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Posted: 10/18/2014 4:22:57 PM EDT
I've been looking for a new project, and after seeing the incredible restoration job that Edisla did on his Philco 40-180, I decided to take a shot at restoring an antique radio.
I managed to find a Philco 53-960 listed in the local Craigslist, and I picked it up today. It's in great shape, and had been in the same family since it was purchased new back in 1953. Not only is it complete, but when I got to his house, he had the back off so I could see inside, and, he had it plugged in and playing music!  I said yeah, that's great, but lets turn it off and handed him $60.
The damn thing is huge (33 lbs) but the really cool thing about this particular radio, is that it covers 9 bands. The AM broadcast band, and 8 shortwave bands (from 176.5 to 13.7 meters) So now I can be a SWL while sitting in my easy chair in the living room. 
More pictures to follow. 
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Posted: 10/18/2014 5:21:13 PM EDT
[#1]
I can't tell from the picture, does it have a BFO for CW and ssb?
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Posted: 10/18/2014 5:45:19 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I can't tell from the picture, does it have a BFO for CW and ssb? Unfortunately, it's not that sophisticated. I think AM was still king of the voice modes around that time, and these radios were mainly produced so people could hear standard broadcast stations from around the world. For many years, Philco made a line of "Tropic" model radios, which were all produced for export, mainly to Central and South America. That's the reason for such a broad frequency range. This particular model is sort of a US version of the Tropic radios. |
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Posted: 10/18/2014 5:47:35 PM EDT
[#3]
A few more pictures.
This thing is so original it's scary. |
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Posted: 10/18/2014 6:15:13 PM EDT
[#4]
Very nice
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Posted: 10/18/2014 8:40:48 PM EDT
[#5]
Nice! Check out that quad-loop antenna! My Grandparents had a Philco similar to Edisla's way back when. Too bad I gutted it and tried to use the speaker for a subwoofer. Stupid teenager I was.
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Posted: 10/18/2014 9:16:27 PM EDT
[#6]
Yeah, that's the AM antenna. But it also has a built-in, telescoping "shortwave" antenna.
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Posted: 10/18/2014 9:20:39 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
This thing is so original it's scary. It looks very nice, should be a great project... |
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Posted: 10/18/2014 9:38:44 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Yeah, that's the AM antenna. But it also has a built-in, telescoping "shortwave" antenna.
http://www.pbase.com/david_3/image/157873840/original.jpg And all this time I thought the telescoping antenna was a "modern" invention! Pretty cool, I would have picked it up too. |
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Posted: 10/18/2014 11:46:00 PM EDT
[#9]
I think a lot of the smaller consumer oriented shortwave receivers had telescopic antennas. But they probably worked a lot better 60-70 years ago than they do now.
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Posted: 10/19/2014 9:19:17 AM EDT
[#10]
Oooo! That dial's going to be fun if you have to re-string it! Does the pilot lamp slide across the top of the dial to indicate which band is selected?
Nice score! With that big speaker and cabinet, it ought to have fantastic sound. |
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Posted: 10/19/2014 10:45:25 AM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Oooo! That dial's going to be fun if you have to re-string it! Quote HistoryQuoted:
Oooo! That dial's going to be fun if you have to re-string it! LOL....I thought about that. Fortunately it seems to be in great condition. There are some diagrams showing how to string it, but I don't want to try. Does the pilot lamp slide across the top of the dial to indicate which band is selected? It sure does. It's another cool feature of this radio. With that big speaker and cabinet, it ought to have fantastic sound. From the research I've done, people say it has great audio, and a "big sound". Even though it's in great shape, I think this is going to be a long slow restoration. There is at least one filter cap that has conflicting values on the parts list, and the schematic. Hopefully, they are labeled on the capacitors, themselves. When I first bought it, I had no plans of stuffing the new caps into the old paper tubes, since you can't see them anyway. But now, I'm starting to think about doing it that way. And while I'm in there, it might just make sense to go ahead an replace the resistors, too. If I have to lift one end to check them, then it won't be that much more work to replace them. We'll see.... |
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Posted: 10/19/2014 4:19:58 PM EDT
[#12]
There's five knobs, so I'm guessing volume, tone, band selector, and tuning. What's the fifth? Radio/phono?
It seems to have the same two jacks for a record player that my old Philco has. |
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Posted: 10/19/2014 4:48:49 PM EDT
[#13]
Yep...from left to right.
