That is a hot radio,super sensitive.A good alignment can really bring old radios back alive, along with parts that are out of tolerance. Good restoration,really enjoy all your videos.
Hi Jeffrey, thank you. I made a mistake in this video by adjusting the antenna core at the high end of the band. I went back and did it correctly at the low end after the video was released 👍🙂
Thank you David for sharing your knowledge and adventures repairing valve radios. Your camera work especially close up video and editing in my opinion is first class. Your attention to detail which is so important for successful repair work is a real credit to you. A wonderful channel thank you from a fellow Aussie restorer. Cheers.
Hi Gregory, thank you. I'm trying to improve my videos but it's tricky running cameras and trying to do the job at the same time 😖🙂 I appreciate your feedback and glad you enjoy my videos. I agree it's good to get some Aussie radios in the mix 😀
Keep the videos coming, very relaxing and enjoyable. And nice to see an old radio brought back to life in terms of the cabinet restoration and circuit restoration.
Awesome David. Mate, it’s so great to see a relative local to me on you tube. I’m on the sunny coast, and value your videos greatly. I have about six or seven sets to restore and you’ve given me much motivation. My background is more in the purely audio/guitar amp world, so am learning about the radio world. Thanks again. Cheers, Dan
Ahh yes, the Sunny Coast is a nice part of the world. I wish you all the best with your repairs. Note in this video I adjusted the antenna coil at the top of the band, it should have been at the 600kHz point 😀
It has been pointed out to me that I should have adjusted the new aerial coil slug at the 620 (should be 600 for this radio) kHz point to align with the oscillator coil (42:50 in the video), I should have then adjusted the aerial trimmer capacitor at the 1420 (should be 1400 for this radio) kHz point. The original damaged aerial coil was pre-tuned to align with the oscillator at the 600 kHz mark so I should have tuned the replacement coil to the same frequency. If I then adjusted the aerial trimmer capacitor (with the big screwdriver) to align with the oscillator at 1400 kHz the tuning capacitor would follow the oscillator all the way through the tuning range. My thanks to Mr S for pointing that out 👍🙂
Thanks astrovic0. Please note when I adjusted the antenna coil I did it at the high end of the frequency range, I should have done it at 600 kHz. Yours will probably have a fixed antenna coil so it won't matter. Good luck with your Astor Mickey 👍🙂
to see someone with the know how to fix these incredible machines is truly a treat. I wish I knew how to fix such things. Keep up the amazing videos. I am now a loyal subscriber.
@@DavidTipton101looking at the thorough details, we know the effort put into making and editing the videos, dont keep us hungry please :D waiting patiently for your next video
Art deco is my favorite industrial design. Gorgeous curves, no sharp corners. This design and art form was possible thanks to the many new materials that appeared in the early 20th century. Bakelite was the first human made material, invented by the late Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland. (Makes me proud to be Belgian.)
Catching up on some of your older videos. What an attractive and interesting set! It’s ironic how they used some trickery by reflexing the IF stage as an audio amp to save a tube, yet the set had a power transformer and that fancy worm drive that were costly. My apologies for that USA-made cap (Aerovox, I think) that was bad. Stuff happens. 😎
Hi Super Het, Four valve sets were common here and most Aussie radios had a transformer. The worm drive can fail but someone here is reproducing them 🙂
That was great. I was pleased to find a tech like yourself who wasn't in Canada or the USA, not that's there's anything wrong with those gentlemen, they all share their skills but it was nice to find your channel and hear a new voice for a change. I like your delivery and slow explanation to the details of what you're doing. Thank you.
Hi Steven, it's a Silicon Chip project. It can also read back the radio frequency on a scale using a sweep function similar to an oscilloscope but with the addition of a frequency readout. That feature doesn't seem to work on my unit though. The article is here: www.siliconchip.com.au/Issue/2017/September/Dead+simple+radio+IF+alignment+with+DDS?res=nonflash. You need to buy the SC edition to see how to assemble it plus the kit from SC and some parts from Jaycar, the case and screws etc. Comes out to be a bit over $120 if I remember correctly.
Hi David. I have watched 4 of your radio restorations and I noticed that all of them used fully isolated power transformers. I the UK where I live most tube radios on sale used the series fed heater lines without power transformers as did the USA and Canada. Did Australia make radios like this or were they more safety oriented as series tubes can have live chassis? Just interested. BTW - Brilliant restorations of the cabinets and electronics. Keep up the good work.
HI Richard, I have been told there were hot chassis sets built in Australia but I haven't seen one yet and I don't know which companies built them. I'm not sure we used DC power much here either so that's maybe why. All of the non AC radios I have seen have been either battery or vibrator powered sets generally referred to as farm radios which I have a number of. I also have 3 UK built hot chassis sets I have restored and enjoyed doing, they are a bit different to Aussie radios. Thank you for your kind comments 🙂
@hawkturkey, my understanding is that in post war Australia there was a large supply of cheap 6 volt valves and little demand for DC radios so the cost of retooling to AC/DC sets wasn't cost effective or even needed. There is also the cost of producing the sealed cabinets to isolate the public from the chassis. As you point out the Aussie line plugs can only be plugged in one way but that doesn't mean the outlet is wired correctly and I remember plenty of radios plugged into the light socket with a 'Y' connector which could be orientated either way. As for the voltage, the UK used 240V, now 230V, the same as Australia but the 3 British built radios I have used dropdown resistors to get the voltage down to about 120V to power the series string which is very wasteful but makes a great room heater 😃
Hi Mike, I don't recall what I used but I usually wash it soapy water using a brush and toothbrush. I then use a plastic polish or Brasso or even an automotive polish but test it first, some compounds will eat into the plastic 🙂
Hello David. I love your ‘Dim Bulb Control’ unit. Is that home brew or did you purchase it? I did an internet search for the unit and could not locate it. Let me know and thank you. Martin located form near Chicago.
