The PHILCO Phorum
40-190 Shortwave reception; button labels - Printable Version

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40-190 Shortwave reception; button labels - FossilGuy - 08-22-2026

Back to this forum after a long time. I have a nice looking 40-190. The AM reception is great; I use it to listen to baseball games. Replaced the capacitors a few years back. Two questions:
1) Shortwave reception is spotty at best. Any way to improve without an external antenna. I have a Radio Shack "Amplified Shortwave Antenna", model 20-280 that I tried to attach (not sure I am doing it correctly; cut the jack; one silver, one copper wire), but no real improvement. I have a tube tester and a multimeter; no other test equipment.
2) My local AM stations have changed their call signs. Any place make labels for the bush buttons? Or some way of making my own?
Thanks! -

RE: 40-190 Shortwave reception; button labels - klondike98 - 08-22-2026

Welcome to the Phorum!
Icon_wave

Try this for the call sign tabs:
https://philcoradio.com/phorum/showthread.php?tid=5148&highlight=1940

Someone else with more antenna experience will have to help with the SW question, not that there is very much out there on SW anymore.

RE: 40-190 Shortwave reception; button labels - RodB - 08-22-2026

Hello FossilGuy,

Looking at the schematic for the 40-190, I see it has the built-in antenna loop for broadcast reception and a separate coil of wire for short wave. Before doing any troubleshooting you should review the wiring of the antennae in the cabinet to be sure the appropriate antenna is connected to it's associated circuitry. In these cabinets, quite often one or the other antenna is missing. The short wave antenna is typically a long wire attached to the inside panels of the cabinet making several loops and attached to pin 3 of the antenna terminal strip. Without this antenna or a suitable substitute your reception will be what you have described. In addition, all connections related to the short wave antenna and pin 3 should be examined.

https://philcoradio.com/library/download/service%20info/yearbooks/1940/split/Part52-Philco%201940%20RMS%20Year%20Book.pdf

RE: 40-190 Shortwave reception; button labels - FossilGuy - 08-23-2026

Ok. Will check. Thanks!

RE: 40-190 Shortwave reception; button labels - EdHolland - 09-12-2026

Also be aware that there is much less broadcasting on shortwave frequecies than in the past decades - although there are still some goodies to be found. However, those bands are not busy in the way that they were in the 80's and early 90's.

RE: 40-190 Shortwave reception; button labels - FossilGuy - 09-13-2026

Thanks. Does anyone broadcast on the "police band" that is in the middle?

RE: 40-190 Shortwave reception; button labels - radiorich - 09-13-2026

Hello Fossilguy,
No police band is dead .
Sincerely Richard

RE: 40-190 Shortwave reception; button labels - Arran - 09-14-2026

Sometimes the lower end of what many radios mark as the "police band" is now the upper end of the AM broadcast band, if it starts at 1.5 mc that is the same as 1500 KC, so if there are any stations in your area at 1550, 1600, then it may have a use. I think I did pick up some broadcasts and Ham operators at around 3 mc and above too, though you may need a BFO to hear what the hams are chatting about.
Regards
Arran

RE: 40-190 Shortwave reception; button labels - jtiner - 09-15-2026

RE: "police band" - I occasionally hear amateur sideband stuff there around 2MHz and 4MHz after supper. I have another radio (a Silvertone 4660) sitting on top of my 41-255, so when I hear sideband, I turn on the Silvertone and tune it until I get its oscillator to beat and act as a BFO for the Philco. Of course, it's extremely touchy, but it works.
And until recently, CHU Canada was broadcasting time reference at 3.33 MHz, but sadly, they ceased operation after 90 years or whatever it was.