04-12-2026, 06:26 PM
Roy,
Regarding your questions on measuring B+, one document that I think does a great job of explaining all this is the Philco Trouble Shooting Techniques handbook. This is a short 11 page doc but it does an amazingly good job of giving an overview of a process you can follow.
If you want to go deeper, in my humble opinion, the book that is the best is Elements of Radio Servicing, Marcus and Levy. I still have my copy I got while in the navy in 1981. You can’t go wrong with that book, if you want to dig deeper. The third edition is the best if you can find a used one.
Another good reference is Radio Troubleshooters Handbook, Alfred Girardi. The cool thing in this book is they have this case-study massive section that lists every radio made in the 30s-40s, and they list common defects and problems and solutions. That has come in handy for me many times over the years.
For Signal Generator, you really just need one for alignment. My personal favorite is the Heathkit IG-102. It was made in the early 60s I believe. And because it was a Heathkit it is easy to service and find documents for. And really it is so simple to use and to understand. You can find used ones on eBay quite often. There a couple guys who service and calibrate and resell them.
For isolation transformer, my favorite is the Sencore PR57. It isn’t cheap when you can find a used one, but I had a bunch of them when I owned an electronics repair shop in San Diego back in the 80s and you can’t go wrong. But not the cheapest solution.
These are just my thoughts from someone out here messing around and trying to restore a few of these beauties. Hope this helps some. George
Regarding your questions on measuring B+, one document that I think does a great job of explaining all this is the Philco Trouble Shooting Techniques handbook. This is a short 11 page doc but it does an amazingly good job of giving an overview of a process you can follow.
If you want to go deeper, in my humble opinion, the book that is the best is Elements of Radio Servicing, Marcus and Levy. I still have my copy I got while in the navy in 1981. You can’t go wrong with that book, if you want to dig deeper. The third edition is the best if you can find a used one.
Another good reference is Radio Troubleshooters Handbook, Alfred Girardi. The cool thing in this book is they have this case-study massive section that lists every radio made in the 30s-40s, and they list common defects and problems and solutions. That has come in handy for me many times over the years.
For Signal Generator, you really just need one for alignment. My personal favorite is the Heathkit IG-102. It was made in the early 60s I believe. And because it was a Heathkit it is easy to service and find documents for. And really it is so simple to use and to understand. You can find used ones on eBay quite often. There a couple guys who service and calibrate and resell them.
For isolation transformer, my favorite is the Sencore PR57. It isn’t cheap when you can find a used one, but I had a bunch of them when I owned an electronics repair shop in San Diego back in the 80s and you can’t go wrong. But not the cheapest solution.
These are just my thoughts from someone out here messing around and trying to restore a few of these beauties. Hope this helps some. George
Craftsmanship is an ongoing cycle of learning fueled by patience, persistence, and care, where every project refines our judgment and challenges our skills, in the steady pursuit of the Path to Mastery.
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