Radio time

[D35 Torpedo]

I'd like to crack into my radio and give it a refresh. It's a Philco 4908. Is anyone aware of available cap kits or do I have to make one? Are there any guru's in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia? I am a competant parts changer but lack the knowledge and equipment to test components. The radio worked when pulled in 1967!

[capt den]

try tapping the vibrator tube. that may get it to play but it may not play for long. so many other issues in these old radios. i leave mine in for looks, and it lights up at night, looks great.    dennis

[D35 Torpedo]

My original is fried. I picked this one up on craigslist. I want to go through it before I power it up. The guy I got it from said it worked when it was pulled in the 60s. Yes, he's been holding onto it for that long. 

[Bryan G]

I buy my capacitors from justradios.com. He's in Canada. He might be able to put together what you need as a kit? A good guy to deal with. Most important is the filters and the buffers for the vibrator, but might as well change them all. I've had some success bringing vibrators back to life with some fiddling. Worst case was prying one open and cleaning the points. Solid state replacements are available but not cheap. 

[Sniper]

One thing to think about there are people who can convert those old radios to Modern guts. Looks old plays like it's new not super cheap but rebuilding them old ones isn't cheap either and you only have am

[D35 Torpedo]

6 minutes ago, Sniper said:

One thing to think about there are people who can convert those old radios to Modern guts. Looks old plays like it's new not super cheap but rebuilding them old ones isn't cheap either and you only have am

There is something about a working original that is pretty special. I usually drive without a stereo anyways. I'd rather listen to the engine. I might stick a modern stereo in it eventually, but it will be stand alone and hidden. I suppose I'd need two 6 volt bats hooked up to charge in parallel, and discharge in series to feel the stereo 12 volts. 

[Sniper]

My car is a radio delete car and it still looks like one but I have a modern Bluetooth and hidden in the trunk and drives two speakers I just hooked my phone up to it and listen to music that way

[MarcDeSoto]

I have a friend who can rebuild radios, so I let him change the capacitors on mine.  I bought new tubes for it too, 8.  I have a Philco 802 model.  The vibrator still works.  And I bought a rebuilt, reconed speaker for it.  

[JerseyHarold]

You might want to get a 'Sams Photofact' for your radio. These were published monthly and gave detailed service information for the specific model you're working on.  Here's a couple of links I found on eBay:  

 

Vintage Sams Photofact Manual MOPAR MODEL 805 (PHILCO C-4908 | eBay

 

SAMS PHOTOFACT SERVICE MANUAL 71-11 1949 MOPAR RADIO 805 PHILCO C-4908 | eBay

 

Hope this helps.

[DonaldSmith]

Back in the year two-thousand-aught-seven (2007) I brought my Superheterodyne Automobile Radio back to life.  One valuable source, which is still out there, is Nostalgia Air.  Radio Daze was a source for parts and info.  I found I had a Colonial Radio Corp 671, Mopar 602, and got the manufacturer's wiring diagram.   The information probably is still out there somewhere.

 

I cleaned the points off the vibrator by running current through it, in series with a 60-watt light bulb.  That brought the vibrator back to life.  A bought a condenser kit from some source,  and replaced the capacitors.  (The soldering was not the neatest, but did the job.)  I replaced the speaker with something the kids left at home. 

 

The radio hummed and came to life!  I ran around the house, arms waving, shouting for joy.   These days I turn the radio on, it hums loudly, and then voices come on from the local AM station.  That's good enough for show.   

[D35 Torpedo]

5 hours ago, JerseyHarold said:

You might want to get a 'Sams Photofact' for your radio. These were published monthly and gave detailed service information for the specific model you're working on.  Here's a couple of links I found on eBay:  

 

Vintage Sams Photofact Manual MOPAR MODEL 805 (PHILCO C-4908 | eBay

 

SAMS PHOTOFACT SERVICE MANUAL 71-11 1949 MOPAR RADIO 805 PHILCO C-4908 | eBay

 

Hope this helps.

I'll check it out. A lot of the writing on the components has turned to dust. And there is a good layer of dirt stuck to everything. The wiring diagram inside is in rough shape. Some of it is unreadable. Mine says PD4908 Mopar 803.

Edited April 16, 2023 by D35 Torpedo

[soth122003]

This may or may not help, but it should be a good guide for the guts of the radio. 

 

Joe Lee

 

 

M0013846.pdf

[Booger]

Ive used a camp light 6v battery to test my radio. For sure replace the vibrator tube. Chances are the doz caps in that radio need replacing

Edited April 16, 2023 by Booger
spel

[garbagestate 44]

Antique electronic supply in AZ should have the vibrator. That's Where I got mine a number of years ago. It's solid state but does the same thing that the originals did.

