[Dobiwallah]

Hi, I am a Dutch living in New Zealand , and I am renovating a 1900's sleepout in my garden. I thought I like to have some decoration for in this sleepout and went looking for a old radio. before I knew it I bought this radio: http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.asp?id=468956924
The price looked ok to me, but I didn't realized that it was that big. The transport from the South island to the North island will cost 5 times the value of the radio

I went looking for information, and found Ron's website about Philco. Amazing load of information. I read the complete history about Philco, which is not that known were I come from.

Anyway, I could not find the radio in the image galery. Ron, which I have emailed thought it might be from Australia or NewZealand, which is not unthinkable.

I haven't received the radio yet, and it will take probably another 2 weeks to arrive. I hired a furniture mover to pick it up, and deliver it for me. If I get it I will place some photo's.

I was wandering if there is a lot of difference between the NZ and the USA radio's?

[Ron Ramirez]

Hi

Without photos of the chassis, we cannot know much about it. The dial escutcheon looks just like the type used on some 1938 USA Philco sets. The knob layout looks much like a 38-5. The cabinet is very, very similar to - thought not exactly like - a 1938 Philco made in the USA.

During this time period, Philco imported chassis to New Zealand where they were matched up to New Zealand-made cabinets. Some of these are very attractive; more so, I think, than their USA counterparts. The 37-650B cabinet comes to mind. The NZ version has a slanted front panel but the same grille cutouts as the USA 37-650B. And, the NZ version uses a different (smaller) chassis than the 37-650 - a 37-620. Some photos here, posted by a NZ collector:

http://s850.photobucket.com/albums/ab67/...?start=all

[Dobiwallah]

Yippie, my radio has arrived today. Unfortunately, I had to leave it alone for 5 hours, because my dishwasher looked as an exploded view drawing, and the misses had that recognizable look in her eyes, so I fixed the dish washer first.

I am not a radio pro, but I think it looks oke. And it works . Unbelievable that you can listen to a radio which has anounced WWII.

I will leave the radio in the current state for now, because I have to renovate my bedsit first

[Image: http://www.simca.nl/philco/IMG_7920.jpg]
Right side. On the top the varnish is pulled away by tape.

[Image: http://www.simca.nl/philco/IMG_7921.jpg]
Front

[Image: http://www.simca.nl/philco/IMG_7922.jpg]
Left side. On the top a aftermarket switch which is not connected

[Image: http://www.simca.nl/philco/IMG_7924.jpg]
Close up.

[Image: http://www.simca.nl/philco/IMG_7925.jpg]
The dial. Notice that all the varnish is cracked.

[Image: http://www.simca.nl/philco/IMG_7926.jpg]
Front. I figured out the first knob is on/off and 5 more clicks which do nothing (at least I notice noting). The middle knob is AM/SW I think the second click is AM, but I am not sure, On one off the bands I receive nothing, the other one is fine with the just antenna wire on the floor

[Image: http://www.simca.nl/philco/IMG_7927.jpg]
More cracked varnish.

[Image: http://www.simca.nl/philco/IMG_7928.jpg]
Rear side is complete

[Dobiwallah]

[Image: http://www.simca.nl/philco/IMG_7929.jpg]
The guts, just a bit dusty, no rust at all. The black wire on the right is the antenna wire, which was rolled up for transport.

[Image: http://www.simca.nl/philco/IMG_7930.jpg]
I think this is a replacement speaker. It is made in NZ, Wellington.

[Image: http://www.simca.nl/philco/IMG_7931.jpg]
Made expressly for export.

[Image: http://www.simca.nl/philco/IMG_7932.jpg]
Close up

[Image: http://www.simca.nl/philco/IMG_7933.jpg]
Probably a bit different than the US models.

[Image: http://www.simca.nl/philco/IMG_7934.jpg]
The not connected knob


[Image: http://www.simca.nl/philco/IMG_7935.jpg]
Even the label is in good shape

[codefox1]

Some info here

http://www.nostalgiaair.org/PagesByModel...013252.pdf. Should be a very nice sounding and sensitive set. For safety sake you should plan on replacing all the filter and paper capacitors along with most of the carbon resistors before any further trials. I would also add a fuse.

