Philco Transitone Model 10 - Printable Version
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Philco Transitone Model 10 - mike_z - 07-05-2026
Recently I picked up a Philco Transitone Model 10 car radio. There doesn't seem to be too much information available for this radio. I did find the installation and operating instructions which includes a schematic. Apparently this radio is a universal radio for any car that does not have one. This radio was produced for 1933 and 1934, but apparently did not sell well, maybe the $55 price tag? My radio is relatively clean and I have the control head and chassis, no antenna. After opening it up, the components mostly look original, but the tube compliment is not correct. There are a couple of substitute tubes (have not checked if they are right) in place of what the schematic calls for. I'm considering restoring this radio. Wondering about it's value. Any thoughts? Thanks, Mike
RE: Philco Transitone Model 10 - mike_z - 07-05-2026
Well, I opened up the radio and tested the tubes. Two are bad and will not work at all. One is the wrong type all together and the others seem fine. The vibrator is dead. In fact someone gutted the original and place a smaller replacement type inside the original can. I'll most likely replace it with a solid state unit. All the cap's and resistors will most likely have to be changed. I wanted to check the audio output transformer and the speaker, but so far, I have not been able to. Will need more time for that. I do know that the elector-magnet on the speaker works.
RE: Philco Transitone Model 10 - Joe Rossi - 07-05-2026
Hello Mike,
You might take a look at this Australian website, https://cool386.com/. John has some extensive info on auto-radio vibrators, as well as radios in general. Joe
RE: Philco Transitone Model 10 - fenbach - 07-06-2026
This it?
https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/philco_10.html
https://www.nostalgiaair.org/pdfs/Philco-Radio-and-Television-Corp/Philco-Radio-and-Television-Corp-10.pdf (scroll down a bit)
RE: Philco Transitone Model 10 - mike_z - 07-08-2026
Thanks, I saw the first link, but not the second. That one should be some help.
RE: Philco Transitone Model 10 - mike_z - 07-08-2026
This afternoon I had some time and wanted to check the audio transformer & speaker. Using my LCR 45 meter I connected it to the primary side of the audio transformer and measured 9.74 k Ohms on the mag/phase setting. BUT, looking at the datasheet for the 42 output tube, the load resistance is 7 k. This is quite a bit off. I connected my signal generator to the primary and I can hear the signal, but is very quite. So.... it is working, but is it the best? Mike
RE: Philco Transitone Model 10 - Arran - 07-08-2026
If the output transformer is the original one, and has continuity, it is probably fine. The low volume could be explained by the fact that the set has a field coil speaker, which will still pass sound without the field coil energized, but it will not be as loud, the field coil is powered directly from the 6.3 volt supply along with the tube heaters. Also the output transformer primary normally would have 150 or more D.C volts across it, the output of the signal generator will be much less, however you could connect it to the secondary side and see what the volume level is there. There is also a choke (Part #65) in series with the output transformer primary, so depending on what point you measured from it may test higher.
Regards
Arran
RE: Philco Transitone Model 10 - mike_z - 07-09-2026
Other than the tubes, this radio looks original, so you may be correct. I'll try again maybe this afternoon. Thanks
RE: Philco Transitone Model 10 - mike_z - 07-13-2026
I've been looking around to see if I can find any information regarding this radio. Apparently it was produced between 1933 and 1934. You could purchase it through mail order catalogs. This radio was not meant for any specific car, but was a universal radio that could be installed in any car. Of the schematics I have found (two), there are different part numbers for the components. One schematic has rather sharp printing and my 'old' eyes can see them better, and I'll use that one. I have been trying to ID all the parts and make a list of replacement parts that I need to order.
On a slightly different line, I have added a better tube tester (at least I believe it to be) to my test equipment. It is a Hickok 600A. Prior to this, I had to take these older tubes to a friend for testing. It seems to work just fine, but I'm a little confused about the meter reading. The datasheet gives an output number for a specific tube, but the meter on my tester has three scales. There isn't a scale switch and sometimes the output number is on two scales. So which do I use? Seems if the tube registers a high meter reading the tube is OK, else I look for a replacement. Thanks for the help. Mike
RE: Philco Transitone Model 10 - morzh - 07-13-2026
I am not sure what you did with LCR meter: does your meter measure resistance using AC?
Usual meters use DC and with DC you will not get any meaningful results.
