New to Antique Radios

[CharlieH.]

Last christmas I got my first vintage radio back from the shop, a Philco 38-93 that belonged to my great-grandmother. Being my first antique radio, I'd like to ask the local experts a few questions:

1) How much does a tube last? I believe the ones on this radio are at least from the early 50's, judging from the graphics.

2) Does anyone have pictures of a good antenna (or perhaps plans from a vintage magazine)?

And finally, Is it normal for it to make a loud whining noise when I turn up the volume?

I'll post pictures if I can restore the dial scale.

 

[John in Covina]

Antennas, for AM if you do a search on "Antenna winding" you should come up with some stuff that is like a Popular Science article. I recall seeing several designs from table top size to using the walls of your room.

Whining is never fun, check to see if there is interference from other electrical appliances nearby. Computers often give radios a hard time, other everyday objects could be doing the whining.

Sincerely,

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Tubes can last for a very long time.

My 1940 Zenith console still has the original Zenith tubes, with the only things changed on the set, were the caps & power cord.

All you need for an antenna is a "Long Wire" (google)

 

[CharlieH.]

Whining is never fun, check to see if there is interference from other electrical appliances nearby. Computers often give radios a hard time, other everyday objects could be doing the whining.

Sincerely,

Could the whining be caused by a nearby lamp?

And what about ground connections? I currently have the radio hooked up to an old belt buckle on the floor, but certainly I could do better than that.

And that is one great Zenith console, absinthe! Guess I won't have to worry about changing tubes anytime soon.

 

[EdinLA44]

A bad tube can cause a high-piched squeal. If you are able to look into the back of the radio when it's on and can see all the tubes, look for one that is dimmer than the rest.

It would be worthwhile to have the radio checked by a qualified vintage radio repair person. There are many old components that could have degraded over these many years and can cause problems. I'd be careful with it because those tubes can get pretty warm and there is a potential fire hazard. If you plan on using it alot, get it checked out.

Here's a good page on AM antennas. It gets pretty technical but there are some good links too. You can probably find a decent loop antenna at Radio Shack. If you have a friend who's a ham radio operator, they can help you too.

http://www.mindspring.com/~loop_antenna/

 

[CharlieH.]

A bad tube can cause a high-piched squeal. If you are able to look into the back of the radio when it's on and can see all the tubes, look for one that is dimmer than the rest.

Then it must be a bad tube. I once checked the inside while it was working and the only glow I saw comes from the bulb above the dial pointer, unless you meant another sort of "dim". Fortunately they aren't very expensive, as far as I know.

Thanks for the link, by the way!

 

[EdinLA44]

Turn on the radio and let it warm up, then turn off (or turn down) the lights and look in the back of it. You should be able to see the tubes glowing better. Hopefully there's an electronics repair shop in your area that has someone that even knows about tube-type vintage AM radios.

 

[John in Covina]

Cool Homade Loop Antennas for AM

http://www.schmarder.com/radios/misc-stuff/loops.htm

Marconi would be proud!

 

[CharlieH.]

I ran into that same site when I did a search for "antenna winding" some minutes ago. That's exactly what I had in mind when I thought of a vintage radio antenna.

 

[John in Covina]

The night time signal bounce.

There are several others that are really astonishing that people would make. It is a fun thing to do at night, to see how far you can pull in a station from if the bounce is working well

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Then it must be a bad tube. I once checked the inside while it was working and the only glow I saw comes from the bulb above the dial pointer, unless you meant another sort of "dim". Fortunately they aren't very expensive, as far as I know.

Thanks for the link, by the way!

It's possible a tube could have become microphonic, or noisy.

If you have an antique radio shop in your area you can have the tubes tested, an older TV shop, or Ham radio shop can test the tubes as well.

In the four antique radio sets that I have, only one has had a single tube replaced, often tubes are less problematic than other parts of the chassis.

Snag an old Zenith console with a "WaveMagnet", they receive like gang-busters.

 

[binkmeisterRick]

My late father-in-law was an avid HAM operator and a big time radio collector. In fact, I have several of his radios now, including an old Hallicrafters Continental shortwave and an old Philco (I believe) bakalite table radio. The humming could likely be an old capacitor which needs to be replaced or a tube which is on its way out. (As a musician, I play pretty exclusively through tube amps, so I've had both problems at one time or another.)

