A great job done. Very relaxing watching you methodically go through these old sets and put them back to perfect original condition. They need to be preserved for future generations to experience.
Sir I am from India Delhi.A great effort by you .My late father was a very good electronics technician. He made so many radio and stereo amplifier using 6L6 and using e and series valve type tubes radio .To see you channel I feel that I am giving a tribute to my father. Again thanks Sir.
It’s a top performer this make and model. I listened to them in the 70’s. I recently purchased a reasonable unit in and did some basic checks. It had been recapped and serviced in the past. The ferrite rod antenna was out of position and the brass station slide clip / guide was sticking. The plastic station window needing adhering further. It’s clear as a bell without an extended antenna or ground wire. Lovely sounds! Good video here in case I need further guidance. Thank you. Enjoyable!
I have one of these. I got it at a swap meet in Melbourne for $15. I bought it simply because I liked the look of it. It is still on the shelf waiting, but your excellent video has inspired me to move it up the list! Thanks.
One of the last valve radios in production I would say. I think there was a transistor version, but don't know if it was 'all transistor'. For many years, people preferred the rich tone of the valve radios, and this one is, with your thorough examination and repairs, another beauty.
I had a look on radio museum and there is an all transistor version and it is battery operated. It uses the same case and even the old valve chassis complete with valve and transformer holes punched in it. AWA still seemed to use valves in the radiogram sets for a while longer 😊
I remember, as a teenager in the 1970's, sitting out in my dad's car at night listening to the AM radio to see what stations I could receive. Living in Miami meant the majority of local AM stations were Spanish language broadcasts and I could hear those any time of the night and day. But at night is when the stations from out of town would come in. Stations like KMOX in St. Louis and WBT in Charlotte, N. Carolina. I could hear Radio Bonaire on 800 Kc right of the northern coast of South America clear as a bell because it was clear station that broadcasted omnidirectional and full power (usually 50 kW) 24/7.
Really nice design! I hope you repair those WESTINGHOUSE letters. They really add to the look of this. Was great seeing you restore it, seemed to have more probllems than average. Love the way you don't give up, makes watching your solution all the more entertaining! Between you and bandersen I have a wealth of youtube entertainment. Thank you for that! Much appreciated! PS look into VinylX, its a great cleaner/restorer and really bring back the color of faded plastics well. (won't do much for dead transformers though).
Thanks Nicholas. It's a nice looking radio and would look quite good in a 60s kitchen. The letters are printed on, I can't do much with them unfortunately. I looked for VinylX but it's not available here 🙄
Nice little tube tester. I've got an EICO that I built in 1959. Recently I overhauled and upgraded the circuitry , by replacing resistors that were out of tolerance. Over the years I found The supply transformer have aged a bit making it harder to calibrate, so I field engineered the metering resistor with an adjustable potentiometer. Calibration was verified using standard sample tubes.
I do like the nice appearance of this radio and how the bands are displayed. In the last week After much experimenting its my conclusion the Peak Tuning method of IF alignment is the best technique for AM. The AM bandwidth is too narrow to give a good band pass presentation. However when tuning the FM radios One must use a swept 10.7 technique. I will spend the next week cleaning up my workbench and selling a few pieces. Cash cow time! Have a good weekend.
I've redone raised lettering (if in fact the lettering on the plastic or Bakelite is already raised) by wrapping rubber tape around a flat screwdriver, then I dip the rubber tip in acrylic paint at stamp the raised structure, much like an old printing press. Works great!👍
Thanks for the tip with rubber on the screwdriver. In this case the text was painted on with only a very very slight depression in the plastic, there was no way for me to redo it well enough. As Kenny says "you got to know when to walk away" 🙂
@@DavidTipton101 Hi David, on those I've had some luck with slathering acrylic paint over the letters, waiting about a minute and simply wiping them with my bare fingers. Sometimes it takes two passes but other times I succeed in one! :)
Ha-ha... I just re-ran the video, it is a bit wacky. I'm sure you have worked it out Clint but I am referring to a car boot sale or car trunk sale if you are from the US. I imagine you have a similar thing were you sell unwanted items from the back of your car, it was organised by the radio club and held in the car park. There was also a free sausage sizzle, work that one out 😃
@@DavidTipton101 I guess that old idiom about two great contries seperated by a common language needs to be updated to three. Those little differences are great, bonnet and hood, stroller and pram, boot and trunk, aerial and antenna, Seigfried and Roy. In all seriousness, I live in Florida and that would most likely be called a flea market or a swap meet. Cheers.
