[Texasrocker]

A friend of mine gave me a old hallicrafters model S -40A receiver awhile back. I havent had a chance to inspect it closely. Its a heavy rascal indeed. Has anyone here ever restored one of these particular models? Its missing a couple knobs, but he told me it worked a few yrs ago on a quick test powerup. Wondering if these sets are really worth restoring anymores? If not, nice spare parts set anyways. Your opinions appreciated.

[exray]

Its a pretty good old rig. I refurbed one several years ago. Two oddities I recall were audio/acoustical feedback from the speaker mounting and there is something incorrect in the service data about restringing the bandspread dial.

My version seemed to be on the verge edge of being too unstable for SSB at around 14 Mc and above. You could copy it but it was a bit warbly.

All in all I think its a good radio for its price range.

-Bill

[Texasrocker]

Thanks Bill! I love vintage radios, but Im not really into the hallicrafters communications type receivers. I stock lots of new caps, but I prefer installing them into other nicer vintage home type receivers. I figure I can dismantle this boat-anchor ,and come out with a good used pwr trans, some spare usable 6v tubes. Hopefully the spkr should be ok behind the metal cover, and some still-good orig sealed type black-beauty caps that my guitar buddies like to remodel their vintage amps with. The vintage guitars & amps collectors love the used black-beauty caps to bring back authentic tones.Seems the last customers halli I restored several yrs back had plenty orig black-beauties caps under the chassis if I remember correctly. Good "donor" parts set I guess.
Thanks again for your info on this vintage Halli receiver!! Sincerely, Tex

[exray]

Welp, its your radio. Unless its a cosmetic disaster I wouldn't vote for parting it out. The only BBs that gitar-people pay real money for are the .022/400v and I don't think there are any of those in that radio.
As for 'currency conversion' I think you'd be further ahead dolling it up and ebaying it unless its a rusty dog.

[Arran]

Don't trash it or part it out, very few of those sets can't be fixed. The S40s are good performers and decent looking for a communications set, I have the S77 which is the AC/DC version of an S40, it's a hot set with very pretty green dials. There is an outfit that manufactures plastic parts that produces knobs very close to the stock Hallicrafters sets, I can't recall the name but I would like to contact them about it. My radio does not have any black beauties or bumble bees, they are all wax jobs, they may have been put in there as replacements. Six volt tubes and power transformers aren't worth a whole lot, you can buy those at ham fests by the pound, much better to sell the set as is or learn to like it, it was a gift after all.
Best Regards
Arran

[Texasrocker]

Thanks for your suggestions guys! I forgot to mention in my previous post, that this halli S-40A is a serious rusty-dog barn find!!!, missing knobs,etc, and the last time I checked ebay, there was a really nice Halli S-40A offered for real-real-real cheap,(heavy expense shipping charges understood indeed!).. and no bidders at all!! But then again, thats epay for ya. This radio isnt exactly a "gift" to me! Rather, I unknowingly "traded" for it for a new auto window-tint job ( my primary business trade) I installed on his truck last yr he never paid me for!! I let it slide $$, and never expected to ever get a dime. This friend is one of those that never has any money, but trades things instead in his "mind". Ever known someone like that before? This old halli boatanchor he dropped-off here belonged to his own dad, is just beyond my desires to restore in its present condition, but at least I got something out of the deal, a "rusty-boatanchor"!!... in trade for a $125 window tint job. I got screwed, but "hey", WHAT ARE FRIENDS FOR? anyways? I could restore the old halli- electronically, but saving this "dog" just isnt worth it in my honest opinion. If I were going to do that, I should have purchased the one on ebay. It looked "new", and used parts from this dog to repair it instead!!
As for vintage sealed Black Beauty & Bumble Bee caps,the vintage amps & guitars guys also like the old BB .047 caps also! They can be used in vintage amps & also under the pickguards of vintage Gibson Les Pauls guitars ( larger routing-cavity in the Gibson vintage solid-bodies than vintage Fender guitars). Ive sold several vintage BBs before to the zz guys before! Vintage caps have "tone" not found in any others!!! Vintage late 40s-early 50s Zenith ac/dc Trans-Oceanics radios are "loaded" with these vintage good sealed vintage BBs caps, excluding the always "fried" .047 ac line bypass caps!! I like keeping a few of these vintage BB caps here in stock myself, to use in high-end vintage McIntosh & Scott hi-fi gear when needed. As exray said, probably not many guitar type BBs in this old Halli anyways. I havent looked under chassis yet, it may be the "wax" jobbers, but those are still in demand also with guitar-gods to be used in low-voltage guitars "tone" only applications amongst the guitar tone-masters. Guitar Stars "experiment" using all types vintage-caps in their guitars tone-controls these days! Dont throw-em out! Post your vintage caps on epay! Especially the .022 & .047 types!! Unfortunately, the vintage Philco bakelite blocks wont fit, unless mounted on the guitar-strap with jumper wires to the guitar.( hee hee), but Im sure someone has tried that too by now! The new-production high $ offered "wax" caps arent the same "tone" as the old ones, as Ive been told.
If you guys need any "parts" off this dog "fido" S-40A halli, lemme know! Hey Aaron, need a 60 hz powertrans up your ways in Canada for future use? I may have another good spare 60 hz one here in backstock, but havent checked voltages/amp current draw yet.Bet its still good tho?

