Arvin tube set - poor reception

[Nolan Woodbury]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the list, somewhat new to old tube radios, but not radio enjoyment or collecting.

My main radios are: GE Superadio (I-II & III) a Kloss Model One for the computer desk, and a older Marantz console in the living room.

Although I have two more, older radios coming (A Zenith K731 & G730) yesterday, my first tube purchase; an Arvin model # 35248 (Walnut) arrived, and after a bit of cleaning and fussing the set is ready to play. My problem: very poor reception, especially on FM. What sort of antenna should I either fabricate, or buy? Obviously, I can't expect the clear and strong reception I get from my solid state radios...or can I? I can recall as a kid playing with my fathers old GE pedestal radio (all tube) and tuning in stations all over the country.

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

[Chad Hauris]

Tube type radios can have very good performance. For an antenna, TV rabbit ears are very good. If the radio has a built in antenna connection for capacitive coupling to the powerline, this is usually pretty good for most fairly strong FM stations.

Is there a good strong sound of static when the volume is turned up...if not, there is probably weak tubes...usually when FM is weak, weak tubes are involved...a usual suspect is the mixer/oscillator and RF tube in the fm tuner, like 12DT8 or 17C9. You should be able to get all local FM stations clearly...the Zenith FM tube radios usually have better performance on the weak stations than most of the others such as GE, Arvin, RCA, etc.

[Nolan Woodbury]

Thanks for the response Chad.

It softly hums on FM. AM reception is only slightly better, but the static is much louder. One (un-regulated) Spanish station comes raging across, causing me to wonder if it was weak tube(s) or simply reception. I'll try a simple set of rabbit ears, and if that doesn't work, I look into replacing the RF tube. A schematic is on the bottom, with the RF ("FM tube") clearly identified.

I purchased this Arvin on the basis of its styling and exterior condition. I have no idea what to expect in the way of performance, but I hope to find out soon-

Thanks again Chad!

Nolan

[Sandy G]

Hum- Sounds like you may have capacitor issues there, pal. Maybe a bit out of alignment, too. Does it have terminals for an external antenna? If so, rabbit ears are good;if you want something a little less obtrusive, a ribbon FM antenna-easily concealed behind draperies could work well, too. You may want to try several locations in the room where you have the set, or even try another room entirely. Oh, and BTW, welcome to AK ! I think you'll like it here!-Sandy G.

[Nolan Woodbury]

Thanks for the welcome and advice Sandy. I love the simple joys an antique radio gives. Although I'm sure like most everything else, you sometimes have to work for those rewards...

I'll be sure to report on my findings, but for now, can anyone provide a solid tip for tube purchasing or should I just Google it?

[jstout66]

Hi Nolan, For purchasing tubes, I've always used this guy. He's very reasonable. http://vacuumtubesinc.com/index.html