@@cvbabc : Many people have no idea how different Australian English is different from US English, especially when spoken. I used to repair professional electronics, then moved in to design. Then when the Australian electronic industry collapsed (stupid government policy result), I transferred to sales engineering for the local dealer of a well known US tractor & engine manufacturer. Large diesel engines come with different size oil pans depending on application. I sent an email to the factory asking for their recommendation once, and I used the Australian term "sump". Factory wrote back telling me to call a plumber - in the US "sump" is where the brownies go when you flush... Another time emails were bouncing back and forth between US and Asian executives regarding a curly problem a major customer had. I chimed in saying "stop it - we ginger beers will sort it out." I got really strange replies from America. Turns out that while "ginger beer" is common Australian slang for engineer, in the US it means "queer" as in a chap who likes chaps... Another outfit I worked for once acquired an American CEO. The union contract was up for renewal. New CEO said he was a great negotiator, and would handle it himself. He was utterly hopeless - had no idea how Aussie union leaders talk and act.
Excellent!! I'm bidding for one of these as we speak. I normally check/find all schematics or service info beforehand, but shouldn't be hard to get!! Glenn. P.S. I'm surprised those square-ended resistors had failed !!
Hi Glenn, they are a nice 60s retro radio. I hope you get yours. The schematics are readily available. That video was a long time ago so don't remember the resistors I changed, sorry 😀
Another great video David! Thanks for sharing! One comment I have about the perspex polishing: I have had luck using Brasso and a cotton rag wheel on a rotary tool at a low setting. I have used it on watch crystals and on record player dust covers. You have to be careful to move the wheel around so you don't burn a hole, but using a low rotation speed mitigates the risk. This is probably cheaper than using headlamp kits? In any case, if you want to try it, I would recommend testing it out on scrap first to get a feel for it.
Hi Brian, I used Brasso by hand at first but didn't try it with a buff. I already had the headlight kit but as you say if you had to buy it they are expensive. Thanks for the tip Brian 👍🙂
That Westinghouse lettering on the case can be replaced by getting model railway plastic raised lettering and gluing it into position. Have a look for "Slater's finescale lettering". Theres different sizes and fonts for the scales and railway companies.
Dave, you've picked a handsome radio to restore (once again) and your knack for finding parts is great. Your radio club meets are to be envied. You got a bunch of good folks in your historic radio club and at your boot sales. Also, Dave, forgive me, has anyone mentioned that the 6X4, 6AV6, and 6AQ5 are 7-pin valves? If so please excuse my question. I ask in regards to the shorts indication on pin 9 (unless I misinterpreted what that test means). As always, great restoration. PS: My grandparents worked for a while at GE Supply here in the states and referred to Westinghouse Supply, their competitors, as W. E. Stinghouse. :-)
Hi Jeff, thank you, it's a very nice looking radio. Without watching the video I guess I read a short on position 9 on the rotatory switch, that's good point and I am unsure of the answer. From memory, the selector positions don't necessarily line up with the valve pin numbers and if they did why would it read a short on a position that doesn't exist? 🤔 Damn it Jeff now you have made me think and I was taking a day off to. 'We sting house' too funny 😄 Edit: I agree, the club and the people have been fantastic 👍😀
@@DavidTipton101 Dave, you are right regarding the selector switch positions not relating to explicit pin numbers. I apologize for the assumption. I found this site in a search: sites.google.com/site/linkedinvacuumtubes/test-equipment/tube-testers/accurate-instruments-co-model-151 There is a schematic provided down the page that indicates that for "Type A", selector switch position #9 tests pin 5 on 7 pin miniature socket #5 and pin 7 of the 7 pin miniature socket #3. Again, I should have researched this before posting. It looks like you're doing everything perfectly.
@@aa1ww No, no Jeff, you made a perfectly valid observation, thanks for checking that for me now I can put my brain in 'Park' again. Thanks Jeff I appreciate your help 👍🙂
Thanks for testing that 6x4 - it seems to go bad taking the transformer with it. Would be great to replace with 2+2 1n4007 + 100ohm resistor in the common cathodes. 2 1n4007 in series would be better than 1 for some margin. will save the transformer in the long run
I mohider, I haven't seen the video for a while but if the transformer was damaged I would have tested or put in a tested rectifier valve I'm guessing and these days I would check the output valve too. I like the idea of two diodes in series, I'll remember that 👍
Great to see what's inside one of these radios. I have the same model and was lucky enough to buy it in good working order. I'm surprised you didn't show off the extent of the volume as they play quite loud. Also has a great bottom end bass. Nice video!!
