I bought a 1940 RCA Victor AM / Shortwave Radio today. Model 18t.

http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/rca_18t.html

Pics are below.
Ok - Im cleaning it up and it runs pretty well. Decent sound.. Stations work.. etc..
BUT...
For the life of me i can figure out how to use the Television/Phonograph audio jack. There is no button on the front to indicate its use. The jack on the back looks like a standard RCA - but in reading up online i think it may have used a quarter inch RCA jack instead. I have tried a standard RCA and a quarter inch adaptor. Nothing happens.
I have put it in every setting on the front - and it still just plays the radio...
Ideas? I would love to be able to plug in an FM radio or Phonograph to it...

Please Advise...

I bought a 1940 RCA Victor AM / Shortwave Radio today. Model 18t.

http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/rca_18t.html

Pics are below.
Ok - Im cleaning it up and it runs pretty well. Decent sound.. Stations work.. etc..
BUT...
For the life of me i can figure out how to use the Television/Phonograph audio jack. There is no button on the front to indicate its use. The jack on the back looks like a standard RCA - but in reading up online i think it may have used a quarter inch RCA jack instead. I have tried a standard RCA and a quarter inch adaptor. Nothing happens.
I have put it in every setting on the front - and it still just plays the radio...
Ideas? I would love to be able to plug in an FM radio or Phonograph to it...

Please Advise...

The tone selector switch should have a phono position. second control from the left.

The tone selector switch should have a phono position. second control from the left.

I tried that and it seems to just play the radio at a different tone.. with treble or bass.
Seems to do the same for AM - or the Shortwave.

Without question it is the tone switch. Check you may want to take it apart and clean the switch and in the process figure it out
http://www.nostalgiaair.org/PagesByModel/801/M0014801.pdf

Without question it is the tone switch. Check you may want to take it apart and clean the switch and in the process figure it out
http://www.nostalgiaair.org/PagesByModel/801/M0014801.pdf

OK..
So i wonder which mode it has to be in on the right then..
A B C or PB

I will play with it some more...

Ok - update.
I did two things.
1. I cleaned out the RCA jack a bit in the back.
2. I found an OLD RCA jack from the 60s... momo analog... and sure enough - that worked.
I did need to use the tone dial - and the radio did keep coming through - until I got the RCA cable in to work - then it over road the radio.
=)
Thanks for the help yall!
=)

Ok - update.
I did two things.
1. I cleaned out the RCA jack a bit in the back.
2. I found an OLD RCA jack from the 60s... momo analog... and sure enough - that worked.
I did need to use the tone dial - and the radio did keep coming through - until I got the RCA cable in to work - then it over road the radio.
=)
Thanks for the help yall!
=)

I just wonder if RCA changed the phono input in the later runs.
The Riders shows a phono position on the tone switch. :scratch2:

I had an older RCA tube set that IIRC used the longer center pin RCA connecter to disconnect the radio section...

I had an older RCA tube set that IIRC used the longer center pin RCA connecter to disconnect the radio section...

That's what I was referring to, when I mentioned that there might be a change in production.
I had an RCA that had a closed circuit phono jack, that when a phono plug was inserted, the radio was silenced and the input was live.
The radio, being referred to, was a great performing set.
Eight tube, transformer powered, with push-pull output and a tuned RF stage.
What more could you ask for? :thmbsp: