[Coco] OT- Old Radio Help Request

[smostrom at mn.rr.com]

----- Original Message -----
From: KnudsenMJ at aol.com
Date: Friday, March 26, 2004 10:32 am
Subject: Re: [Coco] OT- Old Radio Help Request

> In a message dated 3/26/04 6:07:40 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
> spam_proof at worldnet.att.net writes:
> 
> > In my particular case, I'm getting a hum.  The shopkeeper said 
> they could
> >  pick up a radio station with it, but I sure can't.  I haven't 
> taken it
> >  apart yet, but I suspect that they've used wax capacitors, 
> which decayed
> >  over time and became conductive (I've had this problem in some 
> of my other
> >  radios).  The tubes seem to be fine.
> 
> Right, the wax paper "firecracker" caps are probably leaky and 
> should be 
> replaced.
> Also so should the electrolytic caps, the big aluminum cans.   You 
> probably 
> know that the originals should be left in place for looks, but 
> new, smaller 
> ones should be wired underneath the chassis, after disconnecting 
> the old ones.
> 
> You're also right in that the tubs are usually not the problem.  
> An exception 
> is there may be ONE bad tube, which is why the radio was "retired" 
> originally.  But it's a miracle how glass and metal tubes have 
> held their hard vacuum 
> for 50 to 80 years!
> 
> Hope your record changer is working so you can spin some 78s.  
> Probably have 
> to replace the pickup cartridge; those are almost always dead.
> --Mike K.
> 
> -- 
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> Coco at maltedmedia.com
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> 

Mike, do you replace the old parts with other old parts, or are there newer, relaible replacements?

-- Steve --