The PLL/Major loop board in the Paragon seems to be a problem area.
Whether it was a design or construction problem is really of no
importance to the end user. I have a 1991 vintage Paragon and have have
problems with this board on three occasions. The first time, I cured
the problem by resoldering the connections around the troublesome VCO.
The second time it occurred, I sent the rig to Ten Tec and they provided
a newer version of the board which required a change in the software.
This was a pain in the neck as I then had to get an upgrade in my Giehl
chip as it would no longer function with the "upgraded" board. The last
occurrance of the problem was about a year ago. At Ten Tec's advice, I
completely resoldered the board. This was a tedious job for a
non-technician starting with removing all the old solder with solder
wick and a solder sucker and resoldering every connection on the board.
This cured the problem and I've had no trouble since but I would not
recommend this job to the novice solderer!
I've talked with a number of Paragon users on the air and find that many
of them have had similiar troubles with their Paragons so it appears to
be a common problem. I still use my Paragon daily and it does
everything I need in a rig, but I would never recommend a used Paragon
to anyone unless it's history was well known and the potential buyer was
VERY HANDY WITH A SOLDERING IRON!
73,
Puck, W4PM
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