[tubenutt]

Thought I was done, but NOOOOOOOoooo! I THOUGHT I still had Oscillator problems, so I shortened or replaced grid wires, checked all the old solder joints, and shielded everything as best I could. But she still seemed to have low volume. I just traced that problem back to the bandswitch, and I bet there aren't very many of those around!
So I'm embarking on another bench journey, this time to see if I can somehow burnish/tighten the bandswitch contacts. I can bypass the *%*^^#&^ thing and bring the volume WAY up. AH-HA!! I'll remove the offending component to see if I can successfully operate!
Perseverance is the key to these things. After all, if I found a 1933 Oldsmbile or the like that had been sitting un-used for decades, I would have to do the same to it to get it running right, too! Probably, I would get to meet every nut and bolt personally, and hold court with it and its constituents. Same with yon Philco. It's FUN!!
I need you to hold my hand again, Exray!

[exray]

As you are bypassing the switch contacts are you by any chance also bypassing a coil that may be open?

[tubenutt]

I checked these coils, and there is no part of the RF or oscillator coils that are open. I cleaned that switch up to where all the resistance I had was .1 ohms (the test leads) and then a few fractions of ohms every section.
I had the )*&^&^%&^$) thing completely together, but, as it turns out, it all has to come back out! I need to put another 1/8" rubber washer between the cab and the chassis. The tuning dial wouldn't turn freely, because it was too close to the bezel and was bound up. And when I tried to turn the dial, either I broke the dial cord, or it came off the tuning shaft! Two steps forward, five steps back. Oh, well... And that dial cord is HUGE! I've never seen dial cord that thick! I have a feeling it's okay.
I was picking up stations all over the dial at night, especially a salza station! lol Not at thundering volume, though...this thing needs a longwire antenna to receive well here, and all I was using was the antenna lead (6"). I was using my sig gen as a signal tracer and all the front end is okay.
That band switch is more archaic than I've ever seen before! lol It was made before there was such a thing as wafer switches. It has a small phenolic cam and two metal fingers that are activated to cut in another part of the RF and osc coils. It works, but is really stone-age! lol I won't need to bypass it permanently. Whew! But here, there's nothing up higher than about 1400 KC.
The long and winding road, that leads, to your door.....will never disappear, I've seen that road before....

[tubenutt]

Had to remove the chassis to do this, but I got the dial drum and string back to working. The string didn't break, just flipped off (out). No problemo, Just a PITA.
I just ordered new rubber stuff for my Philcos (shadow meter masks, rubber chassis washers, etc, and new #46 pilot lights), so I'll set it aside and start on my 16-B chassis soon.