To learn "and understand" things about electronics that you won't learn anywhere else, check out my Patreon page, click here: www.patreon.com/MrCarlsonsLab
Is it possible on some radio's to replace the vacuum tubes with Transistors/FETS when the tubes aren't available ant there isn't any alternative tube which must work??
I traditionally work on field phones and historical battery powered electronics. A friend asked me to look at a Silvertone 1 1950 radio he found at an antique shop. He plugged it in and the tubes lit (It had a worse cord than this one! :o I'm surprised he did that and didn't get shocked). This video was very helpful in realizing I'm more than a bit out of my depth, capacitors and resistors I can work with, but this radio is one of the non-transformer ones you described near the beginning and unless I build a isolation transformer like yours I'm not going to mess with it. I'd rather let it be history, not be history myself ;)
Stewart- Warmer was based in the 1940-70's in Chicago. My father was with them for 16 years. During WWII they started producing gauges and sending units, vacuum tubes and radio equipment. In the 1950-60's they focused on gauges and got away from Radio production. Every young person with a " hot rod" car wanted a Stewart Warner Tachometer or oil or temperature, volt or amperage gauges. You will also see Stewart- Warner vacuum tubes. would really like a Stewart Warner radio to restore! Beautiful work, a joy to watch.
What a Wonderfull and Talented Engineer. That radio sounds fantastic. I think its the first time ive ever watched a 2 houe video. The time just flew by.👆
I am an auto mechanic full time I really love watching your videos Mr c when you speak of voltage drops gauge transformers coils DC AC rectifiers you're speaking my native tongue thank you buddy and giving me hope and humanity
Thank you Mr. Carlson for another great video. As a child of the early 50's I can recall my first electrical experience. I had a habit of taking my mother's bobby pins and pushing them into electrical outlets. They were lacquer coated I think back in those days, so I was saved from disaster until one day I scraped the insulating lacquer off the bottom of the pins where it had accumulated into drips. The result was I blew out a lead glass fuse burning my fingers and getting my parent's attention. They installed child proof outlet protectors as a result. Not put off by that action, I learned how to rotate the plastic protection cover of the device and was discovered doing so by the old man and he immediately administered frontier justice. Needles to say I stopped that behaviour but developed a habit of looking over my shoulder before plugging stuff in for years, Hi Hi. My first electrical education at that tender age, was when the Sears Silvertone radio stopped working and the old man took it upon himself to pull the chassis and take the tubes down to the hardware store to check them out. Lo and behold, one of them was kaput so he bought a new one. Upon arriving home, he reinstalled the tubes but the radio still would not work. He got very frustrated and caught my mother's attention. She quickly realized he did not put the tubes back into their respective sockets. She arranged them accordingly and the radio played on. She was a registered nurse and did things precisely by nature. Your caveat about making sure the tubes are in the right places, dislodged that long forgotten memory. It was a general lesson I never forgot, that everything has its proper place. I love your stuff, you are a great teacher. Thank you
In the early 60's, i was about 8 or so. The family dog (puppy at that time), chewed through the power cord of a table radio. LOL, man did he run fast. The resulting short popped one of those glass fuses.
I guess the rest of the story about those glass fuses was in 1995, more than 40 years later, my sister inherited the house and I did a complete rewiring of it, including first replacing the original 60 amp service that fed a service panel with 2 30 amp glass fuses feeding 4 15 amp glass fuses that fed the branch circuits. I replaced it with a 200 amp service with a 40 position service panel with real breakers this time around. In the end, I took the little 1949 New Jersey track house from 16 outlets to over 100, according to code, plus wired a separate garage with a sub panel that the old man built in 1953, with its own 60 amp service which was equivalent to the original service for the house... ...and to think, it all began with those bobby pins.
I grew up in a 1920's house in Winnipeg that had a 60 amp service in the kitchen, which consisted of a three pole fused knife switch with three 60 amp cartridge fuses (oddly, one of them was on the neutral line), two meters (one for lights and one for the stove), an enclosed side lever switch box for the water heater, and three open air, porcelain fuse blocks, with two 15 amp glass fuses each. Quite often, when someone happened to plug an electric kettle into the stove's outlet, the fuse on the neutral would blow, causing the lights to go dim, but not out completely. We eventually upgraded to a 100 amp service with a breaker panel in the basement and never had that problem since.
You are the only one that can make me look and listen to a video of almost 2 hours about an old tube radio. And I mean that as a compliment! Another great video, thank you!
There is always something fascinating about these old "valve" devices. (I'm from the UK). Its the way you can tell whether the guy building it took care and the story they tell of years of use and the attempts at repair. Something truly mesmerising that isn't present around printed circuit boards.
I am a very old retired technician who loves watching electronic repair videos on You Tube. And I have watched HUNDREDS of videos relating to tube radio resurrection, repair, and tuning. So far you are the ONLY technician I have seen who does the job CORRECTLY! All the other videos done by the other so-called techs only make me want to throw up! Keep up the great work educating everyone on the proper way to do the job. I hope the other electronic repair techs start watching and learning something from you! Thank you for the educational entertainment! Regards, Dennis O.
Paul this one of my favorite videos i love the performance of this unit and how much time you take to explain and perform the aliment procedure well done
I just want to say I have watched so many of your videos but Paul this one is very special for a lot of reason. I think partly because it was clear you really injured doing it and it showed and it did not look like a fancy radio but wow the performance was unbelievable thank 👏
It's like Mr Rogers (I'm referring to Fred Rogers) repairs radios with his soothing voice and gentle touch. Not bad. :) Of course, I should actually be repairing the antique radios on my own workbench, but that's another story. I've got one that just needs a 6V dial light bulb... grrrr.... I know I have a bag of them somewhere.