Hi Martin, I made it, the meter is from eBay and inexpensive, the rest is just housed in a timber box with a sheet metal front cover. Would like to visit the Chicago area one day, Hi Chicago 👋
Watched loads of your video's now,different supplies then the power switches and bulb gone and then a new signal generator.i like the look of that signal generator myself were did you get it from?.
Great video ! I started watching your videos and it is good to see good straight forward restorations. What is the model of your signal generator? I need something economical and simple with modulation.
Sorry Charlie, the digital one is a kit from Silicone Chip but costs about $100 to build. Google backpack signal generator silicone chip should get a hit.
Nice work David. I'm curious about the math behind how the antenna coils are wound for a given frequency. They seem very frail. Must be the reason they are wax covered. Camera work and editing is first class. 73 de KB7ICI
It's out of my pay scale too Bill. It's all about inducing a signal from one coil into the secondary coil and setting up a resonance with the capacitor it's coupled to... there are calculators out there but I haven't investigated them 🙂
Looks VERY nice!, perhaps a bit of foil glued to the inside of the case where the bulbs are would control the light better. It seems to have a bit of Cord 812 in the design. (that's a famous American automobile from 1937.)
Thanks Nicholas. Yes it does light up the case but they all do it. Perhaps a metal shield part way around the bulb, I have done that before. The Cord was way ahead of it's time, I like the maroon colored ones 😀
Not surprised about Disney, they'll do whatever is necessary to protect their property. They're preparing for when their Mickey copyright expires. A saying from Wall Street: "Don't mess with the Mouse".
It was pretty cheeky of Astor to steal it it though, I suppose they thought no one would notice a company in Australia using the mouse on their radios 😒
Looks very nice - you have some interesting sets in Australia. presumably different dials would have been used for that one, depending on which state it was sold in ? I like the idea of using the signal on the primary side for the alignment - I'll have to try that !
Hi Sinewave, I should have mentioned that, yes there were dial plates for each state and we do have some amazing sets here but then so do other countries. The output valve plate is my first choice now. Our club has 3 or 4 workshops every year and I floated the idea at the last one only to be meet by astonished looks, "there a couple of hundred Volts there!" someone said. Be aware of the voltages there though and you don't short to something. I often just tack solder a capacitor in there with an insulated flylead attached.
Good work finding a similar antenna coil. Resistance of the coil is mostly about the wire gauge used and the number of turns needed to get the required MW inductance. It wont matter unless there is a required voltage drop to service a tube plate. If so you may need to insert a resistor in series. The resistor will slightly affect resonance across the band. Inductances of MW antenna coils dont radically change from one design to another.
In the early 70's before the Cartels took over Mexico, we used to cross the Reo Grande and visit Juarez Mexico, I was stationed at Fort Bliss, which is in El Paso Texas, we lived off base in El Paso at the time. Down there, the artists that sat in booths on the street were selling the infamous black velvet paintings. We picked up a bull fighter, a Mission, and for my children Mickey and Minnie Mouse paintings, and for our leisure room, Buggs Bunny took up residence on one wall. We were still new to border crossings, but as luck would have it, we stowed the paintings in the trunk of my 69 Plymouth and the border patrol never chose our car to search, the folks who visited said if the BP had found them they would have confiscated them because of the Disney problems. My kids still have the paintings, their children and now grand children have them I guess. I think my paintings are still around somewhere although I haven't seen them in years perhaps my daughter, who now lives in my house to care for me in my old age has sold them, she has sold off a lot of things since my wife was taken from me by a nasty form of cancer two years ago
Hi Jerry, I had forgotten about black velvet paintings, they were popular in the 70s. You were lucky to get past border patrol, you could have ended up in La Mesa prison 😉 Once again, my condolences for your wife's passing I hope you are in good health 🙂
The Miniprint caps were a design by Rifa of Sweden and I think I saw a date code of 10/74 on one of them. They're paper covered in some kind of epoxy as far as I know and the epoxy shrinks over time, causing cracks and occasionally spectacular smoke effects or even explosions. The same design was also available as X and Y-rated mains filter caps (PME 271) and if these go, things get nasty! A best-case scenario is "only" some weird fizzling and a big cloud of acrid smoke, worst case is a huge bang, darkness in the house and at least a blown fuse inside the set. They were incredibly common in almost any electronics designed for the common European market and it's wise to replace them if they're older than about 20 years or show signs of cracking.
@@DavidTipton101 That's good! As I said, they can fail rather spectacularly! I was once unable to use a room for a full two days after an encounter with a RIFA filter cap in a Philips VCR!
P.S. Shango066 had done a 📹 video on a Grundig Majestic 3035 radio about 2 years ago, maybe 3. It was a very nice German, wooden 📻 radio(if I'm 👎 not mistaken). It has a very nice glass dial, and a dial light. This radio is of very fine quality, with two VERY complicated dial cord systems, with a clutch system as well. This in turn, also operates an internal "rotary" type of ferrite bar antenna, since it's connected to the dial cord. It is a tube model. I'm guessing about 1948. I'd have to ⌚ watch his video to confirm. He said that had his 💻 computer or 📱 phone crashed, or if he accidentally deleted the photos, all would have been lost. He would NEVER get the dial cord system put back together correctly. QUALITY went in to 📻 radios then. They were 👍 like an heirloom, to be ✋ handed down. It's 👍 like Zenith's saying "Quality goes in before the name goes on".
