Only thing is i've had two RCA cabinets refinished in the long past with very
disappointing results. the refinisher finished the cabinet "natural" and it does not look like the other I have. I have concluded that RCA put pigment in their finishes
I love they way you started this video. A typical 1950s - 1960s television commercial style using the alure of a beautiful woman to tout their product. Very nice radio and restoration job. Gary
Nice resto. I bought an RCA 281 and have not had a chance to work on it yet. The stupid auction house had it plugged in and said it 'worked' You know how that is.. In any case, I plan to recap it. All parts seem ok ,trans, speaker, etc.I've not had a chance to compare the two, but at first glance your chassis looks similar to the 281.
@watcher818 I had to replace about 98 percent of the resistors since they were WAY out of spec.
I suggest, if you haven't worked on radios to practice with an easier one. This one is tough due to the wiring harnesses in the radio to the "circuit boards" that have the resistors and caps. I had to replace some of the wiring also. Just to give you a helpful heads up of what to expect.
PS Your 281 is a really great radio. One of the finest built by RCA or anyone.
@Lockemeister Thanks, I have been working on old sets simce 1984 or so, so I know about what is involved. I like to keep things looking original, restuffing capacitors, etc. I still haven't had a chance to remove the chassis, but soon.Yes, the dogbone resistors are usually drifted high in value.SInce the set is somewhat working, I anticipate no real problems with the recap.RCA usually has great schematics, I have a full set of Riders :) Take care.
@floronet This is why I made another video called RCA 143. I have found a spare chassis I can take parts out to repair the RCA 143 and most parts will also fit the RCA 262. Hopefully I have enough spare parts in case something breaks.
Wonderful video! I really enjoyed seeing this fine piece. Sounds great. Did your wife dress up just for this video??? Where di you buy the stainless steal paint?
@fadatuberadioman Thank you very much for the kind comments. My wife did dress up just for the video, for the 1934 model year RCA radio! I got the Stainless Steel paint at either Lowes or Home Depot, but I can't remember which one. I have a series on Philco 16B too if you're interested.
Hey, John! This is what these elderly giants should look and sound like! Beautiful job! And your wife did a great job in showing off the "new" RCA! :) Jack
I heard the time standard when you first turned on the radio.That is a gorgeous radio! I am aquiring an RCA 242 in the summer ,very similiar to yours and I can hardly wait.Those round dials are stunning! I really enjoy watching your videos,they have given me a wealth of information as I am new to this. I love the sound of shortwave ,the way it swishes in and out of phase or whatever, such a cool sound!
@Thermionman1970 Thanks! I think it's the way the radio waves bounce off the ionosphere. Some of the electromagnetic energy is absorbed by the ionospere too. I wonder if the phase shifts a little too. That's an interesting idea that I better start investigating! I agree it's a cool sound that gets you hooked.
nice radio, how long did it take to restore it? I also noticed that on am there you had it on a station that had dr. Laura. Last i heard stations were dropping her left and right. What station was that?
Thanks, it took about 4 months to restore it. I'm not sure what station it was. I did the video of the radio at night, so It could have been from anywhere. You know, AM signals can travel pretty far at night.
@Lockemeister Well, WJR may be a possibility. In Michigan we get WSB with no problem. How sensative is that radio on the bands? I never hear anything on long wave, and I am assuming that it is AM up to 36 MHz and no SSB right?
Hi, This receiver doesn;t have SSB capability. You know, I do receive WJR on this. This has band x = 140-410 KC, Band A = 540-1720 KC, Band B = 1720-5400 KC, Band C = 5400-18,000 KC , Band D = 18,000- 36,000 KC. I don;t get much on LW either. Some noise and sometimes a radio transmission like a shortwave station, I do have stuff on all the other bands. I live in sort of a valley, so maybe that cuts the LW down.
I was happy getting to work as well as I did. When I got it the chassis was a rusted hunk of junk and it had no speaker. The guy I bought it from took it to a competant radio repairman, and the repairman refused to work on it.
@Lockemeister Wow! What othe things needed to be repaired? When I first saw your intro to it it sounded like it was beyond hope. Where did the person you bought it from get it? I think that the oldest tube radio I saw not in a muzium was my grandparent's stereo, and it had a top that slid horizontaly, and was AM FM tuner and record player.
Well all caps were replaced except for some mica caps and of course the trimmers. 99 percent of the resistors were way out of spec. and the alignment was way off. check out the videos. Oh yeah I had to repair one speaker, then that had a voice coil scraping the sides so I repaired another speaker and modified it to fit this radio electrically and physically. I also rewound one of the coils. Whew! Made me tired just thinking about it.
