w out.

so now need manuals to tune both decks correctly and find out the f1 prob.

this repeater was the first uhf community rptr in the area and a friend of the grand parents owned it three owners ago - the friend and my grandparents have passed on so the rptr is a memento.

i hope if i find manuals on the rptr, it will go the 440 ham band.
if not - no biggie, it will still be a working museum piece in my collection.

BTW - real radios still glow in the dark - maybe on a dummy load or indoor antenna cus of the new 12.5 khz bull but still.

Bill

[fineshot1]

Just in case anyone is interested like I was in RCA History see URL's below.

http://www.rcacommunicationssystems.com ... story.html

http://earlyradiohistory.us/1922RCA.htm

I always thought it was very interesting how the TacTec 200 series radios
were a mirror image of the GE MastrII Mobiles so RCA must have had some influence
from the GE two way radio engineers.

[Will]

I always thought it was very interesting how the TacTec 200 series radios
were a mirror image of the GE MastrII Mobiles so RCA must have had some influence
from the GE two way radio engineers.

That was the TAC 200 series, and we nick named them G Cors. As they were a combination of the GE Master II and Motorola's Micor.

One thing the TAC 200 had better contacts on the plug in boards than the GE did.

[n8uhn]

thankx for the links - a great read.

[MSS-Dave]

I suppose. I still use ACC controllers...

"WRITE.......UL"

[d119]

I suppose. I still use ACC controllers...

"WRITE.......UL"

Damn right... Check your PM's, Dave.

[fineshot1]

I always thought it was very interesting how the TacTec 200 series radios
were a mirror image of the GE MastrII Mobiles so RCA must have had some influence
from the GE two way radio engineers.

That was the TAC 200 series, and we nick named them G Cors. As they were a combination of the GE Master II and Motorola's Micor.

One thing the TAC 200 had better contacts on the plug in boards than the GE did.

Thank You for that little piece of history.

If you remember i would be interested to know what aspects of Micor were incorporated into the Tac 200 Series.
Good stuff I never knew about. I love those older generation radios For me it was a golden age.

[jimbo5169]

On the RCA control panel there is a vertical row of buttons. The bottom button must be pressed in to use the service microphone. Also , you must select F1. There are several items in the TX keying path.
The relay board on the front of the PA is the switch for the final tube screen voltage. It was common for the control transistor on the small circuit board to fail and the relay pulls in as soon as you power up the system. The relay shold only pull in during PTT. If the relay is allowed to stay energized, the final tube will draw constant screen current with no plate current and slowly die.

I'll dig around my basement and see if I still have any books.

BTW - 70 watts is about all you can expect from them. Watch out for the exploding filter caps in the HV power supply! Like me, they are getting pretty old.

[n8uhn]

Thankx to all for the info.

i did find a manual - i have it here now and the seller is selling me a box of rca manuals
that cover mobiles from the 50's to the end of rca area and some of the post rca models.

Jimbo,
the transistor was open on the relay buffer board - my full report is above.

i never did find the extra three wires on pin plugs that went to 3 pins on the f1 switch in the manual but, since i resoldered the f1 jumper in the exciter - all is well.

Bill