Thanks for the replies.  Mark's idea seemed to work ok, although it is fragile, as K5LXP noted.  Maybe better to crack open the molded cover on the connector and replace with thicker wire.

73, Bill NZ5N/OM3BD

I'm on my summer trip to Slovakia and recently discovered that I can't work digital modes because my Thinkpad T510 laptop does not have the standard separate 3.5mm jacks for the headphone and microphone.  Instead, it has a single 4 pin 3.5mm jack for both, the same type used in an iPhone for hands free, see
http://pinoutsguide.com/HeadsetsHeadphones/lenovo_audio_pinout.shtml.

I don't have time to order an adapter and the local stores do not sell them.  My only hope is homebrew an adapter by cannabalizing an iPhone hands free headphone/microphone combo.  I found one of these and clipped off the ear buds and the mike.  Now all I have to do is solder the loose wires to the appropriate pins on two 3.5mm jacks I obtained.  Sounds easy, but I have never seen wire like this before.  It is of course thin and insulated.  There is also some sort of string inside.  I tried to remove the insulation but I must be doing something wrong, can't get continuity between the ends of the wires and the plug.  It must be doable, I must be using the wrong technique.

Anyone ever stripped wire like this?  Any tips?

Thanks and 73,
Bill NZ5N/OM3BD

Thanks, folks.  This unit came without the vibrator so hopefully it will be OK to remove that cap.

73, Bill NZ5N

Thanks, I was hoping that was just for the vibrator. If yes, I do not need it, just using with 120vac.
73, Bill

Hello,

I was able to get an old 6 meter Gonset Communicator working this weekend. However, a tubular capacitor connected between the plates of the 6X4 rectifiers and ground appears to be in bad shape, it gets hot and appears to be leaking wax. It is .05 mfd 1600v. These does not appear to be a common value in today's market, only ones I saw were $10 each.

Any suggestions for a cheap substitute?  And is this component even necessary?  I have seen several schematics of 6X4 power supplies without any such capacitor.

73, Bill NZ5N

Well, you know you have a really unusual VHF amp problem when both WB2WIK and K1FO can't identify it.

Not really sure this is "drift" at all.  When the power drops and grid current goes negative, we turn the cathode tuning control just a fraction and then put it right back exactly where it was.  It is not as if the sweet spot was constantly changing. Just seems like something needs a bit of a "kick" (a touch of movement back and forth on the cathode tuning control or the 847 power output control) to get everything working as it should.

Rather discouraging situation, hope it is not the expensive final tubes.

73, Bill

Steve, you mean K1FO Steve, right? Or is there also a Bob at LL?

N8PR and I called LL this morning and, although he was ill, Steve spoke with us. He said he had never seen a negative grid current situation on a 2m amp, and he was unable to offer any suggestions.

We have tried a different antenna and have replaced every coax and jumper, no joy. Problem persists even with output lowered to 500w. When power goes low at the start of a transmission, all that is needed to restore full power is a slight touch of the cathode tuning control or a slight lowering of the input drive.

Anyone have a clue what the negative grid current may mean?

What kind of dummy load can handle a kw at 2m? We have a Heathkit but it is for HF.

Steve is probably right, need to call LL, we observed that, when power drops, the grid current meter pins negative, do not know what that means.

Thanks for the replies, the rig is at a remote location, will go there in the morning and try these suggestions.
73, Bill

Running an FT-847 and a Lunar Link amp (pair of 3CX800s) on 2 meters.  Turned on the power today, did not change any settings from yesterday when all was well, but on my first transmission the output was just 200w, not 1500w.  The amp needed to be retuned, which brought it back to full power.  But later the same thing happened several times, I was constantly retuning, every few minutes, finally shut down for fear something was seriously wrong.  Sometimes, there would be just 200w at the start of a transmission, then it would jump back to full power after a few seconds, even without retuning.  SWR was low during both full power and reduced power transmissions.  And output from the 847 remained constant at 30w at all times.

Any ideas on what may be wrong? 

73, Bill NZ5N

That's interesting, did a forum search but nothing found.

I recently tried the Twoer squelch mod, it involves a bridge of two 4.7 ohm resistors and two #47 lamps, see
http://qsl.net/nz5n/TwoerGonsetRestoration.htm

Wonder if what you are thinking of is similar? The squelch mod attenuated the audio quite a bit so I took it out, although I did notice that it seemed to stop the hum.

73, Bill

Yes, probably most Twoer buyers were not able to afford a Bird meter.  If you recall, the Twoer came with a bulb that was plugged into the antenna jack, and the transmitter was tuned by adjusting for maximum brilliance on the bulb.

Dale, I did hook up my Twoer to my RF Concepts brick and got over 100w out.  But this is all for fun and experimentation, just trying to see what the Twoer is capable of (surely better than 0.75w out with 5w in?).  These days, when for $41 shipped you can buy a dual band 2 watt HT with memories, PL tones, etc., refurbing a Twoer for actual communications purposes is a losing proposition.

No, replaced the electrolytics but not the disks.  Had been told disks do not often go bad.  AC5UP's idea has been working great, the 10uf cap knocks out the hum with little effect on audio quality.

73, Bill

Have to disagree a bit. I bought my Twoer for nostalgia, because it was my first rig.  But as 'box stock' it is nothing more than a shack decoration, as there is little AM activity on 2m.  It is great for experimentation, as this is one of the most modded rigs ever, and it is easy to work with.  I did the selectivity mod, so I can at least use the Twoer to monitor FM repeaters, and I built an FM varactor modulator, so it can transmit on FM as well as AM.  Details at:
http://qsl.net/nz5n/TwoerGonsetRestoration.htm

It has been fun playing with this Twoer. But I'm a bit disappointed that the output mod was not very successful.

73, Bill NZ5N