[Doug Houston]

Tex, have you any inderstanding at all what these old Sprague capacitors are? They are leaky...have resistance across them. It has been a mystery among learned radio technicians what inhabits the heads of those guitar amplifier fans. They are removed from equipment because they are the cause of malfunctioning.

I understand that musicians have no savvy whatsoever of electronics, but being a graduate electrical engineer, and having designed electronic equipment for 65 years or so, and/or serviced it as well, It is beyond my comprehansion, how old, leaky capacitors can give just decent performance of audio amplifiers, much less admirable quality of output. In my aged eyes, this is unabashed insanity.

Are you in a position to explain how any degraded capacitors, regardless of capacitance ratings, can make an audio amplifier work properly? I'd want more of an explanation than: "I dunno, but they do".

I don't choose to come across as a lone protector of society. When I replace those old Sprague "Black Beauties, be they color coded or marked with ratings. I relegate them to the trash can. Indeed, I can sell them to some eager buyer, but I view this as tantamount to slipping a drink to an alcoholic. The deed doesn't hurt me, but the results do.

Clue me, please.

[Texasrocker]

No prob Doug! Thanks for asking!! After having restored well over 250 various brands vintage radios in the many past yrs from 1920s trfs-50s superhets, I have a very good understanding of why to replace "all" caps in vintage radios! The "I dunno" as you wanted me to reply to is this. I dont understand ,just as you, why the professional-musicians have created a demand for pre-used vintage caps among the guitar-gods except for Im talking major Recording Stars here than can afford to purchase "fine vintage amps & guitars).... for this explanation that you asked for, except to "splain" it this way. I really know why the real "musicians & their techs" do, but Im not sure the radio-techs here will??!!! You see Doug, the used vintage black-beautie type caps I was referring to be reused again, are in applications such as "inside the guitars bodies- from the pickups assys/ or vintage amps used on the vol-tone controls only",,, very ( low-voltage) situations! Most vintage radio caps are "trash" indeed!
Except for a very-few of the vintage black-beauties and/or any vintage wax-caps, that "never" had a resistance load across them in such areas as at the loop-antenna-to chassis input connectors of vintage radios,or other vintage electronics from that era etc such as a mid-50s McIntosh C-8 preamp was "loaded" with sprague BBs in a low voltage situation also just as a example. I stripped several very good re-usable vintage BB & wax caps before and tested them!
As far as reusing any previously used vintage Sprague BB ,or any brand wax cap in a "amplifier", those limited "very few" uf candidates are tested fully before re-installing them into amplifiers only used in Recording Studios "house vintage guitar amplifiers" where "tone" is paramount in the ears of the audiophiles, and "yes", those guys DO exist beyond the vintage radio restorers world indeed!Those guys can tell you if a 1959 Fender Bassman amplifier has ever been "re-capped" before just by listening to it, before ever pulling the chassis out ! These "real" vintage type caps are indeed in demand for "testing" guitar tones,and replacing in vintage "highly-rare" Vintage collectible guitars that someone molested in the past by installing new caps and/or the orig guitar pickups.., and the guys that "try them", know what they are doing with such vintage items from the get-go!! Many vintage guitars & amps have been highly-molested before thru the yrs just as vintage radios.The highly-professional ( Recording Artists signed to Major Rec Labels)vintage guitar & and amp "techs" really DO know more than you give then credit for!! They definately know better than to just "chunk-in" various vintage BB & wax "ebay find" caps into a guitar or amplifier! Being that some of the orig 1959 Les Paul & 57 Fender Strats Guitars now sell upwards of $50,000. each, and the only thing missing is a "real- genuine" 50s era vintage wax or genuine vintage sprague BB cap under the pickguard, and you bet Doug, these vintage caps are sometimes in demand to be used to bring the instruments back to "original"! When someone is paying up to $50 Gs for a vintage guitar,( or vintage amplifiers) they "do" pull the covers and look closely, and they know the difference between the new-type wax caps being mfd today & the vintage! Its kinda the same-thing as the guys that "re-stuff" the philco-bakelite blocks !! Many of the vintage sealed-type BB caps are still usable to a certain "group" that knows how & what to expect from their service & purposes!! Being that most of these used vintage caps are now re-used only in tone-controls appliques, ( low voltage) situations, by folks that know HOW to restore vintage-tone to vintage guitars & amps, you bet, a few of these vintage caps are still in demand! As a pro-touring musician for many yrs myself, even I would know where to "sub-only" any used wax or BB cap in ANY acceptible low-voltage situation! So in retrospect, I "do-no" why guys like SRV( had) & BF Gibbons( guitarist) of ZZ Top still have "use" for such items!!..and they arent "scared" to experiment at all! Splained? If not feel free to rsvp! until then "cheers"!! Its happy hour here & your always welcome for further "splainin" my posts anytime!! Thanks again for your "interest" Doug!! TEX

