[bill T]

Bill , I fired it up a couple of days ago . First I tried it on the bench with no speaker attached . I skipped the variac routine and used a inline fuse instead. No smoke just one bad light bulb. Changed that out with a #46 vs # 44 same voltage lower current. Then I put it in the cabinet and within 30 sec had a station coming over the speaker! Tried the Sw bands and had stations up and down on all bands. Not only that but the volume and clarity were both good. I was (and still am) hoping to learn how to electrically align this set. But I don't think it needs more than a slight dial adjustment .Not bad for the first time restringing a radio! This is the second Philco console for me and both started right up with all original tubes. Granted both radios were totally sleeved and capped. Still to me that is impressive. The Philco people really built great stuff ! My biggest issues are still cosmetic. The dial looks great Just a matter of getting the right thickness of mylar and trial and error. The escutcheon is good and the knobs even better. But the "brass" strip I bought from Rock Sea was not so good. It is basically a plastic decal without even the correct words on it . I used it and did not complain to them .I'm sure if I read the catalog carefully it would have detailed what it was. I will replace it later. Just wasn't what I expected. I need to buy find or make station tabs. But the most annoying thing is the glass dial or chassis does not fit tight to the escutcheon. I have a 1/4" gap between it. I think the glass should park right up against the escutcheon? I will figure it out . Must be something stopping it just can't see what. To sum up it when something this old starts right up you have to be happy about it ! Hope your luck is likewise !