RE: Philco Transitone Model 10 - mike_z - 07-13-2026
The Peak Atlas LCR 45 is an impedance meter. It will measure capacitance, inductance and resistance. It will also measure an impedance that is reflected through a transformer. So..... with the speaker connected to the audio output transformer I can measure the load the output tube would see by connecting the LCR meter to the primary of the audio transformer. Usually this works, but this time I didn't get the impedance that matched the 42 datasheet. I may have made a mistake either with the setup or reading the datasheet, but the speaker hums when the signal generator is connected. I measured the impedance of the speaker as 1.22 ohms DC and 23.7 uH. Mike
RE: Philco Transitone Model 10 - mike_z - 07-14-2026
I have started to make a parts list to order new parts. I noticed that all the parts lists I have for this radio only list the capacitor values and not the voltages. AND the original components do not have any value markings at all. I would guess that most of the capacitors would be 400 volts and the ones with the vibrator maybe 1000 volts. What do you think? Thanks Mike
RE: Philco Transitone Model 10 - Arran - 07-14-2026
Most of us buy 630 VDC rated film caps, those seem to be the most readily available, and will work in most applications. The vibrator cap is a hash capacitor and it does have a higher voltage rating, usually above 1 KV, sometimes a radio will have a 1 KV cap across the output transformer primary for tone correction though not always, I think you can use two 630 VDC caps in series in either application, but not sure about the hash capacitors. I have a Stewart Warner that is a 6.3 volt set that has a synchronous vibrator, hopefully I can get it working as it uses 2 volt battery tubes, so it would actually be practical to run it off of a 6.3 volt SLA battery as a "cordless tube radio". I also have a pre war Philco car radio, 1939 vintage, but I think it's beyond repair as the set sat in water at one point.
Regards
Arran
RE: Philco Transitone Model 10 - mike_z - 07-14-2026
Thanks for the help. I'm not a radio man. Only recently did I start horsing around with vintage radios. It's interesting and I have learned quite a bit, but there is more. My last radio was 1948 airline. I got it working but it has some distortion in the audio that I have not found yet. Thanks, Mike
RE: Philco Transitone Model 10 - MrFixr55 - 07-15-2026
Car radios were introduced only about 1929 or so and were loosely based on the battery powered radios of the time. See the Schematic for the 1930 Philco Transitone Model 3 here (along with the famous Model 20):
This was a TRF set that used 24A tetrode (Screen Grids) for 3 RF amps, a 71A connected as a diode for a detector 2 01As as Audio am stages and a 71A as an output tube with a whopping 0.7W for your listening pleasure in your super quiet Model T or Model A Ford. The heaters of the 24As were in series and there were dropping resistors for the 5V tubes. This set was powered from the car battery and 180V worth of B Battery blocks. Expensive to buy, expensive to run. They even had keys so the vehicle owner could regulate the use of the car radio, so they didn't have to run out to buy four 45V battery blocks or find that the car won't start. However, the radio DID have AVC. The antenna for the set was either mesh in the soft top of the car or a plate mounted below the running boards. Eventually Dynamotor, then vibrator power supplies were introduced to replace the B Batteries.
By about 1934, car radios had matured to circuits similar to home radios. Your Model 10 featured a very good circuit consisting of a 39/44 RF amp, 6A7 Pentagrid converter, a 39/44 IF amp, a 75 Detector /1st AF Amp / AVC and a 42 Pentode, having a rather good 2.5-4 Watt output, similar to a medium priced table or console radio for the home. THis radio was no slouch, it was a great performer, equal to the car radios of the 1950s. Note from the Nostalgia Air circuit diagram tof the Transitone 5 and 10 that the Transitone Model 5 offered a similar circuit but without the RF amp, with a more modest 41 output tube.
The electromagnetic dynamic speaker 's field coil was often powered by the car's 6V battery as opposed to being a higher resistance coil and used as a filter choke in the power supply.
When I was a kid, I used to find radios in cars at the town dump (At the time scrap metal prices were very low and they buried the cars). Since I did not have access to a car battery (Dad was not very happy if I opened the hood and ran them off the family Ford), I tried to find 6V models which I ran off the filament windings off an old TV power transformer. This was easy as I was 12 in 1967 and there were plenty of 1949- 1959 and earlier cars in the dump. I figured that since the purpose of a vibrator was to produce AC, well just running the whole thing off 6V AC was not a problem. Eventually, I found a transformer with 2 6V windings and put them in series to get 12V. Never found an AM-FM radio however, nor a transistor one. Plenty of "transistor powered" car radios. Vibrators were eliminated in 1959- 1962 cars by using "space charge" tubes that functioned on 12V for B+. The output stage of the radio was a transistor (usually a Delco 501). Schematic here:
One certainly could not power this with 12VACThis continued till about 1963-1964 when most cars migrated to transistors. Chrysler introduced the first Transistor car radio in 1955 for 1956 Chrysler and Imperial models. This option was $150, vs about $3,000 for a Chrysler. Ford introduced all transistor radios in the 1961 Lincoln and Thunderbird cars.
Hope this helps.