[Amps] Hotel Room Machine Shop, Inc.

[ka1xo at juno.com]

Extracting the vacuum variable from the ALPHA chassis is not as simple as extracting a 5U4-GB rectifier tube from an octal socket, it seems.

After a hour or so of labor, the left side of the ALPHA is completely
open to the world. In order to get the vacuum variable out, it seems
that the entire tank coil might need removal.  

There is a Hobson's choice here: The bandswitch does not look like it
would be easily unsoldered without some degree of force to move the ribbon cables.  The tank coil ribbon connections are very well done
edge soldering jobs.

(In the interest of the group, I've included a color picture in the post as an attachment.)

Since the front mounting plate of the vacuum variable (also supporting the 90uH plate choke) was slightly bent when UPS played football with the '77, it will need to come out, too.

Have any of us done this job yet?  Would you perhaps give me a hint or two, please, so I can avoid A: Damaging, and B: reinventing the wheel.

Thanks!

Hal
KA1XO