From: wmartin@STL-06SIMA.ARMY.MIL (Will Martin)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
Subject: Re:  Info on used Sony 2010 wanted
Date: 10 Apr 92 16:42:01 GMT

The way I've read it is that there is a medium-wave attenuator that is
automatically switched on when you fully insert a plug into the AM
external-antenna jack. So if you partly insert a plug connected to an
antenna, you get either inductive coupling or a marginal direct-electrical
contact between the antenna and the radio's front end without switching
in the MW attenuation. 

I think you can get the same effect much more easily by just alligator-
clipping the antenna to the whip.

*******

Note to those who are speaking of how it is a trivial task to replace
the blown FET, and a warning; I attach below an extract from a note I
posted to the 2010 mailing list a while back. I have a 2010 which had a
blown FET. Herewith the tale of my "fixing" it:

I bought the Radio Shack FET replacement and installed it. I did notice
as I did it, having the radio tuned to a local strong MW station, that
the S-meter LEDs indicated a much higher reading after the install than
they did before the replacement. I had the radio on, took off the back,
located the FET and did the measurements, turned it off, unsoldered the
original and soldered in the replacement, turned the radio on again,
re-measured and peeked underneath to view the S-meter. It looked like
some improvement (but not all the segments were lit, and this was a 50kW
local). However, then, while the radio was running and working, I was
reinstalling the back, putting in the screws. As I put in the third
screw, the audio suddenly went dead. I assumed I had snagged a wire or
pressed something together that shorted something. But removing the back
and searching, pressing, wiggling, and othrwise fiddling with the radio
never brought back the audio. The RF section appeared to be fine, as did
the rest of the radio -- memories, etc. I could get displays on the LCD
panel and see the S-meter LEDs change. It definitely appeared to be
improved in RF performance. But I can get no audio from the speaker or
earphone jacks. (I think I tried the tape-out jack too, hooked to a 
mike-level input on a tape deck, but got nothing; I'll have to re-check
that to make sure.)

After considering fixing the radio finally with an ax, I put it on the
shelf and tried to put it out of my mind for the time being. I think I
have finlly gotten back to a stage where I could pick it up without
hurling it into a wall, so that's why I posted the query...

Unfortunately, there is a complication -- the 2010 I have is one that I
bought used from the FM Atlas people (Bruce Elving in Adolph MN) which
has an SCA adapter installed. This affects the audio path, so the
problem may be in the 2010 itself, in the wiring or connections for the
SCA Adapter, or in the Adapter or its control switch. So this rules out
shipping the radio to a Sony repair facility as they won't work on a
modified model. To have it worked on, I'll have to find some shop that
would be willing to work on this with the modification. I won't send it
back to FM Atlas -- we've discussed them in the past on the SWL mailing
list and the agreed consensus is that they are nice guys and do good
work compiling the Atlas but that they are total bozos with 
mechanical/electronic work and have no business being allowed to touch
soldering irons... :-) (I admit that I was stupid to buy the radio in
the first place. When they wrote me and said the shipment would be
delayed because they broke something inside it when trying to fix it
before shipping it, I should have backed out...  I didn't realize how
electronically fragile the 2010 is. I figure the blown front end and
whatever else is wrong with the box is probably due to their fumbling.)

If anyone out there wants to recommend a repair place that would be a
good choice to work on this 2010 in its modified condition, perhaps one
that also does modifications like a filter change that I'd have done at
the same time as the repair, let me know. 

Regards, Will