A new video from Mr Carlson's Lab is more exciting than a new Star Wars episode, even - or because - we already know how well it will end. This ressurection of a time capsule from the distant electromecatube era is a masterpiece. Thanks.
I have the same radio, which I purchased at an auction about 15 years ago. It is in working condition, but missing the correct volume knob and the dial cover. I didn't understand how the "magic keyboard" worked until I watched your video. I will now have a go at tuning them to some local stations. Love sitting in our screen porch on warm summer nights listening to baseball games on it. Reminds me of hearing games with my dad 60 years ago on a Philipps receiver. Thanks for the great video!
Your explanations of each section are some of the best I have seen on any restoration project, be it RUclips or elsewhere. Normally I get quite bored with long videos, but yours seem to leave me wanting more. I have limited experience with Valve/Tube circuits and you have taught me a lot just from watching the restorations. It still amazes me just how much thought and intelligence went into these old electronics compared to modern equipment. The hum-bucking coil, as an example, is just pure genius really. Simple, but it works. Could you maybe do a short video on speaker cone repairs in the future? Thank you for all the restorations and information, past, present and the ones still to come.
Now if this were a transmitter, alignment instructions would be, "tune for maximum smoke." Seriously, great video and well done. You have infinite patience and great attention to detail.
A 2 hour video!!! Mr. Carlson has so much knowledge and information to pass on to everyone, and this takes time. Enjoyed the video so much. I hope there are more 2 hour vids in the future.
I grew up for my first 8 years in very rural North Dakota. Our farm house had never been wired for power, and had no plumbing, so our entertainment was an old battery pack radio. I was so proud of our radio because it looked very modern with a nice straight dial, and a small red flag that dropped down in a tiny window in the center of the tuning screen to indicate the radio was on. There is something about old tube driven radios that gives such a wonderful tone to the audio, and I guess the speakers were much larger then their replacement solid state radios. My heart warms when I hear the old mysteries that were so common in the 50's when we lived in that old house covered with tar paper to keep the Dakota wind at bay. The house was lite by kerosene lamps that lit only a small part of the room near the chair where my father sat, HIS chair was given only to honored guests, such as the Reverend, should he come to call, otherwise it was off limits, even if dad were out on the ancient tractor plowing the fields. When we finally moved to a rented farmstead that was closer then the 26 miles that the home place lay, the new place (to us) did have power, WHAT A DEAL this electricity was! First dad found a used radio, big floor model with a huge speaker that deliver bass that would shake the cobwebs when it was turned to loud, another thing that only happened if mom and dad were both gone, and eventually Dad found a used TV that we could watch, but I always missed that theater of the mind fro those old tube sets, and I think my love for electronics came from watching dad changing tubes in the radio when the sound became weak, or the stations seemed to fade in and out. So thanks so much for the memories, and explaining what those mysterious tubes in those sets really did! Dad always told me you had to look at the glow, and if they were dark, they were bad. Guess he had his own way to trouble shoot, he was born in 1910 so he watched as electricity came into use from the beginning, I guess he picked up a lot along the way, he was indeed one of the wisest men I ever knew.
As I watch you bring these devices back to life, I like to imagine what people were listening to when they were brand new. I can picture families setting around the set listening to fireside chats, reports from the war correspondents, Burns and Allen, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, etc.
What can you say.........Wonderful production values and professional from start to finish a wonderful 2 hr watch, Just fantastic the best on RUclips. Loved when you dimmed the lighting to show us the beautiful gold dial in it's full glory.......Thank you!!
Another "A number 1" restoration project from beginning to end, Paul. You do such a great job in explaining everything. I always learn something new watching them, and I've been in this 51 years. Thanks. 73 Harvey KM4JA
I wish I could remember who pointed me to this channel - because I no longer sleep for binge watching... I am wanting to build a vacuum tube, bluetooth amp now... why? Because Mr. C has made tubes fashionable again
Mr Carlson? I cannot imagine how much time you put into these videos. I've made some videos (albeit, bad ones) and it always takes 10 times the amount of time I think it will. I can't imagine what amount of time you spend in this stuff.. We all appreciate it!
First time seeing an alignment done on any radio receiver ever. Know the theory but never seen the practical. Brings back memories of bygone days. Those if's were really outta whack. Really a well kept valve(tube} radio and made to a high standard.
I had to watch this one again!!! I get so disappointed when I watch any other videos on repair or restoring vacuum tube rigs. It is almost like the other people have an attitude of "Let's see how lousy I can make this and still have it work...somewhat. Even when you do the least that you do on a particular piece of equipment, it is far better, more professional, and easy to understand far beyond that of any other videos out there! Keep up the excellent work!!!
I’m at a loss for words your brilliant I as a restoration guy a jeweler, and horological guy I am now on a new quest to understand the old radio world and it is so intriguing to me . I know nothing and am starting at 0 . Just want to say thank you . Just brilliant the level of knowledge is truly impressive.
Always a great "show". My late brother, Monte, W6CUW, used to refurbish boat anchors. He did both amateur radios and broadcast units. He went so far as to gut the old wax caps and put modern caps inside the shell and refill them with wax. A friend of his did precision cabinet restorations. Between them, they did quite well. Tom -- WA7TCD
Your restoration / realignment videos are always my favorite! This was absolutely superb, Paul. Thank you for taking the time and effort. I found a Stewart Warner 206FA (lass fancy model) that I had completely gone thru and it works and sounds great. Yours is a real gem! I'm so glad you are here to share this with us. Keep up the great work. - Mike
Man there's nothing cooler than the sound of radio stations being just barely received, some of those sounds around the 1:51 mark are so cool. All the flanges and whistles and distortions and so on, it's badass.
