[Bart Goddard]

Hi folks,

I've been reading this group for about a week to see
if it might be the right place to ask a couple questions
I have. But the volume is pretty low, (and at least
half has been...um...unpleasantly off-topic. I know,
it's the nature of USENET.) so I haven't been able to
figure y'all out yet.

Here's my problem: I have a 1946 Bendix phonograph/radio
which has stopped working. It has tubes in it, which is
why I came here. I already have a couple of fine hobbies,
so I'm not looking to add "vintage radio repair" to my
list of enjoyable pastimes. However, I would like to
repair my Bendix, so that I can listen to my 78's and
tune in the shortwave. (Perry Como and the Andrew Sisters
as God meant them to sound.)

Is this a place I could discuss issues that come up while
I try to repair my Bendix? Can anyone suggest a more
appropriate place? Got any pointers to sources of information
on how vintage radios work and how one might repair one?
Got any other great advice?

Bart (Austin, TX)

--
Cheerfully resisting change since 1959.

[Don Pearce[_3_]]

On 8 Jun 2009 13:57:32 GMT, Bart Goddard
wrote:


Hi folks,

I've been reading this group for about a week to see
if it might be the right place to ask a couple questions
I have. But the volume is pretty low, (and at least
half has been...um...unpleasantly off-topic. I know,
it's the nature of USENET.) so I haven't been able to
figure y'all out yet.

Here's my problem: I have a 1946 Bendix phonograph/radio
which has stopped working. It has tubes in it, which is
why I came here. I already have a couple of fine hobbies,
so I'm not looking to add "vintage radio repair" to my
list of enjoyable pastimes. However, I would like to
repair my Bendix, so that I can listen to my 78's and
tune in the shortwave. (Perry Como and the Andrew Sisters
as God meant them to sound.)

Is this a place I could discuss issues that come up while
I try to repair my Bendix? Can anyone suggest a more
appropriate place? Got any pointers to sources of information
on how vintage radios work and how one might repair one?
Got any other great advice?

Bart (Austin, TX)

Well, on the off-topic issue - I think you will find that if you
filter off everything that originates in Googlegroups, you will see
pretty well none of it.

Now - to the valves. The easy stuff comes first. Do they all light up?
If yes, if you leave it on for an hour or so, do they all get
similarly warm (do turn off for a few minutes before trying this one).

Next, do you get any sort of faint hum from the speaker? Does it get
louder when you turn the volume control up? Do you get loud crackles
when you move the waveband change switch?

If the answer is yes to all of these, then in all probability the
valves are all more-or-less working - although they may well no longer
meet their original spec. You will then have to start looking at
things like capacitors. What follows depends a great deal on how
technically competent you are with a meter and oscilloscope. And of
course whether you have managed to find the schematic.

d

[[email protected]]

On Jun 8, 9:57*am, Bart Goddard wrote:

Is this a place I could discuss issues that come up while
I try to repair my Bendix? *Can anyone suggest a more
appropriate place? *Got any pointers to sources of information
on how vintage radios work and how one might repair one?
Got any other great advice?

Bart:

For that item, you want to go to:

rec.*antiques.*radio+phono

The S/N ratio there is much better, and whereas we have our
characters, there is far more dedicated knowledge to be found there on
vintage tube devices than here, by a large margin.

This is more of an audio group with, therefore, a much narrower
focus.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

[JC]

wrote in message
...
On Jun 8, 9:57 am, Bart Goddard wrote:

Is this a place I could discuss issues that come up while
I try to repair my Bendix? Can anyone suggest a more
appropriate place? Got any pointers to sources of information
on how vintage radios work and how one might repair one?
Got any other great advice?

Bart:

Here are some links you may find useful:

http://www.justradios.com/#B

http://www.dxzone.com/catalog/Antique_Radios/

http://www.tubesandmore.com/

http://www.radiolaguy.com/resources.htm#service%20data

Jim

[Patrick Turner]

Bart Goddard wrote:

Hi folks,

I've been reading this group for about a week to see
if it might be the right place to ask a couple questions
I have. But the volume is pretty low, (and at least
half has been...um...unpleasantly off-topic. I know,
it's the nature of USENET.) so I haven't been able to
figure y'all out yet.

Here's my problem: I have a 1946 Bendix phonograph/radio
which has stopped working. It has tubes in it, which is
why I came here. I already have a couple of fine hobbies,
so I'm not looking to add "vintage radio repair" to my
list of enjoyable pastimes. However, I would like to
repair my Bendix, so that I can listen to my 78's and
tune in the shortwave. (Perry Como and the Andrew Sisters
as God meant them to sound.)