The “window” of the radio 📻 was real glass. You also put quarters in to “pay” for the song, as to speak. One ☝️ of these radio style jukeboxes were at each table of the restaurant.
When you were testing the ht. and plate voltages you used a DVM. Sets from earlier times were serviced using meters with relatively low impedence such as 10 or 20k ohms/volt. The makers took this into account when giving test voltages. Try re-testing this set with a vintage meter and you may see a difference.
Hi jonka1, yeah I know but really more interested in comparing voltages to each other and within 20% of spec. In the past the voltage on the DMM hasn't been all that different to using an old meter. I will check again and do a comparison maybe on the next video. Thanks for bringing that up.
@@DavidTipton101 Thanks for your reply. I think it would make more difference on high value plate loads etc. I just discovered your chanel and your delivery is very relaxing.
Hi Almahanawi, I don't know why there are two names but it isn't unusual for the Brits and Americans to label the same item differently or spell it differently, we in Australia just go along for the ride 😄 I guess VALVE is describing it's function and TUBE is the physical description of the device. I'm happy with either name 🤔🙂
I really love watching your channel its very joyful and informative thanks Dave for your hard work , efforts and time .In fact you guys have beautiful sets of vintage and classic radios that I haven’t seen here in the US.
David - I've lost track of the number of jobs I have watched you complete. You make me smile when you keep saying "I'm not sure what is going on here" - this is clearly one of your stock phrases even when you probably do know what is going on. Do you have a clip where you explain all your test equipment and the way it all works together. Obviously you have added to it as you have gone along as I see some pieces of equipment in some clips that were not there in others.
Hi Kenneth, Unfortunately, a lot of the time I don't know what's going on. I am new to radio repairs so I'm learning as I go and I look back on past videos and can see what I have learned since. I haven't done a specific video on my equipment but might one day. I keep adding equipment as I go and I'll make a point of it as I add them in future. Thank you 👍😃
Hey Mr. Tipton, re. the short on 9, does the selector refer to valve pins? If so, the short on 9 would be misleading - these valves only have 7 pins. This, of course doesn't explain the lack of short on pin 9 for one of the 6X4's! It would explain explain ignoring pin4 - it's one of the heater pins - low resistance expected here. Of course I could be missing something? Thanks for another very good video
Hey 6A8G, that's a good point, I imagine the selector numbers correspond to the valve pins so why would the meter show a short on a non existent 9 pin on one 6X4 and not another 6X4. I don't have full confidence in valve testers and this shows why. There is a schematic for this tester somewhere I'll see if I can work it out. Thanks. Further to the above, according to the tester schematic the selector numbers don't always refer to the pin number, in the case of the 6X4 it's looking at pin 5 when in the 9 selection and pin 5 is not connected on a 6X4 unless it's still used as part of the internal structure as a support.
Another job well done! It seems Australian radios do seem to eat a lot of transformers. Here in the USofA, our 1960s sets were typically 117V hot chassis with a whole zoo of different problems and they really liked to give the unwary a nasty bite! However, I was wondering. Since the voltages on the schematic were determined in the 1960s based upon a meter with a loading of 20K ohms per volt, wouldn't readings taken with the modern digital meter at 11M ohms read high? Did you consider using the analog meter to take the readings with the proper loading on the circuit under test?
Thanks videolabguy. Yes you are correct of course, unfortunately I don't have a suitable working meter. I use the DMM at an indicator only but sometimes forget and read the actual figures. This video was a while ago, I hope I'm getting better at what I do. Thanks for your comment 👍😀
I have this exact radio, and have been playing with it. At 13.30 you 'sprayed' the tone and volume control. Mine crackles; is that why you sprayed them? And with what? Great informative video and great detail too.