You will need that slug in the aerial coil otherwise it won’t resonate at the bottom end of the band. Looks like a little theory is necessary. The slug is tuned at the low frequency end and the trimmer cap at the top of the band.
Hi widecast, thank you, I know that now, I pinned my own comment to the top of the page on that mistake. Thanks for the theory lesson though and I have it worked it all out now, I certainly didn't understand at the time as you can see 🤦♂️🙂
Hi David. I don’t know how many plates in that transformer core you ground off but that shouldn’t be done. There is an oxide insulating layer on one side of each plate to insulate one from the other. This is to reduce eddy currents in the core, which is also why it’s a core of a whole lot of thin plates and not a solid iron core. Eddy currents means loss and heating of the core itself from those currents.
Really, I did not know that. From memory I only removed the outer rusted plate and removed the rust. I'll have to check into that a bit more, thanks widecast 🙂
To remount the coil on the speaker how about a pop rivet gun? I picked one up years ago it came with a few hundred rivets and I have perhaps used a dozen over the years. For projects like that it would be ideal.
@@top40researcher31 They were already rendered obsolete by their lack of the 88-108Mhz FM band as FM(through the opening of several Community-based stations) was gaining a foothold on Australia's media landscape.
@@neilforbes416 i never heard of FM radio until i was given a transistor (tranny) radio for my birthday back in 1979 it was only ten years later i was a radio announcer at one and i was involved in for over twenty years
عزيزي. David ارجو ان تكون بخير وبصحة جيده انني اتابع جميع الفديو الذي تشرح بها جهاز الراديو القديمة كما اشكرك على هذا العمل الجميل الذي يذكرنا بالماضي و راديو الماضي شكرا العراق بغداد الجلبي
I don't recommend the center tap bass boost that is often wired in permanent on the HMV amplifiers and mini Realistic amps, It can saturate with high level sources and if source is weak ie 20 track LP the sound degrades just past the center point giving nasal midrange, I have de loudness a HMV Rhapsody radio gram and all my mini amplifiers, much more even response throughout the vol control range
Yikes vaughn, I struggle to get it working much less redesign it 😄 The 'loudness' circuit on this one is quite complex isn't it, the designers must have thought it helped back in the 40s and 50s either with sound or sales 🤔
@@DavidTipton101 The loudness circuit only evolves around the vol pot itself, between ground and middle tap is a cap and resistor for the bass and a smaller cap between the tap and hot side for the treble, I don't endorse this design since 6 -7 on the vol pozzy goes nasal sounding until the pot is fully open you get the native response (providing the source not strong enough to clip out, normal hi-fi amps have a loudness on/off switch whereas midget amps have these parts wired in permanent, which is why I get in there to desolder those loudness caps, my dad years ago wanted to listen to my radio-cassette for radio talk instead of the Rhapsody radio-gram as it was too bassy at low vol, I have the original one he bought in 68, one I bought at Trash & Treasure flea market, the other hard rubbish, the latter one had the de loudness mod and my tapes sound good through that
You must be from the states, we call then sultanas here, Sultana Bran, don't know why the difference. You must grow 'em tough over there to break a tooth 😄
@@DavidTipton101 I looked it up. Sultana Bran is what they call it in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Raisin Bran is what we call it in the U.S. and Canada. The raisins in KRB are coated in sugar and are hard as rocks! Incidentally, let us know how you are doing with PC treatment. 💪
@@cogitoergosumsc5717 Trust you guys to coat a sweet sultana in sugar 😄 I will try and keep folks up to date but I don't want to make a big deal of it. Thanks CogitoErgoSum SC.
@@DavidTipton101 If you don't want to, that's O.K. But keep in mind you are admired and respected, for what you are and what you do. You have got YT subscribers from all over the world and I can say that we are all in agreement. Cheers!
Hi Bob, very old video, I don't know/remember why I didn't clean the grill. It was unusual to have on/off switches in Aussie radios until the 50s. We have on/off switches on our power outlets, maybe they though that was enough 🤔🙂
Never have I heard of fiber ⚙ gears for a 1940's, or 1950's radio. I think they were made of a fiber material, because 👎no one usually was turning the 📻 radio tuning 👌 knob, as if "Station 🏄 Surfing". It was also cheaper, and you didn't have to worry about ⚙ gear wear. I think these fiber gears were available, directly from the manufacturer, such as if one 👎 did fail. Today, you can probably find a much sturdier plastic ⚙ gear. Metal ones might be too expensive, or hard to find. It would be a major ➕ plus, if ALL these old 📻 radios had a dial string diagram, in order to restring the dial string.
feliz ano novo mestre, saude e paz..............mestre este deu trabalho para ajustar as bobinas, mas voce é bom mesmo parabens tenho todas as perguntas possiveis, mas numa outra ocasião as faço ......abraços brasileiros ao amigo
Pin 3 on the 6V4 should have 190VDC to chassis. The centre tap should be at -4VDC to chassis. If you don't have that then it's either the transformer, the wiring, the rectifier valve (6V4) or the 125 Ohm resistor from the centre tap to ground is open. Using the AC range, you can check the transformer output from each side of the secondary windings to the centre tap, if you have about equal voltage reading each side the transformer is OK. If you then measure each of the secondary windings to chassis and get nothing then the resistor is suspect. Use a analog meter if possible as a DMM may give a false readings.
