RadioBar Model 507-37-610

[benduker]

Hi all!
I was recently brought into the world of antique radios when my uncle gave me his 1937 RadioBar Model 507-37-610. It is in pretty good condition as you can see from the pictures (it was stored in an attic) and has most of the glassware that goes with it.










It is hard to tell, but on the cabinet the fabric on the front is all ripped up because a cat decided to use it as a scratching post... and also on the sides and back the veneer is peeling off. Also, on the underside of the chassis there is residue from what looks like a burst battery? It is a whitish substance. I should note that I do not have much electronic experience: it took me almost an hour and a half to rewire the 2 small lights on top of the bar (in part because of a faulty plug I bought.)
I am wondering how hard it is to restore the radio? Do I only need to put in new transistors? Is this a job a beginner can tackle?
Thanks for your input.
-Ben

[benduker]

Hey all,
I'm Bens dad, George. Ben and I inherited this project together and we were really excited about restoring the radio in this unit. However, neither of us knows much (nothing) about what to do and not to do.
When we found this forum we thought we had it made. With all the knowldge you folks have you should be able to answer all our questions.
Ben posted on Friday and it's now Tuesday and still nothing.
Can any of you be of help to us?
We don't want to fire up the radio until we know we won't do more harm. What should be replaced or checked? Anything to look for?

[Ron Ramirez]

Sir,

For what it's worth, my mother just passed away and I am just getting back into the Phorum routine. Others here are probably busy with after-Thanksgiving things.

Patience is a virtue.

Believe me, we appreciate your presence here and will be happy to help you out as much as we can - just give us a chance, okay?

Now let me start by addressing the first post in this thread.

That is a great find, especially if it still has most of the glassware. Radiobars are more valuable if they have the glassware with them, and if the mirrors are in good shape.

I'm afraid you're a bit late on the grille cloth. Until recently the original pattern, known commonly in the collecting community as the Philco V pattern, was being reproduced. Not anymore, however. The remaining stock of this cloth has all been bought up, and is no longer available. With the future of reproduction grillecloth uncertain at present (that is, whether anyone else will step forward to make this available again or not), I could not make any suggestions on a replacement.

The whitish residue you refer to is probably from one of the original electrolytic capacitors. These need to be rebuilt, and with some skill, new electrolytics can be put inside the original aluminum cans.

This radio uses vacuum tubes, not transistors. In fact this radio predates the invention of the transistor by more than a decade. Tubes are available.

But you should also know that it is capacitors that go bad over time and cause a radio to stop working, much more so than tubes. Most of the time, the tubes in an old radio are still good.

Please read the following page, here on my site.
http://www.philcoradio.com/tech/plugin.htm

Then, read the section for the beginner on Phil Nelson's website.
http://www.antiqueradio.org/begin.htm

This should get you started. Please feel free to ask more questions as you go along - and please be patient with us if one of us does not reply immediately.

[benduker]

1st off Ron let me say that I'm sorry for your loss. Of course I had no way of knowing but I do care. My mom is 89 and I'm afraid her days are limited so I feel your pain.
Understand, I'm dealing with a teenager who wants things now!!
I've explained to him that we have no knowledge of what to do here. We must be patient and wait for advice.
I'm glad you responded. At least I know we are in the system. I will be reading over your links tonight.
I remember as a kid playing with the radio and listening to far off places so it really brings back memories for me.
I guess my big question is can a person with minimal knowledge repair this radio or should we farm it out?

[Ron Ramirez]

LOL, believe me, I understand...

For me, the best way to answer your question as to whether a beginner can tackle this 37-610 or if it is best to farm it out would be to say that yes, a beginner can tackle it - if he is willing to invest some time in learning the basics of electricity and electronics, and how to read and interpret schematics. It can be done. I began collecting radios when I was 14; I am 51 now and have learned a lot over the past 37 years. I still learn things, too; proving that one is never too old to learn. For example, I've always done well at chassis restoration, but not so well at cabinet refinishing. This past spring, I made up my mind to try and get better at cabinet refinishing, and after successfully refinishing nine cabinets this summer, I can say that I have improved in that regard.

On the other hand, if instant gratification is key, then it should be sent to someone who knows what he (or she) is doing. But electronic restoration of a vintage radio cannot be done overnight - to do the job properly, it takes time. And this is true whether you do it yourself or if you have it done by someone else.

I'm glad to see another young person interested in vintage radios. And to think, just recently I was wondering whether or not any young people were interested in vintage radios these days.

[TA Forbes]

Welcome to the forum! Totally agree with Ron. You have a pretty desirable set there, and it is worth doing right.

