[Ron Ramirez]

The 38-12 never had a built-in antenna. Instead, there are (or should be) two wires protruding from the back of the chassis - one for a longwire antenna, and the other for ground. These sets, like all 1939 and older Philcos, were intended to be used with a long outside wire as an antenna - 50 to 100 feet long and as high as possible. 20 feet strung along the baseboard of the room the radio is in is better than nothing, but it works better if it is higher up.