I think my great grandfather had the floor version of this same chassis! It had the radio on top and a 10" speaker at bottom , beautifully crafted wood cabinet and openings at the back for air cooling. I wonder what happened to it ! I greatly appreciate your videos as I was a RF engineer in the vacuum tubes era ,long time ago. Keep this videos coming .:)
When my father and I were repairing old radios in the 50's we used Toilet paper and contact cement to repair speakers. We were careful to not get any glue on the flexible portion of the speaker just the flat sections and it worked fine. Better glues are available now but the old method would still work for speakers that are missing parts of the paper. Thanks for a wonderful video.
The Stewart looks like he has a small heater over the main dial, that keeps the wife's hands warm while she knit socks and listen to the music from the fifties :) What a great long video Paul! Without your videos I'd never see such a great receiver. I've enjoyed every second! Many thanks for sharing this!
Wow, you brought back some memories. I was a radio repair man and that looked all so familiar. That radio would have been just a youngster when I started. Many thanks for the nostalgia.
Hours of enjoyment watching your videos Mr. Carlson, well received and thank you. I very much look forward to your retro-bench series, recreating vintage troubleshooting technique with vintage gear. Best, best!-)
Thats really something, Mr Carlson. Vacuum tubes that are 77 years old and still working fine, while manufacturers can't make a led TV last more than 5-7 years before the caps blow out in it. Back then, things were built with pride and designed to last....things today are designed to fail with planned obsolescence so the manufacturer can make more money..its sad.
Remember that this stuff was really expensive, easily multiple monthly wages for "normal" people. And to the "still working fine" .. that's for a good part survivorship bias. An acquaintance who sold radios back then told me that a good part of what he sold were back in this shop for repair in the first two years (and the radio in the video was repaired once, too). It usually was nothing too serious and easily/cheaply fixed, but those radios failed quite often and it was just accepted as such. You know why every little town had its radio technican and he had enough to do? That's why! So, if you think about how cheap todays electronics are and how much more capable they are in comparision .. I think you still get way more bang for the buck. Not to defend the extra crappy stuff you can get (but stuff like that was available back then, too .. it's just nothing left of it, obviously).
@@swalker157 -- True when it comes to consumer electronics, but not for high ticket industrial equipment or non-digital musical instruments where electronics comprises a very small fraction or none of the cost.
I hope your loved ones and house are OK after that huge ice storm you had over there. Best wishes thanks for all the interesting educational content. Keep 'em coming!
New subscriber. Hi everyone! Just wanted to mention how much I appreciate the way you present each repair video as a teaching exercise, with those of us at home, your students. Your content has helped expand my understanding of consumer electronics and their design. Highlighting not only how to repair or replace a particular component, but also what function that component provides, leaves us better able to understand WHY we may want or need to replace it. Many channels do a fine job of detailing the necessary steps needed to effect the repair of any number of electronic devises. Few, however, take the time to explain not only what to do but why we're doing it. By the video's end I always feel as though I've just had a full meal, not just nachos. Thank you.
You are a hero to me. You are Mr. Rogers for adults. You literally make me feel so much better after a bad day. Dude. You are my Therapist. Thank you. Do you have Merch? Can I get an autographed picture? Thanks.
Paul Carlson-the only person who can produce a 2 hour youtube video that leaves his viewers wanting more. Quick question for Paul-how long does it take you to record, edit and produce a 2 hour video? Thanks, Ian
Both Paul and M Caldeira, my two favorite youtubers to watch for restoration work. I know I'm asking for a lot but I wish they both would put MUCH more content, I can't get enough of these types of videos.
Oh man! A 2 hour restoration video, I settled in an watched the whole thing. Great video with detailed explanations. Paul you really do make brilliant videos for us. A lovely radio it is to. Thanks!
Wow, that Art Deco dial is gorgeous. It surprises me how many AM stations you still got. In Europe that ship has sailed. FM is soon to be empty also. Sad days are coming.
True. I´ve also two long and medium (=broadcast) wave only radios, and there´re only a few foreign (mainly russia, two italian and two english spoken stations, all other is just noise) stations are present. Therefore i built a little AM-transmitter, a while ago to have something to receive using these radios. But the good thing is, no one cares about these tiny wattage DIY transmitters anymore, as it´s not of any interest. Also, at least here in germany, they moved away from a fast FM broadcast shutdown, they talked about a year ago. As we, the consumers don´t follow them in terms of buying these "fancy" new DAB+. After the fact that DAB failed big time, they did some sort of relaunch with a slightly modified version calling that DAB+, but it´s more or less the same thing with the same issues - drop outs to no reveiveing in the cities. No, people don´t follow this time, they holding back onto their UKW (or FM as you call it) radios, and aren´t buying any DAB+ stuff. Great! But i also think the industry will put more force onto the DAB+ in order to make us buy these DAB+ crap. No, i´ll going to use my old radios especially the GRAETZ 177 as well as my HiFi tuner and i´m prepared: i bought some FM-stereo transmitters, one also with RDS. No need to modify these old radios, i can use them as intended by just lay one of these transmitters on top of the radio and make them play what i want.
There are still plenty of AM stations in the US. At night if I tune my SDR to the AM broadcast band, there is a station every 10 KHz from one end of the band to the other.
AM in the US is a wasteland though.. there's tons of stations for sure but a lot of them are crazy political channels, you could hear some of it when he was scrolling through channels at the end.
That is a Canadian radio. The output tube has a T. Eaton Co. sticker on it, and two stations on the Magic Keyboard I recognized as CJOR and CFRI, from the Vancouver/Osoyoos BC area, and US stations from northwest Washington. I wouldn't be surprised if this radio was originally sold by the Eaton's store in Vancouver.