Is this a place I could discuss issues that come up while
I try to repair my Bendix? Can anyone suggest a more
appropriate place? Got any pointers to sources of information
on how vintage radios work and how one might repair one?
Got any other great advice?

Bart (Austin, TX)

Hi Bart,
Unless you try to learn a great deal about the electronics from before
1959, you will find it difficult to repair your Bendix.

I bet it has multiple problems. If I were you I would track down a local
repair person who understands tube electronics and who like you is aged
over 50. Unfortuately such people are few and far between with many
having been rostered on for duty to keep the audio systems going in
Heaven.

Basic problems with ancient tube audio have been addressed in numerous
postings in this group over many years. Perhaps you may care to read the
Google Groups archives, just do a search and you'll get there.

Its tedious to read old discussions because after 4 postings the subject
can change completely, and your exact problem hasn't been anwswered.

Old books are another good source for old radio-gram repairs, so you
should visit all the second hand book stores and look in their technical
sections.

Patrick Turner.

[Patrick Turner]

" wrote:

On Jun 8, 9:57 am, Bart Goddard wrote:

Is this a place I could discuss issues that come up while
I try to repair my Bendix? Can anyone suggest a more
appropriate place? Got any pointers to sources of information
on how vintage radios work and how one might repair one?
Got any other great advice?

Bart:

For that item, you want to go to:

rec.*antiques.*radio+phono

The S/N ratio there is much better, and whereas we have our
characters, there is far more dedicated knowledge to be found there on
vintage tube devices than here, by a large margin.

This is more of an audio group with, therefore, a much narrower
focus.

Indeed you are quite right.

Patrick Turner.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

[Bart Goddard]

Patrick Turner wrote in
:

I'd like to thank you folks for all the helpful responses.
Well, all but one:

If I were you I would track down a local
repair person who understands tube electronics and who like you is aged
over 50.

I ain't over 50, so unless you like looking at the ceiling
while choking on your own blood and teeth, you'll need to
learn proper respect for those of us in our mid forties.
So pull your pants up over your butt crack, shave off the
green mohawk and lose the nose rings, whippersnapper. I
won't turn 50 until way, way later this year. It a long
way off. "Over 50" indeed. The only thing "over 50"
about me is the number of one-handed push-ups I do every
morning. And I use the other hand to hold the cigar.

Meanwhile, thanks to you guys and some other sources, I've
come up with a set of schematics, and yesterday managed to
get the radio going. It wasn't too complicated, since there
are only 6 tubes and they're pretty much in series (complicated
a bit by the phono line coming in), so it
wasn't hard to figure out which one wasn't performing with
my multitester. Then, luckily, cleaning the foot of dust off
it and reseating it firmly a couple times did the trick.

I'm always impressed by the room-filling
sound of these console radios. Not loud, not stereo, but
"full" and clear. The only problem is that there's nothing
worth listening to on AM anymore, and it seems like there's
been a drop off of shortwave broadcasting in the last 20 years.

My big dilemma now is that I've figured out what stylus will work
with the phonograph, but it requires a set screw, which is missing.
I sure hope I can find a replacement for the screw.

Bart

--
Cheerfully resisting change since 1959.

[Patrick Turner]

Bart Goddard wrote:

Patrick Turner wrote in
:

I'd like to thank you folks for all the helpful responses.
Well, all but one:

If I were you I would track down a local
repair person who understands tube electronics and who like you is aged
over 50.

I ain't over 50, so unless you like looking at the ceiling
while choking on your own blood and teeth, you'll need to
learn proper respect for those of us in our mid forties.
So pull your pants up over your butt crack, shave off the
green mohawk and lose the nose rings, whippersnapper. I
won't turn 50 until way, way later this year. It a long
way off. "Over 50" indeed. The only thing "over 50"
about me is the number of one-handed push-ups I do every
morning. And I use the other hand to hold the cigar.


In your original post you sounded just like someone aged about 75.

Unfortunately, on the Intenet, we don't get to meet socially so you
shouldn't get upset if I guessed your age wrong.

I'm 62, and I don't smoke cigars which is a stupid habit if ever there
was one, and I ride 150km a week on a bicycle. I don't need to do 50 one
handed push ups.

I began to learn seriously about tube electronics when I was about 47
and I spent many many late nights in mt workshop to teach myself about
it all from books, and applying what I learnt. This was well before I
went on line and before there was anyone else I could talk to about
tube-craft.
Repairing old radios and radio-grams was one amoung many trades I got
at. I later moved on to do guiar amps then all manner of hi-fi gear.

