PRO34.8
   After using his Radio ShackO PRO-34 portable scanner  for
   a  few months, Ron Smithberg, a radio hobbyist in Joliet,
   was hampered by a "wandering birdie."  Ron's scanner  was
   hearing  itself on a few frequencies in the VHF-Hi range,
   but the birdie disappeared when he tilted  the  radio  or
   squeezed  the  case.   There had been no problem when the
   scanner was purchased initially.

   I suggested that a ground connection or a  circuit  board
   in  his  PRO-34  might be loose.  The thin PRO-34 plastic
   case feels chintzy, and can flex easily by applying  just
   a  gentle  squeeze.  After prolonged use, the case motion
   can loosen screws which were once tight.

   Ron disassembled his PRO-34.  He unfastened  the  helical
   antenna,  knobs,  and  rear screws, then gingerly removed
   the plastic case.  After Ron tightened a PhillipsO  screw
   holding  the  Logic  Board  to the front of the case, the
   birdie disappeared forever!

   The operation took a steady  hand.   Although  he  didn't
   have  to remove any boards, Ron warned that accessing the
   offending screw was a challenge.  He used  a  very  small
   Phillips  screwdriver,  positioned  through  a  hole in a
   shield partition.
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Bob Parnass AJ9S,  AT&T Bell Laboratories  -  att!ihuxz!parnass - (312)979-5414
         RERUN...BY...GENE...N0KGX