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. -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bob Parnass AJ9S, AT&T Bell Laboratories - att!ihuxz!parnass - (312)979-5414 RERUN...BY...GENE...N0KGX