[Jayce]

I was wandering the antique mall yesterday when I laid eyes on a nice looking Philco 46-1203 radio-phono unit. I had one of these units a few years ago, but the cabinet was banged up and I just didn't have interest in it at the time. This unit has a nice cabinet and is clean as a pin inside. Price was right and since I regretted letting go of my other one, I bought the radio. The tag said it hummed and yes indeed, it does to that! Got a faint channel though and at least I can hear audio on this set. The last one I had lit up, but no-one was home. I figure this unit will need recapped, a new cord, and the phonograph gone over as it turns really slow. I wonder, is it possible to get these changers to work properly? I can hardly get the person who redoes my radios to touch this type of Philco changer. Got a similar one in my 47-1230 console.

[Radioroslyn]

Sounds like you've got a set that's an easy fix. Like you said the caps should bring it back to life again. With weak filter caps in the power supply what happens is it doesn't filter out all the ac ripple and the output voltage will be low. Thus the hum and not picking up many signals from low gain from the tubes not having enough voltage. Pretty safe bet it's going to need the phono cartridge replaced. If it's a crystal cartridge they absorb moisture over time and that ruins the crystals in the cartridge.
Terry

[philcoradio1234]

I wonder, is it possible to get these changers to work properly? I can hardly get the person who redoes my radios to touch this type of Philco changer. Got a similar one in my 47-1230 console.

is this the kind of chander? check out the link http://www.instructables.com/file/F66EAQTG51G5LRY/

[Jayce]

No, that's a different turntable yet. This changer has the 'bent' spindle with the fairly small turntable on it. I have had several Philcos with this changer or a variants pass through my collection over the past few years. The one on my 47-1230 would probably work if I could find a correct stylus to fit it as it is a magnetic pickup. It appears I might need to repair or possibly replace the on-off-phono-radio control on the 46-1203 as well. It is rather loose and feels rough when you turn it. The other 46-1203 I traded off a couple years back had a bad tone control on it.

[Ron Ramirez]

I've had a few of the 1946-47 Philco consoles with that changer pass through here, and the changers themselves were almost always still working; it was that "dynamic" cartridge that was always a problem as they were designed for a particular stylus. People would invariably stick a steel needle in place of the stylus, enlarging the hole the stylus fits in and ruining the cartridge. The damage is not repairable.

[Jayce]

I think that is what happened to the cartridge of my 47-1230. There was a steel needle stuck up into it when I got the radio and it fell out. Great, pretty much renders a percectly good magnetic cartridge to uselessness. The 46-1203 just has the usual DOA sodium cartridge.