Question About Old Radios

[CherryRed]

I have seen a few vintage table top radio's in working condition at a local antique mall. They run between $50-$80 if I recall correctly.
I would love to have one but my concern is how long will it keep working. Didn't old radio's use tubes that blow out? Can they be repaired? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[FedoraGent]

I have seen a few vintage table top radio's in working condition at a local antique mall. They run between $50-$80 if I recall correctly.
I would love to have one but my concern is how long will it keep working. Didn't old radio's use tubes that blow out? Can they be repaired? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

CR,

Older radios, dependent on what time period they are from indeed have tubes. These tubes, as explained in another thread are still readily available and are being made thank goodness. Once a tube blows out (I mean dies), just replace it. I for instance am one of those geeks that has a tube tester in my garage in San Leandro left over from the old Monty Wards that closed on High Street in Oakland YEARS ago.

Jon

 

[Cousin Hepcat]

I have seen a few vintage table top radio's in working condition at a local antique mall. They run between $50-$80 if I recall correctly.
I would love to have one but my concern is how long will it keep working. Didn't old radio's use tubes that blow out? Can they be repaired? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

[edit] FedoraGent types faster than me

Bill Turner & Mike Tobin used to put out a free pamphlet with nationwide listings of antique radio repair businesses. You can email him at dialcover@webtv.net <dialcover@webtv.net> & request the list. Or it may be on his site somewhere, which has lots of other great radio restoration info: http://www.dialcover.com/

Old radios do use tubes, and they can be repaired. If they are restored properly, they won't Blow Out because the electrolytic caps will be replaced, they'll have good power supply tubes, etc. Sometimes an old radio will still work but if not properly checked out they can blow out (very loudly). I've some old 1940s radios that I replaced the power supply tubes just to be safe but the others are original stock 40s and still work after several years of my own use so they have very long (decades) lifespan, and most (mid 30s forward atleast) I've found to be still available ( http://www.tubesandmore.com ) .

Hope this helps, I'm sure other folks can add more or have personal reccomendations of repair folks. Used to restore my own, no time anymore though.

Swing High,
- C H

 

[CherryRed]

Thank you gentlemen for your quick reply!
I am happy to know that it's safe to go ahead and buy them, knowing they can be maintained.
Thanks so much!!

Naomi

 

[Sweet Leilani]

Hi Cherry Red!

I have many old radios, most of them I bought in antique stores or from dealers. As long as the radio is working and sounds strong you are not likely to have a problem in the near future. And if you do, there are plenty of folks here and around the web that can help!

My primary concern for you, though, would be- are you going to like the local AM stations you can pull in? We have a couple good oldies (50s-70s music) stations on the AM dial here, but mostly it's sports and talk anymore.

I think you will also be surprised at the reception you can get on a vintage radio- the antennas are much larger than modern ones. I live outside of Philadelphia, and I can often get stations from Detroit and Cleveland on a clear night.

I've only ever paid that much for a tabletop in mint condition, so hopefully yours will be too:

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Generally tubes are less problematic in old radios, than other parts.

I have my Grandmother's old black dial Zenith console circa 1940, other than re-capping it, it's all original, with the same tubes it came with from the Zenith production line. (And you can crank the volume high enough to vibrate the walls)

 

[Sweet Leilani]

Oooh, stunning! Love that burl grain!

Tabletops are convenient for small spaces, but consoles are definitely the way to go if you want that old-time-radio experience! Here's mine with the radio dial open:

It's a 1946 RCA. If you lift the lid, there's a phono underneath as well.

 

[Cousin Hepcat]

Those are two real beauts, Absinthe & Leilani! I sure wish I could come over right now & listen to some tunes on either one.

Mine, from I believe about 1940, an RCA Victor deluxe model, $10 from a local flea market, awaiting restoration (augh no time, no time! ) currently with stuff piled on top. Turntable & radio under left & right top lids. But the woodwork is reeeeal nice , and the electronics in the back look complete & clean.

.

Swing High,
- C H

 

[CherryRed]

Wow! Those are some good looking radio's! Thanks for posting the pics. I will have to stick with a table top for now as I don't have room for a console until I buy a house. I do love them too. I love how old radios smell when they heat up. It such a comforting sent to me. It reminds me of the old radio my grandfather had next to his bed. He could pic up stations from all over too.

 

[LizzieMaine]

As Absinthe says, it's not the tubes you have to worry about -- it's the paper capacitors, those little cylindrical wax-covered things wired underneath the chassis. They don't age well, and for safety's sake they should all be replaced if you intend on using the radio regularly -- the modern replacements are much more reliable and quite inexpensive from places like Antique Electronic Supply.

