[blind1587]

Hi Everyone,

I am brand new to this site and to the hobby of restoring antique radios, although I do have some experience working with electronics.

I have recently acquired a Philco 46-1226 for $50. It is missing the speaker and turntable, but appears to have all of the actual radio electronics from what I can tell. Im not quite sure where to start.

I do not want to just power on the unit, as I am afraid of frying something, and it also needs a new power cord before I can do so. Where should I begin so that I can make sure that if I give the radio power, I will not damage it any further.

I apologize if this question has been asked already, and if you do not want to repeat yourselves, please direct me to the correct thread.

Also, do you have any advice or info on this specific model?

Thanks

[PAradiogeek]

Welcome to the Phorum,

You are right to not jump right in and power up your set. Electrolytic and paper capacitors tend to become short circuits with age and could result in damage to your set if power is applied. Your second task will be to replace those and perhaps also out of tolerance resistors.

I think you should start by doing some reading, on tube electronics, electrical safety, and radios in particular. A good place to start is to read the Elements of Radio Servicing series available here:

http://www.antiqueradios.com/archive.shtml

Stay safe, and good luck,
Jon

[morzh]

Welcome.

have to ask that:
Your nick, does it have to do with your actual physical condition or it is just a name?
I am asking because a tube set restoration hard enough as it is, any additional impediment is not going to help.
High voltage likes people with eyes. You don't have to hear, smell is good to have but not necessary, but vision is highly desirable.

[jerryhawthorne]

Welcome Blind, nice to have new people to the hobby. I will attach the schematic link for you and others that will help. Your major project will be to find the speaker for your set and hopefully the cable and plug that are attached. You might wish to post a want to buy in the classified section here. That speaker is needed to even power up the radio as it is part of the power supply. Don't power it up! I would hesitate to proceed much further until you locate a good working one. You could measure the power and output transformer to make certain the "iron" is good. Coil measurements (there are lots) can also be measured to assure they are in good condition. All of this done with an ohm meter.
After this I would set back and see if you have any luck on the speaker.
Best, Jerry

http://www.nostalgiaair.org/PagesByModel...013588.pdf

[blind1587]

Thanks for the responses everybody!

@PAradiogeek - I will replace those and thanks for the link. I will definitely read through the articles!

@Morzh - The name does not have to do with my condition. It is a combination of my name and initial….it just so happens to spell blind.

@jerryhawthorne - Very informative! Thanks for the attachment…will definitely look through that. I also did not realize that I could not power up the radio without the speaker, so I will be sure to try and locate an operable speaker. I will also look through some articles and read up on how to perform some of the preliminary tests and measurements.

Thanks again everyone!! If you have anymore info to add, please do so. (I could use the assistance)

[TimC]

Greetings, lots of info on the forum and great people too.

This site is good reading for beginners as well.
http://www.antiqueradio.org/welcome.htm


Tim

[OldRestorer]

A blind radio restorer, now that would be something!

Welcome
I am only 7 months old but have learned a lot! And forgot some too.
Kirk

[Marsupial]

In theory you could replace the field coil speaker with another coil of the same value plus a non-coil speaker, and have the same electronic characteristics electronically speaking than the original circuit, with similar output. Those speakers are quite hard to find.

[skyscraper]

Alternatively, you can also use a high power resistor of the same resistance as the field coil (looks like 650ohms) with a modern speaker. It will likely end up humming a bit more without the coil acting as a choke.