Magnavox model 198C restoration
Posts: 85
Threads: 9
Joined: Nov 2005
City: St. Petersburg, Fl.
I feel like I have hijacked Ron's thread, so, I have my own, now. I wish to show the progress of restoration on my Magnavox. I will show beginning, to where it sits on the bench now. It's nearly ready to go back together, and, try. I had replaced the paper caps in it sme years ago, and, just replaced the electrolytics. I did a complete cleanning of chassis, and, re painted top of power transformer, which was rusty.
Tell me what you think, guys......
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Billl Cahill 
"If it lights in the dark and leaves you with a warm glow it's tubes."
"Honey, did you warm the baby bottle on my 75 watt hi-fi again?"
"I left it somewhere, but, where?"
Posts: 85
Threads: 9
Joined: Nov 2005
City: St. Petersburg, Fl.
"If it lights in the dark and leaves you with a warm glow it's tubes."
"Honey, did you warm the baby bottle on my 75 watt hi-fi again?"
"I left it somewhere, but, where?"
Posts: 594
Threads: 41
Joined: Aug 2010
City: Shepherdsville, KY
Hey Bill
It looks good, these radios have very good sound. I am waiting for the spring/summer so I can get the cabinet of mine finished. I have not heard my maggie in the cabinet. I just won a bid on Ebay for a speaker for mine. I hope it gets here OK, the carriers are very rough. One of my speaker has some cone damage it plays ok but this one came up on ebay and I got it for $9.99. It is a 250 ohm field just like the ones in my mag.
Your unit differs from mine at the bass/band switch, they are reversed on my magnavox, the band is in the middle and it has a FM position which connects the FM chassis. Looks like your radio has a RF stage, mine does not. That will make it more sensitive. I see your chassis has 5 sockets on the rear one for speaker one for phono motor one for pickup is one for a loop and the other? I like that cabinet does the phono have a front to match the radio door?
Keep up the good work
Joe
Joe Bratcher near Louisville, KY
Posts: 85
Threads: 9
Joined: Nov 2005
City: St. Petersburg, Fl.
Actually, one socket is marked fm.
One is marked phono, one is marked motor, the next is speaker, then, Power-1A max.
After that, it's the antenna board.
Yes, it has an rf stage.As I remember, it is very sensitive.
I may try it tonight, or, tommorrow.
I'm too sore to remove speakers, so, I'll have to put it back together. I'll give it the smoke test on the variac.
If it lets the smoke out, I'm in trouble....
I have to do alot of cabinet work, and, put on my best WC changer on the drawer.
This thing was really wrecked by rats. Especially the changer. That was pretty well destroyed. Solid rust, and, all the felt off turntable from rat pee.
I fear they may have done a number on if transformers. The screws look badly coroded.
I may have to dismantle them, and, rebuild adjustable capacitors.
I may be in for a nightmare.
Bill Cahill
"If it lights in the dark and leaves you with a warm glow it's tubes."
"Honey, did you warm the baby bottle on my 75 watt hi-fi again?"
"I left it somewhere, but, where?"
Posts: 13,776
Threads: 580
Joined: Sep 2005
City: Ferdinand
State, Province, Country: Indiana
Bill
What did you use to clean the chassis of your Magnavox? Looks good...
I've seen a set like yours before, on eBay. Unusual cabinet. Yeah, I was wondering if you had the phono drawer, since your photos did not show it.
Edit: I have a set of IF transformers pulled from a Maggie chassis like mine (CR-188A). If you need IFs, and if these will work in your set, they're yours for the postage.
--
Ron Ramirez
Ferdinand IN
Posts: 85
Threads: 9
Joined: Nov 2005
City: St. Petersburg, Fl.
Thanks, Ron. I'll remember that in case. I used two main items, and, elbow grease.
I used brass polish for less coroded areas, and, for downright rust, light sandpaper.
I used pledge on tubes, and, sandpaper to remover rust on power transformer. I repainted it with flat black rustoleum.
Now, I'm bummed out.
Tonight, I just finnished putting it back in the cabinet, and, hooked everything up with the intention of bringing it up on the variac. I was getting controls set up. Went to turn the tunning.   
The thing isn't moving. It's making a noise, and,acting like the dial cord is now broken, or, dragging.
