sony icf-sw55 stopped working
 

Anybody have any experience with this?

After 10 years of flawless operation, my sw55 stopped working last
night. I turned on the radio and set the sleep timer to 30 min as usual.
After 5 minutes, the radio turned off. When I tried to turn in back on,
it came up with the "cal" on the display and there was a faint hiss from
the speaker. After 30 seconds, the radio turned off again instead of
displaying a station. I tried pushing buttons, jiggling the antenna,
using the reset button, unplugging for a while, changing batteries, but
the behavior is the same.

Has my tuner died? Is there a way to repair it that won't cost more than
the radio is worth? This radio has spent its life sitting on my
nightstand and is in otherwise perfect condition. it would be a shame to
trash it.

Any ideas?

Thanks

jeff wrote:

Anybody have any experience with this?

After 10 years of flawless operation, my sw55 stopped working last
night. I turned on the radio and set the sleep timer to 30 min as usual.
After 5 minutes, the radio turned off. When I tried to turn in back on,
it came up with the "cal" on the display and there was a faint hiss from
the speaker. After 30 seconds, the radio turned off again instead of
displaying a station. I tried pushing buttons, jiggling the antenna,
using the reset button, unplugging for a while, changing batteries, but
the behavior is the same.

Has my tuner died? Is there a way to repair it that won't cost more than
the radio is worth? This radio has spent its life sitting on my
nightstand and is in otherwise perfect condition. it would be a shame to
trash it.

Any ideas?

Thanks

You probably blew a capacitor. And no it's not worth fixing. Go to ebay
and buy a Degen 1102.

Fix it he

http://www.radiolabs.com/repair/sony.html


On Fri, 05 Mar 2004 16:45:27 GMT, jeff wrote:

Anybody have any experience with this?

After 10 years of flawless operation, my sw55 stopped working last
night. I turned on the radio and set the sleep timer to 30 min as usual.
After 5 minutes, the radio turned off. When I tried to turn in back on,
it came up with the "cal" on the display and there was a faint hiss from
the speaker. After 30 seconds, the radio turned off again instead of
displaying a station. I tried pushing buttons, jiggling the antenna,
using the reset button, unplugging for a while, changing batteries, but
the behavior is the same.

Has my tuner died? Is there a way to repair it that won't cost more than
the radio is worth? This radio has spent its life sitting on my
nightstand and is in otherwise perfect condition. it would be a shame to
trash it.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Boy that's long way down from the ICF-SW55!

--
Brian Denley
http://home.comcast.net/~b.denley/index.html

"tommyknocker" wrote in message
...
jeff wrote:

Anybody have any experience with this?

After 10 years of flawless operation, my sw55 stopped working last
night. I turned on the radio and set the sleep timer to 30 min as usual.
After 5 minutes, the radio turned off. When I tried to turn in back on,
it came up with the "cal" on the display and there was a faint hiss from
the speaker. After 30 seconds, the radio turned off again instead of
displaying a station. I tried pushing buttons, jiggling the antenna,
using the reset button, unplugging for a while, changing batteries, but
the behavior is the same.

Has my tuner died? Is there a way to repair it that won't cost more than
the radio is worth? This radio has spent its life sitting on my
nightstand and is in otherwise perfect condition. it would be a shame to
trash it.

Any ideas?

Thanks

You probably blew a capacitor. And no it's not worth fixing. Go to ebay
and buy a Degen 1102.

Jeff:
I am looking through the SW55 operation and service manuals now to see if
there is a master reset function but I have not found one thus far. Make
sure the key lockout function is not activated. Does the battery indicator
show anything? Are you sure you used good batteries and installed then in
the proper orientation? Sorry to ask obvious questions here but I am just
trying to help. I will keep looking!

--
Brian Denley
http://home.comcast.net/~b.denley/index.html

"jeff" wrote in message
...
Anybody have any experience with this?

After 10 years of flawless operation, my sw55 stopped working last
night. I turned on the radio and set the sleep timer to 30 min as usual.
After 5 minutes, the radio turned off. When I tried to turn in back on,
it came up with the "cal" on the display and there was a faint hiss from
the speaker. After 30 seconds, the radio turned off again instead of
displaying a station. I tried pushing buttons, jiggling the antenna,
using the reset button, unplugging for a while, changing batteries, but
the behavior is the same.

Has my tuner died? Is there a way to repair it that won't cost more than
the radio is worth? This radio has spent its life sitting on my
nightstand and is in otherwise perfect condition. it would be a shame to
trash it.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Brian, I think you are on the right track here. The CAL message likely
indicates a PLL unlock situation. If there is no reset switch, remove all
power (line cord, main batteries, memory batteries) and let it sit overnight
then try it again with NEW batteries. If that doesn't work, you might
consider sending it in for repair. It's pretty hard to troubleshoot long
distance.

"Brian Denley" wrote in message
news:RUb2c.121822$Xp.539349@attbi_s54...
Jeff:
I am looking through the SW55 operation and service manuals now to see if
there is a master reset function but I have not found one thus far. Make
sure the key lockout function is not activated. Does the battery
indicator
show anything? Are you sure you used good batteries and installed then in
the proper orientation? Sorry to ask obvious questions here but I am just
trying to help. I will keep looking!

--
Brian Denley
http://home.comcast.net/~b.denley/index.html

"jeff" wrote in message
...
Anybody have any experience with this?