I forgot to tell ya that this radio 📻 looks much like 👍 a 1947 Firestone 🔥 model, but I’m not sure 🤔 if the case is steel on this one ☝️. The Firestone 🔥 radio 📻 that Shango066 was doing, had “Firestone 🔥 Tire And Rubber Company”, on the label, on the back of it. It must have been some sort of freebie, or at a reduced price, if ya went in to purchase a new set of Firestone fire 🔥 tires. That’s my guess. I’m not sure if this radio 📻, and the Firestone 🔥 one ☝️, both had the fiber gear ⚙️. If so, it was probably made out of this fiber-like material, because the manufacturer 👨 assumed that the tuning knob would not see much use. In other words, it was like 👍 a “set it and forget it” radio 📻. This eliminated the fear of gear ⚙️ wear. Unless you’re a “station surfer” 🏄♀️, then ya would go through more gears ⚙️. Both this radio 📻, and the Firestone 🔥 have dial lights 💡. Your friend, Jeff.
"The fun never stops at Dave's workshop." That is so true. If I am cross or grumpy or out of sorts, I watch one of your videos and I am content.
Haha... thanks Stanley 😀
Nice to see one working instead of all the broken ones I have seen. Nice floating dial too, very futuristic. Cheers.
Thanks Pauline 😁
That is a hot radio,super sensitive.A good alignment can really bring old radios back alive, along with parts that are out of tolerance. Good restoration,really enjoy all your videos.
Hi Jeffrey, thank you. I made a mistake in this video by adjusting the antenna core at the high end of the band. I went back and did it correctly at the low end after the video was released 👍🙂
Great job! Thank you for showing some of the cleaning process as well as drilling down a bit on the alignment process. Looking forward to more!
Hi Jim, thanks 🙂
Thank you David for sharing your knowledge and adventures repairing valve radios.
Your camera work especially close up video and editing in my opinion is first class.
Your attention to detail which is so important for successful repair work is a real credit to you.
A wonderful channel thank you from a fellow Aussie restorer. Cheers.
Hi Gregory, thank you. I'm trying to improve my videos but it's tricky running cameras and trying to do the job at the same time 😖🙂 I appreciate your feedback and glad you enjoy my videos. I agree it's good to get some Aussie radios in the mix 😀
Keep the videos coming, very relaxing and enjoyable. And nice to see an old radio brought back to life in terms of the cabinet restoration and circuit restoration.
Hi Tatabusa Hub, thank you 😃
Awesome David. Mate, it’s so great to see a relative local to me on you tube. I’m on the sunny coast, and value your videos greatly. I have about six or seven sets to restore and you’ve given me much motivation. My background is more in the purely audio/guitar amp world, so am learning about the radio world. Thanks again. Cheers, Dan
Ahh yes, the Sunny Coast is a nice part of the world. I wish you all the best with your repairs. Note in this video I adjusted the antenna coil at the top of the band, it should have been at the 600kHz point 😀
It has been pointed out to me that I should have adjusted the new aerial coil slug at the 620 (should be 600 for this radio) kHz point to align with the oscillator coil (42:50 in the video), I should have then adjusted the aerial trimmer capacitor at the 1420 (should be 1400 for this radio) kHz point. The original damaged aerial coil was pre-tuned to align with the oscillator at the 600 kHz mark so I should have tuned the replacement coil to the same frequency. If I then adjusted the aerial trimmer capacitor (with the big screwdriver) to align with the oscillator at 1400 kHz the tuning capacitor would follow the oscillator all the way through the tuning range. My thanks to Mr S for pointing that out 👍🙂
Noted 🙂
Great work David. Particularly enjoyed watching the alignment process. Very informative. Now on the wanted list is a frequency counter!
Hi Lynton, so cheap to buy now too 🙂
Oh awesome - one of these just landed on my bench! Looking forward to watching this video as I love your work :-)
Thanks astrovic0. Please note when I adjusted the antenna coil I did it at the high end of the frequency range, I should have done it at 600 kHz. Yours will probably have a fixed antenna coil so it won't matter. Good luck with your Astor Mickey 👍🙂
to see someone with the know how to fix these incredible machines is truly a treat. I wish I knew how to fix such things. Keep up the amazing videos. I am now a loyal subscriber.
Hi John, thank you and thanks for the sub 👍😃
Most entertaining Dave, Keep em coming PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Will do Willie 👍😀
@@DavidTipton101looking at the thorough details, we know the effort put into making and editing the videos, dont keep us hungry please :D waiting patiently for your next video
I took a (radio Related) trip for a few weeks but I'm working on a new video now so it shouldn't be long 🙂
Mickey Mouse radio but nice Work 👍
Thank you for the very informative video. Lucky find on that antenna coil. I appreciate the extra time and detail on the alignment.
Hi Phillip, you are welcome. Please read the pinned comment with the video about the antenna coil, I didn't do that correctly in the video.
I learn with every one of your videos. Thank you Dave!
Hi theBigMoose, thank you 👍😀
As usual Dave you made beautiful job of that radio, the people that once made these radios, would be proud, love your videos, keep it up.
Hi VideoMentary Productions, thank you, I'll try 🙂
Why so little subscribers? Amazing channel!
