[scooby214]

First of all, thank you guys for having this forum. I've been able to learn a lot about Philco tube radios by reading through your forums.

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Brian, and I live in Oklahoma City. I'm new to collecting tube radios, but have been collecting and repairing vintage Panasonic transistor radios. I decided to go for a particular bakelite Philco tube radio because of fond memories of my grandfather's Philco.

I purchased a 46-200 that has been electronically restored. The case is good, though not restored. The radio doesn't have a back panel, and I would like to buy one. I have found back panels for the 48-200 on Ebay, but not the 46-200. To my untrained eye, photos of the 46-200 and 48-200 make them look to be similar.

Is it possible to fit a 48-200 back on the 46-200?

As a curiosity, are the electronics on the 46-200 and 48-200 similar?

I know the 46-200 was a low-end radio, but I wanted the rotary dial. When the radio arrives from Virginia, I will use my SSTran AMT3000 transmitter so I can listen to standards and oldies through the Philco.

Thanks for any input.

Brian

[Ron Ramirez]

Hi Brian, and welcome.

Ah, you're in OKC...close to that d**ned KRMG in Tulsa that's always interfering with AM 740 from Toronto at night. But hey, that's not your fault.

The cabinets of Models 46-200 and 48-200 are the same, so the Retro-Tronics back should fit both models.

Oh, and you don't have to go through eBay, you can buy these direct from the manufacturer.
http://retro-tronics.com/sales.php?type=All
Also listed on my site's Resources page.

The electronics of Models 46-200 and 48-200 are indeed similar; not exactly alike, but close.

[scooby214]

Thanks for the info about my 46-200.

I wish there was something I could do about KRMG as well. It was originally started by Kerr McGee Oil Co. in hopes of covering both the Okla. City and Tulsa markets. Their signal is highly directional in an attempt to accomplish this goal. Unfortunately, Kerr-McGee is no longer around, and the station no longer serve the Okla. City area with their programming, as they play sydnicated talk shows that are already aired on local Okla. City stations. Due to its directional signal, KRMG has a stronger signal in Okla. City than it has in some of Tulsa's suburbs.

I hope my next radio gets to be a Console, as there is a man near me who has two restored Philco consoles for sale on Craigslist. The man is known in the Okla. City vintage radio club, so I can trust what I get from him. I have to find a suitable place in my house for such a large radio first.

[Ron Ramirez]

We're going off-topic here, but so what; this is my Phorum, after all.

I looked at KRMG's pattern on the FCC website this morning.

I see they are not only highly directional toward OKC..but just as highly directional in the opposite direction, toward Springfield/Branson, MO. Unfortunately with their 50 KW, this means they are beaming straight toward Evansville, Indiana at night.

I like to listen to AM 740, CHWO, out of Toronto at night as they often play good music. Although recently, they underwent a bit of a format change and are now favoring oldies rock music from the 60s. I prefer the standards and big band stuff, which they still play on their "Sentimental Journey" program.

It is very frustrating to try and hear CHWO when KRMG comes barging in with feetball, basketball, baseball, ball, schmall. And as much as I enjoy listening to Michael Savage, it is odd to suddenly hear Savage yelling over some nice old standard thanks to KRMG fading in over CHWO.

Guess I'll just have to get my 40-201 console going again, so I can rotate its loop antenna to null KRMG out at night.

[scooby214]

We have no AM oldies stations in our area... only Radio Disney for music and talk/sports/religious/Spanish stations. For music, I frequently stream WHAV to my AM transmitter and then I can listen to it throughout the house on my good radios. It's not the same as listening to actual stations on AM, but it is better than nothing. Even our FM oldies station has moved toward 60's and 70's classic hits.

Sorry for allowing the thread to go off topic. The seller of my 46-200 has just sent me shipping notification for my radio. It's amazing how we get excited over new radios!

[Ron Ramirez]

No apology needed, Brian...I'm the one who drifted off-topic by mentioning KRMG in the first place.

Good luck with your 46-200. Did you find the Retro-Tronics site? New back on the way, perhaps?

The 46-200 is identical in appearance to Model 42-PT91 (1942), but will have wiring inside with improved plastic insulation; not the nightmare rubber-covered wiring of 1939-42. So you are ahead of the game in that aspect.

[scooby214]

I did find the site. The back is a bit cheaper through the site than it is through Ebay. I plan to order one today. Hopefully, it will arrive at about the same time as the radio! Then, I'll have to figure out something for clips.

[Doug Houston]

As you get into tube radios more and more, stick to the high end Philco sets. Hopefully, you'll have enough room in your place for even a Philco 16. You'll spend a few serious bucks for one, but once re-capped, and aligned, you'll find out just what a radio is all about.

