batterymaker
11-20-2009, 03:20 PM
This one's been another of those ten-year journeys.
I got this radio over ten years ago. I asked the seller where he found it.
He said it was from Robert Young's estate...
Can't prove it, but I can't imagine why he'd make that up, especially after the sale.
Anywhoo, got the radio--and found that Mr. Young had left the batteries inside.
Found a prewar graphic Eveready 467 battery inside, nearly new...
Also found a hearing aid LT battery--and it had leaked all over the place....
On top of that, I tried recapping the set, and promptly screwed it up!
So, I set it aside until I had the patience to sort it out.
This is a three-tube superhet--the smallest one that could be built in 1939 using octal tubes.
I decided since there were so many problems with the radio, I would tear it completely down and rewire it like a kit.
Here are the results. There were a few glitches--part of it is from the fact that it's a crammed chassis, and there were a few pins touching where they shouldn't have. Once I sorted that out, the set began to play, albeit weakly. Turned out one of the antenna lines had a break in it, deep within the loop...
Fortunately, I had a parts radio with an intact loop. I had to CAREFULLY peel back the leatherette, remove the loop and installed the good one.
Then it played up a storm!
It motorboats on the low end of the dial, bur for now, I'm going to leave that alone.
After ten years, I could hear a Majestic 130 play.
It's running on a 467 HT battery and a D cell for the filaments. I'm going to be building the proper-style batteries for this set shortly....
Chassis pix are from the donor set--wired when I was younger and more stupid....
Video added:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhrNX9HVt5o
I got this radio over ten years ago. I asked the seller where he found it.
He said it was from Robert Young's estate...
Can't prove it, but I can't imagine why he'd make that up, especially after the sale.
Anywhoo, got the radio--and found that Mr. Young had left the batteries inside.
Found a prewar graphic Eveready 467 battery inside, nearly new...
Also found a hearing aid LT battery--and it had leaked all over the place....
On top of that, I tried recapping the set, and promptly screwed it up!
So, I set it aside until I had the patience to sort it out.
This is a three-tube superhet--the smallest one that could be built in 1939 using octal tubes.
I decided since there were so many problems with the radio, I would tear it completely down and rewire it like a kit.
Here are the results. There were a few glitches--part of it is from the fact that it's a crammed chassis, and there were a few pins touching where they shouldn't have. Once I sorted that out, the set began to play, albeit weakly. Turned out one of the antenna lines had a break in it, deep within the loop...
Fortunately, I had a parts radio with an intact loop. I had to CAREFULLY peel back the leatherette, remove the loop and installed the good one.
Then it played up a storm!
It motorboats on the low end of the dial, bur for now, I'm going to leave that alone.
After ten years, I could hear a Majestic 130 play.
It's running on a 467 HT battery and a D cell for the filaments. I'm going to be building the proper-style batteries for this set shortly....
Chassis pix are from the donor set--wired when I was younger and more stupid....
Video added:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhrNX9HVt5o