01-28-2013, 07:02 PM
You will rarely get out what you put into restoring an old radio in terms of dollars. The payback comes from the enjoyment one has working on and ultimately bringing back to life one of these sets.
BOL sets are "out there." Not rare, but not common either. Parts can be tough depending on what it is you are looking for, but if you are patient you will find it. If you are going to have it to listen to often as I do, it is a good idea to learn how they work and what to do when they malfunction. They are not that difficult, the maintenence and adjustments are easy to understand and perform. Recommend you keep an eye out for a Philco RMS Manual for the year of your set,(1939-42) as in it you will find ALL the info you need. In lieu of this, go to Chuck's site philcorepairbench.com and order the pertinent info for your set. It will be the best 7.00 you ever spent. Trust me. Additionally, Chuck's site has an excellent artical on how to adjust the BOL head, which the RMS manual does not.
One last thing. If you are going to have a BOL as a player, it's a good idea to acquire exta parts for them when you run into them. Not because they are unreliable, but because they can be tough to find.
BOL sets are "out there." Not rare, but not common either. Parts can be tough depending on what it is you are looking for, but if you are patient you will find it. If you are going to have it to listen to often as I do, it is a good idea to learn how they work and what to do when they malfunction. They are not that difficult, the maintenence and adjustments are easy to understand and perform. Recommend you keep an eye out for a Philco RMS Manual for the year of your set,(1939-42) as in it you will find ALL the info you need. In lieu of this, go to Chuck's site philcorepairbench.com and order the pertinent info for your set. It will be the best 7.00 you ever spent. Trust me. Additionally, Chuck's site has an excellent artical on how to adjust the BOL head, which the RMS manual does not.
One last thing. If you are going to have a BOL as a player, it's a good idea to acquire exta parts for them when you run into them. Not because they are unreliable, but because they can be tough to find.