[exray]

There's the thing about leakage in old caps at various voltage levels (we're talking about extremely low voltage stuff here in the case of gitar pickups and such) that simply cannot be duplicated by paralleling a resistor to duplicate the leakage effect. I respect that and it could probably be electronically proven with that approach of looking at it if anybody would bother to do so. Whether or not the same could be achieved with any old bad paper cap will always be subject to debate because I've yet to see anybody actually make such a test.

If folks like the way an old leaky BB handles in such circuits, then fine... let 'em buy them. That doesn't imply that the same old bad BB makes a good B+ bypass cap...in fact its quite the opposite.

Once the 'myth' gets started its hard to keep it in a context.


-Bill

[Texasrocker]

Yea Exray. I think perhaps Doug misunderstood my reasoning for saving vintage-style BB & wax caps for uses other than vintage radios. Most probably "my bad" as I dont type well ( true meaning of my intended post) on the computer sometimes! The old "leaky" wax & BB caps are in some demand for "low-voltage" vintage "tone quality" applications only in both vintage guitars & vintage amps controls. Wow,now its all this,! Didnt mean to stir up such a fuss over vintage BB caps at all! I still have a vintage hallicrafters S-40a boatanchor if anyone needs any spare parts off it. Im not here to "sell", just trying to help out with spare parts if someone needs em of the old halli.

[AI2V]

Some audiophools go nuts over the old caps but they are missing out on the super low distortion carbon resistors!

I have a box of these priceless resistors (Allen-Bradley's no less!) that were production floor left-overs from Boonton Radio Corp; I recall injecting pure sine waves into a variety of these resistors in a variety of configurations and had output harmonic distortion levels of greater than -90dB! That's pretty hard to beat!

[codefox1]

I'm not sure what the issue is, but an ancient oil filled bumble bee 400 volt capacitor that would not pass muster at 12 volts DC may do just fine in a guitar pickup, unless it is dead shorted which is unlikely. Frankly I think the answer would be to send phantom power through the cable, and have the entire signal amplified on the guitar body, then take care of everything else downstream with an equalizer. Mind you I am just in the theory stage, and I haven't opened the switch cavity of my Gibson ES in 40 years. Don't know what's in there, but it still plays nicely. Wish my hands worked as they once did. Then I thought more about it and ...

Is there a reason why we still need cords on guitars? Seems like we don't in microphones. Could we not just have a FM transmitter in the cavity where the output jack is, powered by a couple of tiny batteries, and not even change the physical appearance of our vintage axes? And we could also make the changes completely reversable to stock. I realize this is off subject for Philco Radios, perhaps we should start a new thread on musical instruments. Does anyone else have a Hammond Organ? I have a C3, and love to doodle around with it a few times a week.

[exray]

They do make wireless gizmos for musical instruments but thats a very touchy issue for the 'old school' chaps.

