HRO Dial Remove/Adjust

The HRO main tuning dial should normally give no trouble. If, however, the dial should become removed from the receiver it must NOT be operated until mounted on the capacitor shaft WITH SET-SCREWS TIGHT. This is because the dial is only designed to rotate for ten revolutions (0 to 500) and if turned farther than this the mechanism will be damaged. When mounted on the capacitor, limit stops protect the dial provided the assembly is made properly.

Procedure for re-mounting the dial

This procedure is best done with the receiver on it's back so that the backplate and dial do not become unmeshed as the knob is being remounted.

(a) Place the dial on the capacitor shaft, tighten set-screws and turn the dial counter-clockwise to fully mesh capacitor rotor plates so that the tips of the rctor plates are flush withthe edge of the stator plates.

(b) Loosen set-screws and rotate dial slowly until the dial reading has decreased to zero.

(c) Tighten the set-screws.

(d) Check position of rotor plates at zero. The tips of the rotor plates must be flush with the edge of the stator plates. A slight adjustment may be necessary and this is done by loosening the set-screws, adjusting the position of the dial and tightening the set-screws again.

Procedure for removing the dial

If it is necessary to remove the dial at any time, turn to 250 before removing the dial and do not disturb the setting of either the dial or capacitor until reassembled. If in doubt about the correct position, inspect the springs on the back of the dial. when the dial reads 250 these springs should be straight-up-and-down, they must not be tipped to one side.

Dial and backplate alignment

It is important that the backplate and dial do not become separated. The backplate is held in place by two springs so that its gear teeth mesh with the dial gear teeth in correct relationship for proper dial operation. If this backplate should be sprung out of place, it may return to an incorrect position and the proper dial numbers will not appear in the windows when the dial is used. To ascertain that the two parts are in correct position proceed as follows:




The small window near outer periphery of dial backplate

(a) Locate small window near outer periphery of dial backplate and also locate dial number window on face of dial which is 180 degrees removed from the small backplate window.

(b) Hold dial so backplate lies flat in palm of left-hand and with right hand rotate dial knob until 250 appears in previously located dial window.



Properly lined up pointer at the outer edge of the small window and the marked tooth on the dial itself

(c) If dial is properly adjusted it will be noted that the pointer at the outer edge of the small window lines up with a marked tooth on the dial itself. It will be found that the dial and backplate can be moved so that the backplate pointer will mesh between teeth at points equidistant from marked tooth in'either direction.

(d) If by checking as in paragraph (c) the dial is found not properly adjusted, it will be necessary to separate the backplate from the dial far enough to bring the two gears out of mesh and then re-mesh the two parts until the proper setting is found. A number of trial settings may be required before the correct mesh is found.

Source: National HRO-50-1 Manual

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