Thanks Agent Diego, it's getting there slowly 👍🙂
Art deco is my favorite industrial design. Gorgeous curves, no sharp corners. This design and art form was possible thanks to the many new materials that appeared in the early 20th century. Bakelite was the first human made material, invented by the late Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland. (Makes me proud to be Belgian.)
His development was a great boost to industry and the domestic market, well done to him and Belgian 😀
Catching up on some of your older videos. What an attractive and interesting set! It’s ironic how they used some trickery by reflexing the IF stage as an audio amp to save a tube, yet the set had a power transformer and that fancy worm drive that were costly.
My apologies for that USA-made cap (Aerovox, I think) that was bad. Stuff happens. 😎
Hi Super Het, Four valve sets were common here and most Aussie radios had a transformer. The worm drive can fail but someone here is reproducing them 🙂
That was great. I was pleased to find a tech like yourself who wasn't in Canada or the USA, not that's there's anything wrong with those gentlemen, they all share their skills but it was nice to find your channel and hear a new voice for a change. I like your delivery and slow explanation to the details of what you're doing. Thank you.
Hi Graham, thank you for your kind comments. We have some great radios here so very happy to see show some of them off 😀
Thanks again Dave for very interesting and informative video. Where did you get your frequency generator from? I like how compact it is.
Hi Steven, it's a Silicon Chip project. It can also read back the radio frequency on a scale using a sweep function similar to an oscilloscope but with the addition of a frequency readout. That feature doesn't seem to work on my unit though. The article is here: www.siliconchip.com.au/Issue/2017/September/Dead+simple+radio+IF+alignment+with+DDS?res=nonflash. You need to buy the SC edition to see how to assemble it plus the kit from SC and some parts from Jaycar, the case and screws etc. Comes out to be a bit over $120 if I remember correctly.
Hi David. I have watched 4 of your radio restorations and I noticed that all of them used fully isolated power transformers. I the UK where I live most tube radios on sale used the series fed heater lines without power transformers as did the USA and Canada. Did Australia make radios like this or were they more safety oriented as series tubes can have live chassis? Just interested. BTW - Brilliant restorations of the cabinets and electronics. Keep up the good work.
HI Richard, I have been told there were hot chassis sets built in Australia but I haven't seen one yet and I don't know which companies built them. I'm not sure we used DC power much here either so that's maybe why. All of the non AC radios I have seen have been either battery or vibrator powered sets generally referred to as farm radios which I have a number of. I also have 3 UK built hot chassis sets I have restored and enjoyed doing, they are a bit different to Aussie radios. Thank you for your kind comments 🙂
@hawkturkey, my understanding is that in post war Australia there was a large supply of cheap 6 volt valves and little demand for DC radios so the cost of retooling to AC/DC sets wasn't cost effective or even needed. There is also the cost of producing the sealed cabinets to isolate the public from the chassis. As you point out the Aussie line plugs can only be plugged in one way but that doesn't mean the outlet is wired correctly and I remember plenty of radios plugged into the light socket with a 'Y' connector which could be orientated either way. As for the voltage, the UK used 240V, now 230V, the same as Australia but the 3 British built radios I have used dropdown resistors to get the voltage down to about 120V to power the series string which is very wasteful but makes a great room heater 😃
Hi David, nice restoration on the Astor Mickey - I also have one to restore - what did you do to clean up the white cabinet? Regards Mike R
Hi Mike, I don't recall what I used but I usually wash it soapy water using a brush and toothbrush. I then use a plastic polish or Brasso or even an automotive polish but test it first, some compounds will eat into the plastic 🙂
That sustained frequency reminded me of my great grandfathers hearing aid feedback when I was a kid in the 50s.....upset my dog too.
My Dad had a hearing aid too, his used to do the same thing 😃
Hello David. I love your ‘Dim Bulb Control’ unit. Is that home brew or did you purchase it? I did an internet search for the unit and could not locate it. Let me know and thank you.
Martin located form near Chicago.
Hi Martin, I made it, the meter is from eBay and inexpensive, the rest is just housed in a timber box with a sheet metal front cover. Would like to visit the Chicago area one day, Hi Chicago 👋
Great looking radio. Deserves pride of place. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and skills.
Hi birdie399, thank you. It looks good in the display case 🙂
Another great video, David, thoroughly enjoyed watching your sleuthing!
Thanks Dave, nice name 👍😄
Funny - I was thinking the same thing! Greetings from Cape Town, South Africa :-)
@@zs1dfr Hi Cape Town 👋🙂
Watched loads of your video's now,different supplies then the power switches and bulb gone and then a new signal generator.i like the look of that signal generator myself were did you get it from?.
Hi Ray, that one is a silicon chip magazine project kit. You can still get them if you search their website, in Australia of course 🙂
Well done ,and you do such an outstanding job on ur radio repairs and restorations ,Enjoy ur video's.
Thanks Doc 🙂
What did the machine do that you put the core of the antenna in? If there is no "off" ... maybe a cord switch would suffice?
Hi Glenn, it was my lathe, I just cleaned up the plastic end which was chipped and broken 👍
Great video ! I started watching your videos and it is good to see good straight forward restorations. What is the model of your signal generator? I need something economical and simple with modulation.
Hi Charlie, thank you. I have a 1960s Leader from Japan. There are plenty of modern Chinese ones on eBay at a good price 🙂
@@DavidTipton101 I was refering to the signal generator you use in this video (eg: min 36.48). For sure it's not from the sixties.. :)
Sorry Charlie, the digital one is a kit from Silicone Chip but costs about $100 to build. Google backpack signal generator silicone chip should get a hit.
