The PHILCO Phorum

Hello.  This is my first post.  

I saved this Philco 38-116 from getting thrown away from its 2nd owner.  The lady I got it from is still in contact with the original owner who remembers it as a kid listening to far away stations.

I am trying to figure out what to do with it.  It seems complete except for the back cover.  Unfortunately, when I got to the house to pick it up, they proudly had it turned on so that I can see the tubes light up.   Other than the tubes glowing, it doesn't work.  

The cabinet is in really nice condition and only has a few nicks in it.  The dial is cracked.  The original speaker grille looks nice, as does the speaker.  It still has all the tube covers, and the power cord looks ok.

I don't have a lot of interest in a full restore, but adding an aux input for an mp3 player would be cool.   I have bit of experience with tube amps.   I have an old desktop Zenith that I restored, and I once re-capped an old Hammond organ.   Also I once converted a dead desktop Philco into a guitar amp.

So what do I do?
1.   Rebuild the power stage, and add an AUX input right before or after the 1st audio tube.
2.   Do what my wife wants, and make a bar out of it.  Seems like a waste
3.   Sell it to someone who loves it more than I do.
4.   ????


Here are some pics:
































So that do I do with this thing?????

Keep it turned off and unplugged before anything else.

Plenty to read on this site to get you going.
Congrats, great set!
Tim

Thanks Tim. I really wish the lady I got it from hadn't turned it on right before I got it.

Welcome to the Phorum!!
First...its your radio so you can do what you want with it, but having said that, those on this Phorum would not want to see it become a bar.
It would need to be recapped, not just the power section but all electrolytics and paper caps. Resistors should also be checked. As for adding an input, others will need to chime in on that but I wouldn't bother unless you do the full electronic restore.

Would it be reasonable to recap the power stage and not worry about the RF stage? Maybe even cleanly disconnect the RF stage?

Assuming the Iron is good, whats the rough cost to recap one of these? 100, 200, etc. That will depend a lot on how I proceed.....


Is it OK to ask a value on this forum? Or is that against the rules? I understand either way....

Start here for basic info. Not sure of your experience or ability.
http://antiqueradio.org/howfix.htm

As a side note, when the PO had it powered up, I didn't notice the rectifier tube glowing.

Quote:As a side note, when the PO had it powered up, I didn't notice the rectifier tube glowing.

That is probably a good thing! Without the rectifier, there would be no B+ so hopefully no damage was done.
Steve

No problem asking about value but you may get a lot of opinions. An unrestored 38-116 chassis recently sold on ebay for $50 plus a sizeable shipping charge. Some of the Phorum members may know if one sold at the Kutztown event this weekend....

This radio is much too nice to waste. Instead of modifying it to play MP3, just get an SSTRAN AMT3000 or at least a Ramsey AM transmitter. That way, when you get this radio fixed, you can play whatever you want without modification. All you should need to do is recap it.

First off. Thanks for the replies, and the respect given to a newb. I appreciate it.

As far as my experience. While its very limited, I did build this:





While its very ugly inside, and I made the mistake of only using 1 color wire, it does work. Though there is an INSANE amount if gain. Too much really.

So I can solder and follow a schematic.

On the back of my radio there are 3 screw terminals. RED/BLACK/GROUND> I wonder if these are a factory input?

The red and black are antenna connections. Some schematic and info here.

Definitely do not make it a bar. Electronically restore it as close to original as you can and enjoy it, or sel it to someone who has always wanted one of those. Don't put an aux input on it. It's a great old radio and should be left as original as much as possible. 

  I would attempt to either restore it or pass it on to someone who will, it's nice, clean, complete, and free of butchering or rust. If you want to build a bar out of a console radio just ask for an empty cabinet, I think that most of the people on here have run into at least one that landed in their lap that they could never find a chassis for, or did not want to deal with. In terms of the cost of capacitors, well maybe $40-50 worth at the top end, depending on where you get them, and resistors too, I get mine from WJOE radio but Bob's, Radiodaze, and even Mouser are good sources for parts, Mouser for resistors and electrolytic caps. I don't really recommend disconnecting the front end and just using it as an audio amp, without the other tubes connected the voltages coming out of the power supply will be way to high greatly shortening the life of the tubes. While there were a fair number of these made the 38-116 was the best Philco radio that you could buy in that model year other then the flagship 38-690, which had 20 tubes as opposed to the 116's 15. Leaving the power output stages aside for a moment, these RF sections of these radios are about as close as you can get to a communications receiver like a Hallicrafters in the form of a living room radio. The biggest expense will be in how much time you put into it, the parts, other then some of the tubes, is pretty negligible, but at least you can leave the cabinet alone.
Regards
Arran

Welcome to the phorum!  This is a beautiful set, with what looks like very little cabinet issues, and an unmolested chassis.  If you didn't live so far away I'd be negotiating with you myself!  If it were mine, I would...
1. NEVER plug it in again until the entire unit is recapped and recarboned.
2. Order a schematic package from Chuck Schwark.  His information is invaluable!
3. Get on your knees and thank the Lord that it is cloth wiring, and not old rubber!

This will not be an easy project, but will be well worth it in the end.  Don't expect this to get done in a couple of weekends either.  You have a daunting project here, but have the potential to have a true showpiece when you are done.  I also agree with the others in the opinion of getting a transmitter instead of modifying the chassis for an input.  That being said, good luck.  Take care, Gary