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Philco model 54C - Printable Version

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Philco model 54C - Radioroslyn - 04-18-2011

I picked up one of these awhile back and am just getting around to having a close look at it.After having a look at the schematic I thought it was odd that it has two off/on switches. This set has interesting feature it has an ac interlock switch that disconnects both sides of the ac cord when the back cover is removed.This will prevent someone from being shocked when they are servicing the chassis.This set is an AC/DC job. Oh and another thing it's not a "curtain burner". A term used for sets that have a resistance line cord. Some get pretty hot and can be quite dangerous. It has two health sized power resistors to drop the ac line voltage to a usable voltage for the tube filaments/pilot lamp. I don't think Philco ever used them but I might be mistaken. Pretty advanced for 1934 and added a bit of expense to a small inexpensive set when money was very tight. Another feature I noticed is it covers the AM broadcast band and a SW band. On the schematic there is a tap on the antenna coil for the SW position but not for the oscillator. So I'm thinking that Philco was using the second harmonic of the oscillator to provide the oscillator signal for the SW band. Pretty clever. With that setup it would tune the old police band and the 160 meter ham band. Seems like that scheme was used on a few of there lower end AM/SW sets. Did I mention it has a reduction gear dial? Pretty cool set!!
The down side is it is cram-packed on top and under the chassis. Looks like a pain to work on. Got to order some 160v caps before I dig into it.

Terry

Re: Philco model 54C - Doug Houston - 04-18-2011

It's a pretty good set. Oh yes, it's crammed into the chassis, but the replacement capacitors will be smaller than the originals. I think there are some bakelites, of course. Whjen the set's running, just don't drape curtains on the cabinet!

In the early thirties, and really up to WW II, the police dispatchers were on the band, immediately above the broadcast band. Detroit's station WCK was on 2414 KC. Many radios had a legitimate police band, as did the Philco 640X that my aunt and uncle bought new (now, in my collection). Many a Sunday evening, we'd listen to the police calls on that set.

It happens that the police carriers were not very far from the high end of many radio's tuning. It was possible to get some of the police calls by using "image frequencies" from you radio's tuning, especially if it didn't have an RF preselector stage. Loads and loads of AA5 sets had the word; "Police" at the top of the dial. It worked on lots of sets.

I think that the one that flipped me the most was the night that I was waiting on the ferry dock, at Mackinaw City, for the boat to St. Ignace. That was a few years before the bridge. The car was a '47 Chevrolet, with the 6 tube radio, that was seen in millions of those cars from 1946-48. It had an RF stage, and the usual 260 KC I.F., typical of auto radios It was warm weather, so, windows open. I was poking around on the high end of the band. Suddenly, police calls came piling in from Nashville, Tennessee. Obviously, a strong sky wave was piling in on me! he guy in the car next to us, asked what kind of a radio I had in there? I was as astonished as he was.

Re: Philco model 54C - Radioroslyn - 04-18-2011

Great story! Looks like most of the bypass caps are in a can up in the top left corner of the chassis. Just a few bakelite jobs under the chassis. Did notice that one of those filter caps is a dual section one. Was a little surprised considering the size of it.
Terry

Re: Philco model 54C - Ron Ramirez - 04-18-2011

As Doug said, it's a pretty good set. I restored one for somebody a few years ago, and it really wasn't that difficult. I even rebuilt the electrolytic cans, to avoid cramming the underneath of the chassis any further with new electrolytics.

You want a difficult rebuild job? Try a 41-226. A packed chassis, with rubber-covered wiring galore. Ugh.

Re: Philco model 54C - Radioroslyn - 04-18-2011

I've noticed that some versions (older) of the 5x pee-wee cabinets have three decorative screws on the front panel. What do they hold on? My set looks like the January 1935 54C
Terry

Re: Philco model 54C - Ron Ramirez - 04-18-2011

Having never owned one of those with the decorative screws, I honestly do not know.