After 10 years of flawless operation, my sw55 stopped working last
night. I turned on the radio and set the sleep timer to 30 min as usual.
After 5 minutes, the radio turned off. When I tried to turn in back on,
it came up with the "cal" on the display and there was a faint hiss from
the speaker. After 30 seconds, the radio turned off again instead of
displaying a station. I tried pushing buttons, jiggling the antenna,
using the reset button, unplugging for a while, changing batteries, but
the behavior is the same.

Has my tuner died? Is there a way to repair it that won't cost more than
the radio is worth? This radio has spent its life sitting on my
nightstand and is in otherwise perfect condition. it would be a shame to
trash it.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Do you post just to take up space in the newsgroup? I'll give you the
benefit of the doubt and say you probably know what a capacitor looks like.
Do you know what it does?



"tommyknocker" wrote in message
...

You probably blew a capacitor. And no it's not worth fixing. Go to ebay
and buy a Degen 1102.

A bit of a follow-up. I realize the Jeff was the original poster and my
advice was directed to him. I was acknowledging Mr. Denley's observations
as likely. I didn't attribute correctly.

"CW" wrote in message
...
Brian, I think you are on the right track here. The CAL message likely
indicates a PLL unlock situation. If there is no reset switch, remove all
power (line cord, main batteries, memory batteries) and let it sit
overnight
then try it again with NEW batteries. If that doesn't work, you might
consider sending it in for repair. It's pretty hard to troubleshoot long
distance.

"Brian Denley" wrote in message
news:RUb2c.121822$Xp.539349@attbi_s54...
Jeff:
I am looking through the SW55 operation and service manuals now to see
if
there is a master reset function but I have not found one thus far.
Make
sure the key lockout function is not activated. Does the battery
indicator
show anything? Are you sure you used good batteries and installed then
in
the proper orientation? Sorry to ask obvious questions here but I am
just
trying to help. I will keep looking!

--
Brian Denley
http://home.comcast.net/~b.denley/index.html

"jeff" wrote in message
...
Anybody have any experience with this?

After 10 years of flawless operation, my sw55 stopped working last
night. I turned on the radio and set the sleep timer to 30 min as
usual.
After 5 minutes, the radio turned off. When I tried to turn in back
on,
it came up with the "cal" on the display and there was a faint hiss
from
the speaker. After 30 seconds, the radio turned off again instead of
displaying a station. I tried pushing buttons, jiggling the antenna,
using the reset button, unplugging for a while, changing batteries,
but
the behavior is the same.

Has my tuner died? Is there a way to repair it that won't cost more
than
the radio is worth? This radio has spent its life sitting on my
nightstand and is in otherwise perfect condition. it would be a shame
to
trash it.

Any ideas?

Thanks

CW wrote:

Do you post just to take up space in the newsgroup? I'll give you the
benefit of the doubt and say you probably know what a capacitor looks like.
Do you know what it does?

I was thinking of old tube gear, where a hum with no signal indicates a
blown capacitor. But those are the paper kind, the ones that rot with
age, not mica or whatever they use now.




"tommyknocker" wrote in message
...

You probably blew a capacitor. And no it's not worth fixing. Go to ebay
and buy a Degen 1102.

Thanks for the suggestions,

To answer some of the questions:

- The problem occurs plugged in and with batteries. I let it sit
overnight and nothing changed.

The current behavior is for the radio to display CAL for several seconds
and then turn off, but once or twice it did go from CAL to "150" like it
normally would... but then turned off a few seconds later.

Not sure if this is a sign, but I did notice that in recent weeks before
it finally died that the radio station wasn't clear. Sounded like there
was another station in the background. And this was a local AM station
that used to be clear. So maybe some component has been slowly failing.

unless someone can provide a fix I can do myself, it doesn't seem
practical to send this in for repair when a similar radio icf-7600 can
be had for $150. I love the sw55, but it is 10 years old. I had a Sony
Watchman that died after a similar time period. I wonder if Sony uses
similar component in both and they eventually fail.


In article 4Ib2c.187520$uV3.786758@attbi_s51,
"Brian Denley" wrote:

Boy that's long way down from the ICF-SW55!

--
Brian Denley
http://home.comcast.net/~b.denley/index.html

"tommyknocker" wrote in message
...
jeff wrote:

Anybody have any experience with this?

After 10 years of flawless operation, my sw55 stopped working last
night. I turned on the radio and set the sleep timer to 30 min as usual.
After 5 minutes, the radio turned off. When I tried to turn in back on,
it came up with the "cal" on the display and there was a faint hiss from
the speaker. After 30 seconds, the radio turned off again instead of
displaying a station. I tried pushing buttons, jiggling the antenna,
using the reset button, unplugging for a while, changing batteries, but
the behavior is the same.

Has my tuner died? Is there a way to repair it that won't cost more than
the radio is worth? This radio has spent its life sitting on my
nightstand and is in otherwise perfect condition. it would be a shame to
trash it.

Any ideas?

Thanks

You probably blew a capacitor. And no it's not worth fixing. Go to ebay
and buy a Degen 1102.

Hello, There is a great repair service for this type of problem at KIWA.COM.
Go to the website and then shoot off an e-mail to the guy. He will give you the costs upfront in most cases. The radio is definatelly worth fixing. If you don't want it, I'll buy it off you. Just let me know. Thanks.
John