Hi 1000frolly PhD, those were early days and I don't remember what I used. Now I use a spray suitable for carbon controls like Deoxit F5. It will fix the annoying crackle you are experiencing. Thanks 1000frolly PhD 👍🙂
I like this radio, too. I name it the “telephone” radio 📻 by its shape, because it looks like a version could have been made with an actual telephone ☎️ built in. Yes, has a dial cord restringing diagram. Just don’t lose it. I’d enclose it back inside the radio 📻. This would be another living room radio 📻, but it looks like it’s designed for kitchen use, also by its shape. The only pitiful part is it getting filled with grease. I forgot to tell ya that I like the sound of the static between stations. I hate most modern radio 📻, which takes away the sound, as well as crackling. These are the history sounds of radio. I think 🤔 the dial face on this radio is glass. You are sure one ☝️ great 👍 repair man at these. I like how complex these radios look 👀 on the inside. Looks like all metal parts, including the dial cord pulley. Try to free the dial cord pulley on a modern radio 📻. It will flex 💪, and probably break, since it’s plastic. I tried to free one ☝️ in a modern Thomas reproduction radio with success, but it looks like the circuitry of this radio had gotten wet, like it’s been through a few Arizona monsoon seasons. The downfall was that I broke the on/off switch when I tried to free it. Yes, a junky plastic Chinese radio, but I liked it because it looks like a mini jukebox, seen in restaurants styled to look like ones ☝️ from the 1950’s and 1960’s. Theirs was real metal for the case, but wasn’t an actual radio. They had buttons to press, numbers and letters, for example K2 or J5 to select the song
$45 for an AWA B15 is a bit much. These are very common as AWA priced them low and made large numbers out of obsolete parts, and had enough parts and demand to keep going until 1972. The are basically the Volkswagen beetle of valve radios - cheap and simple. Typical of AWA, it uses a 6BE6 converter. Other Australian brands eg Kriesler used the 6AN7/A which gives a performance edge - a bit more sensitivity and less noise in noisy locations or with weaker stations. The B15 lacks a few other refinements common in other brands and other AWA models as well. Note that if you use a digital multimeter, voltage readings will be a bit high. The voltages marked on valve circuits are typically not design centre values, they allow for the circuit loading imposed by an analogue multimeter, usually 20kohm/V unless stated otherwise. Once you put modern parts in, you drop the resale value, as another collector/restorer won't trust it. Lots of modern parts are the hallmark of an amateur restorer. Use period-correct professional grade NOS/NIB electros and polyester. They are usually still good, though might not meet original specs. The only critical part regarding leakage is the audio grid coupling cap. The 6BA6 IF valve is a trap for amateur restorers, depending on who made the 6BA6 (not necessarily AWA/AWV even if it has AWV written on it). If the set was used for years on end permanently tuned to the ABC (strong local station), the gain may be low due to AGC action allowing a cathode interface layer to go high resistance - but emission will test normal in a typical basic valve tester. Then if it goes gassy, gain rises - it may rise enough to make the set unstable.
Hi Keit, I agree with most of what you say although I have no interest in resale value to collectors, this particular radio has no resale value anyway. I like to play them and we have at least one on every day and rotate them through so they all get a go. Interesting tip at the end regarding long term AGC effect on the 6BA6, thanks 🙂
@@DavidTipton101 : Even though it is an unremarkable set, it does have some value. I'm like folk who restore vintage cars. If the job is worth doing, its worth doing well. Folk restore cars so they look factory-fresh inside and out and work perfectly. I do the same with vintage electronics. A B15 in typical unrestored condition is worth about $15 to $20. Badly restored, full of modern parts, it's worth $5 to $10. Immaculate, looking brand new, all parts period correct and working well, it's worth $50+. But, more importantly, I have pride in what I do.
I'm surprised that Westinghouse would re-badge an AWA radio that's obviously customized for the Australian market. Did they have much of a presence over there in the 1960s? I've always thought of them as an American company; they made a some AA5 radios of a similar shape here, but I'm sure they got around. My TV is branded Westinghouse, but it's probably made by a Chinese company; the original Westinghouse must have gotten out of consumer electronics a long time ago. It's interesting the way that set had what appears to be multiple bands, but after watching for a while, I'm assuming that it's just AM, with markings on each "band" for the local areas listed. That's one thing we never had here in the USA; the only local customizing of radios and TVs here was with dealer or user installed cards or decals and the adjustment of presets and stop points for sets that had them (especially TVs with remote control).
Westinghouse was a major supplier of electronics, fridges, washing machines, air conditioners etc in Australia and they still do. I think they were taken over by Electrolux but still sell in Australia under the Westinghouse brand. I'm not sure where the products are made. The 'bands' are the different states here. Each state has a number allocation and each station adds a two letter designator that represents the broadcaster to the number. QLD is 4, NSW is 2, VIC is 3 etc. So you end up with 4BC, 2UE and so on. Sometimes manufacturers only supplied the station designators for the state the radio was sold in to reduce clutter.
I see that the radio shows 7 different bands. Are there that many broadcast standards in Australia and Tasmania that account for the frequency descriptions on the dial face? Inquiring Yank mind in Texas would like to know.
Hi there in Texas Phillip 🙂 I don't know about 7 bands, there are 6 states and two territories in Australia. On the dial are the six states, the two territories missed out for some reason. In Australia, each state has a number designation, QLD is 4, NSW is 2, Victorai is 3 etc, our radio stations call signs have the applicable state number designator plus two letters which means something to the station, so a Rockhampton in QLD station might be 4RC, radio national in NSW would be 2RN if you get my drift. The radio in question only has the broadcast band. I hope I understood what you were asking.