[Arran]

If the model number and the tube placement diagram is correct then the set has gone through some butchery. The set looks like it had push pull 6F6s output tubes, the socket of one of which has been covered by a choke or transformer of unknown purpose. The power transformer is also a replacement, the original had the rectifier tube mounted on top. However in looking at the set one has to wonder what did they use to replace the rectifier tube since it doesn't appear that they relocated it to another part of the chassis, selenium rectifier maybe? Hopefully it wasn't hacked up too much underneith, it would be nice to put it back as close to original as possible.
At first glance the set appeared to be a Philco 38-610 in perhaps a 38-7 or 38-8 cabinet but the cabinet is different from those as well, it's deeper from back to front and has veneered panels where the solid wood parts would be on either side of the speaker grille. It's almost like it was based on the 38-2 and a 38-3 cabinets but with a different grille.
Regards
Arran

P.S I did some research using Ron's ever so useful gallery, it appears that this set (or at least the chassis) was an export version of a 38-5, possibly the main difference was the power transformer being designed for 240 volts at 50 cps. This is good news because it means that it should be possible to locate the missing parts, other then an original power transformer for an export model which likely would have been similar to the one in Ron's newly acquired 37-670.

[gary rabbitt]

Hi,
I have never seen a back for a console like that. Perhaps it was a requirement for the export model?

[Dobiwallah]

<quote>If the model number and the tube placement diagram is correct then the set has gone through some butchery. <quote/>

Hi Arran, thanks for your review, but what you call butchery, it is called here guinea Kiwi engineering. I believe between the nineteen forties and the Internet area, it was just impossible to get rare spare parts for oversees products. (except from commonwealth countries) I can image n that if you are owner of a radio like this, you want to keep it running as long as possible.

If I find the time, I will make a photo from the underneath.

I don't know if the backplate is original, but I think so. It fits exactly in the recesses.

[Radioroslyn]

Looks like the speaker got replaced with a PM job. The transformer covering up the one 6F6 socket likely is the a choke to replace the field coil. Could be that a P/P output transformer couldn't be had at some so it was changed to a single end output. Replacement power transformer so it could be operated from 220vac mains.
Terry

[Ron Ramirez]

Ron Ramirez wrote back in post #2 of this thread:

During this time period, Philco imported chassis to New Zealand where they were matched up to New Zealand-made cabinets. Some of these are very attractive; more so, I think, than their USA counterparts.

This is probably why the OP's set has what looks like a wooden back (timber back to you folks in NZ and AUS).

[codefox1]

No matter, let's get if fixed. I've been shown a bench or two in China. Most of the old stuff was annotated in English!

[Arran]

Hi Arran, thanks for your review, but what you call butchery, it is called here guinea Kiwi engineering. I believe between the nineteen forties and the Internet area, it was just impossible to get rare spare parts for oversees products. (except from commonwealth countries) I can image n that if you are owner of a radio like this, you want to keep it running as long as possible.

If I find the time, I will make a photo from the underneath.

The reason I called it butchery wasn't because of the fact that some parts were substituted but because of the way they installed those substitute parts, it was rather crudely done. If I were in their place I would have installed the filter choke on the frame of the replacement speaker along with the output transformer. It looks to me, judging by the design of the speaker and the age of the filter capacitors, that the work was performed in the 1950s or later, TCC caps were a British export that were often used in Canada both as replacements and as original parts in some sets.
Speaking of which most of the same parts that were missing in your set were readily available in Canada (and likely in Britain) from Philco parts jobbers at least into the early 1950s, so embargos wouldn't have been an issue if someone was determined to get the parts around that time, but the work looks newer then that. Likely the original power supply failed taking the speaker field with it and someone, likely a home tinkerer, decided to get it going with whatever was readily available including a Phillips/Mullard spray shielded tube.
Regards
Arran
Regards
Arran

[AI2V]

Remove that green tape from the 6F6 output tube before you turn it on! The tape is going to smoke if you don't remove it.

Pete