Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2020 March 25

= March 25 =

pocket radio
I have a pocket radio, unless I push the tuning button hard and hit the speaker hard, it will not connect to CJJR-FM. Then after a while of successful connection it will turn into static then lose the signal compeletely, then I have to repeat what I did at first again, is the tuning knob broken? -- Thegooduser  Life Begins With a Smile :)  🍁 00:11, 25 March 2020 (UTC)
 * How much would you be willing to spend to have it repaired, vs. just buying a new one? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 00:25, 25 March 2020 (UTC)
 * It cost me ten dollars, so I am probably just going to keep hitting it at this point -- Thegooduser  Life Begins With a Smile :)  🍁 00:29, 25 March 2020 (UTC)
 * Does the effect lessen over time? I'm thinking possible oscillator temperature drift or battery drain drift.  Frequency drift and Crystal_oscillator mention it, a web search gives more. 85.76.76.47 (talk) 16:34, 25 March 2020 (UTC)
 * If you have a vice, carefully place the radio between the jaws and slowly, very slowly tighten the jaws. Eventually you should hear the sound of the case compressing on the circuit board(s) inside.  Continue to tighten the jaws of the vice, noting the variations in the sounds as the compression increases.  Please report back on what you have heard, and anything you may have learned. (alternatively, if you do not have a vise handy, carefully place the radio on the ground and slowly drive over it, while you listen with the window down. End of Statement (talk) 23:31, 25 March 2020 (UTC)
 * And once it's destroyed, then go buy a new one. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 04:40, 26 March 2020 (UTC)
 * End of Statement, So you want me to break the radio? Thegooduser   Life Begins With a Smile :)  🍁 02:03, 27 March 2020 (UTC)
 * If you're asking how to fix it: basically take it apart and inspect the pc board carefully for cracked traces and poor solder joints. Can you get any stations at all?  If you can get strong stations but not weak ones in the "bad" mode, check the antenna connections particularly.  Cheap radios of recent manufacture are often very badly assembled so there is reasonable chance of spotting the problem.  You then have to fix it with a soldering iron, and this might not be the greatest time to buy something like that if you don't already have one. 2601:648:8202:96B0:386A:A40C:EBB1:ACC0 (talk) 20:58, 26 March 2020 (UTC)
 * So I have the pictures here, the radio can receive all stations but loses signals when I let go of the tuning knob or when it gets touched very gently or when you walk in front of it, in strong mode i can get all stations in weak mode, no stations, only static (note that one side of the battery port with the springs have been removed)



hope they help Thegooduser   Life Begins With a Smile :)  🍁 00:02, 27 March 2020 (UTC)
 * Just buy a new one. Radios like that are more trpuble to fix than it's worth. --Khajidha (talk) 20:38, 28 March 2020 (UTC)

In those pics it looks like there is some fairly crappy soldering on the board. Look particularly at the endpoints of the bits of Litz wire and see if they are soldered ok. Also the tuning knob itself (hmm, maybe this has changed in recent years) usually drives a variable capacitor which itself is mounted to the PC board and whose connections might be flaky. As for buying a new one: that might not be easy if you're quarantined, and anyway the idea of Wikipedia is to acquire knowledge that you can use yourself, instead of relying on hucksters trying to sell you more crap every day. So by all means put some effort into fixing your radio if you can. Every day where you make or fix something yourself instead of buying another damn product is a good day. 2601:648:8202:96B0:E0CB:579B:1F5:84ED (talk) 05:49, 31 March 2020 (UTC)
 * Added: Is there a mechanical switch to flip between AM and FM mode, and does jiggling it affect the behavior? Switches are another part that goes flaky all the time.  Contact cleaner might help. 2601:648:8202:96B0:E0CB:579B:1F5:84ED (talk) 06:32, 31 March 2020 (UTC)


 * There is more on this topic at Reference desk/Miscellaneous. --Guy Macon (talk) 15:53, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

Maximising RfC publicity
Am I right in thinking that 2-3 years ago, an RfC would garner many posts pretty quickly? Seems very sluggish now and I'm not sure why, perhaps I'm being too impatient. Any way to get more responses? ~ Magna19 (talk) 05:50, 25 March 2020 (UTC)
 * Courtesy link: Requests for comment. Alansplodge (talk) 12:24, 26 March 2020 (UTC)
 * You are allowed to post a neutrally worded notification at relevant WikiProjects. Mjroots (talk) 10:09, 25 March 2020 (UTC)


 * Is this about Talk:2019–20 coronavirus pandemic? Or Template talk:2019–20 coronavirus pandemic data? Or yet another of several partially overlapping COVID-19-related RfCs? I’m losing count. --Lambiam 19:30, 25 March 2020 (UTC)