[Texasrocker]

You bet exray!, the "real" vintage guitar/amps guitar-guys ( millionaires types recording artists) that use vintage caps in low-voltage ( restoration only) applications to restore their vintage instruments to orig tonal-qualitys, for "recording purposes only via direct shielded- instrument cables from vintage guitars to vintage amps", sure know better than to rely on the same "theory" while using wireless on their "live performances"!! Just ask Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top!Heck, perhaps he could also help "splain" to D.H. the "why-for-reasoning" , that vintage-leaky-caps can be of use to others that "create tone" via vintage musical-instruments ( low voltage applications only) "on purpose", as opposed to those that just "restore & listen" to old tube radios only? Since there were literally millions of vintage radios produced in the 40s-50s era that used the same wax & bb caps that Leo Fender & G Gruen at the Gibson factories used in their guitars & amps during the same time period,only us radio techs find them and most of the origs "leaky caps" are simply tossed these days from vintage radio restorers. To most us vintage radio restorers, the people that appreciate orig-leaky wax- & bb caps are called "audiofools"! In low-voltage applications such as tone-controls, the real-vintage "tone" is found in these vintage-real -leaky caps!! On purpose, by audiofools that know how to use them again!!Are these folks reall "fools"? Im not really sure! As an aside to this "theory" of use of vintage leaky caps, is to do the A-B "listen test"! Listen to a ZZ Top recording thru your vintage re-capped Philco Radios!! Best of both worlds indeed from the ZZ ( select) analog & digital combo rec-studios back thru your vintage Philco spkrs!! You can bet ZZs guitarist used "orig vintage caps" in ALL his restored & custom built guitars & amps, period!! I know the old "luthiers" & guitar techs well from the Stevie Ray Vaughans orig guitar-techs days as well as the others! These guys know-where to use orig "leaky 1940s era" orig caps,& why the origs were missing in vintage instruments over the yrs, whats origs ufs/voltage ratings are missing, and how to replace them only with orig caps produced in the same yrs in vintage instruments! Therefore, as I stated before here and got a radio-tech needing a "splaination", feel free to save all your vintage wax & bb caps you replace in vintage radios and post them on ebay if you wish. There are buyers out there that know what to use-em for indeed!... and it wont be re-using them in a vintage radio restoration at all! I just recently found a perfect orig ( corrected)"tone-match" by replacing a hackers job using a older modern-type sealed orange-drop on a tone control in 59 Gibson reverb-rocket guitar amp. The orig owner still plays thru the amp, and noticed it "lost orig tone" back in the early 70s when he had the amp serviced. Someone had replaced the tone controls c.t. orig wax cap with a orange-drop, & "tone" was changed forever until we "subbed" in one of my orig vintage wax caps from the 40s I had from a old radio. When my customer played thru his amp again, the old wax cap restored his orig tone! I hate to say "dont ask me why" again?.. but perhaps another audiofool? I think not!

[codefox1]

If you google "sound of capacitors" you'll get a long list of interesting articles, most of which are completely over my head. Somewhere along the line I obtained a bag of .047 1kv ceramic caps, and another bag of .0047 1 kv ceramics for very little money. I've used these in the restoration of a few "lesser" sets and found no problems with sound or other function.

Well, I usually replace all the wax tubulars on any set as well as restuff the electrolytic can before I even think about plugging the thing in on my variac. In larger equipment, if I can reform the elecrolytics in a reasonable amount of time, and the current draw is within limits, and no significant physical deterioration, I've been known to fuse, monitor, and check for heat, and leave the time bomb alone.

I like to get all the old wires off a terminal block or tube socket by wicking off the blob of solder and then unwinding the connections, I do have a s*it load of wax "condensors" with moderately long leads in various states of decay. The ones with short leads, or really seriously ugly, I throw out. Most of them test at least +30% on my novice grade Mastech meter, and do not pass muster for more than 50 volts on my ancient Eico 950 bridge/ capacitor checker (with the green eye, of course.) I'll be keeping some of these, and maybe I can make a few bucks sellling to informed consumers on Epay.

The scary ones are the B- to chassis ones that have a lot of leakage. Even scarier on guitar amps. If I can do a reversable mod (i.e. on a fender, replace the ac outlet with a 3 prong male, and then disconnect the ridiculous toggle switch and death capacitor.) to use a 3 wire cord on them, I do it, with the owner's consent. I then put all the replaced parts in a small tupperware and urge the owner to keep this in case, for some reason, they want to have someone restore the amp to original. Then they can use any old computer power cord to plug in, and not worry about damp floors, etc... No, I do not give them one of those silly adaptors that allows them to plug into a 2 hole recepticle. My additional 2 cents worth.