The PHILCO Phorum

Hello all,

I am by no means a Philco guru. I actually know very little about them. However, I recently received a huge cabinet that has a radio, TV, and phonograph. I have all the original manuals that came with it. The only model number I found is a part number on the envelope that is 40-7856. In one of the manuals, I found another number in pencil that reads 50-t-1482. I believe it's my grandfather's writing. Either way, I couldn't find either of these on the internet to see if in fact, one of these is the correct model. The reason I am looking for anything is because I am trying to get the phonograph to play correctly through the speaker. The TV works fine and sounds fine, the radio works perfectly, but the phonograph spins and plays, but it comes in ridiculously faint through the speaker. Because I have little experience with things of this nature, I'm not sure if this is a wiring issue or a tube issue. Like I said, it plays through the speaker, but I have to basically put my head next to the speaker in order to hear it. If anyone has any suggestions for me to try, I would be very appreciative. I really want to listen to some records. I look forward to hearing from the forum.

Thanks!
Jake

Hi Jake,
50T1482 is a good Philco model number.
Service information is covered in Sam's 128-11. Some libraries keep these.
Possibly the phono pickup is bad.
Also, with all vintage electronics, the electrolytic and paper capacitors should be changed before they fail and cause major damage.

Shaky Jake, you can try using a cd player out put into the phono jack (if the set has one) instead of cartridge and if that plays well your problem is the phono cartridge which I suspect it is. I believe they were high output ceramic cartridges. Replacement may be a problem. There are people who repair them and you might be able to buy a rebuilt one.
Let us know of your progress. Also heed the warning about the caps. If the unit is working thats great but unless someone has replaced the caps, their bound to fail and if the electrolytics go they will probable take out parts of the power curcuit that can't be replaced. PL