Hello Paul, beautiful radio! Good work on repairing this radio! I really enjoyed tuning the stations! You are a very skilled electrician! I gave you a thumbs up! With Regards Miroslav from Slovakia.
Very nice. Today we learned about reading old resistors (b.e.d.), how to use the old o-scope made into a curve tracer, field coils, voice coils, and hum bucking coils. All new to me. Favorite quote: "That is a very very bad capacitor, I would say its a resistor" at 105:36. 73.
I used to collect this stuff from flea markets as a kid, got a few of them up and running but they were mostly mystery boxes for me, wish I'd kept at it, I had a whole stack of gear from the 30's, 40's and 50's. I loved using very old microphones for my TASCAM 4 track haha, great unusual sounds.
Thanks Paul, another priceless relic from "yesteryear" being brought back to life for another decade or more useful life. I learned also about B-E-D markings on old resistors. J K
you have some cool videos i love learning about the old radios i never knew how every thing works together until i started watching your videos keep up the good work
This is excellent knowledge and an excellent person 2 teach us thank u so much 4 taking the time 2 teach us & give u more about radios,Radios, bless u!
What a Great video of Detail, full Brilliance, I viewed it fully, and liked it so much, I now want to refer to this work of art as my go to video, when I begin repairing/restoring vintage gear. Paul, is remarkable in every aspect of the word. Thank you very much Paul!!!
Love the long form videos! Thanks for sharing this with us. This video is a great introduction of high voltage vacuum tube audio amps/receivers for the uninitiated.
I picture some guy in the back of the radio store adjusting those trimmers to all the local radio stations, so when someone purchased the radio, all their favorite stations are just a button press away. The convenience of modern electronics!
Great video! I was entertained for the whole 2 hours. That's WWV you were picking up at 10MHz an 15MHz. It's just up the road from me here in Colorado.
tune that Stewart Warner to 1540 and listen to KXEL news talk radio in Waterloo, Iowa where I live. Love your videos even though I know nothing about electronics!!!
Two things that irritate.Why Far-ADD and not Farad? And from other videos you use variate as a verb instead of just vary! Love your work Mr Carlson. You have an extremely good analytic mind.Thanks for sharing.
Hi Gary, just been around too long I guess... en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/variate I would get into why I speak the way I do, (Farad, solder, and so on) but this channel is about electronic's, not grammar. Thank You for your kind comment.
![Bizarre Looking RCA Radio! [Electrical Restoration]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Nzutvfbucr0/mqdefault.jpg)
![Bizarre Looking RCA Radio! [Electrical Restoration]](/img/tr.png)
![FADA Radio Receiver From 1937 Electronic Restoration! [Repair]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/uTReCtMf3fg/mqdefault.jpg)
To learn "and understand" things about electronics that you won't learn anywhere else, check out my Patreon page, click here: www.patreon.com/MrCarlsonsLab
Rod Elliott's site is also quite the goldmine of projects and articles :)
Is it possible on some radio's to replace the vacuum tubes with Transistors/FETS when the tubes aren't available ant there isn't any alternative tube which must work??
Look up: "FETron"
Thank you very much!
I have two Fetrons fitted in one of my VTVM never heard of them until I purchased it, everything else seems original.
People pay thousands in schools learning what you give us free. Thank you sincerely for sharing your wisdom on electronics.
My pleasure!
Yes! A 2 hours long video from Mr Carlson's Lab is a great way to start Sunday. Thanks.
Indeed!
Infinite loo
I just seen your post from a year ago and I am doing the same thing this Sunday morning!
I totally agree Infinite loop. 👍
O, yeahhh. On a peaceful Sunday morning, like today. 2 bad it's not snowing yet.
I traditionally work on field phones and historical battery powered electronics. A friend asked me to look at a Silvertone 1 1950 radio he found at an antique shop. He plugged it in and the tubes lit (It had a worse cord than this one! :o I'm surprised he did that and didn't get shocked). This video was very helpful in realizing I'm more than a bit out of my depth, capacitors and resistors I can work with, but this radio is one of the non-transformer ones you described near the beginning and unless I build a isolation transformer like yours I'm not going to mess with it. I'd rather let it be history, not be history myself ;)
Stewart- Warmer was based in the 1940-70's in Chicago. My father was with them for 16 years. During WWII they started producing gauges and sending units, vacuum tubes and radio equipment. In the 1950-60's they focused on gauges and got away from Radio production. Every young person with a " hot rod" car wanted a Stewart Warner Tachometer or oil or temperature, volt or amperage gauges. You will also see Stewart- Warner vacuum tubes. would really like a Stewart Warner radio to restore! Beautiful work, a joy to watch.
What a Wonderfull and Talented Engineer. That radio sounds fantastic. I think its the first time ive ever watched a 2 houe video. The time just flew by.👆
Glad you enjoyed it!
I am an auto mechanic full time I really love watching your videos Mr c when you speak of voltage drops gauge transformers coils DC AC rectifiers you're speaking my native tongue thank you buddy and giving me hope and humanity
Mr Carlson you are good at electronics restoration of vintage shortwave radio Receivers and Aliament
Thank you Mr. Carlson for another great video.
As a child of the early 50's I can recall my first electrical experience. I had a habit of taking my mother's bobby pins and pushing them into electrical outlets. They were lacquer coated I think back in those days, so I was saved from disaster until one day I scraped the insulating lacquer off the bottom of the pins where it had accumulated into drips. The result was I blew out a lead glass fuse burning my fingers and getting my parent's attention.