On/off/tone Volume Radio/Phono Band Tuning Not sure if I want to fool with a record player. Then again, some old 78's might be fun to play through that big speaker. |
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Posted: 10/21/2014 11:07:14 AM EDT
[#14]
 Now recap that thing. Check resistors too. Not sure if Philco was still using rubber coated wiring but if they did check those as well. They can get dried out and flake apart exposing the wire. Careful w/ some of those tubes as well. Looks like loctals in there. If you are not familiar w/ them don't just try and pull straight up on those. http://www.nostalgiaair.org/PagesByModel/787/M0013787.pdf |
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Posted: 10/21/2014 7:29:45 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Now recap that thing. Check resistors too. That's definitely on the list. A few of the wax paper capacitors have already gone into the meltdown mode. I think one of them may have been replaced already. I thought about just replacing the resistors, but there are a bunch of them, and some are not too easy to get to. Even checking them will be a pain, since you have to lift one end. I mostly worked on cleaning up the cabinet, today. One strange thing I found, is that the bolts that attach the chassis to the bottom of the cabinet were missing. The chassis was free to slide around in the cabinet. The only thing holding the chassis in place, were the screws on each side of the dial. 
Overall, I guess it doesn't look too bad. 
Fried paper capacitors.
Dial, tells you where to listen for various cities, countries, and continents.
The dial pointer is not quite parallel to the deck, but I'm not brave enough to try to fix it.
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Posted: 10/21/2014 7:37:05 PM EDT
[#16]
That's in great shape! I'd just replace the caps, and not mess with the resistors. Sure, most of them probably went up in value and perhaps out of tolerance, but I doubt the value is that critical if it's working and sounds good. A high resistor won't hurt the radio like a shorted cap will.
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Posted: 10/21/2014 7:41:42 PM EDT
[#17]
Whoever invented the circuit board, deserves a pay raise.
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Posted: 10/21/2014 8:00:32 PM EDT
[#18]
All caps must go :)
I hear those black ones were apparently crap. Get to the pointer later ;) |
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Posted: 10/21/2014 8:12:28 PM EDT
[#19]
I've been reading up some, and I think at least two (and maybe all....haven't looked that closely, yet) of those big black ones are line filter capacitors. Apparently they go "bang" when they fail. I'll be replacing them with the appropriate safety capacitors.
Oh, and I found out how to remove those locktal tubes, too.
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Posted: 10/21/2014 8:15:09 PM EDT
[#20]
I thought I saw a bumblebee cap in that pic!
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Posted: 10/21/2014 10:09:11 PM EDT
[#21]
SOB I need to stay off Craigslist.
This followed me home. Heck it was only $20. No highjacking here carry on  |
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Posted: 10/21/2014 11:41:10 PM EDT
[#22]
Holy cow, $20? Hard to pass up. Probably salvage some parts, if nothing else. What is it...a 41 or 42-something? Is it missing all the slats in front of the speaker?
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Posted: 10/22/2014 12:03:22 AM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Holy cow, $20? Hard to pass up. Probably salvage some parts, if nothing else. What is it...a 41 or 42-something? Is it missing all the slats in front of the speaker? 41-280 Nope its all there. Posts are just not in the shot. Head is loose so they were taken out. Have knobs as well. No salvage here. SHE WILL RISE AGAIN! |
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Posted: 11/8/2014 10:05:44 PM EDT
[#24]
Here it is, with the new capacitors installed.
And here it is back together and working on all 9 bands.
My next project is building an AM transmitter so I can listen to something other than talk sports, talk politics, and Mexican music. |
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Posted: 11/8/2014 10:22:12 PM EDT
[#25]
Looks great! You should be able to pull in Radio New Zealand.
http://www.swld.com.au/pages/nz_radionz.htm |
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Posted: 11/8/2014 11:26:14 PM EDT
[#26]
The radio already has a phono input, but it's usually a 2, 3, or 4 pin socket instead of the more "modern" RCA phono jack. Typically it's designed for a 1/4-1/2 volt signal into about a 47k Ohm load. With a home-made adapter, you should be able to play any modern music source through it without having to worry about a transmitter.
Trace the wiring carefully, because sometimes they also supplied 120 VAC for the phonograph motor. |
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Posted: 11/8/2014 11:52:42 PM EDT
[#27]
That's a good idea, Frank. I never thought about doing it that way. Unfortunately, I don't have any music, or a way to play it (no CD players, iPods, or anything else). I already have the AM transmitter kit, though. I just need to put together. I figure I can dial in a Big Band station on the internet, and then broadcast it to the Philco. This kit gets very good reviews.
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Posted: 11/9/2014 9:38:12 PM EDT
[#28]
Chances are whatever audio source will work with that transmitter will also be sufficient for the radio itself. Radios of that era were designed to work with crystal phono cartridges which put out about a quarter to a half of a volt.
Or do you just want an excuse reason to buy that transmitter? 
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Posted: 11/9/2014 9:46:05 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Or do you just want an excuse reason to buy that transmitter? LOL......I bought it two weeks ago, so I may as well go ahead and build it.
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Posted: 11/9/2014 9:50:53 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Trace the wiring carefully, because sometimes they also supplied 120 VAC for the phonograph motor. It actually has two jacks for the phonograph. One is the 120 VAC for the phonograph, and then there is a separate jack for the audio input. You can see the the smaller audio input jack to the left of the large phono power jack. 
BTW, I couldn't get Radio New Zealand last night, but I had a nice signal from Cuba. They were broadcasting China Radio International. 
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Posted: 11/9/2014 9:58:05 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
It actually has two jacks for the phonograph. One is the 120 VAC for the phonograph, and then there is a separate jack for the audio input. You can see the the smaller audio input jack to the left of the large phono power jack. http://www.pbase.com/david_3/image/158044301/original.jpg Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Trace the wiring carefully, because sometimes they also supplied 120 VAC for the phonograph motor. It actually has two jacks for the phonograph. One is the 120 VAC for the phonograph, and then there is a separate jack for the audio input. You can see the the smaller audio input jack to the left of the large phono power jack. http://www.pbase.com/david_3/image/158044301/original.jpg That thing looks outstanding! |
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Posted: 11/9/2014 10:06:20 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
That thing looks outstanding! Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Trace the wiring carefully, because sometimes they also supplied 120 VAC for the phonograph motor. It actually has two jacks for the phonograph. One is the 120 VAC for the phonograph, and then there is a separate jack for the audio input. You can see the the smaller audio input jack to the left of the large phono power jack. http://www.pbase.com/david_3/image/158044301/original.jpg That thing looks outstanding! That's the "before" picture. The insides look about the same now (only cleaner), but I added a fuse to the (new) power cord. I figure you can't be too careful with an older "transformer" radio. And for some reason, the bolts that hold the chassis to the cabinet were missing. So the chassis could "slide around" in the cabinet if someone were to give it a good knock. I never could determine the bolt size (long story), so I solved the problem by drilling and tapping the bolt holes in the chassis. Now it's a 1/4-20 thread.
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Posted: 11/12/2014 10:54:42 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: LOL......I bought it two weeks ago, so I may as well go ahead and build it. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Or do you just want an excuse reason to buy that transmitter? LOL......I bought it two weeks ago, so I may as well go ahead and build it. I need something like that as well. I was thinking of just using my RF gen to save some money. Not sure what I am going to do yet. I need something by Christmas time since I want tunes coming from my 40-180  |
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Posted: 11/13/2014 12:50:04 AM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I need something like that as well. I was thinking of just using my RF gen to save some money. Not sure what I am going to do yet. I need something by Christmas time since I want tunes coming from my 40-180
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Or do you just want an excuse reason to buy that transmitter? LOL......I bought it two weeks ago, so I may as well go ahead and build it.