Now if you are so wonderful as you suggest, then I should think you'll
have no trouble at all learning all you need to know to repair old
ancient junk like your Bendix. If I could do it without assistance from
a news group, so can you.




Meanwhile, thanks to you guys and some other sources, I've
come up with a set of schematics, and yesterday managed to
get the radio going. It wasn't too complicated, since there
are only 6 tubes and they're pretty much in series (complicated
a bit by the phono line coming in), so it
wasn't hard to figure out which one wasn't performing with
my multitester. Then, luckily, cleaning the foot of dust off
it and reseating it firmly a couple times did the trick.

How lucky you were to find only minor problems.

I sometimes have to spend a hundred hours of hard slog to get a 1950s
radio-gram going properly.
It often requires total re-wiring, replacing speakers, re-winding output
transformers, re-tubing, and fitting a modern TT on springs and fitting
a decent phono amp meant for an MM cart. Often all tubes have to be
replaced, and I have to fit a ferrite rod antenna to stop the flurescent
lamps we now have from making hum when you tune to a station. The
ferrite rod must have just the right inductance to resonate with the
tuning gang so that there is good tracking between the tuned station and
the oscillator tuning.
Then there are the lights and broken dial cord to fix, missing or broken
knobs and finally maybe complete french polishing of the wooden cabinet.
I've done piles of radio-grams.

There was an awful lot to learn.



I'm always impressed by the room-filling
sound of these console radios. Not loud, not stereo, but
"full" and clear.

Only when you have got everything working just right.

But many old 1950s junk radios sound quite bad and always sounded bad
because they have serious design faults

The only problem is that there's nothing
worth listening to on AM anymore, and it seems like there's
been a drop off of shortwave broadcasting in the last 20 years.

Come to Oz, we have a few decent AM stations.



My big dilemma now is that I've figured out what stylus will work
with the phonograph, but it requires a set screw, which is missing.
I sure hope I can find a replacement for the screw.

If the stylus is a crystal type, you can have troubles with rubber
supports going hard or crumbling, and the stylus could be worn.
Just about any MM cart on an entry level belt drive turn table made
after 1970 will work better than a typical TT from 1955 with a crystal
pu.

I just re-engineered a big stereo Phillips radio gram and chucked out
the heavy old clunker junk TT which was originally fitted in the well
for the TT.
I installed a second hand AKAI TT from about 1976, and mounted it on the
4 spings taken from under the old TT. The springs prevent the acoustic
FB.
I made up a phono preamp kit available from a store here. It has a dual
oppamp with RIAA eq via a NFB network.
It sure sounds a heck of a lot better than when it was made.

I also put a 3 way switch in and a pair of additional RCA jacks so a CD
player or other source may be used.

The list of all of what was done would fill several pages and bore
everyone here to death if I included it.

The owners were delighted by my results, and so are some of the people
like the telephone company and grocer, for now I can pay them.


Bart

--
Cheerfully resisting change since 1959.

I have embraced change since 1959, and I gladly addopted better ways of
doing things than were known in 1959. I am glad I have not stayed the
same as I was in 1959.

I very much like 1950s AM or FM radios which are rewarding to work on.
I mentioned to my Phillips r/gram owner that we should always keep
something of the past with us so we can remember what the past was like
and how we were, and how we were not like. And we then can understand
ourselves better now.

I designed and built a complete AM radio in 1999 to make sure I could do
it, and it performs better than any mass market brandnames from 1955.
There is much less noise, less distortion, and audio bandwidth is 20Hz
to 10kHz. It is fully tubed. I started this project with the aim to make
a "Synchrodyne" set but I found it so difficult I gave up after a
month's work and turned the project into a normal superhet, but with
variable positioning of one coil in IFT1 so that the mutual coupling
could be altered so that the 455kHz pass band could be widened from the
usual miserable 7kHz you have with two typical IFTs.
This pass band results in only 3.5kHz audio bandwidth.
At least this is better than a transistor radio which typically give
only 1.5kHz audio because their IFTs are often single windings with a
sharp nose on the selectivity curve.


Unfortunately I don't make much profit from mucking around with ancient
radios. One may easily spend 20 hours on a radio and only get paid $150.

At present I have many radios to fix but no time for them. I have just
found a guy who likes doing them, so I will give him a try if he is
interested.

Patrick Turner.

[Bart Goddard]

Patrick Turner wrote in news:4A2FB14A.2BA19BE1
@turneraudio.com.au:

I'm 62, and I don't smoke cigars which is a stupid habit if ever there
was one

How would you know. Have you ever had a cigar? (A real one, not
a cardboard-wrapped, over-blown cigarette.)

B.