They installed child proof outlet protectors as a result. Not put off by that action, I learned how to rotate the plastic protection cover of the device and was discovered doing so by the old man and he immediately administered frontier justice. Needles to say I stopped that behaviour but developed a habit of looking over my shoulder before plugging stuff in for years, Hi Hi.
My first electrical education at that tender age, was when the Sears Silvertone radio stopped working and the old man took it upon himself to pull the chassis and take the tubes down to the hardware store to check them out. Lo and behold, one of them was kaput so he bought a new one. Upon arriving home, he reinstalled the tubes but the radio still would not work. He got very frustrated and caught my mother's attention. She quickly realized he did not put the tubes back into their respective sockets. She arranged them accordingly and the radio played on. She was a registered nurse and did things precisely by nature. Your caveat about making sure the tubes are in the right places, dislodged that long forgotten memory. It was a general lesson I never forgot, that everything has its proper place.
I love your stuff, you are a great teacher.
Thank you
Thats a great story Billy, thanks for taking the time to write!
In the early 60's, i was about 8 or so. The family dog (puppy at that time), chewed through the power cord of a table radio. LOL, man did he run fast. The resulting short popped one of those glass fuses.
It was my pleasure. Thank you.
I guess the rest of the story about those glass fuses was in 1995, more than 40 years later, my sister inherited the house and I did a complete rewiring of it, including first replacing the original 60 amp service that fed a service panel with 2 30 amp glass fuses feeding 4 15 amp glass fuses that fed the branch circuits. I replaced it with a 200 amp service with a 40 position service panel with real breakers this time around.
In the end, I took the little 1949 New Jersey track house from 16 outlets to over 100, according to code, plus wired a separate garage with a sub panel that the old man built in 1953, with its own 60 amp service which was equivalent to the original service for the house...
...and to think, it all began with those bobby pins.
I grew up in a 1920's house in Winnipeg that had a 60 amp service in the kitchen, which consisted of a three pole fused knife switch with three 60 amp cartridge fuses (oddly, one of them was on the neutral line), two meters (one for lights and one for the stove), an enclosed side lever switch box for the water heater, and three open air, porcelain fuse blocks, with two 15 amp glass fuses each. Quite often, when someone happened to plug an electric kettle into the stove's outlet, the fuse on the neutral would blow, causing the lights to go dim, but not out completely. We eventually upgraded to a 100 amp service with a breaker panel in the basement and never had that problem since.
You are the only one that can make me look and listen to a video of almost 2 hours about an old tube radio. And I mean that as a compliment! Another great video, thank you!
Thanks Rene!
Looking at several of your videos, both repairing and restoring electronic equipment, is more entertaining than watching a good detective story!
Thanks Phil!
Alignments are so satisfying to watch.
There is always something fascinating about these old "valve" devices. (I'm from the UK). Its the way you can tell whether the guy building it took care and the story they tell of years of use and the attempts at repair. Something truly mesmerising that isn't present around printed circuit boards.
I am a very old retired technician who loves watching electronic repair videos on You Tube.
And I have watched HUNDREDS of videos relating to tube radio resurrection, repair, and tuning.
So far you are the ONLY technician I have seen who does the job CORRECTLY!
All the other videos done by the other so-called techs only make me want to throw up!
Keep up the great work educating everyone on the proper way to do the job.
I hope the other electronic repair techs start watching and learning something from you!
Thank you for the educational entertainment!
Regards,
Dennis O.
Paul this one of my favorite videos i love the performance of this unit and how much time you take to explain and perform the aliment procedure well done
I just want to say I have watched so many of your videos but Paul this one is very special for a lot of reason. I think partly because it was clear you really injured doing it and it showed and it did not look like a fancy radio but wow the performance was unbelievable thank 👏
2 hours?? 2 hours of Mr. Carlson radio repair?? Happy Sunday morning everyone!
It's like Mr Rogers (I'm referring to Fred Rogers) repairs radios with his soothing voice and gentle touch. Not bad. :) Of course, I should actually be repairing the antique radios on my own workbench, but that's another story. I've got one that just needs a 6V dial light bulb... grrrr.... I know I have a bag of them somewhere.
A new video from Mr Carlson's Lab is more exciting than a new Star Wars episode, even - or because - we already know how well it will end. This ressurection of a time capsule from the distant electromecatube era is a masterpiece. Thanks.
I grew up with a Stewart-Warner 2-band radio and learned about SWLing on it, so this repair was special. Thanks, Paul!
That was such a great way to start the morning Paul. That radio is beautiful. Great job on the repair and alignment. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for stopping by Buddy!
My favourite type of video, Paul. A radio/receiver repair & restoration. Two huge mugs of coffee on a Sunday morning.....just can't get better!
I have the same radio, which I purchased at an auction about 15 years ago. It is in working condition, but missing the correct volume knob and the dial cover. I didn't understand how the "magic keyboard" worked until I watched your video. I will now have a go at tuning them to some local stations. Love sitting in our screen porch on warm summer nights listening to baseball games on it. Reminds me of hearing games with my dad 60 years ago on a Philipps receiver. Thanks for the great video!
You're very welcome Bernard!
Your explanations of each section are some of the best I have seen on any restoration project, be it RUclips or elsewhere. Normally I get quite bored with long videos, but yours seem to leave me wanting more.
I have limited experience with Valve/Tube circuits and you have taught me a lot just from watching the restorations.
It still amazes me just how much thought and intelligence went into these old electronics compared to modern equipment. The hum-bucking coil, as an example, is just pure genius really. Simple, but it works.
Could you maybe do a short video on speaker cone repairs in the future?
Thank you for all the restorations and information, past, present and the ones still to come.
