[Tubeman]

Hello everyone, 

I am looking to restore my first radio and I have two Philco’s to choose from; a 42-380 and a 40-130.  I own both of them but was wondering if one might be a better restore for a first timer than the other?  I plan to keep both so no worry’s over resale value and neither is sentimental to me either. The cabinet for the 40-130 is in a lot better condition than the 42-380 but cabinet restoration is another journey.   I plan on restoring both to gain the knowledge and to help keep these radios alive for myself and other generations. I’m also a Ham (KI5MED) so I’ve got the radio bug lol.  I have worked on tube stuff before, but this is my first attempt at a radio and want to make sure it’s done right. No hack jobs here! lol. 

As far as equipment I have a fluke DVM, 100mhz Dual trace Oscilloscope, audio signal generator, variac, isolation transformer, solder station.  What I don’t have is an RF generator to use for the alignment. 

So my questions are:

1. Electronic wise, is one of these radios, easier to restore than the other?

2. Does anyone have a suggestion for an RF Generator that won’t bankrupt me? lol

3. Any help, guidance, or tips are greatly appreciated!

Thanks! 

Matt