I need something like that as well. I was thinking of just using my RF gen to save some money. Not sure what I am going to do yet. I need something by Christmas time since I want tunes coming from my 40-180
I basically finished building it today, but there is a slight problem. The kit was missing one capacitor. I sent him an e-mail about it a couple of days ago, but haven't hear anything back yet. I think it is kind of a one man operation. I have no doubt he will send me the missing component, but he does seem slow to respond....even when making the initial purchase. On a positive note, the kit is very high quality. The PCB is very nice, and everything is packaged and organized nicely. The manual is complete, and easy to follow. I ordered a few odds and ends from Mouser today, so I picked up a couple of extra capacitors that should work with the kit....just in case. I couldn't find an exact replacement, but they should work. We'll see... |
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Posted: 11/16/2014 12:16:58 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I basically finished building it today, but there is a slight problem. The kit was missing one capacitor. I sent him an e-mail about it a couple of days ago, but haven't hear anything back yet. I think it is kind of a one man operation. I have no doubt he will send me the missing component, but he does seem slow to respond....even when making the initial purchase. On a positive note, the kit is very high quality. The PCB is very nice, and everything is packaged and organized nicely. The manual is complete, and easy to follow. I ordered a few odds and ends from Mouser today, so I picked up a couple of extra capacitors that should work with the kit....just in case. I couldn't find an exact replacement, but they should work. We'll see... Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Or do you just want an excuse reason to buy that transmitter? LOL......I bought it two weeks ago, so I may as well go ahead and build it. I need something like that as well. I was thinking of just using my RF gen to save some money. Not sure what I am going to do yet. I need something by Christmas time since I want tunes coming from my 40-180 I basically finished building it today, but there is a slight problem. The kit was missing one capacitor. I sent him an e-mail about it a couple of days ago, but haven't hear anything back yet. I think it is kind of a one man operation. I have no doubt he will send me the missing component, but he does seem slow to respond....even when making the initial purchase. On a positive note, the kit is very high quality. The PCB is very nice, and everything is packaged and organized nicely. The manual is complete, and easy to follow. I ordered a few odds and ends from Mouser today, so I picked up a couple of extra capacitors that should work with the kit....just in case. I couldn't find an exact replacement, but they should work. We'll see... How long did the order take to get to you? |
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Posted: 11/16/2014 12:38:43 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
How long did the order take to get to you? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Or do you just want an excuse reason to buy that transmitter? LOL......I bought it two weeks ago, so I may as well go ahead and build it.
I need something like that as well. I was thinking of just using my RF gen to save some money. Not sure what I am going to do yet. I need something by Christmas time since I want tunes coming from my 40-180
I basically finished building it today, but there is a slight problem. The kit was missing one capacitor. I sent him an e-mail about it a couple of days ago, but haven't hear anything back yet. I think it is kind of a one man operation. I have no doubt he will send me the missing component, but he does seem slow to respond....even when making the initial purchase. On a positive note, the kit is very high quality. The PCB is very nice, and everything is packaged and organized nicely. The manual is complete, and easy to follow. I ordered a few odds and ends from Mouser today, so I picked up a couple of extra capacitors that should work with the kit....just in case. I couldn't find an exact replacement, but they should work. We'll see... How long did the order take to get to you? It took about a week for him to acknowledge the order by e-mail, and send an online receipt. The actual shipping time was only about 3 days. It took about 4 days for him to answer my e-mail about the missing part, but once he did, he said he would send it out by first class mail right away. I think he is trustworthy, just a little slow when it comes to answering his orders/e-mails. I went ahead and installed the capacitor I got from Mouser (I've never been very patient), and the SSTran is up and running. It works great, and easily covers my whole house. I walked out in the yard with a portable AM radio, and I start to lose the signal at about 100 feet. It's a $100 toy. But there is nothing on the (AM) radio around here that I like, so the SSTran is nice to have. |
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Posted: 11/22/2014 1:21:37 AM EDT
[#37]
Getting real close on pulling the trigger on one of these. I really want oldies Christmas tunes coming from my Philco this Holiday season.
I'd better do it soon so I can get it ready. |
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Posted: 11/28/2014 12:48:23 AM EDT
[#38]
Ordered one last night.
Hope it comes in on time  |
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Posted: 11/28/2014 11:52:05 AM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Ordered one last night. Hope it comes in on time I think you will enjoy it, and I think it will get there in time for the holidays. You can build it in a couple of leisurely evenings, or one longer one.
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Posted: 12/2/2014 12:35:45 AM EDT
[#40]
I received email for receipt but nothing since. Do they get back to you when it ships?
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Posted: 12/2/2014 12:34:04 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I received email for receipt but nothing since. Do they get back to you when it ships? Yes. Immediately upon making the purchase, I got an e-mail receipt from PayPal, saying my credit card would be charged....blah, blah, blah. About a week later, I got a receipt from SSTran for the order, and also the shipping information. Once it shipped, it took about 3 days to arrive. He's reliably slow to respond, but I don't think you have anything to worry about.
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Posted: 12/8/2014 9:00:07 PM EDT
[#42]
SSTran came in today and all parts are here
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