Antique Radio Repair Tips part 1

Some helpful tips discovered while repairing my 1938 RCA 810K. Disclaimer: Antique tube radios contain LETHAL voltages that can KILL YOU. Read up on safety procedures. To avoid fire hazard, Replace or put 600volt heatshrink tubing on badly crumbled wires. If unsure, take radio to qualified service person. Thanks!
Update.I upped the fuse to 2.5 Amps. 1 Amp was too small for a 10 tube radio and blew out.

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• RCA
• 810K
• Antique
• Radio
• Repair
• tips

[burntvalve86]

I have a old bendix It worked for a while then it quiet getting sound so I replaced all of the vaccum tubes with new old stock ones from tube depot and the radio still would not get sound so im paying a shop to fix it. Ive been told it might have a bad coil.

[Lockemeister]

@burntvalve86 I am not familiar with the Bendix brad of radios. Getting no sound could be just about anything. Well except in your case where you replaced all the tubes. Anything BUT the tubes!

I mean a bad 50 cent capacitor could cause a no sound condition. Now I did have a GE radio where the output transformer went bad. In that case it made zero sound. Not even a hum or any static when I turned the volume control.

[barronredneck]

Thanks the Variac power supply isa new thing for me.

[Lockemeister]

@barronredneck It's an essential thing to have. Glad you are checking out the nostalgiaair site.There's a lot of good info on there. Also on the antiqueradios forum site. Check it out.

[JDTV1995]

i have a 1960 ge radio and it buzzes when its on, could it be a bad tube? one looks kind of burnt at the top and another one wont light up. thanks!

[Lockemeister]

@JDTV1995 buzzing, like 60 cycle buzzing is usually shot electrolytic caps. You might have a bad tube too, but it's hard to say. I find that from my own experience if I have a radio with 10 tubes I want to restore, I have maybe 3 tubes that have a problem. So that means 70 percent of the tubes were A-OK.

Two of my radios had one completely wrong tube in each one. So checking to make sure all the correct tubes are in the radio might be a good thing to try also.

[Lockemeister]

@rich6955 I have the workbench power strip plugged into a Ground Fault Breaker. Then the isolation transformer plugs into the power strip. then the Variac plugs into the isolation trans. I think they make new units where the isolation and variac is all built into the same unit. You can get current meters and voltmeters built right in too.

A lot of folks use a dim bulb tester to test current. I later made my own current and voltage test box.

Momma Mia, more Spagette!

[micacapacitor]

This tool is useful for repairing Vintage circuits

electronicSgenius com

[JDTV1995]

@Lockemeister thanks

[Lockemeister]

@Claudius131 Yes, the bulb tester is a geat idea. Later on, I made a homemade voltage and current test box and that vid is on youtube. Then I can ramp the variac up and see exactly what the current draw is. A dim bulb tester does the same thing though and it's easier to make!