In any case, it's got to come back apart.
Darned, darned, darned, darned, darned!!!!
Bill Cahill
"If it lights in the dark and leaves you with a warm glow it's tubes."
"Honey, did you warm the baby bottle on my 75 watt hi-fi again?"
"I left it somewhere, but, where?"
Posts: 85
Threads: 9
Joined: Nov 2005
City: St. Petersburg, Fl.
I've located the problem!
It's not a broken dial cord. It's a gummy mechanism!
The good news is it's repairable.
The bad news is I have to take it apart to fix it.
I forgot that these radios have a wonderful tunning mechanism. You can easily spin the knob for quick tunning. The push buttons are purely mechanical. To adjust the button, you turn the button knob counter clockwise. You tune the station in you desire, then, press that button in. While holding it in, you retighten it.
When you press that button later, it will automatically go exactly to that spot on the dial.
The whole problem is, I didn't realize the mechanism isgummed up, and, needs lubricating.
I have to take the inside panel off to do this. Guess this radio's going back on the bench......      
Bill Cahill
"If it lights in the dark and leaves you with a warm glow it's tubes."
"Honey, did you warm the baby bottle on my 75 watt hi-fi again?"
"I left it somewhere, but, where?"
Posts: 85
Threads: 9
Joined: Nov 2005
City: St. Petersburg, Fl.
Ron Ramirez Wrote:Bill
What did you use to clean the chassis of your Magnavox? Looks good...
I've seen a set like yours before, on eBay. Unusual cabinet. Yeah, I was wondering if you had the phono drawer, since your photos did not show it.
Edit: I have a set of IF transformers pulled from a Maggie chassis like mine (CR-188A). If you need IFs, and if these will work in your set, they're yours for the postage.
Yes, Ron. I do have the drawer. I will also have to re finnish the front of that. The lacquer is flaking off.
I think on parts like that I'll give it a light sanding, and, re lacquer it. Should be fairly simple.
Bill Cahill
"If it lights in the dark and leaves you with a warm glow it's tubes."
"Honey, did you warm the baby bottle on my 75 watt hi-fi again?"
"I left it somewhere, but, where?"
Posts: 85
Threads: 9
Joined: Nov 2005
City: St. Petersburg, Fl.
Great news!!!!
Tonight, I tried the radio, and, it plays... There are some bugs to overcome, but, it's playing!
I can't seem to get the adjustments for push buttons to work. I loossen the screw, tune it, etc., then, tighten it, but, it goes back to its' old setting...
Hmmmmm....
What could I be doing wrong????
Has nice fidelity. It acts like it either needs minor alignment, or, has a bad tube.
Eye is very bright, but, is barely moving at all.....
One dial light isn't working. Power transformer is great. After 40 min. of playing, it's still cool as a cucumber.
But, boy, do those power tubes smell hot!!
This set has excellent bass, and, good treble. Gets many stations. SW also works.
This baby is ALIVE!
Bill Cahill
"If it lights in the dark and leaves you with a warm glow it's tubes."
"Honey, did you warm the baby bottle on my 75 watt hi-fi again?"
"I left it somewhere, but, where?"
Posts: 13,776
Threads: 580
Joined: Sep 2005
City: Ferdinand
State, Province, Country: Indiana
Congratulations! 
When you loosen a button, do you hold in the button, tune in a favorite station, then tighten the button while holding it in?
--
Ron Ramirez
Ferdinand IN
Posts: 85
Threads: 9
Joined: Nov 2005
City: St. Petersburg, Fl.
I found the problem. It was gummed up. I fixed that, and, then, figured out, again, how it workds.I am having one problem with high end of band not being where it belongs....
I've been busy on another project, so, I wasn't able to finnish it yet.....
Thanks, Ron.....
Bill Cahill
"If it lights in the dark and leaves you with a warm glow it's tubes."
"Honey, did you warm the baby bottle on my 75 watt hi-fi again?"
"I left it somewhere, but, where?"