I'd agree with the sentiment of taking the radio to a specialist to have it checked out. Especially if it has great sentimental value, it's worth having it well taken care of, even if it costs a few bucks. Keep in mind that if a tube needs to be replaced, that the specific tube may no longer be in production. In that case, you may want to ask (if the guy knows) what, if any, appropriate replacement tubes will work. You can also check out places like http://www.thetubestore.com/ for new old stock tubes which will work in your radio.

bink

 

[shoeshineboy]

in about 1985 or so, radio shack started phases thier tubes and thus thier tube tester went with them. Most of the time they were given away to one of the local boys who had a repair shop.

My local tv repairman could probably work on tube radios since he started back in the late 60's. His tester is probably in the back with a ton of dust on it.

Another source of tube people is music stores. Remember vintage amps means tubes. They still may have a tester.

Just an idea to help you all.

mark the shoeshine boy

 

[John in Covina]

They're out there, keep watching the skies!

Ebay has a ton of listings for tube testers, you might be able to afford having one at home.

Be the first kid on your block to have a Stompco Home Tube Tester!
Amaze your friends, make money at home be the pride of mom & dad!

 

[Wild Root]

Oh BOY!

Ah, it's nice to have another young man who is just getting into vintage radios!!!

Here is a photo of a Philco model 38-93 for those who would like an idea what one looks like...

I had one of these my self, it wasn't as good looking as the one in the photo but, it was the same model.

Tubes can last a long time, they're great! All you need for an antenna is a good long piece of copper wire.

As for the noise, I would have that checked out by a vintage radio guy. You may want to check this site out!

http://www.philcoradio.com/index.htm

Keep us posted on your radio! And do get a photo of it up to share!

=WR=

 

[CharlieH.]

I guess I'll search for a radio expert, although at the time being, I'm more concerned with the appearance. I still have to build an AM transmitter so it'll really give the works and I'm only missing one really hard to find component. (Click here for the circuit).

I'm still building the loop to check out the night bounce. And by the way, what do you suggest for restoring the cabinet? There are quite a few spots where the wood has lost its colouring almost completely.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Mohawk tone spray is good for touching up cabinets, and blending repairs.

You might have a bit better result with this AM transmitter kit.

http://www.vectronics.com/products.php?prodid=VEC-1290K

 

[binkmeisterRick]

You know, I've got a good Hancock tube tester at home. I'd be glad to test 'em for you if you were in the Washington, DC area.

 

[Wild Root]

I guess I'll search for a radio expert, although at the time being, I'm more concerned with the appearance. I still have to build an AM transmitter so it'll really give the works and I'm only missing one really hard to find component. (Click here for the circuit).

I'm still building the loop to check out the night bounce. And by the way, what do you suggest for restoring the cabinet? There are quite a few spots where the wood has lost its colouring almost completely.

Oh boy, cabinet restoration?¢‚Ǩ¬¶. Tough stuff!

If you have faded spots on the cabinet, what you may want to do is take a fine 600 grade sandpaper and go over the whole cabinet with that. Take it down to bare wood, remember to sand in the direction of the grain, buy a can of Minwax dark walnut stain and apply that to the face of the radio. Go around the three strips of inlay veneer, you want those to stand out. After you stain the face of the cabinet, take some mineral oil and go over the whole cabinet. After that dries, then mask off the face and prepare the cabinet for spraying on your tone lacquer. Buy a dark walnut tone lacquer and spray on two or three coats. This will hide most of the wood grain which is an original process that Philco did to most of their tombstones and cathedrals. You?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ll get a nice deep rich dark brown and it will look so clean. Now, go over the face once with the tone lacquer to tone the veneer strip inlay. Let that all dry, now, you?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢re ready for a few coats of semi gloss clear coat. Spray the whole cabinet and with in a few coats, you?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ll have a nice ?¢‚Ǩ?ìSatin finish?¢‚Ǩ? which will look amazing and also keep the vintage integrity to the radio with out looking too new. After that?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s done, buy a spray can of black lacquer and mask off the whole cabinet but the base, give it a coat, let it dry for about ten minuets between each coat, then spray it again. I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢d only go two coats.

Ok, after you let it sit over night, it?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s ready to go back together and enjoy!

=WR=

 

[binkmeisterRick]

Charlie, does the cabinet really need to be refinished? If it's in absolutely horrible shape, I can see why a refin might be in order, but if it's only got a couple of "character marks," why not leave it as it is? If you're concerned about the monetary value (apart from the sentimental value) refinishing might take away some of its worth. But then again, it almost sounds like you're totally rebuilding the radio anyway. Just curious.