Now if this were a transmitter, alignment instructions would be, "tune for maximum smoke."
Seriously, great video and well done. You have infinite patience and great attention to detail.
Videos like this learned me how radios work, not fail compilations.
Paul, beautiful radio! I love your long videos. They're better than going to the movies!
What more can I say Paul than, “Another superbly prepared, and executed video.”
Regards,
Phil.
Thanks Phil!
A 2 hour video!!! Mr. Carlson has so much knowledge and information to pass on to everyone, and this takes time. Enjoyed the video so much. I hope there are more 2 hour vids in the future.
Thanks for your kind comment Donald!
I grew up for my first 8 years in very rural North Dakota. Our farm house had never been wired for power, and had no plumbing, so our entertainment was an old battery pack radio. I was so proud of our radio because it looked very modern with a nice straight dial, and a small red flag that dropped down in a tiny window in the center of the tuning screen to indicate the radio was on. There is something about old tube driven radios that gives such a wonderful tone to the audio, and I guess the speakers were much larger then their replacement solid state radios. My heart warms when I hear the old mysteries that were so common in the 50's when we lived in that old house covered with tar paper to keep the Dakota wind at bay. The house was lite by kerosene lamps that lit only a small part of the room near the chair where my father sat, HIS chair was given only to honored guests, such as the Reverend, should he come to call, otherwise it was off limits, even if dad were out on the ancient tractor plowing the fields. When we finally moved to a rented farmstead that was closer then the 26 miles that the home place lay, the new place (to us) did have power, WHAT A DEAL this electricity was! First dad found a used radio, big floor model with a huge speaker that deliver bass that would shake the cobwebs when it was turned to loud, another thing that only happened if mom and dad were both gone, and eventually Dad found a used TV that we could watch, but I always missed that theater of the mind fro those old tube sets, and I think my love for electronics came from watching dad changing tubes in the radio when the sound became weak, or the stations seemed to fade in and out. So thanks so much for the memories, and explaining what those mysterious tubes in those sets really did! Dad always told me you had to look at the glow, and if they were dark, they were bad. Guess he had his own way to trouble shoot, he was born in 1910 so he watched as electricity came into use from the beginning, I guess he picked up a lot along the way, he was indeed one of the wisest men I ever knew.
As I watch you bring these devices back to life, I like to imagine what people were listening to when they were brand new. I can picture families setting around the set listening to fireside chats, reports from the war correspondents, Burns and Allen, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, etc.
What can you say.........Wonderful production values and professional from start to finish a wonderful 2 hr watch, Just fantastic the best on RUclips. Loved when you dimmed the lighting to show us the beautiful gold dial in it's full glory.......Thank you!!
Thanks Harry!
Mr Carlson your vintage Stewart Warner tube radio Receiver from 1940s is so awesome 👍👍👍😎😎👍
Another "A number 1" restoration project from beginning to end, Paul. You do such a great job in explaining everything. I always learn something new watching them, and I've been in this 51 years. Thanks. 73 Harvey KM4JA
Glad you enjoyed Harvey!
Mr Carlson you are good at electronics restoration of vintage shortwave radio Receivers and Alignment
What a way to come back, Paul! You really were tip-toe for a comeback.
I wish I could remember who pointed me to this channel - because I no longer sleep for binge watching... I am wanting to build a vacuum tube, bluetooth amp now... why? Because Mr. C has made tubes fashionable again
Whoa. A vacuum tube Blu tooth amp??? Now that Is bad ass
Mr Carlson? I cannot imagine how much time you put into these videos. I've made some videos (albeit, bad ones) and it always takes 10 times the amount of time I think it will. I can't imagine what amount of time you spend in this stuff.. We all appreciate it!
Thank you for noticing! Yes, an amazing amount of time goes into every video. Thanks for your kind words too!
First time seeing an alignment done on any radio receiver ever. Know the theory but never seen the practical. Brings back memories of bygone days. Those if's were really outta whack. Really a well kept valve(tube} radio and made to a high standard.
I had to watch this one again!!! I get so disappointed when I watch any other videos on repair or restoring vacuum tube rigs. It is almost like the other people have an attitude of "Let's see how lousy I can make this and still have it work...somewhat. Even when you do the least that you do on a particular piece of equipment, it is far better, more professional, and easy to understand far beyond that of any other videos out there! Keep up the excellent work!!!
Dear Mr. Carlson, Priceless video on how this chassis operates. You always do a very nice job on your videos, thank you for sharing this video....
I’m at a loss for words your brilliant I as a restoration guy a jeweler, and horological guy I am now on a new quest to understand the old radio world and it is so intriguing to me . I know nothing and am starting at 0 . Just want to say thank you . Just brilliant the level of knowledge is truly impressive.
Always a great "show". My late brother, Monte, W6CUW, used to refurbish boat anchors. He did both amateur radios and broadcast units. He went so far as to gut the old wax caps and put modern caps inside the shell and refill them with wax. A friend of his did precision cabinet restorations. Between them, they did quite well.
Tom -- WA7TCD
Your restoration / realignment videos are always my favorite! This was absolutely superb, Paul. Thank you for taking the time and effort. I found a Stewart Warner 206FA (lass fancy model) that I had completely gone thru and it works and sounds great. Yours is a real gem! I'm so glad you are here to share this with us. Keep up the great work. - Mike
Thanks for your kind comment Mike!
I've had professors like him. they left me feeling that a 2 hour class was way too short and ended way too soon. Great video.
Mr Carlson you are good at electronics restoration on vintage shortwave radio Receivers and Alignment
Man there's nothing cooler than the sound of radio stations being just barely received, some of those sounds around the 1:51 mark are so cool. All the flanges and whistles and distortions and so on, it's badass.
