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Is it worth getting old tuners serviced?
- Thread starter Michael L
- Start date
Hi Mike, the things that go in tuners are the same things that go in anything else, electrolytic caps and high current resistors, etc.
There is one other issue that affects tuners, which is that the local oscillators drift and can move to the edge of the filter passband. Fortunately most FM tuners have automatic frequency control (AFC) so this is rarely a problem, and anyway the passband for FM is huge.
The criterion for an FM tuner is the signal to noise ratio. As long as the background is quiet with no hiss on the signal I would leave well alone.
You can prolong the usefull life of a piece of old kit by switching it on for an hour or so every week to keep the caps formed and keep damp and corrosion at bay.
My remedy is to leave them switched on permanently and I have three or four units in this state in the garage.
Regards JC.
There is one other issue that affects tuners, which is that the local oscillators drift and can move to the edge of the filter passband. Fortunately most FM tuners have automatic frequency control (AFC) so this is rarely a problem, and anyway the passband for FM is huge.
The criterion for an FM tuner is the signal to noise ratio. As long as the background is quiet with no hiss on the signal I would leave well alone.
You can prolong the usefull life of a piece of old kit by switching it on for an hour or so every week to keep the caps formed and keep damp and corrosion at bay.
My remedy is to leave them switched on permanently and I have three or four units in this state in the garage.
Regards JC.
PigletsDad
My intelligence test came back negative.
Go to fmtunerinfo and check up what they say about your Sony.
Some older tuners with LC filters in the IF strip can need re-alignment; the distortion can be dramatically worse when these go off. Note that setting these up needs fairly exotic test gear and a highly expert technician.
Otherwise the main culprits, as pointed out above, are the electrolytics. It is worth having a look to see if any have bulging cases, or worse still, visible leaks. If there are visual signs of trouble, a good service should sort this out.
Some older tuners with LC filters in the IF strip can need re-alignment; the distortion can be dramatically worse when these go off. Note that setting these up needs fairly exotic test gear and a highly expert technician.
Otherwise the main culprits, as pointed out above, are the electrolytics. It is worth having a look to see if any have bulging cases, or worse still, visible leaks. If there are visual signs of trouble, a good service should sort this out.
PigletsDad
My intelligence test came back negative.
According to http://www.fmtunerinfo.com/sony.html (about 1/3 down the page), your 5950 has Murata ceramic filter blocks, which are fixed tuned, and so won't need re-alignment. They think very highly of it.
I would just have a look to see if the insides look happy, and leave well alone unless there are signs of trouble.
I would just have a look to see if the insides look happy, and leave well alone unless there are signs of trouble.