[OldRestorer]

i was offered a 38-23 philco today but cant find it online?
anyone know about them or a price I should offer?
I found a 38-23K and a 38-23x.
Hope it is a 23K
Kirk

[Ron Ramirez]

Don't look here - no one else does.

http://www.philcoradio.com/gallery/1938a.htm#y

[OldRestorer]

Thats where I found them Ron,
I was asking because it only said 38-23 with no K or X

I picked it up anyway and it is the 38-23X

Needs veneer, cabinet refinishing, glass for dial cover, grill cloth, speaker repair and electrical.

I offered $20 but he made me pay $22.00

Here she is:
                   

[Ron Ramirez]

Yeah, it won't say 38-23X inside, just 38-23. You have to know which cabinet it is, which you can usually find in the Philco Gallery.

You did well, $22 is a great price for any old radio that is salvageable. And with your cabinet skills, you'll have it looking like new in no time.

Bear in mind that's an AC/DC set - no power transformer - so be extra careful of any loose wires!

[Jayce]

Hmm, a transformerless set with push-pull sound. Kinda like my one Zenith. I like these oddballs.

[KCMike]

Great find Jayce. Hope you post some more pics. when you get done with it.

[Jayce]

Um, Kirk has it, not me unfortunately!

I have to say, I owned a tranformerless GE console and currently own a transformerless Zenith console. Both were also from the 1938-39 period and a friend once told me that transformerless consoles from the pre-war era are kinda rare. Also, even in the condition it is in now, I would say the Philco all fixed up would beat the GE and Zenith for looks.

[OldRestorer]

I think it will be quite a looker when she is restored. This will probably go into my collection. That makes 4 consoles and 3 I got unexpectedly. I dont think I am going to keep the 38-3 with the original back. Just not a big fan of the cabinet. Then there is the Spartan 668. Not sure how I feel about keeping it.

Restoration will be long off for this console. I have many others waiting in line. First is the 70 restoration, then the silvertone 45, then the spartan console, and then it is my choice which to open next.

[KCMike]

My apologies for the name mix up.

[PhilcoJohn]

great price! I know it will come out great with you redoing the radio cabinet!

[jerryhawthorne]

Kirk, you will turn that into a real beauty I'm certain. As Ron indicated, watch out for those loose wires and hot chassis.
Jerry

[OldRestorer]

Yes I will watch out for wires. Its gonna be a while before I get to it but maybe by then I will have learned more electronics.
Ron, feel free to use the pictures for your site, I will send you some when it is restored.
Kirk

[TA Forbes]

A Very nice find!!!

+1 what Ron referred to about this site, and I might add Chuck's site as well. There is a HUGE AMOUNT OF REFERENCE MATERIAL HERE. Most of our questions can be answered here. PLUS you are equipped with the knowledge to address future problems.

Speaking of interesting transformerless chassis, check out the Pilot 224 I recently acquired. It's an eleven-tube, parallel-push pull (4-25L6) set!!

http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/493/M0014493.htm

[Arran]

What I could never understand about many of these transformerless sets is that they were designed for AC/DC only. Like the schematic for the Pilot that Tom linked to, it has a pair of 25Z5s connected in parallel, when they could have been hooked up as a voltage doubler. Of course with four output tubes the current draw will be higher, but if they used a voltage doubler they could get more performance without having to use 25L6s in Push-Pull parallel. There were also some strange Halson and FADA models that were transformerless but with high tube counts, but again they made them AC/DC only.
The strange part is that the 25Z5, and it's 25Z6 successor, was intended to be used as a voltage doubler but I've never seen them used in that way, though I have heard some odd sets did. For some reason they made most of these sets to accommodate the minority of DC only power grids, a few minor circuit changes and they could have made a high performance transformerless AC design. With some thinking they could have made a change over switch so they could be converted back and fourth, kind of like the voltage changing taps on a European export radio.
Regards
Arran

[TA Forbes]

I have seen them used as a V-doubler, but agree very uncommon.

Yes, the current requirement would call for two rectifiers. With the P-PP 25L6 output I would imagine that the power output is in the vicinity of 10 watts.

One of the neat things about this hobby is the unique circuit arrangements you encounter.