My reference to Vinnie was, of course, related to the one, the only, the often imitated but never duplicated.......... N4NYY.

A man with more issues than a woman born with one leg shorter than the other and named Eileen.   

Name the child Vinnie ??

........you'd think he'd have learned something about Heathshkits from the Iggy   

PS: 80 through 10 Meters only, no WARC bands, no general coverage RX (which means you can't listen to Alex Jones or Dr. euGene Scott), transformer power supply, AND IT HAS MORE THAN FIVE TUBES !   Are you sure you can relate to an SB-102 ?

1)  You don't need any technical skill or electronics experience to make Extra. Read the forums here and you'll see what I mean. In your case passing one written test is all you lack and there are plenty of study materials and practice tests to be found on the web. You have no excuse for not making Extra.

2)  While the repair & rebuilding of an older transceiver requires some comprehension of electrical theory, R & R of a distressed radio is not essential to learning theory. Depending on the issues with radio, it's entirely possible to troubleshoot with nothing more than a free downloaded schematic and a free multimeter from Harbor Freight. Then you'll have a better idea of what kind of money it will take to get it working, working well, or working better than new. Not every refurb needs to be a complete top-to-bottom exercise nor is every radio worth the time and expense of a workbench Full Monty.

It's like the old joke...

What do you call the person who graduates at the top of their class in med school? Magna Cum Laude.
What do you call the person who graduates at the bottom of their class in med school?

Doctor.

Either way they can spend the rest of their life asking people to take their clothes off and charging for it.

If you want to learn theory from square one here's a place to start  <=== [Note: This URL was selected as an example, not an endorsement]

Once you learn the concepts of energy flow and the function of various components, then you'll learn how a radio can have independent AC and DC circuit paths on the same wiring as determined by the placement of a blocking condenser or choke... DC can't flow through a condenser and RF might not flow thorough a coil if, like N4NYY, it's wound too tight. Then you learn the various sub-sections of a radio like amplifiers, mixers, detectors, etc. and how they work together.

There is more than one way to learn this stuff and just because an Elmer learned via junk radios and magazines doesn't mean everyone has to learn the same way. Do you realize you can pick up old clock radios & such at a thrift shop on the cheap and strip them for parts? Like, enough parts to build a crystal radio with a simple audio amplifier. In fact... If you want a first project, score an orphan clock radio that has a transformer power supply (a transformer means the chassis isn't hot relative to ground) then add a switch & phono plug so it can be used as a radio or test bench audio amplifier / signal tracer. Plus, you get a digital clock at no extra charge. Then learn how to build a demodulator probe so you can 'listen' to an IF strip.

It doesn't take much money to do this and a signal tracer is a useful tool......................

Many tubular condensers have a black line at one end denoting the outside foil. Usually that end of the condenser will be closer to ground as a way of adding some shielding to the AC circuit path. If your dipped mylars are marked as such, try to retain the outside foil position. If not, it's not a major issue.

In the case of point-to-point wiring new parts should be 'dressed' like the old parts as condensers in particular can be intentionally moved away from filament lines & such to minimize inadvertent signal coupling.

I did not know that...........

And I'm glad to hear it as I have a small stash of NOS GE 6883's. Same characteristics as a 6146, but with a 12.6v filament for mobile application. Couldn't bear to throw them away because of the NOS thing, but didn't have a plan for them until now. Ought to pull them out to look for an 'A' or 'B' after the number.

BTW:  If the plate cap on one of the 6146's in a TS-830 were to become disconnected, would the remaining tube still work at reduced output power ?

One More Thot:   When the 6146's were replaced, are we reasonably sure they were neutralized ?

Someone should mention that since the 6146's are in parallel it's possible to TX with only one tube. You won't see full output, but, if one of the tubes can fly solo while the other cannot I'd take that as a clue.

Mandatory Disclaimer:  Any tests in or near the high voltage section should be approached with caution. It can take a minute or more for the filter caps to bleed down to a safe level. A power cord unplugged is better than a power switch turned off. Always assume the radio is capable of tickling your fancy because someday it will...... 

Manitoba is a large enough province that some of it should be within the realm of short skip... Unfortunately, as WB6BYU suggested, very few people may live in those sections. I see this as more a matter of patience and perseverance than a technical issue.

...although a really good contest weekend wouldn't hurt!

I doubt it's an antenna issue, a leaky electrolytic capacitor in the HV power supply is more likely.

Does the fuse blow in RX? If the fuse only blows in TX I'd definitely look at the HV supply for a leaky filter cap or shorted rectifier.

...makes me wonder if there's a simple temperature compensation circuit designed to protect against running too hot that doesn't know where to plateau below room temperature.

Does the book make any mention of thermal protection?  It's not unusual to see a thermistor on a heat sink in a power supply or audio amplifier to either fold back the power or turn on a fan.

All I know is that I'm trying to watch the Mummer's Parade on the live stream from WPHL-TV.... So far it's about as exciting as watching grass grow, but without the blue skies and sunshine.

Best guess is they decided to webcast the parade on a zero dollar budget. I hope the broadcast version has more life to it. I need to review the moves of the Mummer's Strut as I'm getting rusty, but how can I do that when it's so damned hard to stay awake?

The parade needs more Italians.   Or fewer Italians.   I haven't decided.   I'll get back to you on this..................   

If you haven't downloaded the partial SB-301 manual available from Vintage Radio, you can find it here

On the first page you'll see a chart of mix frequencies used by the radio... In the case of 40 Meters, the 1st mixer is rockbound at 15.895 MC. A desired station on 7.200 MC would then mix to 8.695 MC and be passed through the 1st IF to the 2nd mixer. The LMO at 5.300 MC would bring that down to the 2nd IF frequency of 3.395 MC. I worked the math, the numbers are good, if you can offset the LMO relative to 3.395 MC's you might find a path to where you want to go...

Where things get dicey for what you're trying to do is in compensating for two offsets with one magic number. In the case of 40 Meters that might be possible (I'm on holiday today, don't ask me to think...) but what happens above 15.895 MC's where the injection goes low side instead of high?

In any case, what you're looking for is two offsets in cascade and as AD4U mentioned that's not easily done with a single counter.

One other thot....... The book sez the EICO is a 90 Watt transmitter. Don't forget that back then 90 Watts meant 90 Watts of DC input power to the final(s). 60 Watts out is a little high for 90 Watts in, but there's always the chance you have an overachiever power transformer or your AC line voltage is higher than the classic Reddy Kilowatt standard.

I should also mention it's good form to never assume any electronic equipment was 100% perfect when it left the factory... Sure, most of the gear we see is within 95%, but if it was a kit?

Assume Nothing.