On 08/01/09 22:31 , Justis wrote:
For any of you that may have this radio and have accidently blown the RF
transistor (Q1) via static discharge, here is the suitable replacement and
procedure for those "do it yourselfers".
Hope this saves you some money.

FET Replacement for DE1103/KA1103 ALSO ETON E5 AND GRUNDIG G5
--------------------------------- ---------------------------------
All credit should go to the VE6TVT on eHam.com review forums:
http :// www .eham,net
/reviews/detail/5071?page=2&ehamsid=99e6dd03235e966466c8dc650\c0b9 fa6#40622
http: / / www. eham, net / reviews/detail/5071? page = 2& ehamsid =
99e6dd03235e966466c8dc650 \ c0b9fa6 # 40622

He discovered that a Philips BF861B N-Channel Junction FET is a suitable
replacement for a damaged RF preamp (Q1) circuit in the DE1103/KA1103.

I Having carelelessly my DE1103 shocked into silence on a dry winter's day,
I
had nothing to lose, and decided to try it. The swap worked for me also,
and my DE1103 performs as well as my KA1103 which was purchased as
replacement.


The steps are simple, but careful handling and a light touch are needed.

- Remove all screws in the back of the unit (includes 1 in batt compartment)
and 6 more.

- Open the case partway and disconnect the white wire and the ribbon
red/yellow wires on the white plastic connector.
Lay the front of the radio down next to the back, face down.

- Remove all screws which fasten the circuit board down, and slide it out
gently. Gently flip it up and and lay it down parallel to the top of the
case. Be careful not to damage the tiny wires that connect it to the
ferrite rod antenna.

- Flip your workboard upside down, and you'll see the RF preamp - a small
black rectangle the size of a sesame seed in the area labeled Q1, just to
the left of the antenna mount. It is attached at 3 solder points.

- Remove the old FET Q1, replace with the new one, and reassemble.
(This is very tricky unless you have the right tools and a steady hand. I
have
neither - I was just determined and very lucky. "Next time" I will get
some proper tools first.)

Philips BF861B N-Channel Junction FETs can be found regularly on eBay --
usually in a batch of 100 for around $8 US.

Thanks again to VE6TVT for this discovery.

Good luck, and happy listening!



Very likely, you're enjoying a lower self noise floor as well.