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I have recently aquired a 1935 philco 97 in great condition unfortunatly though the pilot lamp set up is not all there anyone knowanythig about this radio
the dial has a square at the top which must light up I presume when turned on ?
thanks
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City: Clayton, NC
The 97 is a fairly uncommon set. Not sure what you mean about the pilot light set up not being all there.
The "window" is a shadow meter, it gives a visual indication for more precise tuning. If it doesn't light up, the bulb is probably not working.
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hank you for the info regardingthe shadow meter I just cant understand after looking at the pilot light set up how that works or should light up by bettr tuning
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nzbhoy Wrote:hank you for the info regardingthe shadow meter I just cant understand after looking at the pilot light set up how that works or should light up by bettr tuning
This will explain about Philco shadow meters.
http://philcorepairbench.com/tips/svctip01.htm
Larry
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There are four lights there. The highest one is behind the shadow meter. It illuminates a vane inside the meter. As you tune in a station, the shadow cast by the vane becomes narrower. At it's narrowest point the station is tuned in at it's maximum.
The other 3 lights illuminate the 3 different bands on the dial. As you switch the band selector control, a different light illuminates the band selected.
I restored a model 97 last summer. Please send some pics of yours to this phorum, I am sure that many of us would love to see it. Should you have any more questions, Philco Radio.com (this site) and the Philco Repair Bench sites are the places to ask, as they are literally the best repositories of Philco knowledge anywhere!
ALSO: If you like Philco Radios, Ron's book Philco Radio 1928-1942 is the best Philco reference out there, and Chuck's website Philco Repair Bench has a schematic and technical information service that will provide you with excellent quality information on your set.