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Found this at the local flea market yesterday and the price was right. Nice little 5 tube AC/DC set with 4 push buttons. The push buttons move the main tuner and are adjusted by turning a screw that adjust the movement of C1 and C2.
http://www.nostalgiaair.org/pagesbymodel...016962.pdf Beitman is a little easier to read.
Yes! That was fast, hope to get it looking as clean. All resistor are 1/4 watt dog bones except for R-2 the Sch is still on the inside of the bottom cover. David
Generally sets with this tube line up were designed prior to registration of 12SA7, 12SK7, 12SQ7, 50L6 & 35Z5... Within two or three months most mfgrs switched to the later types...
Looked up the call letters on the push buttons, WEEI, WBZ, WNAC, WAAB all from the Boston area. David
So you got a Boston set? I know the warehouse that shiped that set. It is near Fenway Park.
WEEI and WBZ are still in biz.
I believe the set was named the Commentator. The 12A8GT tube is a weirdo.
Good luck.
Paul
Knowing the way Sears worked they, or their manufacturing company Colonial Radio, probably chose the double ended types like the 12A8 and 12K7 because they got a deal on them. Since the set also uses a 12SQ7 rather then a 12Q7, and all of the single ended octal 150 ma tubes were available at or around the same time as the 12SQ7, then this must be why they went with those in the other sockets. I'm surprised that Paul and 35Z5 didn't notice the the set also uses a 35Z4, that is also an odd tube, I don't think that I have ever worked on a set that used one of those, 35Z3s yes, but not a 35Z4.
I did run across one of these Silvertones once, at a swap meet, but I lost interest after I noticed that someone had cut a square hole in the back of the cabinet, so I didn't take note of the tube lineup. It's a shame as it was one of the white ones with coloured bits mixed into the plastic, if not for that hole I would have probably made an offer, even with the hairline cracks it had.
Regards
Arran
I noticed the 35Z4 & 35L6... 35Z5 & 50L6 were both introduced after those two types... As stated a deal probablyinfluenced tube choice...
I didn't catch the 12SQ7, should have been more observant...
Colonial was source 101, 132 would indicate it was built by Noblitt-Sparks(Arvin)... . Sears used Arvin for some audio products till they stopped building sets in the late '80s/early '90s...
Finally had sometime to look around the set. Removed the tuner and gave it a wash in Dawn using a old toothbrush now it is nice and clean. The inside of the set was covered with a fine black dust was able to clean it up using cotton balls Qtips and 91% Isopropyl thinking maybe coal dust. Four of the tubes are marked silvertone the fifth is marked raytheon. The Ecaps have been replaced in the past and there are 2 orange drop replacements .047uf . The guy who was selling the radio stated that the tubes would light up. So I went and tried it out knowing if there was damage it was already done. I can pick up a local station about 20 miles away and the sound is very faint. Will not turn the set on again until the Ecaps and paper caps have been replaced. This time of year the garden and mowing take up most of my free time. David
That's true, Sears did get a lot of their cheaper sets manufactured by Arvin, particularly from the late 1940s onward, but I didn't know that they were doing so this early. I also didn't know that the RMA/EMA/RETMA manufacturer code numbers went back that far.
Regards
Arran
The prefix codes Sears used were of their own assignment, no relation to RMA/EIA etc.
Apparently code 132 continued to be Arvin through it's lifetime with Sears, EIA code was 248(at least in 1959). Some of the Sears codes changed as mfgrs were dropped then later returned.
Raining this morning had a chance to look inside some more. Replaced a few of the paper caps and a few resistors. The code for the dog bones, body is 1st digit, end is 2nd digit, dot is mulitiplier. The dimensions are as fellows oal = 5/8, dia of body = 1/8, ends = 3/16. R3 coming off of pin 8 of the 12A8GT is 50k the info from nostalgiaair says 500k, R3 connected to L2 is marked 50K. Beitmans is marked correctly and the 2 installed in the radio are marked 50k. David
Have now replaced all the paper caps and most of the resistors 3 to go. The resistors were from 50% to 300% high. Need to do the Ecaps next looking in my junk for a old can to restuff the replacement is just placed on top with only the wires holding it in place. found 3 wires on the bottom that looked different and realized someone had put heat shrink tubing on them. The wire from the grid cap of the 12A8GT to the tuner is also rubber and will be replaced. The rest of the wiring looks to be non rubber lucky me! The orginal paper caps were all made in New Bedford Mass. The rubber mounts for the tuner are a mess time to get out the oring kits super glue and sheet buna n rubber. I am amazed that I was able to pick up one station on the set. David
Spent some time on the set yesterday hoping to finish up this little project, well nothing can not hear the local station than was very weak before I started the restoration!!!! I am going to double check all my work and find my mistake. David