[MrFixr55]

Hi Doppelganger,

After rereading your thread, did you mount the Zenith speakers in the two bottom left and right positions of the cabinet speaker board where 2 of the resonators belong? If so, you are already thinking like me. Miniature relatively good sounding amplifiers that run on 12V like the Kinter and Lepai units available on Amazon or eBay can be hidden in the cabinet, attached to a brace without ruining authenticity if removed. For a "period-authentic" mod, build either a stereo amp or 2 mono amps using a 6F5 and 6F6 for each channel and an 80 as a rectifier. Copy the amp section from the schematic of any period radio like the 37-60.

IMHO, this is merely an "addition" to the radio chassis, not a substitution for it. The chassis definitely should be restored because it is a piece of history and this is a rather High End (for Philco) set and while not a Zenith Stratosphere or a Scott Philharmonic, it is a very nice radio.

As stated before, having the person restoring the chassis to add an "Aux" or "Phono" input will add to your enjoyment of the radio by adding the ability to pipe "OTR" (Old Time Radio) programming into this chassis, not just a boombox or the speaker and amp combinations that I suggested.

There is not much on Shortwave from other countries, as the BBC, Vatican Radio, etc. do not "beam" signals to the US. This programming is available on the internet. Their shortwave assets are beamed to developing countries. You can search the internet for Shortwave radio stations that are available in the US. Many of these are Religious or talk Radio. Shortwave was the "Internet" of the 1930s and 1940s (and later)
where people gained firsthand knowledge of news in Europe that may not have been covered by US based news agencies or radio stations. During this time period, many Americans were either children of immigrants or immigrants themselves and were deeply interested (and likely deeply troubled) by the storm clouds of war developing there.

[poulsbobill]

My 37-116 code 121 is the best sounding radio i have...a daily driver. Since we are talking about "changes". I always wondered about replacing those clarifiers with a midrange and a tweeter. Other than the crossover caps needed would the amp handle the additional load of new speakers? 8 ohm probably.

Again as a "addition " not a replacement. i would never permanently alter this radio.

Bill

[MrFixr55]

Hi Poulsbobl,

I think that you could get away with it.  In the Philco Library, there is a parts listand specs for speakers.  I could not find the 37-116 but for all the sets with Push Pull 42s 6F6s and 6A3s, the speaker voice coil impedance is only 1.75 Ohms, so adding an 8 Ohm 4" full range speaker or 6-8" 2 Way job as a midrange / tweeter is not going to hurt anything much.  The $64,000 question is what to use as a crossover.  For flexibility, I would replace the 2 clarifiers at the left and right of the cabinet with 8" full range  or 2 way speakers (assuming that the clarifiers are that size) and drive them with a a micro amp as in my previous post.  Of course, no new visible holes.  Therefore, either the speakers must be the same size as the clarifiers or if different, make adaptor rings that are held in place using the hardware for mounting the clarifiers.  Using the same technique for adding a phono input, you can add a radio output to the amp and use this stereo microamp in addition to the original amp section.  Setting the treble control will add all the high end you want, and by using the "aux input" as a center channel with the added amp and speakers for left and right, this will enhance the sound of any stereo or remastered big band recordings.

[poulsbobill]

Thanks. I will look into.

Bill