I would offer the following:

1. If you want to get a set to "learn on," check out eBay and some of the on line radio forums. There are MANY radios for sale that would be ideal to learn on, and not as intrinsically valuable as your radio bar, so there is less pressure if somthing goes wrong. The Philco 37-610 radio actually came is several models, and with the exception of your Radio Bar model, is not rare. You can probably find one of these to learn the set on.

2. Maybe you can kill two birds with one stone. Iif there is a local collector where you live, maybe he would be willing to show your son what needs to be done as he repairs your set. BUT, as Ron stated, radio repair and troubleshooting is NOT somthing that you learn after an hour or two. It takes time.

3. There are also many different books and publications out there about antique radios. Try to get your hands on these. Ron's book Philco Radios 1928-1942 is the bible on Philco sets.

[benduker]

Hi all,

Ben here - I have a picture of all the glassware that came with the radio below. I have been reading online how to read schematics, but I am having some difficulty. I am using the following schematics: (Link 1 and Link 2) but I have noticed that they are quite different in the way they are set up. In link one, not all the values are listed, they simply have a number attached to them, but there is no legend for the numbers so it is not a big help. In link two all the numbers are listed but some are quite blurry, so they are hard to read.

From looking at the bottom of my radio and reading all the numbers on the capacitors, I found the following values: (In mfd) 12, .008, .015, .1, .01, .015, .10, .008. This doesn't include the mica capacitors, since everyone says they do not need to be replaced. According to the schematic there should be many more capacitors than this: am I missing something?

Thanks for your time.
-Ben



If you can't tell from the picture, the set of glassware is missing one shot glass, 3 of the small glasses, 2 of the medium glasses, the top to the oddly shaped glass, and possibly some of the bar tools - all I have is the knife and the bottle opener. Sorry for the vague descriptions of the different glasses - I do not know the names of each size of glass.

[Ron Ramirez]

Hi Ben

Link 1 is a completely different radio, totally unrelated to your set. The Model 37 is from 1932 and is a battery-operated radio.

Yours is a 37-610, from the 1937 model year, so your Link 2 is correct.

If you are going to restore this chassis yourself, then please consider investing $7.00 in a good, clear set of service information for your radio.

http://www.philcorepairbench.com/schematics.htm

With your $7.00 you will receive good, clear, readable information.

Some time spent studying and learning how to read schematic diagrams will be extremely beneficial in the long haul. Have you read the links I listed in a previous post (to my site and to Phil Nelson's site)? I really feel these will be helpful to you.

I'm afraid I can't help you on the glassware as I have never owned a Radiobar and am not familiar with exactly what types of glassware are used in these.

[benduker]

A silly question I guess..... But... are we sure of the model of this radio??? I went with the 37-610 because of the picture I saw posted here of the cabinet. How can we be sure?
George

I went up to Bens room,where he has the radio,looking for a model #.
I found nothing that said "model #" but on the back stamped into the base is the worn # D69481 (I think.) On the front stamped in the base is the # 828 (I think.) Looking behind the radio dial there a a bunch of numbers that appear to be stamped in ink.
Anything revealing here???

[Ron Ramirez]

The only "silly" question is the one left unasked

The rest of the numbers are basically useless as far as identifying the chassis is concerned.

D69481 is the serial number.

The 37-610 uses five tubes and receives three tuning bands - AM broadcast plus two shortwave bands. It also uses a power transformer, with the rectifier tube sitting on top of the power transformer in most models.

By the photos you attached previously, I would say that is definitely a 37-610 chassis.

[benduker]

Thank You

[codefox1]

Recommend you get a schematic from Chuck, if you want to tackle the Raduo restoration yourself. It's not rocket science, but you do need to know how to solder and have a volt/ohm meter (cheap digital one good enough.)

http://www.philcorepairbench.com/schematics.htm

Alternative let us know your city/state, never know but one of your neighbors might be willing and able to help, or there may be a club or organization of radio enthusiasts nearby.

This is a beautiful set and deserves attention. Whatever you do, don't plug it in yet!

[benduker]

Schematic has been ordered. Ben just bought the soldering gun and stuff.

One of those tall metal tubes (?) has white powder built up on bottom. Does this mean something leaked or is it something like corrosion. Should this part be replaced?

We are in Stafford, CT

[Ron Ramirez]

That is one of the set's original electrolytic capacitors.

From my first post above:

Quote:The whitish residue you refer to is probably from one of the original electrolytic capacitors. These need to be rebuilt, and with some skill, new electrolytics can be put inside the original aluminum cans.

Yes, it must be replaced - but it can be rebuilt with a new part inside with some work. One method is shown here.
http://www.philcoradio.com/phorum/showth...p?tid=1002