-=> Quoting Scott Christensen to Steve Brack <=-
-=-SNIP-=-
 SC> Now, I like Radio Shack stuff.  I want to say that up front!
 SC> BUT!
-=-SNIP-=-
 SC> My one brush with RS repair was *very* less than satisfactory.  I sent
 SC> in a CB that was having intermittent transmit power.  Only reason I
 SC> sent it in was that I couldn't find the schematic to do it myself - and
 SC> I was short on time to play with it.  Anyway, they sent it back "no
 SC> trouble found" and *unrepaired*.  It still had the same problem.  Mind
 SC> you, I had given them a *paragraph* of symptoms that all pointed at the
 SC> RF finals.  They *obviously* never opened the case!
 SC> 
 SC> I got the CB home, opened it up, resoldered the (obvious) cracked
 SC> joints on the final transistors and it has worked perfectly ever since.
 SC> 
 SC> Does this make me want to use RS repair or to do it myself next time? 
 SC> You tell me.
I had almost the same exact problem. Noise canceling cicuit 
had a couple of transistors getting heat sensitive. Took 
the CB in a couple of times. Same diagnosis, no problems 
found. I had to get out the hair dryer and component cooler 
and pinpoint exactly the ones that were failing before they 
could repair it. 
I also had the problem, on another CB, of the finals leads 
fracturing at the circuit board. The finals were heat sunk 
to the metal frame, but the circuit board attachment, to 
that frame, was a ways away, allowed the board to vibrate 
too much at the solder point of the finals. 
I just got done taking a TV-100 in because I burned out a 
loading coil by shorting an aux input cable. I don't think 
it was even opened to check on the components needed to 
fix it. There's nothing similar to it available anymore, 
so I was willing to pay to have it fixed, and told the 
clerk that when I took it in. 
What's really going to irk, is if a "small business" repair 
shop fixes it for less then $100. 
I have an old stereo TV tuner of theirs that I liked. Has 
audio AND video outputs, as well as RF, and tunes 2-83 and 
cable. They never could get the stereo audio aligned 
properly, had to do it myself. The video tuner started 
going bad, but they wouldn't replace it. It's one of those 
self contained things that solders to the board and has two 
adjustments on it. Then, even though I always put it all 
in the original box, with styrofoam, they put the remote 
in the wrong spot so the RF jack sat down right in the 
middle of it. Never did get my replacement. 
And they fired the best and most knowledgeable manager they 
had in the area. That store went to pot after that. Now I 
have to drive twice as far. Most RS sales personnel are 
just that, period. They know next to nothing about 
electronics. 
 
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