[uncleray]

Greetings from Pittsburgh!
Looking for advice needed to restore a 47-1230 that
I rescued from a fate worse than death---gathering dust in the basement. It already has plenty of that!
I would like to do a restore but I'm a health care worker not an EE.
I did build a computer once, so I know a little about solid state electronics and tubes!
Thanks in advance and I look forward to being a member of the Phorum.

[Mondial]

Do a forum search for 47-1230, as there is another person currently restoring one and there had been a discussion in several threads regarding restoration.

[Marsupial]

uncleray, this is a beast of a radio, and not what people usually use as a learner piece when it comes to restaure tube radios. There are lots of smaller, easier radios to learn from; but the 1230 with 9 tubes and lots of paper capacitors to change isn't "easy".

It WILL however become a good player and you will enjoy it once you're done with it.

There are a few restaurations that are documented in the phorums, have a look around and specific questions without being shy.

[Warren]

Yes, repairing an old tube radio is much different than plugging a few peripherials into a motherboard. You should have some interest in electronics to repair the radio. You will need a schematic and be able to take some high voltage measurements to see what is working and what is not. If you need to realign the tuner a signal generator will be needed also. I am doing my first but I have had an interest in electronics having rebuilt power supplies, etc. But if your interested the people here are BIG help. I think getting the schematic info would be first on your list and replacing capacitors.
Does it work at all? The more experienced people here can help you with any questions from there. Good Luck.

[klondike98]

Welcome to the Phorum! Good advice from those above; there are often many posts on this Phorum and others that are specific to your model. In addition, if you are new to restoration, take the time to read up on general things to do. A good start is here: http://www.antiqueradio.org/begin.htm . There are two main categories to radio restoration, a) cabinet restoration and b) electronic restoration. They require different skills and people often prefer one aspect over the other. There are a number of youtube videos on various restorations that can be helpful in showing you how to do things. Bob Andersen has a number of them under the name of bandersentv that are helpful. Early on, I watched his 14 part series on the Model 60 to get a good feel for what skills are needed.

[Mondial]

Here is the complete Philco service manual for the 47-1230, but it is in DjVu format and you will have to download a free viewer to see it.

http://audiophool.com/Misc/philco_47-1230.djvu

Here is the link to get the free viewer:

http://windjview.sourceforge.net

[uncleray]

Thanks to all for the advice.
I got the schematics and service manual. I reformatted the DjVu
document into a pdf file to keep in my Nook.
I also have two family and friends who are EE's so I'll press them
into service if I get stuck.
Right now I'm in the "gathering of info" phase.
How to remove chassis, how to clean, learning about cadmium, etc.
The goal is to get it ready for Christmas.
Yeah, the project will be difficult, but if it's easy what fun is that?
If I can build a gameroom, stone patio, rebuild a jeep CJ, PC, etc, the resto should be do-able. Then again, the radio may think otherwise.
We'll see.
Stay tuned. (er, sorry for the pun)

[Raleigh]

Check out this web site for a beginner's approach to restoring radios: Phil's Old Radios at antiqueradio.org . Mr. Nelson's site has just about everything you need to read to get started. It was a major help to me when I was working on my first couple of radios.