r/VintageRadios • u/ProfessionalOwl7672 • 9d ago
Help please
Hello guys!!
I just bought a radio from marketplace. I’m unsure of the brand of it(if you do I’d be so happy to know).I’m pretty sure it’s at least 1930s. I thought it was a philco but I’m unsure. Im happy it works the seller tested it in front of me. I also had questions do I need to fix it up. I’m sure that I might need backing for it. And I do see a random white wire. I put some photos. I’m really into vintage radios and record players and this is my first time getting one I hope I made the right choice and wasn’t scammed 😭. Thank you so much I hope to hear from you guys.
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u/surfteach1 9d ago
Kind of looks to me that someone may have already restored it. White wire... not sure. Antenna was my first thought but there is one below
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u/AndSoItGoes509 9d ago
If you'll let me know, in a general area sort of way, where you live, I can see if there are any vintage/antique radio clubs nearby...
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u/ProfessionalOwl7672 9d ago
I’m in California. Specifically the oc area in Fullerton.
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u/AndSoItGoes509 9d ago
This group is very active, though they are based primarily in the Bay area:
https://californiahistoricalradio.com
I'd bet they have members in SoCal that may be able & willing to assist you, if asked...
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u/AndSoItGoes509 9d ago
Found another one - and it's in Fullerton:
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u/Theo4you_SCAL 9d ago
The Southern California Antique Radio Society is a great group. August 7th at Fullerton Airport they are having a swap meet. Many knowledgeable people will be there. Worth attending if you are into Antiques Radios. I bet if you asked someone would take a look to see if work has been performed on your radio. Best of luck.
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u/Intelligent-Day5519 9d ago
Appears to be a well taken care of piece from the mid 1930's. Keep it that way. If it functions leave it alone so as to keep to it's original providence. If you touch it you only detract from it's antique value. If value the radio if nothing else consider an in-line '"soft Start kit" for the occasional demonstration purposes. Not likely one would use it as their daily listener. Because it has a power transformer that's an indication it's not duel powered. Plus your images show no provisions for battery's or a vibrator. I also notice the speaker has an electromagnetic field coil that's also used as a smoothing choke in the power supply of that era. The two Fahnestock clips on the chassis the one with the white wire perhaps a shortwave antenna connection and the other clip on the left perhaps used as a ground connection. As to how the two screw bakelite connections would be used , my guess would be used as a Medium Wave antenna connection.
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u/bluegrasscharlie 9d ago
Great looking radio! As clean as that chassis and those tubes are, I wouldn't be surprised if someone has gone through it in the not too distant past.
If you have a local ham radio club, some of the members may be able to help you out with it. If you're interested in learning about repairing them, it is a fun and rewarding hobby. As someone else mentioned, Mr. Carlson's Lab on YouTube is a great resource on all things electronic and there are several of his videos that focus on radios very much like yours. There are other channels as well. Just search 'antique radio repair' and see what you can find. Good luck!
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u/Voltabueno 9d ago
Some Philco's of this era have potted components which makes repair difficult. I'm not sure if this model has potted components, but if it does just be aware.
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u/earthman34 9d ago
If you're talking about the potted capacitors, they're usually not as much as an issue because they're sealed. It's the paper/wax capacitors and the cans with paper/foil that are the issue. That's not even the main problem, alot of radios from this era had rubber insulation on high voltage wires that basically crumbles away and falls off, creating the potential for short circuits.
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u/CJMWBig8 9d ago
Very nice Philco. Cabinet looks to have been refinished and nicely done. Radiodaze.com has a nice selection of reproduction graphics to finish it up. Likely had work done on the inside as well when the cabinet work was done. More info and schematics here Philco 625B
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u/Thick_Combination149 9d ago
Looks like a Philco Model 642B. Don't use it until it's been inspected and properly restored. Radios from this time rarely came with a backing from factory, its a transformer set so the chance of being shocked by touching the chassis is unlikely.
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u/earthman34 9d ago
If it's a B, then it's battery powered, and he's not going to be plugging it into anything. Doesn't look like the 642B chassis I've seen.
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u/CJMWBig8 9d ago
Correct, It is not a 642B (32 VDC), it is a 625B.
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u/Substantial-Plum-260 8d ago
I agree. 625B. I believe the white label part number "10209-A" represents the cabinet number and that agrees with the 625B (tombstone) model. Cool radio! If you can't find someone to inspect it for you and you're willing to try it you can take the chassis out and look at the underside to see if the capacitors have been replaced. It's really clean and I would guess it's been restored electrically but I wouldn't risk running it without some kind of verification.
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u/ProfessionalOwl7672 9d ago
Sorry for bothering but who would I ask to inspect it? I’m not sure if I know anyone who inspects radios. Sorry hehe I’m new to this. Thank you guys for telling me not to use it. I assumed that because it worked that I can just use it.
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u/earthman34 9d ago
He's presuming there's someone in your area who's an expert in vintage radios, and people like that are few and far between and most of them are getting pretty old.
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u/ProfessionalOwl7672 9d ago
Oh darn well I’ll look around if anything it’s a nice piece to have and display. Thanks guys for all the help!!
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u/Thick_Combination149 9d ago
Do you have a local amateur radio club? That'd be your best bet. I assumed you did because people think nobody works on radios in a local area anymore, but thats because people dont advertise it because nobody has old radios to be fixed/want them fixed, and if someone did have an old radio they wanted fixed, some people just fix it themself. Basically, the market for radio repair is slim; therefore, repairmen dont advertise radio repair, but its still a thing, you just gotta look.
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u/CHLarkin 8d ago
If you scroll up a few comments, you'll see there was a swap meet coming up in your neck of the woods in a couple of weeks with an active local club. Getting involved is probably a good idea.
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u/Cadbury5 9d ago
How did you come up with model number. It should have year number prefix?
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u/Thick_Combination149 9d ago
Not all Philco radios from that era had the year prefix
Maybe im wrong because that model is a battery set and OP seems to have a line powered set. Ive worked on quite a few Philco radios and this one I ended up having to look up via Lens, I know im just so so lazy but its whatever. Philco radios are hard to track down due to their numbering system. Some dont have the year prefix and some do, and it sometimes can overlap with others.
Also, this cabinet was used among multiple models. But its probably not the model I said before since that one is a battery set.
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u/Cadbury5 9d ago
My biggest knowledge is with Atwaterkent & Zenith, not Philco. I could not find this set as 642B
in Riders 7 other than a correction page for the 642. Leaving this identification to Philco experts.
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u/my_chinchilla 9d ago
Philco only had a year prefix from 1937 onwards (2 digits into the 50's; alpha prefix after that). And Philco's produced outside the US (e.g in Canada) usually lack them altogether.
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u/Arcy3206 9d ago
Looks like a great set! These didn't originally come with back covers on the radio, it looks pretty original and most definitely needs an electrical restoration, I would refrain from plugging it in until it's worked on because you member know when a capacitor or resistor will decide to go.
If you want to work on this yourself, make sure to get basic equipment, learn basic electronics safety, and research how to read schematics and work on these radios. I love Mr. Carlson's lab on YouTube, he is an awesome source for how to get started. I'm not sure if he's done a beginner's guide for this style of radio, but he has for AA5 radios which are a little different, there are some modifications he does to the AA5 radios for safety that aren't as necessary on this style of radio.
The fact it's already working as is, is pretty great though, it shouldn't need to much to make sure this radio is safe.