[Elijah]

I have a 1953 Model 53-956 I bought from a flea market about 20 years ago. Terrible shape with a wasp nest and dirt dobber nest built inside. There was no back and the loop antenna was taped to the chassis with the power cord being loosely tucked inside. I managed to get it playing again after several tube replacements, caps and resistor replacements. However, I never could find any info as to how to piece things back together again. The photos below may help. The antenna has no place to attach to the chassis as I think it should somehow attach to the back that's not there. The little "terminal board" with the two screws and two connectors in the picture, attached to the power cord, I have no idea where it goes nor what the single protrusion pin is on the chassis at the back just below the two prong pins for the power cable.

Bottom line if someone can you steer me somewhere that I can find out how to piece things together it would be most appreciative. Perhaps someone has one like this(or a clone model) with some pics of the back and inside of the back to show what's connected where. I do think the metal clamp and attached wire with the "terminal board" is the FM antenna but don't know where it's suppose to connect. I have a schematic but it doesn't show any of this info.
Thanks

[Image: http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x220/...EF4758.jpg]
[Image: http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x220/...EF4757.jpg]
[Image: http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x220/...EF4759.jpg]
[Image: http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x220/...EF4761.jpg]

[Radioroslyn]

It looks like that loop doesn't go to that set. If it works ok then I would mount it to the back of the chassis with a strip of thin wood to the two screws with the spacers. As for the FM ant this set probably had a 3 wire line cord. Two of the wires supply the ac current to the set the third is the FM ant.
GL
Terry

[jerryhawthorne]

Never one to argue with Terry but I do believe you have the proper loop and the FM antenna is provided with the gadget clipped on to the A/C cord and terminates with the 2 prong plug. That plug looks like it would connect into a connector in the center of the loop? You may missing some wires going from that to the tuner section. I suspect the radio also had a hardboard back cover that the loop attached to on the inside of the board with the board itself screwed to the cabinet. Be nice to see a rear view of a complete radio to determine what the rear board looked like.
Good luck, a nice looking Philco AM/FM.

Jerr

[Elijah]

It would be nice indeed to see what it should look like from the back and what the real panel looked like. I found a website that sells parts for this radio and they had a price for the back and antenna but there was no "Add to Cart" button there, just a Check Out button so, I assume they didn't have it but I wrote them anyway...maybe I'll luck out and get a positive answer..

[jerryhawthorne]

Looking a little closer it seems your showing the antenna loop reversed. The wire part I think should be facing into the radio. You might play with positioning it and seeing if there are any holes in the antenna that match with ones on the chassis such that it may be mounted to the chassis. I can't see anything that looks like it could but there are two standoffs on the chassis and perhaps those are what the antenna mounts to? Would be nice again to see a picture of the back of one if anyone out there has one. Does you two prong wire coming off the A/C line fit into the receptical in the center of the loop?

Jerry

[Elijah]

I did photograph the loop backwards. I just wanted to show what it looked like basically. I see noting on the chassis that would hold the antenna. The two male prongs for AC on the chassis will fit or go through noting on the antenna. Surely someone has one of these and could bless these questions with a few pics. I've tried to locate one on line but have had little success. Photos would tell quite a lot.

[Elijah]

Well, I didn't exactly hit pay dirt but at least now I know what the original back cover looked like. I sure wish they had shown the rest with the cover off. Had I known about that auction I would have snatched that one up!! The fourth picture shows the back.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Philco-Radio-53-...7675.l2557

**UPDATE**
I just solved part of the puzzle. That is not the original loop for this radio. In looking for a possible back that may work with it I found a chassis for the Zenith H725 and the loop antenna for it was identical to the one I thought was for the Philco. It had the same number on the back...13977. So, I now don't have a loop or a back for the 53-956.

[jerryhawthorne]

Well, Terry is always right! I just noted the antenna hook up to the A/C cord that matched the loop. Looks like you have a little looking to do. Post a want to buy for the back cover and the antenna here and anywhere else and see if some one might have a parts radio that they would like to give up those parts. Really sorry to question Terry's comments.
Jerry

[Elijah]

Finding those parts may be like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack but I'll give it a try.