Mar 30th, 2015
Q) Can you please list for me the equipment you use when performing an FM alignment?
A) Well, I have lots of test equipment. Sountech, Leader, Tektronix, etc. but if you’re asking if I’m qualified by the equipment I own that would be misleading. Truth is, tuner design is somewhat technical and mystic art. Often times I alter tuners to improve the tuner shielding, grounding, stub tune the 300 Ohm Balun Antennae matcher and especially often adjust existing coils in the tuner assembly to improve FM sensitive and reduce radio frequency parasitics (Leakage of signals into other nearby circuits). Aside of good IF and detector alignments, front end tuner tweaking and mods can really make many Japanese tuners remarkable. Many older tuners such as Mac and HH Scott, some Fisher, and Marantz did a remarkable job ensuring such critical “FM wave trap” tuning was better shielded and adjustable trimmers to correct for aging. I actually learned tuner alignment and design correction tricks from one Daniel Von Recklinghaus, the chief engineer at KLH. I was young and he gave me much “fatherly” help in my learning. He invented the better tuners and FM stereo circuits when working as HH Scott chief engineer. This man designed how FM stereo works! Both at the transmitter and the receiver. I was lucky and enthusiastic to work with him. It also set my thinking towards “measure it and prove it” rather than “it sounds good to my ear”. So I hope that gives me some credibility.