Old valve radio

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azatplayer
Posts: 556
Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 7:59 pm
Location: Great Southland

Old valve radio

Post by azatplayer »

I picked up a couple of old valve radios on fleabay this weekend. Ones se the other pp pair both using 6M5 tubes, as far as ive discovered, the same as the pentode side of an ECL86. Both of which require about 7k load, was thinking of rewiring to EL84's but the impedance and voltages will be too different, i think.
The push pull amp has a cathodyne PI very similar to a 5E3 using a 12AT7, and has an EF86 frontend. Its very clean but reading the values of the old paper wax caps and faded CC R's is a minor challenge. Its got a treble and bass stack using 1 meg pots. Ive not yet mapped out the tonestack, but am working on it.
I originally got it as a sneaky way of playing guitar in the lounge ;) , however its a cool piece of history, and a nice bit of furniture. Its bigger than a quad and has a turntable too.
Not sure of dates, the owner thinks 50's, i think maybe 60 something.
The 5V4G is dated 57' and the EF86 is dated 59' both mullards.
Those 2 tubes are worth more than i paid for the radio!
Thoughts now are of keeping it as is and finding somewhere to inject an ipod into the circuit, the valve sound is pretty cool. Has a 12inch alnico and 2 4inch dualcone things.
Of course an EF86 into a 12xxx gain/cathodyne PI into pair of novel tubes and alnico speaker sure smacks of some kinda Vox action to me!!
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M Fowler
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Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 2:19 am
Location: Walcott ND

Re: Old valve radio

Post by M Fowler »

Nice score Don.

I don't even want to show you guys my old Philco radio console it is way to hard to restore that big old thing so I am going to have to find a home for it this summer.

I had a foolish auction sale $50 moment 2 years ago at a relative's estate sale.
dynaman
Posts: 495
Joined: Thu Jul 06, 2006 6:16 pm
Location: Westland, MI

Re: Old valve radio

Post by dynaman »

M Fowler wrote:Nice score Don.

I don't even want to show you guys my old Philco radio console it is way to hard to restore that big old thing so I am going to have to find a home for it this summer.

I had a foolish auction sale $50 moment 2 years ago at a relative's estate sale.
Aw c'mon. Just one pic. We've all made purchases like that!
Cliff Schecht
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Location: Austin
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Re: Old valve radio

Post by Cliff Schecht »

I purchased a box of broken CB transceivers at a hamfest last year. I got a handful of 12AX7's and EL84's but not much else to speak of. I paid I think $10 for a box of 6 radios and overall the tubes I got paid for the purchase.

I don't buy big old radios because I don't listen to AM!
Cliff Schecht - Circuit P.I.
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Structo
Posts: 15446
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 1:01 am
Location: Oregon

Re: Old valve radio

Post by Structo »

M Fowler wrote:Nice score Don.

I don't even want to show you guys my old Philco radio console it is way to hard to restore that big old thing so I am going to have to find a home for it this summer.

I had a foolish auction sale $50 moment 2 years ago at a relative's estate sale.
I saw a guy on a Hi Fi site that took a couple of those old consoles and gutted them and made them into speaker cabinets for his hi fi system.
They were identical radios and he refinished them.
One sat on either side of his system.
He had dial lights in them and the lit up when playing music.
They looked very nice.
Tom

Don't let that smoke out!
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M Fowler
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Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 2:19 am
Location: Walcott ND

Re: Old valve radio

Post by M Fowler »

Tom I have had the same idea but even the cabinet veneer is a problem to restore.

Can't take a picture because it is buried in a corner of my garage!
mumford
Posts: 176
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2007 3:43 pm

Re: Old valve radio

Post by mumford »

I gutted a big radio cabinet years ago and would stick my amp behind it for gigs.
jsw1965
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 10:32 pm

Re: Old valve radio

Post by jsw1965 »

I picked up a 1939 Hallicrafter shortwave radio a few months back for $40 just to tinker with and soon realized that I didn't need a shortwave radio. I also thought about the ipod idea just for laughs, but the cabinet is so cool, I thought I would build a tube amp with it. I'm still trying to decide what circuit to build.
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