1956 F series radio question
#16
06-21-2016, 01:18 AM
Well nobody needs to make them they made a gazillion of them and are still around, the demand is pretty low for most of them except audio tubes.
That's what's kind of interesting, 100 year old tubes are easy to find and work fine. Transistors have problems, sometimes, and are hard to find now depending. Usually an old tube radio will not be repaired or improved by replacing tubes, the culprit is always in the power supply, coupling, and bypass capacitors.
That's what's kind of interesting, 100 year old tubes are easy to find and work fine. Transistors have problems, sometimes, and are hard to find now depending. Usually an old tube radio will not be repaired or improved by replacing tubes, the culprit is always in the power supply, coupling, and bypass capacitors.
#17
06-21-2016, 06:27 AM
Lead Driver
Tubes are easy to get. Plentiful even, and cheap, at least the kind used in car radios, because the audiophools don't use them and haven't bid them up to the stratosphere like some. 6L6, EL34, 12AX7.
They last a long time, and are extremely rugged. It's actually easier to find tubes, even back to the early 1920s, than it is to find certain transistors. There are universal replacements but sometimes the circuit is picky and a generic won't work quite right. Not saying tubes are "better" but they seem to have a lot better shelf life.
To my ears a good AM radio running right and aligned sounds decent enough, not Hi-Fi, but perfect for listening to late night long distant stations, old country music blasting out of WSM or whatever, baseball games, etc. There's a Navajo station down by Kayenta or someplace like that, when you're down by Grand Canyon you can tune that one in.
Radio is just a different deal than downloading it off the internet, you youngsters just don't understand. Mostly.
And you kids get off my lawn!!
They last a long time, and are extremely rugged. It's actually easier to find tubes, even back to the early 1920s, than it is to find certain transistors. There are universal replacements but sometimes the circuit is picky and a generic won't work quite right. Not saying tubes are "better" but they seem to have a lot better shelf life.
To my ears a good AM radio running right and aligned sounds decent enough, not Hi-Fi, but perfect for listening to late night long distant stations, old country music blasting out of WSM or whatever, baseball games, etc. There's a Navajo station down by Kayenta or someplace like that, when you're down by Grand Canyon you can tune that one in.
Radio is just a different deal than downloading it off the internet, you youngsters just don't understand. Mostly.
And you kids get off my lawn!!
#18
06-21-2016, 07:31 AM
Fleet Mechanic
Well nobody needs to make them they made a gazillion of them and are still around, the demand is pretty low for most of them except audio tubes.
That's what's kind of interesting, 100 year old tubes are easy to find and work fine. Transistors have problems, sometimes, and are hard to find now depending. Usually an old tube radio will not be repaired or improved by replacing tubes, the culprit is always in the power supply, coupling, and bypass capacitors.
That's what's kind of interesting, 100 year old tubes are easy to find and work fine. Transistors have problems, sometimes, and are hard to find now depending. Usually an old tube radio will not be repaired or improved by replacing tubes, the culprit is always in the power supply, coupling, and bypass capacitors.
#19
06-21-2016, 07:46 AM
That Ebay radio has a lot of work done to it. My guess is that all the guts have been replaced with sold state components. The tube radios took a little while to warm up. That thing seemed to be instant on. Also any amp is within the receiver box. I bought two of these receivers while I was exploring the viabilty of installing a stock radio. I'm thinking that this winter I may tinker on mine, get them to pickup fm and have an aux plug, etc, and make thousands of dollars...
#20
06-21-2016, 11:11 AM
#21
06-21-2016, 11:15 AM
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#22
06-21-2016, 01:33 PM
Laughing Gas
Here's the literature from Bendix for the 1956 radio. Kevin is correct, as usual. I picked up one at a swap meet this year for $100.00. Almost complete except for the center black ****. The stainless trim ring is available, but expensive($90.00)
Any one have a spare center **** they would like to sell?
Regards, Mark.
Any one have a spare center **** they would like to sell?
Regards, Mark.
#23
06-22-2016, 02:56 PM
One thing you might keep in mind, it's trivial for a tech or even a handy DIYer to add an MP3 jack to these old radios so while the AM radio audio might not have the highest fidelity, this is mostly because of FCC broadcast limitations of bandwidth, of the radio stations themselves, i.e., it will sound pretty decent with your iPod or whatever hooked up.
#24
06-28-2016, 07:34 AM
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