[Jayce]

I'm wondering, how well can and should the radiola 60 line perform? I was about to trade off my Brunswick console (Radiola 62), for an early Sparton set and decided to try one more time to get it to work. After fiddling with the tubes for a bit, it finally came back to life and really pulls in stations now. I always thought I really wouldn't be able to use the 60 line at my place because of the antenna I have to use, but today I had it down to only three feet of wire and was still pulling in some stations fairly well. Have I mis-judged these radios due to some fussiness from their age and perhaps a dirty tube socket or two? Yes, it is still a bit fussy at start-up, but that I have always had issues with when I've had a 60.

[TA Forbes]

Some earlier TRF sets will surprise you with how well they receive. Length of antenna seems to have more of an impact with these sets.

[Mondial]

The 60 series uses an all triode superhet circuit and blows away the earlier TRF designs. I had both a Philco 118 and a Radiola 60 chassis on the bench at the same time, and with the same antenna every station I could hear on the 118 was also received by the 60.

The tricky part about the 60's is the IF neutralization adjustments. The IF uses two 27 triodes, so they must be neutralized to prevent oscillation, just like in a Neutrodyne TRF. When I first fired up my 60, It oscillated with whistles and motorboating whenever the volume ( RF and IF gain control ) was turned up more than half way. Aligning the IF transformers and neutralizing the stages transformed the radio, and it could be turned up to full gain with no instability.

The 60's also use a regenerative RF stage. There is a regeneration control called the "compensating condenser" which you turn up until it oscillates and then back off the setting. This setting makes a tremendous difference in the sensitivity of the radio, especially at the high end of the band.

After I completed the adjustments, I was astounded by how well the radio performed, especially since it is otherwise unrestored. I would keep your 62 as it is quite a unique radio and far advanced over other designs of the time.

[Jayce]

Hmm, I will need to find a print and see if everything on my 62 is set up correctly. One issue seems to be in the volume control. Sometimes I really have to fiddle with it to get the radio to come up and stay stable. I cleaned it and noticed what looks like a couple broken strands on the low volume end of the reostat. Not surprising to me in some ways because every 60 series I have seen either has repairs or needs the volume control repaired. I think the one on my Philco 87 is actually a bit heavier built than the Radiola design. Either way, I will probably keep this radio now. Need to reglue a leg that is wobbling and I finally got the hoop put back on the speaker. Though not sure what that actually supports.

[Arran]

If it were me I would probably go for the the Sparton since they are much less common then the Radiola 60/62s are, although the Brunswick versions of a Radiola 60/62 are also not as common.
Regards
Arran

[Jayce]

Mine is a Brunswick 5NC8 and is the only Radiola 62 I have ever seen besides a cabinet a shop junked the guts out of a couple years back thinking it was work more for the cabinet than as a radio. The most common Radiolas around here are 17s, 18s, and 60s. Ohio either didn't have these consoles that are supposedly common or Ohioans tossed stuff out in great numbers.
P.S. This radio was about to suffer the same fate as the other 62 I found.