03-08-2011, 03:46 PM
Ron,
Thanks for the info on the Columbus Ohio Antique Radio Association. I'm definately going to go find someone to teach me this in person. Not that you all aren't doing a great job, it's just sometimes I need someone to slap me on the head, point, and grunt at a particular problem.
I was also considering that the philco I got may be a nice radio when fixed up, but may be a project that would better suit me in a few radios. Something down the road when I have a bit more confidence and experience with these old things.
Furthermore, these great books I got are awesome. One's an Electrical Engineering book from 1953 called "Electron Tube Circuits" and explains the thoery behind the different amplifiers, how the tubes actually work, the types of tubes, etc along with the math behind it all and how to calculate the expected voltages. It also explains how to figure out the expected wave forms, but sycroscopes are expensive and I don't have the money to spend on one of those. It's nice because after reading just the first few chapters I understand the different materials of tubes and the basic principles as to how they work. Oh yes, my friend, I went into this restoration project totally blind and face first.
the other two are Allied Radio's Circuit Handbooks, one from 46 and the other from the 50's. Both have great explanations of the different components common in radios - you know, amps, power supplies, etc. They also have about ten vacuum tube circuits of Allied Radio's radios/kits. At least with these when I'm staring at this old radio schematic, I can start piecing everything together. I can now identify the what each tube is actually doing (amping, outputting, etc)! /Win for me...
I also went to a local antique store. There's an old RCA Victor radio, model 56x6, I think from 1946, that looks like it's in very good condition for restoration. All the tubes are there, the wires don't have rubber peeling off them, it's relatively clean, and I know it's not quite a Philco, but it's being offered at $15.00. It's actually in notably better condition than my Philco was when I started. Has anyone worked on one of these? Would it be a good starter radio? Anything else I should check before I purchase this tube radio? Thanks for any input and I'll definately check out COARA, Ron!
-Brandon
Thanks for the info on the Columbus Ohio Antique Radio Association. I'm definately going to go find someone to teach me this in person. Not that you all aren't doing a great job, it's just sometimes I need someone to slap me on the head, point, and grunt at a particular problem.
I was also considering that the philco I got may be a nice radio when fixed up, but may be a project that would better suit me in a few radios. Something down the road when I have a bit more confidence and experience with these old things.
Furthermore, these great books I got are awesome. One's an Electrical Engineering book from 1953 called "Electron Tube Circuits" and explains the thoery behind the different amplifiers, how the tubes actually work, the types of tubes, etc along with the math behind it all and how to calculate the expected voltages. It also explains how to figure out the expected wave forms, but sycroscopes are expensive and I don't have the money to spend on one of those. It's nice because after reading just the first few chapters I understand the different materials of tubes and the basic principles as to how they work. Oh yes, my friend, I went into this restoration project totally blind and face first.
the other two are Allied Radio's Circuit Handbooks, one from 46 and the other from the 50's. Both have great explanations of the different components common in radios - you know, amps, power supplies, etc. They also have about ten vacuum tube circuits of Allied Radio's radios/kits. At least with these when I'm staring at this old radio schematic, I can start piecing everything together. I can now identify the what each tube is actually doing (amping, outputting, etc)! /Win for me...
I also went to a local antique store. There's an old RCA Victor radio, model 56x6, I think from 1946, that looks like it's in very good condition for restoration. All the tubes are there, the wires don't have rubber peeling off them, it's relatively clean, and I know it's not quite a Philco, but it's being offered at $15.00. It's actually in notably better condition than my Philco was when I started. Has anyone worked on one of these? Would it be a good starter radio? Anything else I should check before I purchase this tube radio? Thanks for any input and I'll definately check out COARA, Ron!
-Brandon