@Lockemeister Wow! Are you or anyone else familiar with the radio I posted about here? It was an old stereo that had tubes, and from the above discription the top slid and had the tuner and record player. I might also add there was a provision for external speakers for other places in the house which my grandparents had in the basement.
Thanks@ destry232. I gots more videos up and more a coming! My lovely assistant, and wife, will be joining me for the unveiling of the mightly Philco 16B!!
Do you broadcast your own programming? Because there is nothing but blathering and chatter on AM radio in Washington, DC, I bought one of those inexpensive transmitters ($75) and broadcast whatever I want throughout the house, and it sounds crisp and clear (just leave the dimmers and neon off!). By default I have it broadcasting XM 40's music...
i have a cadaux 18 that my gandpa had when he was about my age and its a solid state but it dont work all that great. this one seems better than mine.
Really a very good job on that radio! I watched each episode in order, and I recognize that you learned and you taught alot along the way.
That's very cool and I appreciate it. I am into Ham Radio and I have recently revived an old Heathkit HW-29A 6 Meters AM transceiver. It was fun and inspired me to start a project building a 6 watt HF transmitter.
I may take some video of the transmitter as I aquire parts and build it. I've really enjoyed your real-time videos.
I really need to learn Morse Code, or I guess they call it the updated Morse Code. I do have an Realistic Astronaut 8 radio that has a BFO switch so I can use that radio to copy the Morse code. I did find the interference problem. It was a noisy high intensity light transformer that makes noise even if the light isn't turned on. So that bad boy is now unplugged and reception is much better.Thanks for all your comments and sticking with the series.
hey lm, i am humbled an happy for u for a such a great job on your rca!!! u have really inspired me to get back into doing radios again!!! i am currently working on a hammerlund shortwave that was used in the korean war, navy issue, and a have a few bumps that i have to iron out but, it is alive!!! thanks so much for sharing all the triles you had to face to get the end result!! i have saved every one of the vids so i can use them if needed!! again, good job!!! your wife must be proud!! ed
Thank you Ed for the very nice comment. I wanted to do a step by step repair to show others what one might encounter. I learned a lot on the journey. I'm glad I could help you and others in this hobby. Repairing a radio is like eating a steak. I had to do it one bite at a time or else I would choke on it. Your comments really encouraged me also. I'm sure you will get your Hammerlund working like it was new out of the box. Just take your time and read as much as possible about it. Try a blog.
We made the first video but the radio had too much static, and after watching the first video, we decided to make another video together. We got silly and my wife asked me to ask her to "take it off, take it all off". Just getting a little silly, that's all. My wife had no idea of any thing I might have said that was offensive, even after watching the video again. I asked her what she asked me to ask her
Armstrong invented FM in 1935, but I'm not sure when it was made into a working system.
Great job!
freenexton 4 months ago
Only thing is i've had two RCA cabinets refinished in the long past with very
disappointing results. the refinisher finished the cabinet "natural" and it does not look like the other I have. I have concluded that RCA put pigment in their finishes
magicbrainman 7 months ago
Nice Shortwave (Glow Bug) Radio Porn. Haha. Sweet radio.
NW7US 8 months ago
are there worm holes in the case. they scare me did you have to do some thing to be shire they are gone and not still in the wood
force311999 11 months ago
I love they way you started this video. A typical 1950s - 1960s television commercial style using the alure of a beautiful woman to tout their product. Very nice radio and restoration job. Gary
HD7100 1 year ago
@HD7100 i'll let the better half know...
Lockemeister 1 year ago
Nice resto. I bought an RCA 281 and have not had a chance to work on it yet. The stupid auction house had it plugged in and said it 'worked' You know how that is.. In any case, I plan to recap it. All parts seem ok ,trans, speaker, etc.I've not had a chance to compare the two, but at first glance your chassis looks similar to the 281.
Take care (rabbitt)
watcher818 1 year ago
@watcher818 I had to replace about 98 percent of the resistors since they were WAY out of spec.
I suggest, if you haven't worked on radios to practice with an easier one. This one is tough due to the wiring harnesses in the radio to the "circuit boards" that have the resistors and caps. I had to replace some of the wiring also. Just to give you a helpful heads up of what to expect.
PS Your 281 is a really great radio. One of the finest built by RCA or anyone.
Lockemeister 1 year ago
@Lockemeister Thanks, I have been working on old sets simce 1984 or so, so I know about what is involved. I like to keep things looking original, restuffing capacitors, etc. I still haven't had a chance to remove the chassis, but soon.Yes, the dogbone resistors are usually drifted high in value.SInce the set is somewhat working, I anticipate no real problems with the recap.RCA usually has great schematics, I have a full set of Riders :) Take care.
watcher818 1 year ago
CONGRATULATIONS !! GREAT JOB !! I m from Argentina and we have lots of all kind of old radios, but its very hard to get parts for fix it.
floronet 1 year ago
@floronet This is why I made another video called RCA 143. I have found a spare chassis I can take parts out to repair the RCA 143 and most parts will also fit the RCA 262. Hopefully I have enough spare parts in case something breaks.
