[Heath] AR-3 - another question

[Glen Zook]

I was reading from farther down that page.  I missed the "direct planetary drive" in the first paragraph!

I'll have to take my receivers out of the cabinet and take a very close look at what is actually there!
 Glen, K9STH 
Website: http://k9sth.net

      From: Kenneth G. Gordon <kgordon2006 at frontier.com>
 To: Glen Zook <gzook at yahoo.com>; "Heath at puck.nether.net" <Heath at puck.nether.net> 
 Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2016 2:02 AM
 Subject: Re: [Heath] AR-3 - another question
   
On 18 Apr 2016 at 23:28, Glen Zook wrote:
> You are reading the manual incorrectly! What it means by the dual tuning> capacitor is there are 2-sections to the capacitor and there is a separate> bandspread capacitor. 
Glen: the manual says nothing about a dual-tuning capacitor. Here are the exact words from page 3, 2nd paragraph, of the original Heathkit AR-3 manual:
"Four frequency bands, IN CONJUNCTION WITH DIRECT PLANETARY DRIVE, provide continuous tuning from 550 kc to 30 mc."
The next sentence reads as follows: "No communications type receiver would be complete without bandspread." Then: "The AR-3 has been equipped with electrical bandspread that operates at optimum efficiency on all frequency ranges."
So how do you interpret the bolded section above? In addition, why is there a 1/4" section of the main tuning capacitor shaft to which the knob is attached, and which then fits inside the larger section of the shaft which is then connected to dial-pulley and the rotor plates? Lastly, I own several NOS BC band tuning capacitors which look identical to this capacitor (except for capacitance values), and which ARE "verniers".
> The dial pulley is attached directly to a 1/4th inch diameter shaft
Not so: the dial pulley is connected to the larger shaft which is connected to the rotor.
> that is directly attached to the main tuning capacitor rotor. 
Not so. Look closer. The 1/4 inch shaft fits INSIDE the larger shaft which connects to the rotor. The 1/4 inch shaft does not connect directly to the rotor, nor to the dial-pulley. At least this is the case in all three of the AR-3s I have here.
> There is no reducing mechanism, of any type, in both the AR-2 and AR-3. At> least in both of my receivers. 
Well, I don't know about the AR-2 since I don't own one, but I am almost certain that the AR-3 DOES have one, but at this late date, it is frozen solid. I am equally certain that all other AR-3s which have original tuning caps have the simple vernier mechanism but are all frozen solid.
Anyway, I aim to find out.
Ken W7EKB

  
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