Using an old radio with original paper capacitors in place is like Russian Roulette. Eventually one of them will fail -- and depending on where in the circuit it is, the result can be a short circuit that could destroy other vital parts in the set, or even cause a fire.

I learned this thru personal experience -- I have a 1937 Philco console in my living room that had a paper capacitor fail, creating a dead short across the power supply. If I hadn't smelled burning tar and been sitting right there to yank the cord out of the wall, that short would, at the very least, have incinerated the power transformer. Ever since then, any radio I get has all the paper caps replaced before it's ever plugged in.

 

[Paul]

Another tip with old electronics and Valves (tubes) is to write down the number which is printed on the ASP because as they age this disappears.
It then makes replacing them so much easier as you then have a clue to the right number for the replacement.
As LizzieMain says the capacitor are also a problem the design as not changed much at all , a circuit breaker between the radio and mains might be a good plan.
Another part that can go depending upon the circuit design in old electronics is a power resistors which are just a coil of wire in a ceramic casing the physical weight of these can be the problem and can break where it connect to the main board .
On the plus side Valves are making a small come back especially in large power amplifiers.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Using an old radio with original paper capacitors in place is like Russian Roulette. Eventually one of them will fail -- and depending on where in the circuit it is, the result can be a short circuit that could destroy other vital parts in the set, or even cause a fire.

I learned this thru personal experience -- I have a 1937 Philco console in my living room that had a paper capacitor fail, creating a dead short across the power supply. If I hadn't smelled burning tar and been sitting right there to yank the cord out of the wall, that short would, at the very least, have incinerated the power transformer. Ever since then, any radio I get has all the paper caps replaced before it's ever plugged in.

Excellent Advice Lizzie!

It's always safe insurance to take an untested radio by a good antique radio shop to be checked, they can inspect the chassis, and power it up SLOWLY on a variac to prevent things from getting cooked.

 

[Cousin Hepcat]

Bill Turner & Mike Tobin used to put out a free pamphlet with nationwide listings of antique radio repair businesses. You can email him at dialcover@webtv.net <dialcover@webtv.net> & request the list.

Sadly, I just got the rely from Bill: Mike Tobin has sold his business and no longer publishes the list, and Bill is disabled and can no longer do it, and didn't have the list.

CherryRed, I'm sure someone else here knows people/businesses who repair/restore antique radios and can post them, or try Google.

Swing High,
- C H

 

[FedoraGent]

I'll do it.

Sadly, I just got the rely from Bill: Mike Tobin has sold his business and no longer publishes the list, and Bill is disabled and can no longer do it, and didn't have the list.

CherryRed, I'm sure someone else here knows people/businesses who repair/restore antique radios and can post them, or try Google.

Swing High,
- C H

If anyone has the list, I'll be the keeper of the list and keep it current as long as I'm still ticking. I have an affinity for old radios and there is an older cat in San Francisco's Richmond district in his late 70s early 80s that still repairs/restores them. I'm getting his name for Magneto and I'll post it here when I get the chance.

Jon

 

[Absinthe_1900]

If you have usenet access there is always rec.antiques.radio+phono

 

[FedoraGent]

If you have usenet access there is always rec.antiques.radio+phono

Usenet is easy to browse with the Google News Reader now thank goodness.

Jon

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Beautiful radios

Seeing these makes me want to go out and get one myself.
I'm assuming that an external antenna of some type would greatly improve the chances of receiving some programming that would be worth listening too. As was mentioned earlier, local AM programming generally leaves much to be desired.
My older brother simply stretched a wire between two tree branches above his tree fort, up in the tree next to our old house and he was pulling in stations from Canada.
But there must be a far better antenna available somewhere? Also some sort of lightning arrestor I assume would be a prudent idea?

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Some older radios don't need really long wires for an antenna. (Your mileage may vary)

My big Zenith has a factory "Wave Magnet" that pulls decent shortwave reception without using a long wire.
I have a table top black dial Zenith, that I have a fairly short run wire antenna attached, and it still pulls good shortwave signals.

 

[CharlieH.]

Sometimes an old radio will still work but if not properly checked out they can blow out (very loudly).

Woha, hold it! You mean a tube can literally explode??

Those are all some great words of advice, now here's a situation - is there a way I can check a radio by myself? As far as I know it needs a new tube, but there could be other bugs lurking about.

 

[Pilgrim]

I agree about the tubes - no problem finding them, and most of them last for decades anyway. Caps are another matter - they do create problems. i have some antique radios that need cap replacements, and I'd better get it done. I'm fairly sure I can find a local repairman to do it.

And BTW, between friends "radios" has no apostrophe, as in "radio's".