The PHILCO Phorum

Greetings from a new member.
I was looking at these 2 sets today.
A Philco 20 and a Philco 620.
Prices seemed reasonable, but I was wondering if these are good sets to have and repair. The cabinets seem to be good and the insides look complete and good. I doubt if they are playable as is, but there doesn't look like there's anything too scary about them. Assuming the prices are fair would you recommend buying these?
thank you
Jim
I tried posting pictures, but I must be doing something wrong since I cannot get them to show when I previewed my post.

The 20 looks good, its hard to find one with a grill that isnt busted out or large pieces missing. They are both "especially the 20" easy to restore electronicly.

20 is not bad, just gutting that large metal capacitor can is a b...ch. Otherwise a straightforward and very simple set.

Welcome to the Phorum. If the price is right I would buy them.

Welcome to the phorum! That 20 looks to be in about the same shape as mine was when I started on it. Haven't seen one yet that didn't have some veneer issues, especially around the filigree. It's a great set to "cut your teeth" on before attempting some of the more intricate models. That cap can Morzh touched on isn't that bad to empty out and rebuild. In my case I propped it up open end down over an old metal coffee can and set it about 10 inches in front of my 35,000 btu torpedo heater in the garage. In about 5 minutes the heat softened it up inside, and it slid right out into the can. DO NOT attempt to do this in the house with another heat source (heat gun, oven, etc...) lest you incur the wrath of everyone else in the house for the fumes. Likewise for the chassis cap blocks. Easy to restuff, but like the can give off fumes when you heat them to push out the guts. Take care, Gary.

Actually the chassis backelite blocks (if you mean them by cap blocks) do not give much fumes at all, as they only require 10-15 seconds heat-gunning on "Low" and then they can be pushed out. never bothered anyone in my house.
But a big can, yes, will make the house smell like a brand spanking new asphalt driveway.

I never found fumes a problem either. A little heat and push in from the hole on top and the tar pops out. They take about two minutes each.

I restored a 20 a few months ago. It was pretty easy but getting the tar out of the large capacitor did take time. That one I did in the garage. It took some doing.

Steve

I just rebuilt the big can capacitor on my 513. I was a little intimidated at first, but unlike the later cans this one was filled with wax and not tar. I popped it into my oven at 290 degrees for about 25 minutes on a tinfoil pan and the guts slid right out! One of the advantages of not being married is that you can do stuff like that and get away with it Actually, with the wax there was hardly any smell at all.
Kevin

I'm surprised no one has said anything about the 620. As mentioned before the 20 is a easy set to work on but bear in mind that it is based on 1930 technology. On it's down side it has no avc, is a trf design used from the mid 1920's, and no shortwave. It's a fairly primitive set.

On the other hand the 620 is a superhet with automatic volume control. Along with this it is a three band set with a tuned rf amp stage making it fairly sensitive on all band. Both set use a dynamic speaker but the one it the 20 has a very stiff cone which causes it to have poor audio frequency response.

It is hard to find a good 20 that the speaker grille hasn't had serious repair work done to it, but for the enjoyment value I would go with the 620
Terry

Nothing against the 620, Terry. I just prefer the cathedral sets to tombstone sets. Both would be great additions to any collection. Take care, Gary

Terry

It is not necessarily a question of performance. At least for me. Like this TPA-1 portable player - well, sound-quality-wise it is a POC, but then it is the first ever all-transistor portable.

20 is the first Baby Grand. I want to have it in my collection and it should work. But I will sure listen to 37-116 more than I will to 20.

I think I'm going to get the 20. The cabinet is solid and it looks like overall it's still a good radio. I hope it's still available by Friday. I'm also looking at a very old remote speaker for the earliest sets. No picture yet, but this one is kind of tall and upright with a carved and painted wood base and a nice design stitched into the cloth. I don't recall who made it. I assume there must be some collector interest in them. I've been noticing these speakers lately and some of them look really classy.
Jim

Is this the speaker you were looking at and describing? If so, its an RCA 103 tapestry speaker used with their radios of the late 20's.

That looks pretty close. The one I'm looking at isn't quite as pristine as this one, but it's still nice. I'd say it's probably 100% original. What would be a fair price for one if I were to buy it?

Hello! And welcome to the forum. The way to go is with the 620, and quess what ......On this forum there are so many people to help you. Good luck with your purchase and will see you on the forum!