Frankenradio

17^th May 2012

Dear Cassi,

As it happened, the radios at work have been giving out from the time I started and last night the finally died. This was a major pain to me as I need those things to call for folks to come and let me use the lavatory. As it stands I may have a long wait for that but now it was a big problem.

I was caught in hesitation for a night but then looking at the problem I could see that there was nothing for it but to have a look at the radios and see if I could make then squawk and talk again.

I was successful with two radios. Getting them back online was a trifle but at least now we have a total of five working. That gives almost everyone a radio for the night. I had three radios to work with Fix all dead for different reasons.

Two I felt I could save by cannibalizing the third. The first was no problem at all. The battery latch had failed on this device and so I had to break the latch out of another radio. Then I removed the spring from this latch and place the spring-less latch in the old radio. The latch will stay as well as it can but if would fly off with the spring still intact. Once again this radio could hold a battery.

The second unit had lost its send button and the most broken radio still had one. The problem here was that the buttons are glued in and getting them out may crack them.

First, I tried to work the button free with a screw driver but this proved only to damage the plastic some. I knew that I could break the buttons so I didn’t want to press harder. Then I unscrew the antenna and found a screw on bit holding the body to the works.

Removing this ring of steel was a harder task than one would think as a tool is needed that I am without. I wedged the screwdriver in and made the ring turn then bent the body to let the button off. These I taped to the other radio and made it work again.

Sometimes my persistent is an asset, Little sister

Richard Leland Neal