I recently purchased a Philco radio model 49-902. It is in excellent cosmetic condition, however when powered up there is a loud hum and when it does pick up a station it is very garbled. I have located the schematic and have skimmed over a few websites (antiqueradio.org, audiokarma.com, etc.) I have read that replacing the capacitors should be done first and the tubes rarely need to be replaced. I would like to do the work myself and get it back to good working condition. I bought the radio for myself and I wanted a project I could be proud of.
So, I am requesting any tips, tricks, advice, and experience. Any help is appreciated!
Editha, welcome to the Phorum and people here can help you getting that nice looking radio up and running. It is not rocket science. Do not keep trying to get the radio to play. Don't plug it in. Your symptoms are common to all older radios, electrolytic capacitors. With the schematic we can advise you what you need, they are cheap. Probably less than 6 bucks for all required. Tubes are seldom a problem but your radio is probably an AC/DC radio. This pretty much means don't touch the chassis or any metal part while plugged in. NASTY experience. Are you familiar with soldering and have an iron and solder?
Give us a little background on what you have for experience with radios if you please. Gives us a base line to guide your new experience.
Jerry,
Thanks for the reply and the advice! I have absolutely no experience with radios, however, I am a fast learner and I have a desire to learn. I have such a huge appreciation for older things (furniture, art, jewelry, etc.) I would much rather have something passed down to me than go out and buy something...it just means more to me that way. I have been reading up on repairing the radio myself and that is as far as my knowledge goes radio wise. I have a small amount of experience with soldering, but once again I am not afraid to get my hands dirty and figure things out.
I did read that even with the radio unplugged it still holds a charge, so I am a bit fearful of getting zapped. Besides that, I am still researching repairs through a few websites and getting familiar with the schematic.
