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So where should I start.... Philco 38-116
#3

Hi Bill

Welcome! You now own one of Philco's finest radios. It will not receive FM but will receive AM and shortwave with amazing fidelity. Should you decide to pursue restoration of it yourself, keep in mind that this is a complicated 15-tube radio and will not be easy for a beginner to restore. I have had two or three of these sets cross my bench over the years, and I've always been impressed with them. If you successfully restore this set, it will reward you with superior performance. You could even make a slight modification by adding a phono input jack which you can use for an iPod or even a Bluetooth adapter.

I would urge you to become familiar with the Arizona Antique Radio Club in Tucson. Sure, it's 115 miles away but some of us have to drive even farther to attend a swap meet of any appreciable size. From where I live, it is several hundred miles to any of the big swap meets - and I am in Southern Indiana.

http://azantiqueradioclub.org/

Should you decide not to keep this radio, you will want to get it into the hands of someone who will appreciate it, and this would be the quickest, and probably easiest, way to do so.

And if you want to find an empty cabinet for your project, these folks can probably help you in that regard as well. There are always console radios, sometimes empty, that no one wants. Am empty, unwanted cabinet would be just the ticket for your project. Please do not gut this fine 38-116.

No, you did not pay too much. 38-116 sets routinely sell for $300 or more in good condition. Yours, as is, is probably worth about half that - which is still almost double what you paid for it.

If you decide to restore yourself, please feel free to ask questions here. Also, you should still become acquainted with the Arizona Antique Radio Club as you may end up needing assistance from a fellow collector if you run into a serious problem in restoring your set.

I edited your photo. Please keep your photos you post here no wider than 900 pixels. Anything bigger simply does not display properly. Help here:
http://www.philcoradio.com/phorum/showthread.php?tid=29
http://www.philcoradio.com/phorum/showth...p?tid=4371

Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

--
Ron Ramirez
Ferdinand IN


Messages In This Thread
RE: So where should I start.... Philco 38-116 - by Ron Ramirez - 02-05-2015, 07:46 AM



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