The PHILCO Phorum

Help! I love this radio and want to keep it, but, can anyone tell me which model this is! I've trawled the net and am having difficulty sorting chopped wire/rewire schematics out!

By the way, I trawled the gallery here and elsewhere. It is probably an export, has no model number inside or out, carries five valve [US tube] 19, 30, 32E (two), 1a6? and finally the schematics pasted on the inner has been torn off by some.......

Hello englishradioman. I'm sorry, I don't know what radio you have there, and I'm just starting out in this restoration hobby myself. I'm sure Ron or one of the other pros here can help. Could that possibly be 7A6 for one of the tubes you've mentioned?

Mike

Hi Englishradioman

I have a number of photos of UK Philco models, but I do not have a photo of yours, so I cannot tell you the model number of your set.

Yours is obviously designed to operate on batteries, given the tube lineup you mentioned.

I do not have any UK Philco service information, so I'm afraid I cannot help you here. Sorry.

Hi e.r.man -

As the others state, this is likely an export model or even a model made over there.

If you are good with schematics there are some US models with schematics available that incorporate some of the same tubes and probably some similar circuitry. Maybe you can hash these together and find your wiring problems?

Models 34 and 34-A
Models 38, 38-A
Model 39, 39-A
and lastly the 623

You can find these schematics at http://www.nostalgiaair.org

Also, in case you're not aware, there is a very good old radio forum in the UK operated by Paul Stenning. Odds are better than someone there could help you more than us Yanks on this model.

http://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/index.php

Good luck with it.

-Bill

Hmmm...battery opereated you say. Maybe that really IS a 1A6. I wonder if my local library might have a book that'd help. Maybe not but can't hurt to try. Thanks, Englishradioman, gives me a purpose to get out of the house and to gnip on down to the shelves of many books. Anyway we Yanks wish you the best of luck!

Mike

Thanks everyone, and I would appreciate that Mikhail. I do know the English site but my gut feeling is that this is an American export and would find more info here, as least the chassis is US, perhaps the case is English. I will study the schematics, thank you exray this is possibly more useful right now than model. The valve/tube in question is a 1A6 and I supply a photo, I shall look up English value on this. I am at present rewiring externally perished and chopped cables and have no intent on putting any voltage through until I have thorougly checked with multimeter and know what's what. Thank you for your time and help everyone.

Hi

The 1A6 was used in American Philco models 38 (Code 123) and, I believe, Model 39. Probably in others also, but these two are the first to come to my mind. It is a battery (direct-heated filament) version of the 6A7 pentagrid converter tube.

Your chassis layout is reminiscent of Models 38 and 39, save for the three-gang tuning condenser and extra coil shield can. So yours is, most likely, a variant of a 38 or 39, designed and built for the UK market. I would date it from between late 1933 through 1935. Certainly no later than 1935.

Many (if not most) of the Philco radio chassis in the mid-1930s were built in Philadelphia, with cabinets built at Perivale, Greenford, Middlesex. I believe the earlier Philco models (1930-32, possibly as late as 1934) were all built here (chassis and cabinets) and exported to the UK. Unfortunately, the schematics for all of the UK export models were sent over there, as far as I know, since most of the UK models differ to a greater or less degree from USA Philco models.

Thank you Ron, I have looked at the schematics and you are spot on. I will keep you posted on how it goes from here. This is a little different to my other few restorations, three English and a beautiful little Frenchie were successes, the live chassis Frenchie particularly had similar interpretation problems for me.

Sorry, fellas,

I'm still waiting on a library book I thought may possibly help in ID'ing Englishradioman's Philco. Will update when I can.

Best regards. Still no score, Fightin' Amish vs. Quaker State.

Mike

Mike, thanks for your interest. I have a KB FR10 with work to do and will turn to the Philco when I get 2 volts sorted.

Ron correctly informed me that it is a variant of the 38, which is duplicated closely by the schematics kindly linked here, very useful link! The exact English model number still escapes my research but at this point is not critical knowledge, though of course I would like to know.

I trust you refer to the gridiron football you Americans enjoy? I've been watching some of the Open golf championship at Royal Birkdale, looks like it could be quite interesting later tomorrow.....

Yes, ah, actually if you're referring to my outro it's just a little joke. Haven't gotten a laugh with it yet. Getting to be embarassing. Good luck with everything. Will put another bug in the librarian's ear about the book.
Welcome to the fold.

Mike

englishradioman Wrote:and will turn to the Philco when I get 2 volts sorted. .

A trick to get 2 volts for the filament is to use two 1.5 volt D-cells in series along with a power supply diode such as the 1N4007. That results in 2.3 volts with fresh batteries which is fine for the radio. Some of these sets have a high/low battery switch to accommodate the range of voltage as the battery weakens.

GL,
Bill

Thanks Bill, will try that when I can,

Thanks all for your help with this.