Hello All,
I have a Philco PT-25 that I would like to get electrically restored. The unit works and plays but it still has all the wax capacitors and resistors and the chassis is very dirty. The cabinet is beautiful so no need to restore anything on the outside. Could anyone recommend maybe someone in the Chicago area that would be interested or know of anyone I could take it too. I have never had a radio restored and have no idea on what it costs. I know all radios are different as far as price, but what ballpark figure am I looking at to get this thing electronically updated, cleaned and restored so that it lasts many more years? I mostly collect vintage tube radio's for display purposes but this one works and I want to keep it that way! Any help, I would greatly appreciate it!! Thanks very much!!
Im sure someone can aswer your question on someplace to repair your radio, probably a radio club in your area. I wanted to say though, You say this radio works but hasnt been restored or recapped. It isn't a good idea to play the radio, it is a ticking time bomb with those old capacitors, etc in there. I f you play it , it could very well catch on fire..or at least mess up other things in it like transformer etc that will be more expensive and maybe wont even be able to find. It could be worse if something catches fire and you lose your home because of it. Don't play it until it is restored. Good Luck, Warren
Chicago is home to one of the largest antique radio clubs in the country - the Antique Radio Club of Illinois, which hosts the nationally known "Radiofest" swap meet every August.
http://antique-radios.org/
Perhaps they can help you find someone locally to fix your set.
Thanks guys!! I will check out the Antique Radio Club of Illinois and see if there is someone locally that can restore it. Any idea of what kind of cost is involved? I know it's hard to say but I am just looking for a ballpark figure since I have never had one restored before. Thanks!!
If the PT-25 is the set shown in your profile picture then the chassis in those are rather cramped to work on. They stuffed a typical five tube AC/DC set into a chassis that is about 6''X3'' and with almost zero room inside the cabinet to vent the heat out. I know that the usual warnings say not to play it but about the worst that will happen is that the rectifier tube may burn out, there is no power transformer, however it likely won't be very reliable over the long term. I think getting in touch with the radio club may be a good idea, the only guy I know of in the Chicago area who services sets for people is Bob Andersen, but he does not do it as a business and is usually busy working on his own sets.
Regards
Arran
(03-16-2015, 11:47 PM)Arran Wrote: [ -> ] If the PT-25 is the set shown in your profile picture then the chassis in those are rather cramped to work on. They stuffed a typical five tube AC/DC set into a chassis that is about 6''X3'' and with almost zero room inside the cabinet to vent the heat out. I know that the usual warnings say not to play it but about the worst that will happen is that the rectifier tube may burn out, there is no power transformer, however it likely won't be very reliable over the long term. I think getting in touch with the radio club may be a good idea, the only guy I know of in the Chicago area who services sets for people is Bob Andersen, but he does not do it as a business and is usually busy working on his own sets.
Regards
Arran
Thanks Arran! Yes the set is the one in my profile picture. I did find a guys name on the radio club. I sent him an email and waiting for his response. However, he is in Dayton, Ohio. I did note that when I played it (about 45 minutes) the cabinet did get warm from the heat. It sounds great, the cord is like new, and the cabinet is BEAUTIFUL!! I just want to make sure it's safe and will be able to last a long time by having it restored electrically. Thanks again for everyone's help!! I am new to this hobby and so far...it's been a ton of fun!!!