Nice work David. I'm curious about the math behind how the antenna coils are wound for a given frequency. They seem very frail. Must be the reason they are wax covered. Camera work and editing is first class. 73 de KB7ICI
It's out of my pay scale too Bill. It's all about inducing a signal from one coil into the secondary coil and setting up a resonance with the capacitor it's coupled to... there are calculators out there but I haven't investigated them 🙂
Looks VERY nice!, perhaps a bit of foil glued to the inside of the case where the bulbs are would control the light better.
It seems to have a bit of Cord 812 in the design. (that's a famous American automobile from 1937.)
Thanks Nicholas. Yes it does light up the case but they all do it. Perhaps a metal shield part way around the bulb, I have done that before. The Cord was way ahead of it's time, I like the maroon colored ones 😀
Not surprised about Disney, they'll do whatever is necessary to protect their property. They're preparing for when their Mickey copyright expires. A saying from Wall Street: "Don't mess with the Mouse".
It was pretty cheeky of Astor to steal it it though, I suppose they thought no one would notice a company in Australia using the mouse on their radios 😒
Very nice video. Liked the alligment.
And how it ended up.
Thanks PD1RWK 🙂
As a kid growing up in an Irish Ghetto we called a baked potato cooked on a stick in an open fire drum was called a Mickey.
Interesting, I wonder why it was called that 🤔🙂
Looks very nice - you have some interesting sets in Australia. presumably different dials would have been used for that one, depending on which state it was sold in ? I like the idea of using the signal on the primary side for the alignment - I'll have to try that !
Hi Sinewave, I should have mentioned that, yes there were dial plates for each state and we do have some amazing sets here but then so do other countries. The output valve plate is my first choice now. Our club has 3 or 4 workshops every year and I floated the idea at the last one only to be meet by astonished looks, "there a couple of hundred Volts there!" someone said. Be aware of the voltages there though and you don't short to something. I often just tack solder a capacitor in there with an insulated flylead attached.
Good work finding a similar antenna coil. Resistance of the coil is mostly about the wire gauge used and the number of turns needed to get the required MW inductance. It wont matter unless there is a required voltage drop to service a tube plate. If so you may need to insert a resistor in series. The resistor will slightly affect resonance across the band. Inductances of MW antenna coils dont radically change from one design to another.
Thank you for that info Hallicrafters Rehabs, I will keep that in mind 👍🙂
What kind of signal generator do you use? The video was nice. Thanks
I used a Leader LSG-11 in the video, I also have a Silicon Chip kit generator 👍🙂
Nice job David, I have not come across the Mickey before , a lovely radio...........................................Berni
Hi berni, it does have a nice shape and the ivory colour makes it look even better 🙂
Another great restoration, thanks Dave!
Thanks for the feedback Sam, glad you enjoyed it 😀
That set was manufactured by Astor in Stuart St South Melbourne probably by my father who was the Foreman of domestic radio.
Yes it was, I think I said Sydney. Sorry I don't know what I was thinking there 🤦♂️
I’m guessing most people curse the mouse for chewing up the radio. I thank the mouse for adding interest!
The mice ruin many a good radio but it does make one think of a solution. Thanks aerostar 🙂
In the early 70's before the Cartels took over Mexico, we used to cross the Reo Grande and visit Juarez Mexico, I was stationed at Fort Bliss, which is in El Paso Texas, we lived off base in El Paso at the time. Down there, the artists that sat in booths on the street were selling the infamous black velvet paintings. We picked up a bull fighter, a Mission, and for my children Mickey and Minnie Mouse paintings, and for our leisure room, Buggs Bunny took up residence on one wall. We were still new to border crossings, but as luck would have it, we stowed the paintings in the trunk of my 69 Plymouth and the border patrol never chose our car to search, the folks who visited said if the BP had found them they would have confiscated them because of the Disney problems. My kids still have the paintings, their children and now grand children have them I guess. I think my paintings are still around somewhere although I haven't seen them in years perhaps my daughter, who now lives in my house to care for me in my old age has sold them, she has sold off a lot of things since my wife was taken from me by a nasty form of cancer two years ago
Hi Jerry, I had forgotten about black velvet paintings, they were popular in the 70s. You were lucky to get past border patrol, you could have ended up in La Mesa prison 😉 Once again, my condolences for your wife's passing I hope you are in good health 🙂
Now you'll have to get a 1937 Cord in your garage to match it!
That would be nice but I'm stuck with 2015 Camry for now 😏🤦♂️🙂
The Miniprint caps were a design by Rifa of Sweden and I think I saw a date code of 10/74 on one of them. They're paper covered in some kind of epoxy as far as I know and the epoxy shrinks over time, causing cracks and occasionally spectacular smoke effects or even explosions. The same design was also available as X and Y-rated mains filter caps (PME 271) and if these go, things get nasty! A best-case scenario is "only" some weird fizzling and a big cloud of acrid smoke, worst case is a huge bang, darkness in the house and at least a blown fuse inside the set. They were incredibly common in almost any electronics designed for the common European market and it's wise to replace them if they're older than about 20 years or show signs of cracking.
This video is from a while ago. I remember some clear flat ones with a silver foil inside them but they were removed in the end.
@@DavidTipton101 That's good! As I said, they can fail rather spectacularly! I was once unable to use a room for a full two days after an encounter with a RIFA filter cap in a Philips VCR!
