Variphone help needed!

[Pchristy]

Jay, I'm guessing that he must have brought them back from Germany. I don't think they were ever sold in the USA due to FCC compliance issues. (The highest frequency tones are up in the 7-8 KHz region - Frank will probably know exactly what they are!) If he's flying out in the sticks somewhere, I doubt anyone will ever know!

The Tx isn't very powerful, but it didn't need to be. The interference rejection of the receiver and filters is awesome!

The interconnects are easily cleaned using one of those fibre-glass pencils - usually found in car accessory shops for cleaning rust spots. The relays are trickier, but less prone to issues. I thought it was the relays on mine, but it turned out to be the inter-connects.

The micro-switches in the Tx may need cleaning, but that is fairly straight forward.

There was a switch at the base of the Tx aerial which prevents the Tx from powering up unless the aerial is firmly plugged in. This was to protect the output transistor. No aerial, no power! Again, easy to clean if the contacts have corroded.

The only other likely problem is failed electrolytic capacitors - always an issue on old gear! Having said that, mine (which I've owned from new) responded well to just having the inter-connects cleaned and fitting new batteries. I didn't have to touch the transmitter at all!

These were excellent radios in their day, well designed and well made - if slightly unorthodox! Mine was extremely reliable, and I keep getting tempted to build another model for it and fly it again!

--
Pete

[tiptipflyer]

For anyone, who is interested, here are the tone-frequencies for each channel and some technical data.

The frequency for channel 9 is 6350 Hz and for channel 10 is 7150 Hz.

Frank

[Pchristy]

Thanks Frank, that's useful information! I knew the top channels were somewhere up around 7 or 8 KHz, but not exactly where!

--
Pete

[jmendoza]

Thanks for all the help, but I'm in over my head with this system, too many issues:

I hate to say it, but these radios are real POS, they don't even have a dedicated case for the Tx, it's a transistor radio case that was modified. The servo motors seem to have gremlins and work at random. The female half of the connectors are impossible to get clean so they are problematic. And the components themselves have weird markings making identifying their values daunting. Half of the original Germanium transistor are leaky, especially the RF ones so the power of the Tx is down and so is the Rx sensitivity. Some of the servo transistors are leaky enough that the motors will hum and try to move slowly.

Unconventional at best, and trying to read the schematics is like hieroglyphics, the symbology is totally different than what is used in the USA and Japan. Not being able to read German is a handicap as well,
I threw in the towel and returned the system to it's owner. Told him to take it back to Germany on his next trip and find somebody there who knows them, he will have better luck.

40-50 year old radios are hard enough to fix, so I'll stick with the domestically made ones as we have parts and documentation here that I can read. Learned my lesson, you jut can't fix 'em all.

[Scott Todd]

Jay,

If there is an extra floating around, I would like to convert one. We can fly it at Katie

Scott

[jmendoza]

LOL Scott, pretty funny!
I would not risk it, reeds are hard to fly compared to propo, and the Graupner control levers are a little wonkey at best....would not want to have an episode with a jellyfish while trying to get used to the Varitone controls.

[Tobe]

...but we were used to them and didn't flew that bad either! Has to be seen with a little different approach from what was used in the US at the same time. Both dad and I flew with them but on mode 2! The reason we flew mode 2 was that ground handling was easier.

[Scott Todd]

It will get Reeduino or some variant of custom 7CH code I'll put a Spektrum Module in it and we'll use it as a wireless buddy box. Then the Master can take over and land.

C'mon! Lets play I'll get all the bugs worked out and flying before we go 'public'

Scott

[jmendoza]

Todd, I have several old reed sets here, Orbit, Kraft, and Controlaire. I also have one of PhilG's PIC 12 channel reed emulator. Have been saving it as I really liked using them, they are so simple and easy to install. Done many reed conversions for everyone BUT myself, so now it may be time to try it out.

I have a question about the negative and PPM output plug on the PIC emulator: Does it simply plug into the trainer jack of a SpeKtrum tx? If so, is the Spektrum Tx the master(one would assume so) and the reed radio the slave?

Can the reeduino be used in the same way? Meaning can you plug the PPM and negative from the reeduino into a Spektrum Tx and use it as a master proportional Tx? If so then flying reeds is not risky at all if you have a Master proportional transmitter to take over with should you "lose it" .

[Scott Todd]

So what you are saying is I need an Orbit Reed set AND the three channel That's Awesome!

I'm thinking about coming to the Funfly at Torrey in late January.

I need to get working. I still have a little Christmas money left. Let me send you some As a reminder, I might have a KA-8 NIB to toss in also...

Scott