Frequency Crystals

[PITSTOP100]

Hey guys i'm an EMT in NJ and recently bought a back up radio for my truck, It's an old Midland 4 channel 5 watt portable.  I need to replace the crystals so i can get my dispatchers frequency (155.355) and I have been having trouble finding a place to purchase them.  Do any of you have any recomendations on a place to buy them?

Thank You!
-Joe

[PITSTOP100]

Hello, Sorry guys i broke the 1st rule of a forum, search before you ask.  I placed a request with ICM and am currently waiting for a responce.

-Joe

[N7NBB]

You do realize that you will have to have the radio PROFESSIONALLY TUNED TO WORK ON THE NEW FREQUENCIES, right?  It is not just a simple matter of swapping out frequency elements (crystals).... the tuned circuits in the radio have to be realigned.

Before you transmit and possibly damage your radio, not to mention the posibility of causing interference to other users of YOUR or nearby services, I strongly suggest you get a professional radio shop to go through and align the radio to the new frequency.  It will be a lot cheaper to do that NOW than have to pay for new componets to repari the output section of your radio AND THEN also do the alignment thing.... to say nothing of FINES that may be imposed should someone complain of interference.

Hopefully you will return and read this...

good luck
CAM

[K5LXP]

N7NBB is correct, you have to be a licensed tech to work on commercial gear, including alignments.  However, there's nothing wrong with getting the crystals from ICM (which is my preferred source) and delivering them along with the radio to a service shop for installation and alignment.  You will save a little money doing it this way rather than having the shop order the crystals for you and charge for that service.  It's worth the money, when you get the radio back you know it will be on freq, and the TX/RX aligned to spec.  

Mark K5LXP
Albuquerque, NM
k5lxp@arrl.net