Great job fixing that radio
Thanks Sheldon 😀
P.S. Shango066 had done a 📹 video on a Grundig Majestic 3035 radio about 2 years ago, maybe 3. It was a very nice German, wooden 📻 radio(if I'm 👎 not mistaken). It has a very nice glass dial, and a dial light. This radio is of very fine quality, with two VERY complicated dial cord systems, with a clutch system as well. This in turn, also operates an internal "rotary" type of ferrite bar antenna, since it's connected to the dial cord. It is a tube model. I'm guessing about 1948. I'd have to ⌚ watch his video to confirm. He said that had his 💻 computer or 📱 phone crashed, or if he accidentally deleted the photos, all would have been lost. He would NEVER get the dial cord system put back together correctly. QUALITY went in to 📻 radios then. They were 👍 like an heirloom, to be ✋ handed down. It's 👍 like Zenith's saying "Quality goes in before the name goes on".
I remember that one Jeff, it was German and the dial cords are terrifying 🙂
You will need that slug in the aerial coil otherwise it won’t resonate at the bottom end of the band. Looks like a little theory is necessary. The slug is tuned at the low frequency end and the trimmer cap at the top of the band.
Hi widecast, thank you, I know that now, I pinned my own comment to the top of the page on that mistake. Thanks for the theory lesson though and I have it worked it all out now, I certainly didn't understand at the time as you can see 🤦♂️🙂
Hi David. I don’t know how many plates in that transformer core you ground off but that shouldn’t be done. There is an oxide insulating layer on one side of each plate to insulate one from the other. This is to reduce eddy currents in the core, which is also why it’s a core of a whole lot of thin plates and not a solid iron core. Eddy currents means loss and heating of the core itself from those currents.
Really, I did not know that. From memory I only removed the outer rusted plate and removed the rust. I'll have to check into that a bit more, thanks widecast 🙂
To remount the coil on the speaker how about a pop rivet gun? I picked one up years ago it came with a few hundred rivets and I have perhaps used a dozen over the years. For projects like that it would be ideal.
I could have used pop rivets but it was bolted so I stuck with that. It may well have had rivets in it from the factory. Thanks Jerry 🙂
Eres un maestro! Gracias por tu explicación tal detallada. Y otro gran trabajo. Felicidades. Saludos
Gracias por sus amables comentarios Enrique, estoy feliz de que lo hayas disfrutado 😀
Mice like the taste of beeswax.
I think you may be on to something there Cosimo 😃
All you could say about mouse activity in a "Mickey" radio is....... *Awwwww rats!* LOL😁
🙄
@neilforbes416 those micky mouse radios were very popular in 1976 i wanted one
@@top40researcher31 They were already rendered obsolete by their lack of the 88-108Mhz FM band as FM(through the opening of several Community-based stations) was gaining a foothold on Australia's media landscape.
@@neilforbes416 i never heard of FM radio until i was given a transistor (tranny) radio for my birthday back in 1979 it was only ten years later i was a radio announcer at one and i was involved in for over twenty years
@@neilforbes416 actually the band starts at 87.50 for those who have a digital tuner
عزيزي. David
ارجو ان تكون بخير وبصحة جيده انني اتابع جميع الفديو الذي
تشرح بها جهاز الراديو القديمة كما
اشكرك على هذا العمل الجميل الذي يذكرنا بالماضي و راديو الماضي شكرا
العراق بغداد الجلبي
عبد ، شكرا لك. أنا بخير وأتمنى أن تكون بصحة جيدة أيضًا.
شكرا لك لمشاهدة أشرطة الفيديو الخاصة بي. إنه لمن دواعي سروري أن أشاركها معك. اعتن بنفسك 🙂
o just love old radios
Me too @top40researcher31 👍🙂
@@DavidTipton101 my grandparents had a kriesler
fantastic a new video love mickey radios
I hope you enjoy it Ian 👍
I don't recommend the center tap bass boost that is often wired in permanent on the HMV amplifiers and mini Realistic amps, It can saturate with high level sources and if source is weak ie 20 track LP the sound degrades just past the center point giving nasal midrange, I have de loudness a HMV Rhapsody radio gram and all my mini amplifiers, much more even response throughout the vol control range
Yikes vaughn, I struggle to get it working much less redesign it 😄 The 'loudness' circuit on this one is quite complex isn't it, the designers must have thought it helped back in the 40s and 50s either with sound or sales 🤔
@@DavidTipton101 The loudness circuit only evolves around the vol pot itself, between ground and middle tap is a cap and resistor for the bass and a smaller cap between the tap and hot side for the treble, I don't endorse this design since 6 -7 on the vol pozzy goes nasal sounding until the pot is fully open you get the native response (providing the source not strong enough to clip out, normal hi-fi amps have a loudness on/off switch whereas midget amps have these parts wired in permanent, which is why I get in there to desolder those loudness caps, my dad years ago wanted to listen to my radio-cassette for radio talk instead of the Rhapsody radio-gram as it was too bassy at low vol, I have the original one he bought in 68, one I bought at Trash & Treasure flea market, the other hard rubbish, the latter one had the de loudness mod and my tapes sound good through that
oh ASTOR!!!! now that is a name to conjure...
It's a great name Chris 🙂
Great !
Had an Astor car radio in a 59 Ford Zephyer. It was the best thing about the car. A great radio.
Hi David, nice restore on the Astor Mickey - I also have one to restore - What did you use to clean up the white cabinet? Mike R
Nice radio,thank you.