Over the years that the 16 was built, it took many forms, all of which were sensational. I have it in a few of those forms. There is a chairside, with remote speaker, straight console, cxathederal, several tombstone styles, and I believe a phono combination model that some might want to kill for, and which I don't have.

You can be in for a lot of fun.

Oh, and the 37 and 38 690's are nice, too.

[49Stude63]

I have a 16B 5 band tombstone, a 16X console and Doug is not pitching bs when he says they are great radios. I have both versions of the 37/38-116's consoles and a 38-2670 tombstone (big mutha). Usually any of the Philco 11-15 tube models are great and for the big spenders or the lucky ones the 690's are great radios.

[scooby214]

I do have my eye on a console radio from 1941. I don't know the model number, but I'll attach a photo.

Note from site admin: Sorry, but the photo which was attached to this post is no longer available.

[Ron Ramirez]

Run - don't walk - away from that radio, unless you are very experienced at radio servicing and/or enjoy a good bit of torture. The 41-280 is, in my opinion, the hardest Philco there ever was to work on due to the extensive use of rubber-covered wiring. The fact that a number of these wires are connected to the band switch in this model doesn't help.

If you want a console, follow Doug's advice and find a good Model 16 instead.

That's one man's opinion. YMMV...

[scooby214]

Run - don't walk - away from that radio, unless you are very experienced at radio servicing and/or enjoy a good bit of torture. The 41-280 is, in my opinion, the hardest Philco there ever was to work on due to the extensive use of rubber-covered wiring. The fact that a number of these wires are connected to the band switch in this model doesn't help.

If you want a console, follow Doug's advice and find a good Model 16 instead.

That's one man's opinion. YMMV...

Ron,

You probably just saved many hours of future frustration for me. This man has restored the radio, and he guarantees his work. I haven't asked him about the rubber-covered wiring. I think I may hold off on that radio. If I do decide to look into this radio, I now know to check to see if the rubber covered wiring has been replaced, recovered, etc.

I've read the many horrors of this model. I just didn't know what the radio actually looked like!

Thanks for your insight!

[BDM]

Got to agree with the Philco guru's Ron and Doug Stick with the 1934/35 or 36 models. The 1937/38 sets with "RF subchassis" decks can be somewhat of a challenge to work on for beginners. Though no rubber wiring, they're a delicate operation. I have an almost complete model series for 1936, exception being the 630 & 680. Love them all, and their performance is second to none for consumer sets. I prefer the model 620 and up. They have an RF amplifier section. The 610 lacks this, and sensitivity in comparison.

[scooby214]

Got to agree with the Philco guru's Ron and Doug Stick with the 1934/35 or 36 models. The 1937/38 sets with "RF subchassis" decks can be somewhat of a challenge to work on for beginners. Though no rubber wiring, they're a delicate operation. I have an almost complete model series for 1936, exception being the 630 & 680. Love them all, and their performance is second to none for consumer sets. I prefer the model 620 and up. They have an RF amplifier section. The 610 lacks this, and sensitivity in comparison.

Thanks for piping in your knowldedge. I'll start keeping my eye out for the 1934/35 or 36 models, especially the 620 and up.

I guess one thing I have to remember is that even a restored radio of this type will probably need a bit more upkeep than the transister radios I am used to. I don't want to end up with a maintenance nightmare!

[49Stude63]

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/560959162xIePLV This is my 16X that I picked up for about $50 near Charlotte NC. The cabinet cleaned up well and I need to get a new dial for it, I have recapped it already. I have mostly 8-15 tube sets with a 38-690 that I picked up at a decent price that needs electrical restoration. Brain is "King of the 650's", very nice 8 tubers that you can pick up in console form very reasonable, the 650 tombstones like most of Philco's nicer tombstones will tend to get a bit pricey depending on circumstance. And yes unless you believe in "patience is a virtue" I would steer clear of the 40-41 models since they tend either have a little rubber wire to being completely riddled with rubber wire, it is a luck of the draw on the level of rubber wiring with no rhyme or reason to it. I have run into the early 40's radios with only a wire or two where the insulation was/had crumbled away with the other wires still being pliable and then other radios where it was a maze of bare or soon to be bare wires as soon as you touched or moved them (insulation would just crumble off). Some people will just remove one end and then run shrink tubing down the length of wire and re-solder the end back, doing this step for each wire, or some people just replace the wires, either way it's not a lot of fun. Contrary to Brain I tend to collect mostly the "dreaded" sub-chassis models 37-38 from the 9 tubers up, I have two 37 models 37-11,37-116, 37-675X, 38-1,2,3,116,690, and the 38-4 which is an odd-ball dial model that was available in in console, chairside, and table and another console version each being lesser tube count than the 38-4, all of them available for only one year. If you can get past the odd ball tuning arrangement of the 38-4 they are also nice radios that are simple to restore the chassis (non-subchassis).