Lockemeister 1 year ago
does it play radio internationally?
olimpolais 1 year ago
@olimpolais I pick up CRI, (China Radio International), Radio Havana, Europe, and Canada quite easily.
Lockemeister 1 year ago
Beautiful
barmer479 1 year ago
Funny how some of the tube shields look like hair curlers.
bandet888 1 year ago
@bandet888 Or perhaps, hair curlers look like the tube shields!
Lockemeister 1 year ago
Wonderful video! I really enjoyed seeing this fine piece. Sounds great. Did your wife dress up just for this video??? Where di you buy the stainless steal paint?
fadatuberadioman 1 year ago
@fadatuberadioman Thank you very much for the kind comments. My wife did dress up just for the video, for the 1934 model year RCA radio! I got the Stainless Steel paint at either Lowes or Home Depot, but I can't remember which one. I have a series on Philco 16B too if you're interested.
Lockemeister 1 year ago
Hey, John! This is what these elderly giants should look and sound like! Beautiful job! And your wife did a great job in showing off the "new" RCA! :) Jack
raconter1 1 year ago
@raconter1 Jack, Thank you so very much
Lockemeister 1 year ago
I heard the time standard when you first turned on the radio.That is a gorgeous radio! I am aquiring an RCA 242 in the summer ,very similiar to yours and I can hardly wait.Those round dials are stunning! I really enjoy watching your videos,they have given me a wealth of information as I am new to this. I love the sound of shortwave ,the way it swishes in and out of phase or whatever, such a cool sound!
Thermionman1970 1 year ago
@Thermionman1970 Thanks! I think it's the way the radio waves bounce off the ionosphere. Some of the electromagnetic energy is absorbed by the ionospere too. I wonder if the phase shifts a little too. That's an interesting idea that I better start investigating! I agree it's a cool sound that gets you hooked.
Lockemeister 1 year ago
nice radio, how long did it take to restore it? I also noticed that on am there you had it on a station that had dr. Laura. Last i heard stations were dropping her left and right. What station was that?
manyvideoinerests 2 years ago
Thanks, it took about 4 months to restore it. I'm not sure what station it was. I did the video of the radio at night, so It could have been from anywhere. You know, AM signals can travel pretty far at night.
Lockemeister 2 years ago
@Lockemeister Sounds good! Where are you located? I am in Rochester, New York, and ued to live in the Detroit area.
manyvideoinerests 2 years ago
North GA
Lockemeister 2 years ago
@Lockemeister Well, WJR may be a possibility. In Michigan we get WSB with no problem. How sensative is that radio on the bands? I never hear anything on long wave, and I am assuming that it is AM up to 36 MHz and no SSB right?
manyvideoinerests 2 years ago
Hi, This receiver doesn;t have SSB capability. You know, I do receive WJR on this. This has band x = 140-410 KC, Band A = 540-1720 KC, Band B = 1720-5400 KC, Band C = 5400-18,000 KC , Band D = 18,000- 36,000 KC. I don;t get much on LW either. Some noise and sometimes a radio transmission like a shortwave station, I do have stuff on all the other bands. I live in sort of a valley, so maybe that cuts the LW down.
Lockemeister 2 years ago
I was happy getting to work as well as I did. When I got it the chassis was a rusted hunk of junk and it had no speaker. The guy I bought it from took it to a competant radio repairman, and the repairman refused to work on it.
Lockemeister 2 years ago
@Lockemeister Wow! What othe things needed to be repaired? When I first saw your intro to it it sounded like it was beyond hope. Where did the person you bought it from get it? I think that the oldest tube radio I saw not in a muzium was my grandparent's stereo, and it had a top that slid horizontaly, and was AM FM tuner and record player.
manyvideoinerests 2 years ago
Well all caps were replaced except for some mica caps and of course the trimmers. 99 percent of the resistors were way out of spec. and the alignment was way off. check out the videos. Oh yeah I had to repair one speaker, then that had a voice coil scraping the sides so I repaired another speaker and modified it to fit this radio electrically and physically. I also rewound one of the coils. Whew! Made me tired just thinking about it.
Lockemeister 2 years ago
@Lockemeister Wow! Are you or anyone else familiar with the radio I posted about here? It was an old stereo that had tubes, and from the above discription the top slid and had the tuner and record player. I might also add there was a provision for external speakers for other places in the house which my grandparents had in the basement.
manyvideoinerests 2 years ago
Both your wife and the radidio are beautiful! ;)
The Philco looks better than off the showroom floor.
