Radio Restoration

[Lancealot]

Well the title says it. I am about to come into owenership of an antique "floor" radio. I am unsure of make on it at the present time. It has been a few years since I have seen it, it belongs to my grandfather who has been in a nursing home and has told me if I would like to have it it's mine.

Now the only problem is getting it going again. What are some good places to go for info on restoring radios?

Thanks for you help.

Lancealot

 

[Hamandbacon]

Here's some of the best I've found (long post)

Lancealot,

I hope I can give you some pointers in finding a place to start. Suggestion: You may want to print out this post as you follow the links included here.

Disclaimer: This assumes that you have some practical knowledge of electronics, electricity and terminology.

When I rebuilt my antique radio recently, one site with lots of help was Phil's Old Radio pages (for my example see the "Look at my Halli" post in the Fedora Lounge Radio forum). Look for Phil's "Beginners" pages, building a poor-man's "Variac" and especially the safety warnings!!!!! In some older radios, like the "All American 5", a bad capacitor can create a hot chassis and if you touch the metal with the thing plugged in, you can get your killing, possibly, literally!!

http://antiqueradio.org

You will also need a schematic to take the next step. Many freebies are at

http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/

Next, check on, and look at replacing the old paper and electrolytic capacitors because if they are loosing capacitance, they can strain or burn out other, much more expensive, and hard to replace items. As Phil will mention, somewhere, sometimes the old rigs can even catch fire when this happens. I wouldn't leave one of these radios with the old capacitors playing unattended..

I used the Just Radios web site to order my replacement capacitors. I had all of the replacements for my radio and several extras included in the $10 minimum order!!! The schematic will often give you a list of those sizes and voltages, but the Just Radios people helped me with coming up with an order for my specific radio.

http://www.justradios.com

If the radio hasn't been turned on regularly in some time, consider using the Variac Phil has plans for, or another more flexible design, like the one I built at:

http://www.w9wze.org

(look under Restoration Tips then Lamp Start Box)

This device wires a light bulb in series with the radio and reduces the strain on the components by taking some of the electricity away from that coming straight out of the wall outlet. By using different wattage light bulbs, you can slowly increase the power going to the radio to safely check for problems. Again, use Phil's page in working with a radio that hasn't been used in some time, you want to AVOID plugging it in and turning it on right away, until you have examined or replaced the power cord, and looked for major electrical problems, host rodents, etc.lol

If all of this sounds like too much, you may want to search for a reputable antique repair service in your area.

Hope this helps. I have really enjoyed rebuilding my Halli and the thrill of listening to distant shortwave stations from around the globe with my old technology. It has been a fun and rewarding experience.

Take Care,

Jeff G.

 

[Lancealot]

Thanks for the help. I plan to pick it up this weekend, I'll try to post some before pics.

Nice avatar is that yours?

 

[Fletch]

I agree with Ham. If you're getting into old electronics, it helps to be more interested in electronics than in "oldness." Certainly from the collector POV, anyway.

The core of the hobby is gearhead oriented. Go to a meet or show and it's pretty dry. No talk about your favorite OTR shows or collections of vintage anything. Certainly don't dress up.

 

[Lancealot]

Well I'm an electrician by trade so I should do alright. I just enjoy the challenge of getting it going again.

 

[Hawkcigar]

I would also suggest antiqueradios.com as a resource. They have a forums section and the people there are very good about answering questions. There's even an OTR section to the forum!