@@DavidTipton101 I guess that that the number designations are akin to our FCC designations used here as a "W" on most broadcast station east of the Mississippi river and west of the river have a "K" designation. There are of course anomalies on both sides of the river. In Dallas, Tx there are 2 "W" designated stations, but in Pittsburg, Pa there is a "K" designated station. Thanks for your reply and the way you take us viewers through your diagnostic methods.
6AQ5-I have never seen a radio that uses this tube in the US. However, just about every smaller TV of the early 1960s used one for its audio output. Also, transformers seem to be much more common in Australian radios than ones in the US. The type of radio shown in this video would almost certainly be series string with no transformer in the US. Possibly this is due to the lower AC supply voltage in the us.
Hi Jody, I think the 6AQ5 is similar to the 6V6. Yes, most Aussie radios have transformers, the UK used series string radios a fair bit and had to drop 120 volts before even getting to the radio using resistors. I don't think there was any need for Australia to go transformerless as we didn't have DC powered homes to the best of my knowledge 🙂
It is my understanding that some areas of the northeast US had DC power until the 1940s. However, I think the main reason for getting rid of transformers in the US was cost. Transformers in small radios is pretty rare in the US after WWII. Yes, the 6AQ5 is a small pentode used mostly for audio output states, like the 6V6. (I have also seen it used for vertical output stages in some small televisions). Audio outputs for the common 5 tube US radios post WWII are 50L6, 50A5, 50B5, and 50C5 with 50 volt filaments. 35 volt versions were also available for 6 tube sets.
Jody: The 6AQ5, a beam tetrode, was the RCA standard 7-pin audio output tube post World-War 2. It was considered obsolete by the late 1950's. However, AWV (tube division of AWA) tooled up to make the 6AQ5 in about 1946 and just kept on making them, for their own sets, until the very end of tube radio production. Other Australian manufacturers used the 6M5 (Philips design) in the 1950's, later 6BV7 or TV-style triode-pentodes. The 6AQ5 has the same electrical characteristics as the 6V6. But because it is a 7-pin noval, and the 6V6 an octal, you can't run a 6AQ5 at the same power level - not if you want much service life. 6V6 is good for nearly 5 watts audio, but typical sets using the 6AQ5 have only 2 watts or less output.
As the mains in the US are 120vac/60 cycle, most small radios became series string all American five types post WWII. Due to this, the 6v filament voltage of the 6AQ5 was tool small. The common tube types used here were 50B5(early) and 50C5 with 50 volt filaments. 35B5(early) and 35C5 tubes were used in sets with 6 tubes. I suspect that they are the same as the 6AQ5 with exception of their filament voltages. However, due to their use in many TV sets during the 1950s and 1960s, 6AQ5 tubes are very common in the US. Higher end TVs and stereos used the 6BQ5 with a higher output power. The 6V6 was used as a radio/tv audio output tube here also. Other common audio output tubes being 6F6, 7C5(locktal), 35A5(locktal), 50A5(locktal), 50L6, 35L6, 41(30s radios), and 6Y6. One final note, due to TV requirements, tubes such as the 5AQ5 and 12AQ5 were also made in the US.
I heard the name of this radio before ,what country made it ,also did the made a American version I love the way the transformer is build seems.better then a u.s. Made one.easyer to change one.
@@DavidTipton101 : Don't bet on B15's not made in the US. Given AWA's close MOU relationship with RCA, it's possible. I don't know about the B15, but quite a few AWA valve-era products were clones of US products, though often the circuit was quite different. It's due to the same reasons as Philips local production looked like overseas models but was often internally different. Tooling costs for cases/cabinets and PCB's were very high - a bit much for Australia's low sales volumes. But only a very limited range of vacuum tubes were made in Australia. So if the overseas original used tubes not made in Australia, the circuit got changed. Many people don't know that AWA's agreement with RCA was a two-way obligation, based roughly on respective sales quantities. AWA made (in Australia) some things for RCA, who supplied other US firms under badge engineering. Typically, if the US market for something was very small (by US standards), RCA would get AWA/AWV to make it - for AWA it could be a "big" job.
David thank you for your fast reply. Yes, you are right I have to be more precice what I mean. I thought you are connecting your analog multimeter parallel to the voice coil of the speaker. This would possible be in the 1 to 2 Volt range but you clarify you connect your analog AC Voltmeter from the last nf tube plate against ground. I will try it, it makes sense for me. Thank you