Thank you Iulian 👍👍🙂🙂
I like Kellogg's Raisin Bran, even though many years ago I cracked a tooth on one of the hard raisins. 😖
You must be from the states, we call then sultanas here, Sultana Bran, don't know why the difference. You must grow 'em tough over there to break a tooth 😄
@@DavidTipton101 I looked it up. Sultana Bran is what they call it in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Raisin Bran is what we call it in the U.S. and Canada. The raisins in KRB are coated in sugar and are hard as rocks! Incidentally, let us know how you are doing with PC treatment. 💪
@@cogitoergosumsc5717 Trust you guys to coat a sweet sultana in sugar 😄 I will try and keep folks up to date but I don't want to make a big deal of it. Thanks CogitoErgoSum SC.
@@DavidTipton101 If you don't want to, that's O.K. But keep in mind you are admired and respected, for what you are and what you do. You have got YT subscribers from all over the world and I can say that we are all in agreement. Cheers!
@@cogitoergosumsc5717 Thanks CogitoErgoSum SC 😀
عزيزي david هل تقدر تصلح
اجهزة التسجيل تيب بكرة Abdul
آسف عبد ، ليس لدي أي منها ولم أصلح أي منها بعد 😟
What a Beauty :)
Thanks Joe 👍🙂
Don’t tune the slug at the top end of the band. You do it at the bottom end. The trimmer is to be adjusted at the top end.
Yep, got it, thanks widecast 👍🙂
As usual the restoration was meticulous and expertly done, but: a) the grille cloth is dirty and b) there is no way to turn it off. WTF?
Hi Bob, very old video, I don't know/remember why I didn't clean the grill. It was unusual to have on/off switches in Aussie radios until the 50s. We have on/off switches on our power outlets, maybe they though that was enough 🤔🙂
Ferrite rod + coil maybe a good replacement for the aerial coil
Hi mohider khana, I didn't think of that, good idea for the future 👍😃
@@DavidTipton101 about 60 turns should work.
Never have I heard of fiber ⚙ gears for a 1940's, or 1950's radio. I think they were made of a fiber material, because 👎no one usually was turning the 📻 radio tuning 👌 knob, as if "Station 🏄 Surfing". It was also cheaper, and you didn't have to worry about ⚙ gear wear. I think these fiber gears were available, directly from the manufacturer, such as if one 👎 did fail. Today, you can probably find a much sturdier plastic ⚙ gear. Metal ones might be too expensive, or hard to find. It would be a major ➕ plus, if ALL these old 📻 radios had a dial string diagram, in order to restring the dial string.
Hi Jeffery, there are metal gears available for this radio 🙂
Your radios don't seem to suffer from silver mica migration, it must be the climate.
I've had a few suffer from SMD but not many orange70383 🙂
Thanks sir I want to buy like this tube tester where I found
Hi Hilali, I think I found that on a local online market type website.
feliz ano novo mestre, saude e paz..............mestre este deu trabalho para ajustar as bobinas, mas voce é bom mesmo parabens
tenho todas as perguntas possiveis, mas numa outra ocasião as faço ......abraços brasileiros ao amigo
Feliz ano novo Silvio. Compreendo melhor as bobinas agora. Tudo de bom da Austrália 🦘😀
B plus on my GPM was 2.5 volts
That's not going to work 😲
David Tipton i know, still tracking down the culprit, tried new valves and replaced all caps and a suspect resistor, still the same
Pin 3 on the 6V4 should have 190VDC to chassis. The centre tap should be at -4VDC to chassis. If you don't have that then it's either the transformer, the wiring, the rectifier valve (6V4) or the 125 Ohm resistor from the centre tap to ground is open. Using the AC range, you can check the transformer output from each side of the secondary windings to the centre tap, if you have about equal voltage reading each side the transformer is OK. If you then measure each of the secondary windings to chassis and get nothing then the resistor is suspect. Use a analog meter if possible as a DMM may give a false readings.
@@DavidTipton101ended up being the transformer
Martin, located from near Chicago. [correcting for a typo]
Hi Martin, I'm always typing form 🙄😄
r.i.p headphone users.
Sorry TOB, I've turned down the volume for the intro on later videos but the main content is set by the VU metres in the software 😏
I forgot to tell ya that this radio 📻 looks much like 👍 a 1947 Firestone 🔥 model, but I’m not sure 🤔 if the case is steel on this one ☝️. The Firestone 🔥 radio 📻 that Shango066 was doing, had “Firestone 🔥 Tire And Rubber Company”, on the label, on the back of it. It must have been some sort of freebie, or at a reduced price, if ya went in to purchase a new set of Firestone fire 🔥 tires. That’s my guess. I’m not sure if this radio 📻, and the Firestone 🔥 one ☝️, both had the fiber gear ⚙️. If so, it was probably made out of this fiber-like material, because the manufacturer 👨 assumed that the tuning knob would not see much use. In other words, it was like 👍 a “set it and forget it” radio 📻. This eliminated the fear of gear ⚙️ wear. Unless you’re a “station surfer” 🏄♀️, then ya would go through more gears ⚙️. Both this radio 📻, and the Firestone 🔥 have dial lights 💡. Your friend, Jeff.
Thanks Jeff, I saw Shango do the Firestone radio, this is a plastic case not metal. You might have got a free radio with a set of tires 🙂
*_BRAVO DAVIDE*_🤗
Thank you D. Ilic 😄
👍👍👍👍
🙂🙂🙂🙂