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Reviews For: Jeff Covelli WA8SAJ

Category: Amateur Radio Equipment Repair

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Review Summary For : Jeff Covelli WA8SAJ
Reviews: 75MSRP:
Description:
RL Drake repair
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.wb4hfn.com/Services/WA8SAJ/SAJ-Repair.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00754.7
W5TF Rating: 2011-01-27
Refurbish KWM-2A and 312B-5 Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Having used Jeff to repair a Drake TR-6,and meeting him at Dayton 2009, I sent my Collins KWM-2A and 312B-5 VFO to him for repair,alignment,clean up, etc. I got the same great service and knowledge of this type of equipment that I expected.Both pieces look and perform great.Receiver is hot as a "firecracker".Turnaround time and cost in line with work performed, very satisfied with Jeff's work.He will be my "go to" guy for all my Drake and Collins repair in the future.
W7JJW Rating: 2010-12-25
GREAT just GREAT Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Jeff is absolutely the BEST. Fair prices, great service, friendly emails and phone calls. Keeps you informed all the way. If you are using someone else for your Drake repairs give Jeff a try next time. You will not be disappointed in any way... Thanks Jeff...Your the best.
BROOKE Rating: 2010-05-12
Great Technician Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I sent Jeff a Drake SPR-4 receiver I had that needed some attention. The service was quick, with great communication, and reasonable pricing. My SPR-4 returned looking new, and playing the same way. Jeff has done work for me before, and I have always been impressed with what he sends me back. Thanks Jeff.

KD8HAV
Huntington, WV
WA4QKV Rating: 2010-04-18
ham fest r4a and t4x bargain. Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I found these old Drake twins,R4A and T4X at a local hamfest and took them home and plugged them in and the reciever was pretty good untill I smelled smoke.luckily no major damage.I looked up Jeff WA8SAJ and ended up sending him both the T4X and the R4a and power supply.Jeff not only repaired the old twins but he also made them look like they were new from the factory! He kept me updated on his progress and what needed to be done.I cant believe the reports i am getting on CW and SSB!
Thanks Jeff! these radios will be still in service many years from now!
NN2RL Rating: 2010-03-29
5-Star all the way! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
My Christmas present from my Dad in 1963 was a Drake TR-3 which I had put away in a box in my closet nearly 30 years.

The last time I tried to fire her up [more than 20 years ago] she was dead as a goose. Thinking there was no hope, I sent the radio to Jeff for the funeral or a miracle. I got the miracle!

Jeff had the radio up and running in no time; he cleaned her up like new and put her back to factory specs. I am totally blown away how attractive this radio is, and how wonderfully hot she really is on the air...just like I remember!

If you ever have a doubt about your radio every working again, do not hesitate to call Jeff. He is the best technician I have ever had the pleasure to talk to and to work with. His repairs are very reasonably priced, his knowledge is thorough, and his people skills are outstanding.

In short: A 5-star rating all the way!
K9FON Rating: 2009-07-21
Simply outstanding. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
A couple of months ago i came across a Drake TR4-CW with power supply and mic as well as an older TR4 with the power supply. The TR4-CW rig came from the home of an S/K ham that had passed away almost 15 years ago, and the TR4 from the hams son . I obtained both of the the rigs from the S/k hams son. When i got them home i found neither rigs worked. I sent the Tr4 and the power supply to Jeff who told me the Tr4 needed more work than it was really worth. So i agreed to trade the TR4 for the labor and parts to upgrade the AC-4 with new internal parts. He sent the power supply back to me in F/B working order. After I managed to get some $$ together I then sent the TR4-CW to Jeff to be refurbished and cleaned. The TR4-CW definetly needed some TLC. :-)
Here is a list of what he did, and replaced to the TR4-CW
1) Replaced the 40 meter crystal and V-1 tube and 40 meters came back up.
2) Cleaned the rig inside and out, front panel, knobs, cabinet and chassis.
3) Cleaned the PTO screw, adjusted torque, cleaned dial plates inside and out.
4) Repaired the PNB 34 NB and gained 30dB or more in receive!!!
5) Replaced V-11 and V-12 IF tubes and a new driver.
6) Replaced the blue strips, white lens, "red" pins and lamps.
7) Replaced D-5 diode for tune mode.
8) New bumpers for feet.
9) Aligned the rig to factory specs.
10) Output power is now 150 watts.
11) Receiver is up to 30dB.
12) NB works F/B!

He did all this work and charged me VERY fairly!!! The rig works and looks like it should and not a dusty, cruddy, old rig that sat for years unused. I am very happy with what Jeff did to my rig. He is an assest to the ham community, and i HIGHLY, HIGHLY, reccomend him to anyone that wants his/her old Drakes repaired. He also works on Collins and older Yaesus as well, but he does not work on any old amplifiers.
K3LJ Rating: 2009-04-25
Fantastic work Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I had sent my R4b, T4Xb, AC4 back to Jeff after some research. The receiver would light but wouldn't receive and the transmitter was unknown. I have had these units when I started ham radio in 1977 and they had been boxed up for the last ten years at least. Like the others I received them back after about a two week turn around from when I shipped them. I hooked them up and they worked fantastic. Jeff did a great job and charged a fair price to put these units back to a like new condition. Jeff goes above and beyond. I will certainly use him again if necessary and would most definitely recommend his work to others.
W8ZNX Rating: 2009-04-25
good work Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
first class
am quite pleased with Jeff's work

mac

WB7TXG Rating: 2009-01-09
Very Satisified! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After reading the various reviews of Jeff's service I contacted Jeff and asked about getting my ailing TR7 repaired. Jeff was quick to respond and provided me with shipping info, etc.

Radio was repaired by Jeff and the turn around time was less than 2 weeks!

The look on my face when I unpacked and plugged the rig back in was: Utter Amazement! This TR7 looks like brand new and works BETTER than Brand New! I am just so very, very satisified and thankful of Jeff's abilities and expertise.

If you want a Drake radio repaired ( or perhaps others ) I recommend that you contact Jeff. I assure you that you will not be disappointed.

The cost was way lower than I expected and Jeff provided a detailed letter with my rig stating what he found, what was repaired, and how the rig is operating. He included the old parts he replaced. And I forgot to mention that Jeff emailed me several times regarding progress, what was found bad, and when he would be shipping the rig back.. This is just FIRST CLASS!

I have another TR7 that I thought was working just cherry but after plugging the repaired unit back in and doing a side by side there is no question - the rig repaired by Jeff is 200% better in all aspects.

As a very nice touch he replaced the blue filters, feet, and repaintedthe indicator notch marks on each selector knob.

This radio looks like new!

Thanks Jeff for your outstanding work,
AF1E Rating: 2008-11-04
Excellent Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Jeff repaired my Drake T-4X and R-4A that had not been on the air in many years, and he upgraded my AC-3. His communication, quality of work, and service were all top notch. He was surprisingly fast and charges were reasonable. I highly recommend Jeff for work on vintage equipment.