I was thinking you'd tune in some Jack Benny or Fibber Magee and Molly or Burns and Allen!
umajunkcollector 2 years ago
thanks! I am more partial to the wife though. she made me say that!
Lockemeister 2 years ago
You did a real nice job on that radio hope you enjoy it for years to come
L0WRYDER 2 years ago
Thanks man!
Lockemeister 2 years ago
I've really enjoyed your video series.
What a lovely radio and assisstant for the un-veiling!
destry232 2 years ago
Thanks@ destry232. I gots more videos up and more a coming! My lovely assistant, and wife, will be joining me for the unveiling of the mightly Philco 16B!!
coming up sometime in a few moons.
Lockemeister 2 years ago
Do you broadcast your own programming? Because there is nothing but blathering and chatter on AM radio in Washington, DC, I bought one of those inexpensive transmitters ($75) and broadcast whatever I want throughout the house, and it sounds crisp and clear (just leave the dimmers and neon off!). By default I have it broadcasting XM 40's music...
Bondurs 2 years ago
Congratulations! The radio looks and sounds great! I haven't watched the other videos yet of the restoration but I will start now.
Stan
Bondurs 2 years ago
i have a cadaux 18 that my gandpa had when he was about my age and its a solid state but it dont work all that great. this one seems better than mine.
classof2k10 2 years ago
Really a very good job on that radio! I watched each episode in order, and I recognize that you learned and you taught alot along the way.
That's very cool and I appreciate it. I am into Ham Radio and I have recently revived an old Heathkit HW-29A 6 Meters AM transceiver. It was fun and inspired me to start a project building a 6 watt HF transmitter.
I may take some video of the transmitter as I aquire parts and build it. I've really enjoyed your real-time videos.
Graham Welch - WE5I
GlobalAntennaWorks 2 years ago
@GlobalAntennaWorks Thanks for your kind comments!
Lockemeister 7 months ago
Now you need a BFO so you can copy CW (Morse Code)
desertbard 2 years ago
I really need to learn Morse Code, or I guess they call it the updated Morse Code. I do have an Realistic Astronaut 8 radio that has a BFO switch so I can use that radio to copy the Morse code. I did find the interference problem. It was a noisy high intensity light transformer that makes noise even if the light isn't turned on. So that bad boy is now unplugged and reception is much better.Thanks for all your comments and sticking with the series.
Lockemeister 2 years ago
Great series of videos. Almost sad to see it end.
Lashon3D 2 years ago
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the videos and I hope they helped you and others repair antique radios.
Lockemeister 2 years ago
hey lm, i am humbled an happy for u for a such a great job on your rca!!! u have really inspired me to get back into doing radios again!!! i am currently working on a hammerlund shortwave that was used in the korean war, navy issue, and a have a few bumps that i have to iron out but, it is alive!!! thanks so much for sharing all the triles you had to face to get the end result!! i have saved every one of the vids so i can use them if needed!! again, good job!!! your wife must be proud!! ed
lawnking168 2 years ago
Thank you Ed for the very nice comment. I wanted to do a step by step repair to show others what one might encounter. I learned a lot on the journey. I'm glad I could help you and others in this hobby. Repairing a radio is like eating a steak. I had to do it one bite at a time or else I would choke on it. Your comments really encouraged me also. I'm sure you will get your Hammerlund working like it was new out of the box. Just take your time and read as much as possible about it. Try a blog.
Lockemeister 2 years ago
The Radio will surely outlast me, but I bet your bet is correct!
Thanks!
Lockemeister 2 years ago
Congratulations on a job well done. I'll bet the radio will playt at least another 74 years.
Wrattan 2 years ago
A beautiful job! In your earlier videos I can remember you had doubts it would ever run! Congratulations.
cmcanuck 2 years ago
Thanks! I wish we didn't have the nighttime static, I'm almost positive it's outdoor lighting.
yep, this thing was a rusted hunk of junk, to start with, but after four months of hard work, I got lucky!
Thanks again for sticking with me. Hope you enjoyed the video series.
Lockemeister 2 years ago
What an odd thing to say to your wife! Sorry, I had to say that.
Nice work on that radio does it do FM?
raymondleeleggs 2 years ago
We made the first video but the radio had too much static, and after watching the first video, we decided to make another video together. We got silly and my wife asked me to ask her to "take it off, take it all off". Just getting a little silly, that's all. My wife had no idea of any thing I might have said that was offensive, even after watching the video again. I asked her what she asked me to ask her
Armstrong invented FM in 1935, but I'm not sure when it was made into a working system.
Lockemeister 2 years ago
It was a bad joke on my part lol. :D
raymondleeleggs 2 years ago
NP.
Just Don't let it happen again!
(just kidding!)
LOL!!!!
Lockemeister 2 years ago