[samsdad]

Hi,

I'm brand new to the phorum. I just bought a 38-116 from last night from eBay (here's the listing) and am having it picked up for me tomorrow at its location in Southern California by an employee of mine and a helper (I'm out of town for a few weeks). I have a couple of quick questions:

1. They're bringing a Suburban to pick this thing up. Thoughts on whether it should be laying down on its back or on its front? They'll have some comforters to lay it on.

2. This unit is in Southern California, and I live in Colorado. I'm wary of shipping it via Greyhound. I'm considering renting another SUV, laying it down in the back, and driving it from to my home in Colorado. Overkill?

3. The unit appears to have been restored from what I can tell. (The eBay seller and I haven't discussed anything other than when I can come get it.) From what I can see, the grill cloth is not original; some of the tubes are unoriginal (which I understand doesn't mean restored); and it looks like some of the caps in the back have been replaced. Thoughts?

4. Anyone know of any antique radio repair folks near the Denver area (I live in Castle Rock, which is south of Denver) that they'd recommend to give this radio a look over?

5. I'm looking to have an aux RCA added so I can stream from other sources. Any objections?

Thanks, please be gentle, I'm new.

Regards.

[Ron Ramirez]

Hello and welcome to the Phorum!

Questions answered in order...

1. If you want to transport it intact (without removing the chassis and speaker), I suggest laying it face down on top of a couple of comforters.

Actually, due to the manner in which the chassis is mounted, I strongly suggest that you remove the chassis for transport. Otherwise the chassis is likely to bounce around and possibly fall into the top of the cabinet in transport, breaking tubes, other components, and possibly the cabinet itself due to the weight of the chassis.

This can be easily accomplished:

Pull off all five knobs.

Check the large speaker in back. It should have a black connector plugged into it, with multiple wires that go up to the chassis. This connector probably has a small flat-blade screw holding it in place and preventing anyone from simply unplugging it. Remove the screw, then unplug the connector.

Remove the two blocks of wood at the back of the chassis which keep the chassis from sliding out the back. Each wood block is held in place by a wood screw and a bolt that passes through the block and the supporting wood shelf, with a nut on the bottom of the shelf.

Carefully slide the chassis out from the back.

Now you can transport the cabinet face up or face down, provided that the speaker bolts are securely tightened.

Place the chassis in your SUV and cushion/protect it in such a manner that it will not hit the cabinet (or vice versa) in transport.

2. This is your call. If it were me and I had the ability to drive to CA, pick it up, and take it to CO, this is what I would do.

3. Once you get it home, take lots of photos of the radio chassis, especially the underside. Post them here. We can then better advise you in this regard.

4. I don't know of any...but someone else may chime in with a suggestion...

5. It's your radio, no objections from me.

Good luck with your new acquisition!

[samsdad]

Thank you very much for taking your time to respond.

[klondike98]

Welcome to the Phorum!

[samsdad]

Welcome to the Phorum!

Thanks!

One other question: I seem to recall reading somewhere that it is best to tune the radio all the way one way or the other on the dial, as it helps protect the tuners from becoming misaligned during transit. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

[SteveJB]

Yes.  You turn the tuner so the large tuning capacitor fins are closed so the thin plates aren't exposed and subject to bending during transit.

[samsdad]

Yes.  You turn the tuner so the large tuning capacitor fins are closed so the thin plates aren't exposed and subject to bending during transit.

Sorry to be a pain, but I'm going to be walking someone through these retrieval steps over the phone, and I'm not sure they're going to be able to decipher what I'm saying in terms of "fins". So is it possible that this can be discerned from looking at the radio from the front, i.e., turning all the way (I assume ) to the left or right?

Thanks, I truly appreciate the help.

[Ron Ramirez]

Turn the tuning knob until you can see 55 on the AM dial (the bottom of the set's five bands). Then turn it just a bit more until you cannot turn it any further. By now it should be below 550 kc (55 on the AM dial) and will then be OK to transport.

[samsdad]

Turn the tuning knob until you can see 55 on the AM dial (the bottom of the set's five bands). Then turn it just a bit more until you cannot turn it any further. By now it should be below 550 kc (55 on the AM dial) and will then be OK to transport.

Thank you very much, I'm very grateful for the assistance.

[samsdad]

Alrighty!!! She's in the employee's SUV!!! I talked briefly with the seller and he said the radio was electronically restored by a professional in Orange County years ago. The cabinet is apparently all original (I noticed that the back was missing, however). Here's a quick pick of the chassis sans rectifier and output tubes which he took off:

   
Are the tuning capacitor fins closed, or all the way open? If open, I'll have him turn the dial the other way...

Here's a closeup of the back of the dial:
   
I'm assuming what appear to be scratch marks is from minor warping of the plastic through the years, and it is brushing up against the frame. Something to be concerned about or try to fix before I put it back in the cabinet in a few weeks?

[Kenneth F. Besso Jr.]

show thee ,,under side,,,soo,we can tell you if caps,,resistors have been changed

[Ron Ramirez]

Are the tuning capacitor fins closed, or all the way open? If open, I'll have him turn the dial the other way...

That tuning condenser is turned in the exact opposite direction of what I recommended...see those fins? It's all the way open right now. The fins are at risk of damage. Have him turn it the other way...all of the way in the opposite direction.

[Image: http://www.philcoradio.com/images/phorum...g_cond.jpg]

[samsdad]

Alright it's turned the other way. Thanks, I thought that looked wrong. Any thoughts on he scratching of the back of that dial?

I'll try to get him t get a pic or two of th underside tomorrow. Thanks again.

[Ron Ramirez]

The brackets, etc. surrounding the dial and the shadow mask (which is the plastic piece that is scratched) may be bent out of shape, causing the scratching/misalignment. Someone who knows what they are doing (no offense intended) needs to look at that before the shadow mask ends up broken from the rubbing.

[samsdad]

The brackets, etc. surrounding the dial and the shadow mask (which is the plastic piece that is scratched) may be bent out of shape, causing the scratching/misalignment. Someone who knows what they are doing (no offense intended) needs to look at that before the shadow mask ends up broken from the rubbing.

Thanks no offense taken. I'll have it looked at.