I think my great grandfather had the floor version of this same chassis! It had the radio on top and a 10" speaker at bottom , beautifully crafted wood cabinet and openings at the back for air cooling. I wonder what happened to it ! I greatly appreciate your videos as I was a RF engineer in the vacuum tubes era ,long time ago. Keep this videos coming .:)
When my father and I were repairing old radios in the 50's we used Toilet paper and contact cement to repair speakers. We were careful to not get any glue on the flexible portion of the speaker just the flat sections and it worked fine. Better glues are available now but the old method would still work for speakers that are missing parts of the paper. Thanks for a wonderful video.
Excellent instruction! I'm a retired technician and former instructor. This was a good refresher course and I learned something new as well.
I really enjoy the 'in-depth' coverage of your videos - all very thorough and complete - makes interesting watching!
The Stewart looks like he has a small heater over the main dial, that keeps the wife's hands warm while she knit socks and listen to the music from the fifties :) What a great long video Paul! Without your videos I'd never see such a great receiver. I've enjoyed every second! Many thanks for sharing this!
Thanks Ralf!
perfect intro every time 100%
Wow, you brought back some memories. I was a radio repair man and that looked all so familiar. That radio would have been just a youngster when I started. Many thanks for the nostalgia.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this video. Beautiful radio. I imagined listening to 1940's broadcasts there at the end...
Thanks Paul, excellent as usual. I always hope your restoration projects don't work at first so I can watch your troubleshooting!
Hours of enjoyment watching your videos Mr. Carlson, well received and thank you. I very much look forward to your retro-bench series, recreating vintage troubleshooting technique with vintage gear. Best, best!-)
Thanks Jeffe!
Thats really something, Mr Carlson. Vacuum tubes that are 77 years old and still working fine, while manufacturers can't make a led TV last more than 5-7 years before the caps blow out in it. Back then, things were built with pride and designed to last....things today are designed to fail with planned obsolescence so the manufacturer can make more money..its sad.
Remember that this stuff was really expensive, easily multiple monthly wages for "normal" people. And to the "still working fine" .. that's for a good part survivorship bias. An acquaintance who sold radios back then told me that a good part of what he sold were back in this shop for repair in the first two years (and the radio in the video was repaired once, too). It usually was nothing too serious and easily/cheaply fixed, but those radios failed quite often and it was just accepted as such.
You know why every little town had its radio technican and he had enough to do? That's why!
So, if you think about how cheap todays electronics are and how much more capable they are in comparision .. I think you still get way more bang for the buck. Not to defend the extra crappy stuff you can get (but stuff like that was available back then, too .. it's just nothing left of it, obviously).
The paper caps in those radios failed more consistently than anything in a modern TV.
I'd consider a seven year old TV "modern," since it would be based on surface-mounted LSI ICs on a multi-layer PCB with a non-CRT screen.
Moore’s law says in 5-7 years I can buy a new widget two to three times more “smarter” so it makes no sense to fix or make something to last 30 years
@@swalker157 -- True when it comes to consumer electronics, but not for high ticket industrial equipment or non-digital musical instruments where electronics comprises a very small fraction or none of the cost.
I hope your loved ones and house are OK after that huge ice storm you had over there. Best wishes thanks for all the interesting educational content. Keep 'em coming!
New subscriber. Hi everyone! Just wanted to mention how much I appreciate the way you present each repair video as a teaching exercise, with those of us at home, your students. Your content has helped expand my understanding of consumer electronics and their design. Highlighting not only how to repair or replace a particular component, but also what function that component provides, leaves us better able to understand WHY we may want or need to replace it. Many channels do a fine job of detailing the necessary steps needed to effect the repair of any number of electronic devises. Few, however, take the time to explain not only what to do but why we're doing it. By the video's end I always feel as though I've just had a full meal, not just nachos. Thank you.
Excellent video. Mr. Carlson's radio engineering as well as his teaching ability is fantastic. Thanks very much.
You are a hero to me. You are Mr. Rogers for adults. You literally make me feel so much better after a bad day. Dude. You are my Therapist. Thank you. Do you have Merch? Can I get an autographed picture? Thanks.
Great episode; thanks, Paul.
I'm learning a lot about radios by watching this channel.
Thanks again.
Great video so far! I’m about 25 minutes into it. Going to finish it at work today! Love an in-depth Mr Carlson restoration!
Paul Carlson-the only person who can produce a 2 hour youtube video that leaves his viewers wanting more.
Quick question for Paul-how long does it take you to record, edit and produce a 2 hour video?
Thanks,
Ian
Both Paul and M Caldeira, my two favorite youtubers to watch for restoration work. I know I'm asking for a lot but I wish they both would put MUCH more content, I can't get enough of these types of videos.
A good polishing oils takes on.
Most radio's tube types the contacts and tubes re debugged transformers capacitorS .
The electro magnetic speakers are greater to use .
There is a book i had about the difference between the permanent and electro magnetic.
What a lovely room . Surrounded by lovely gadgets
Oh man! A 2 hour restoration video, I settled in an watched the whole thing. Great video with detailed explanations. Paul you really do make brilliant videos for us. A lovely radio it is to. Thanks!
Thanks Wakko!
Mrister Carlsons lab you are good at restoring vintage radios 📻 and alignment of vintage shortwave receivers 😅😅😅😅😊
Another wonderful video and repair. You do magnificent work and i am always struck by your incredible depth of knowledge. You are a remarkable person.
Wow, that Art Deco dial is gorgeous. It surprises me how many AM stations you still got. In Europe that ship has sailed. FM is soon to be empty also. Sad days are coming.