Posts: 594
Threads: 41
Joined: Aug 2010
City: Shepherdsville, KY
Hi all. Congrats Bill sounds like your osc is off a little. Ron that is the way Mine works. I Loosen the knob, tune in the station I want, hold the knob in while I tighten it, I noticed that the mechanisms has to be free and lubricated before it would always return to where you set it. I am waiting for good weather so I can do some cabinet work. I hope I don't mess it up. Bill Check and make sure your dial pointer is positioned correctly, if it is, a little adjustment of the osc trimmer should do the trick. If it moves the low end then adjust the padder, between the the two adjustments you should be ok. Aso you may have to touch up the RF and Antenna trimmers. Man am I windy. See yea Joe
Joe Bratcher near Louisville, KY
Posts: 85
Threads: 9
Joined: Nov 2005
City: St. Petersburg, Fl.
I still haven't fixed the eye tube problem yet, either.
It moves very little-almost not at all. It's very bright, just NO indication worth speaking of.
Dial pointer is correct, so, it's oscilator. The problem is each band has two oscilator adjustments.
I'm just finnishing up on my GE art deco radio right now.
I'll post on it later to show it to you....
Bill Cahill
"If it lights in the dark and leaves you with a warm glow it's tubes."
"Honey, did you warm the baby bottle on my 75 watt hi-fi again?"
"I left it somewhere, but, where?"
Posts: 594
Threads: 41
Joined: Aug 2010
City: Shepherdsville, KY
O K if it has two adjustments, one is the (padder) which is for the low end of the tuning scale (about 600KC) the other is sometimes on the main tuning cap it is for the high end of the tuning scale (about 1400 KC) adjust the low end first and then go to the high end, juggle between the two and you will come out with a good scale. Also you may have to adjust the antenna and RF trimmers also.  On the tuning eye there is a 1 meg resister in the socket of the eye and it may have gone up in resistance. Most of the time you have to take the eye socket apart to get to this resister  it is usually a 1 meg 1/2 watt. That is my 2 cents
Joe
Joe Bratcher near Louisville, KY
Posts: 337
Threads: 15
Joined: Nov 2005
City: Ortonville, MI
This is gettin' to look interesting. Firstly, my postwar Magnavox book doesn't appear to have the chassis models that go as far a CR 198. I may have another postwar Maggie book that could have it; I just need to go and dig it out.
Anyway, the other day, there came a postwar Regency-Symphony for sale nearby, in very, very nice shape. It turned out to be a late model, and if I recall right, the manufacture date stamp was 1948, but around October. The thing is grossly overpriced, but the sellers might sober up and take my offer. They don't understand that side-by-side phono combinations usually are curb decorations. This one is far better than that, but nonetheless side-by-sides just don't draw a stampede.
So, I noted the CR model number on the chassis. I seem to recall that it was CR 198F. It looks just like yours, but IT HAS THE FM BAND IN THE TUNER! The panel is polished brass. Unlike Ron's, the cabinet has no floor in it, where the amplifier would have gone, as the whole set is on one chassis. The set I looked at has two metal 6L6's in it, and a 5T4, in place of the 5U4. It's a JAN replacement. By that time, the original 6L6's were probably still the big glass ones.
Back, when I was still in Detroit, I had one just like this Regency. It was in Walnut, which you just about never see. It was the first Magnavox I'd ever had, and it had this same chassis in it, with the FM band on the main chassis. I had re-capped he set, but had to let it go, just because there was no room for it, anywhere. I've always regretted having to let it go, but those are little tragedies we have to bear in life.
This one I looked at is so doggoned nice, I'd buy it for that reason alone. The set is feeble. It barely gets WJR and CKLW, at full volume. I told the guy that it should be cracking the plaster at that setting. It has a 256 changer,as it would, that late in 1948. Naturally, the pickup is dead. They generally ended up with Sonatones, as this one will, if I get it. Ron Ramirez feels that I might end up with it. It looks like Magnavox updated their AM-only chassis to have FM in a later version of it. I have a Sonatone in my Windsor, and it sounds good.
Funny thing, and Ron lit the fuse. There is (was?) a Magnavox message board, and there was one smart a!! on it, who boiled my blood. All of this banter here about Magnavox has been more rewarding than any other place.
By the way, Bill, I have a sort of nice Maggie Georgian (Postwar), that I would like to move out. I have very little in it. If you think you'd like it, you could have Huggy Bear tote it down there......? e-Mail me, if you want to.
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