[Booger]

17 hours ago, Sniper said:

One thing to think about there are people who can convert those old radios to Modern guts. Looks old plays like it's new not super cheap but rebuilding them old ones isn't cheap either and you only have am

And your right about the bluetooth MP3 and all. Luckily we still have oldies rock and I can find a ball game on the AM.  and it can sound like heck with the bad reception and static at times. II guess thats part why I still drive old tin. Wait for the tubes to warm up. They will, eventually. : )

[Eneto-55]

20 hours ago, Sniper said:

One thing to think about there are people who can convert those old radios to Modern guts. Looks old plays like it's new not super cheap but rebuilding them old ones isn't cheap either and you only have am

Maybe by the time I'm at the point of making a decision about the radio there'll be a nostalgia movement to revive AM as the way it was - like the way vinyl has made a comeback.  Stereo isn't everything, and a car is a small enough area that you don't get a lot of separation anyway.  (I also have an Edison crank phonograph that has a radio in it - so old that it doesn't have the "modern" radio scale, just 1 through 10.  It was my Dad's, built in 1921.  His uncle gave it to him when he was around 16 or so - 1946.  I convinced Dad to haul it home from the farm when I was about that age as well.)

[Sniper]

18 minutes ago, Eneto-55 said:

Maybe by the time I'm at the point of making a decision about the radio there'll be a nostalgia movement to revive AM as the way it was

 

I recently read that several automakers are no longer going to put AM radios in their cars.  So I don't think your dream will come true   I grew up listening to rock and roll on the AM, and that is how it's supposed to sound.  Not sure what we have around here for AM. 

[Eneto-55]

21 minutes ago, Sniper said:

 

I recently read that several automakers are no longer going to put AM radios in their cars.  So I don't think your dream will come true   I grew up listening to rock and roll on the AM, and that is how it's supposed to sound.  Not sure what we have around here for AM. 

Now that you mention it, I saw that as well.  But then they also quit making vinyl records for a time, right?  Of course not everything makes a comeback.  8-tracks, anyone?

[Los_Control]

I'm kinda impressed our small town has a radio station .... I feel like it is more important for small towns.

The only television we can get is over satellite. .... Not everyone can afford a  $100 + satellite tv bill. I hate paying it because we never watch it.

 

So I'm impressed when a larger radio company bought our little AM radio station a few years ago, they rebuilt everything. Remodeled the building, all new equipment.

They added a FM station while keeping AM working & functional. ....... I just assume it would have been cheaper, easier to just go straight FM while upgrading all the equipment.

 

Just makes me wonder if there is any Federal regulations involved to keep AM active? Why would a a company who owns 30 radio stations buy & modernize a new station & keep AM active? ..... I really can not see how it would be profitable.

 

I'm thinking Federal laws & emergency broadcasting system .... Not some larger corporation Keeping AM alive for old car enthusiast.

 

[Eneto-55]

I wonder what it would take to convert an AM radio to shortwave?

 

But just found this article:

New FCC Ruling is Allowing AM Radio Stations to Revitalize and Go All Digital

[Bryan G]

A few years back the FCC came up with a plan where AM stations that didn't already have an FM could apply for low-power FM licenses. They don't cover a very large area, but in many cases it's good enough to cover a small city. Not all stations got one, but those that did saw their value go up just a tad. They have to keep their AM side alive in order to be eligible. Locally we have some AM stations playing oldies, classic rock, and southern gospel. And at night you can search for stations like WSM Nashville, CFZM Toronto (very well done oldies) and on the weekends WABC New York has some great music.

[D35 Torpedo]

There is a station here that plays comedy. And another that plays sports. I think there is also an old school station that plays theatre.

 

I took the radio to work today. Pulled it apart and cleaned as much out with compressed air as possible. Used contact cleaner with silicone to clean and lubricate any sliding contacts like potentiometers. Used fluid film to lube bushings. It looks good and feels good. Time to cap it and fire it up. I'm not concerned about the vibrator until I cross that bridge. I'll experiment on the bad radio first. I can only really spot maybe six caps. And I don't recognize the markings. The lack of standardization back then made for funny markings. I'm going to compare the two radios. One is a 803 and the other 807. The 807 has a nicer schematic inside. 

Edited April 17, 2023 by D35 Torpedo

[MarcDeSoto]

Ten or fifteen years AM still had some good music stations that played big band swing, and 50s 60s stuff.  But here is Calif. the Mexican stations pushed that station off the air.  Now AM is all talk, news, Mexican, and Christian radio.  The music is gone.  What is involved in changing my radio so I can plug in an Ipod or Blue Tooth?  

[LazyK]

Evidently there is no federal law requiring AM radio but that may be changing

https://www.foxnews.com/media/officials-sound-alarm-carmakers-dropping-am-radio-new-vehicles-meant-emergencies

[Sniper]

My understanding is that the motors in these EV cars really interfere with AM radio reception. So the feds can mandate a.m. all they want you won't be able to hear anything though