volume Philco 38-116 - Printable Version
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volume Philco 38-116 - murf - 05-07-2012
Been working on this 116 for a while now and have a dumb question.
Re-capped and replaced a bunch of resistors and a few tubes.
It might just be me,but I think that it could do better as far as volume goes.
Everything works fine and it sound good,but I can turn the volume all the way up,without it becoming annoyingly loud and distorted.
My other consoles will get louder than this one.
Have 100 ft single wire antenna on it.This antenna works for the others,so I am thinking it may be something else.
Any clues?
murf
RE: volume Philco 38-116 - Chuck Schwark - 05-07-2012
(05-07-2012, 10:18 PM)murf Wrote: Been working on this 116 for a while now and have a dumb question.
Re-capped and replaced a bunch of resistors and a few tubes.
It might just be me,but I think that it could do better as far as volume goes.
Everything works fine and it sound good,but I can turn the volume all the way up,without it becoming annoyingly loud and distorted.
My other consoles will get louder than this one.
Have 100 ft single wire antenna on it.This antenna works for the others,so I am thinking it may be something else.
Any clues?
murf
A full alignment is also in order, as well as knowing/checking all the tubes as good before aligning.
With your 100ft. outdoor aerial (and a good ground), you should be able to "wake the neighbors" with that monster.
Chuck
RE: volume Philco 38-116 - murf - 05-07-2012
(05-07-2012, 10:29 PM)Chuck Schwark Wrote:(05-07-2012, 10:18 PM)murf Wrote: Been working on this 116 for a while now and have a dumb question.
Re-capped and replaced a bunch of resistors and a few tubes.
It might just be me,but I think that it could do better as far as volume goes.
Everything works fine and it sound good,but I can turn the volume all the way up,without it becoming annoyingly loud and distorted.
My other consoles will get louder than this one.
Have 100 ft single wire antenna on it.This antenna works for the others,so I am thinking it may be something else.
Any clues?
murf
A full alignment is also in order, as well as knowing/checking all the tubes as good before aligning.
With your 100ft. outdoor aerial (and a good ground), you should be able to "wake the neighbors" with that monster.
Chuck
Hi Chuck,
THat's kinda what I was thinking,but I do not have access to the tools to do an alignment.
This would be a tough set to align unless you were qualified to do it and had the proper tools necessary to do it.
Which I do not,and don't really dare mess with it.Don't want to screw it up.
Don't think this one can be done by ear.
MAybe I will just have to call it good enough.
Thanks
murf
RE: volume Philco 38-116 - LASJayhawk - 05-08-2012
Murf my 37-116 cranked up will set the neighbors car alarm off 2 doors down.
Does the volume go way down with the treble control fully counterclockwise? that would be a good indication the IF is way out of alignment.
RE: volume Philco 38-116 - murf - 05-08-2012
(05-08-2012, 12:31 AM)LASJayhawk Wrote: Murf my 37-116 cranked up will set the neighbors car alarm off 2 doors down.
Does the volume go way down with the treble control fully counterclockwise? that would be a good indication the IF is way out of alignment.
Treble control has no effect on the volume.
Bass and treble controls work as they should.
I'm thinking it has to be an alignment problem.
When I restored my RCA 816K,which is a 16 tube radio,I contacted great northern here in mpls are for a price on alignment and he wanted over $300 to do it.
Maybe I will have to buy a signal generator and learn how to do it myself.
murf
RE: volume Philco 38-116 - TA Forbes - 05-08-2012
Maybe it's me, but 300 dollars for an alignment sounds way high.
RE: volume Philco 38-116 - morzh - 05-08-2012
Murf
If you are patient you can get yourself a sig gen for wll under a 100 bucks on e-bay. And a counter.
RE: volume Philco 38-116 - codefox1 - 05-08-2012
(05-08-2012, 10:16 AM)morzh Wrote: Murf
If you are patient you can get yourself a sig gen for wll under a 100 bucks on e-bay. And a counter.
If I had to spend a day driving back and forth to your place to align a radio, drag all the stuff inside and back, $300 would not be unreasonable at all, if that's how I made my living. Shipping the set back and forth would cost that much and probably end badly. Of course if you lived down the block, I'd do it for free.
So buy and restore an old signal generator, cheap digital frequency meter, and a good old fashioned VTVM and align the D**n thing yourself. You can do all this for less than $200.00 and you will have more toys!
RE: volume Philco 38-116 - morzh - 05-08-2012
(05-08-2012, 10:34 AM)codefox1 Wrote:(05-08-2012, 10:16 AM)morzh Wrote: Murf
If you are patient you can get yourself a sig gen for wll under a 100 bucks on e-bay. And a counter.
If I had to spend a day driving back and forth to your place to align a radio, drag all the stuff inside and back, $300 would not be unreasonable at all, if that's how I made my living. Shipping the set back and forth would cost that much and probably end badly. Of course if you lived down the block, I'd do it for free.
So buy and restore an old signal generator, cheap digital frequency meter, and a good old fashioned VTVM and align the D**n thing yourself. You can do all this for less than $200.00 and you will have more toys!
My point exactly.
