1930s Philco Model 50 AM Radio Restore Early Tube Superheterodyne Receiver Grandfather Clock

Comments · 342

• SG

  @sgath92 · 1 year ago · pinned

  Some early sets were very picky about 24 type tubes. RCA wanted a monopoly on the superhet circuit; before 1930 they would not license the patents to anyone else and in 1930 started letting others pay out the butt in license fees to use it. So manufacturers got creative to try to get around RCA's superhet patents. RCA caught on and redesigned the 24 tube with the "new and improved" 24A which used less filament current and was internally just different enough to brick some of the sets that were trying to use 24s in unlicensed superhet circuits. 1930s techs would keep a bunch of used 24s & 24As to swap them in/out of 1930-1932 era sets to get around the problem. RCA made so many enemies at Philco that they later refused to use the eye tube (an RCA invention/patent) just to thumb their nose at RCA and went hard on Sylvania's loctal tubes to avoid RCA's patented metal octal tubes. Zenith would omit pin1 on sets so metal RCA patented tubes would not function (no metal shield connection to ground if pin1 is missing) forcing customers to use glass G or GT types!

  81

• LI

  @LiquidRadio · 1 year ago

  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cudvz2b2Mlo&amp;t=68">1:08</a> That looks totally safe to plug right in. 😃

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• ES

  @EsotericArctos · 1 year ago (edited)

  The owner of this radio may be right in the original guys who had a passion are dying off, but there are certainly a lot of younger people that also have a passion for fixing, restoring and preserving these radios too. &nbsp; I am 50, old by some standards, but young as far as tube radios, and I have a passion to restore and keep them around. &nbsp; &nbsp;I know people younger than me that love them too.

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• JA

  @jamesbruno5896 · 1 year ago

  You saved a piece of history bro!

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• AN

  @AndyHullMcPenguin · 1 year ago

  I came for the tips and the cynical joviality. I stayed for the industrial archaeology and the revivification. I left with mild lead poisoning symptoms and a heightened awareness of mesothelioma, to answer the door to the frantic knocking from the heath and safety goblins. A perfect start to my Sunday.

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• AG

  @agostinodibella9939 · 1 year ago (edited)

  These very old radios are cool time capsules, looking at these ancient components! Nice job repairing this one.

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• WA

  @waltschannel7465 · 1 year ago

  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cudvz2b2Mlo&amp;t=286">4:46</a> &quot;Tubes...are easy, it the coils that make (diagnosis) difficult.&quot; Never thought about that, but it&apos;s true. <br><br> &quot; where&apos;s the pleasure when the music is a continuous square wave. &quot; Yesss, preach it, brother! 😆

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• MJ

  @mjg263 · 1 year ago

  Awesome job, can’t believe how well it works with just a clip lead for an antenna! 90+ years old and still working!

  13

• RI

  @RICKS_Retrotronics · 1 year ago (edited)

  Nice! &nbsp;94 minutes of Shango for my Saturday morning!! &nbsp; &nbsp;0.05V X 100 = 5.0 V

  18

• DC

  @dcorp80 · 1 year ago

  and silk insulated wire inside that resistor!

  6

• MA

  @maurasmith-mitsky762 · 1 year ago

  The day you need the short bus is the day when donkeys fly. &nbsp;👍🏽👍🏽💕

  3

• PE

  @peterbondmusic · 1 year ago

  Those resistors are wild…

  2