True. I´ve also two long and medium (=broadcast) wave only radios, and there´re only a few foreign (mainly russia, two italian and two english spoken stations, all other is just noise) stations are present. Therefore i built a little AM-transmitter, a while ago to have something to receive using these radios. But the good thing is, no one cares about these tiny wattage DIY transmitters anymore, as it´s not of any interest.
Also, at least here in germany, they moved away from a fast FM broadcast shutdown, they talked about a year ago. As we, the consumers don´t follow them in terms of buying these "fancy" new DAB+. After the fact that DAB failed big time, they did some sort of relaunch with a slightly modified version calling that DAB+, but it´s more or less the same thing with the same issues - drop outs to no reveiveing in the cities.
No, people don´t follow this time, they holding back onto their UKW (or FM as you call it) radios, and aren´t buying any DAB+ stuff.
Great!
But i also think the industry will put more force onto the DAB+ in order to make us buy these DAB+ crap.
No, i´ll going to use my old radios especially the GRAETZ 177 as well as my HiFi tuner and i´m prepared: i bought some FM-stereo transmitters, one also with RDS. No need to modify these old radios, i can use them as intended by just lay one of these transmitters on top of the radio and make them play what i want.
There are still plenty of AM stations in the US. At night if I tune my SDR to the AM broadcast band, there is a station every 10 KHz from one end of the band to the other.
AM in the US is a wasteland though.. there's tons of stations for sure but a lot of them are crazy political channels, you could hear some of it when he was scrolling through channels at the end.
That is a Canadian radio. The output tube has a T. Eaton Co. sticker on it, and two stations on the Magic Keyboard I recognized as CJOR and CFRI, from the Vancouver/Osoyoos BC area, and US stations from northwest Washington. I wouldn't be surprised if this radio was originally sold by the Eaton's store in Vancouver.
Especially enjoyed this nostalgic trip back to the electronics of yesteryear Paul! Great job! Thanks, Jim and 73 de AA1JV
Hello Paul, beautiful radio! Good work on repairing this radio! I really enjoyed tuning the stations! You are a very skilled electrician! I gave you a thumbs up! With Regards Miroslav from Slovakia.
Very nice. Today we learned about reading old resistors (b.e.d.), how to use the old o-scope made into a curve tracer, field coils, voice coils, and hum bucking coils. All new to me. Favorite quote: "That is a very very bad capacitor, I would say its a resistor" at 105:36. 73.
You are an extremely talented engineer!
Thanks for a really nice restoring of an old radio.
You're Welcome Anders!
I love your full restoration videos. Thanks so much for doing this.
Love the old radio, and once again great job. A radio that will be loved for generations to come.
Thank you for taking us on the journey! 😃
You're welcome!
Great video Sir! Gives me quite a bit more confidence in tackling my Hallicrafters S40-B and the horrible diode conversion I found inside.
I used to collect this stuff from flea markets as a kid, got a few of them up and running but they were mostly mystery boxes for me, wish I'd kept at it, I had a whole stack of gear from the 30's, 40's and 50's. I loved using very old microphones for my TASCAM 4 track haha, great unusual sounds.
Thanks Paul, another priceless relic from "yesteryear" being brought back to life for another decade or more useful life. I learned also about B-E-D markings on old resistors. J K
you have some cool videos i love learning about the old radios i never knew how every thing works together until i started watching your videos keep up the good work
This is excellent knowledge and an excellent person 2 teach us thank u so much 4 taking the time 2 teach us & give u more about radios,Radios, bless u!
how can you dislike this, people are truly messed up
Wow, to have your skill base. Great job on the radio, thank you for sharing this with us.
What a Great video of Detail, full Brilliance, I viewed it fully, and liked it so much, I now want to refer to this work of art as my go to video, when I begin repairing/restoring vintage gear. Paul, is remarkable in every aspect of the word. Thank you very much Paul!!!
Love the long form videos! Thanks for sharing this with us. This video is a great introduction of high voltage vacuum tube audio amps/receivers for the uninitiated.
I picture some guy in the back of the radio store adjusting those trimmers to all the local radio stations, so when someone purchased the radio, all their favorite stations are just a button press away. The convenience of modern electronics!
Not a boring second, great job bringing back such a nice piece back to life!!
What a beautiful radio, I realy love the looks of it. Enjoyed this video very much, thank you for sharing your work!
You're Welcome!
Wow!!! that is a great radio. As for learning, I am learning more and more with each video I watch!
Great video! I was entertained for the whole 2 hours. That's WWV you were picking up at 10MHz an 15MHz. It's just up the road from me here in Colorado.
I imagine you can probably feel the RF from that place in your fillings, being that close.
Thanks for the great ASMR, always a pleasure listening to
What a beautiful radio..
Great video. Keep them coming. I love to watch and learn. Thank you Mr Carlson
Love how you enjoy digging out weak signals / DX. A true radio lover.
Mr Carlson the radio cabinet looks like new that's so awesome
tune that Stewart Warner to 1540 and listen to KXEL news talk radio in Waterloo, Iowa where I live. Love your videos even though I know nothing about electronics!!!
Two things that irritate.Why Far-ADD and not Farad? And from other videos you use variate as a verb instead of just vary! Love your work Mr Carlson. You have an extremely good analytic mind.Thanks for sharing.
Hi Gary, just been around too long I guess... en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/variate I would get into why I speak the way I do, (Farad, solder, and so on) but this channel is about electronic's, not grammar. Thank You for your kind comment.
A very enjoyable way to learn lots of new things!
I love those radios. The Stewart Warner was a piece of art.
Another cozy video. Thank you for the work.
My Pleasure!