I bought this
http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/ohmatsu_leader_signal_generator_l.html
on E-bay for 39 bucks and free shipping, and yesterday I plugged it in and it happened to work and the freq. is exactly where it should be. Even though the guy never promised for it to work; I just thought that nothing much can happen to a 2-tube simple-stupid oscillator, if it is in a very good cosmetic condition (read-stored well) and was made in Japan. Especially for 39 bucks, can't go wrong even if it does not work.
And there's plenty of that where it came from. E-bay, that is.
RE: volume Philco 38-116 - murf - 05-08-2012
(05-08-2012, 01:52 PM)morzh Wrote:(05-08-2012, 10:34 AM)codefox1 Wrote:(05-08-2012, 10:16 AM)morzh Wrote: Murf
If you are patient you can get yourself a sig gen for wll under a 100 bucks on e-bay. And a counter.
If I had to spend a day driving back and forth to your place to align a radio, drag all the stuff inside and back, $300 would not be unreasonable at all, if that's how I made my living. Shipping the set back and forth would cost that much and probably end badly. Of course if you lived down the block, I'd do it for free.
So buy and restore an old signal generator, cheap digital frequency meter, and a good old fashioned VTVM and align the D**n thing yourself. You can do all this for less than $200.00 and you will have more toys!
My point exactly.
I bought this
http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/ohmatsu_leader_signal_generator_l.html
on E-bay for 39 bucks and free shipping, and yesterday I plugged it in and it happened to work and the freq. is exactly where it should be. Even though the guy never promised for it to work; I just thought that nothing much can happen to a 2-tube simple-stupid oscillator, if it is in a very good cosmetic condition (read-stored well) and was made in Japan. Especially for 39 bucks, can't go wrong even if it does not work.
And there's plenty of that where it came from. E-bay, that is.
Got me convinced.I will start watching for these and learn how to use them.
Thanks guy's
murf
RE: volume Philco 38-116 - murf - 05-08-2012
(05-08-2012, 04:16 PM)murf Wrote:(05-08-2012, 01:52 PM)morzh Wrote:(05-08-2012, 10:34 AM)codefox1 Wrote:(05-08-2012, 10:16 AM)morzh Wrote: Murf
If you are patient you can get yourself a sig gen for wll under a 100 bucks on e-bay. And a counter.
If I had to spend a day driving back and forth to your place to align a radio, drag all the stuff inside and back, $300 would not be unreasonable at all, if that's how I made my living. Shipping the set back and forth would cost that much and probably end badly. Of course if you lived down the block, I'd do it for free.
So buy and restore an old signal generator, cheap digital frequency meter, and a good old fashioned VTVM and align the D**n thing yourself. You can do all this for less than $200.00 and you will have more toys!
My point exactly.
I bought this
http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/ohmatsu_leader_signal_generator_l.html
on E-bay for 39 bucks and free shipping, and yesterday I plugged it in and it happened to work and the freq. is exactly where it should be. Even though the guy never promised for it to work; I just thought that nothing much can happen to a 2-tube simple-stupid oscillator, if it is in a very good cosmetic condition (read-stored well) and was made in Japan. Especially for 39 bucks, can't go wrong even if it does not work.
And there's plenty of that where it came from. E-bay, that is.
Got me convinced.I will start watching for these and learn how to use them.
Thanks guy's
murf
Can you recommend brand and freq. etc I should be looking for?
Lots of rf and a few if signal generators on there.Which size would be best for my application?
Thanks
RE: volume Philco 38-116 - morzh - 05-08-2012
Guys here are more experienced with old radios than I am, so they will tell you exact models.
I noticed lots of EICOs sold, Heathkits, etc.
As long as it is in working condition (you probably do no need a headache of restoring an RF osc. by yourself) and has internal Audio modulation, and covers the bands you need, this is to me the criteria.
Something like these.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Heathkit-RF-Generator-Model-IG-102-/150806214195?pt=BI_Signal_Sources&hash=item231cc03633
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HEATHKIT-RF-SIGNAL-GENERATOR-MODEL-IG-102-TESTED-WORKS-/180876929686?pt=BI_Signal_Sources&hash=item2a1d1aea96
or this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Heathkit-Model-IG-42-RF-Signal-Generator-/120908199495?pt=BI_Signal_Sources&hash=item1c26b0b647
or
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-New-Precision-RF-Signal-Generator-100KHz-150MHz-TSG17-/180623418244?pt=BI_Signal_Sources&hash=item2a0dfea384
many more there.
Search RF generator / signal generator
RE: volume Philco 38-116 - morzh - 05-09-2012
For example:
Just picked up this (sold as working), for 29.95 plus 19 shipping.
(decided to risk it - it was offered for 49.00 "buy it now")
A decent meter, if works, and 500MHz capable.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/180876749077?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
I used to work with one like this - quite enough for me.
(there is another one like this being sold right now here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BK-Precision-1851-520-MHz-Frequency-counter-/220915957551?_trksid=p4340.m185&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC.NPJS%26its%3DI%252BC%26itu%3DUA%26otn%3D5%26pmod%3D180876749077%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D8299979326340978562
for 175.00 plus shipping, so if mine works, I got a good deal)
So, the oscillator plus generator is 48 plus 39 = 87 bucks, and will need a cable for the generator, another 15 bucks or so.
Not too much to pay for a full set you need for the job. Actually, even 300-400 bucks is OK, as this is how much you'd pay for the service, only now you keep the tools and the service is simple enough.