Telefunken Gavotte 7 - Videokarma.org TV - Video

vortalexfan · #1 08-22-2021, 08:32 PM

Hello everyone, earlier today I picked up from a local guy who used to be an employee of Crown here in Elkhart before they went belly up, a 1956 Telefunken Gavotte 7 AM/FM/SW/LW Hi-Fi radio that he said still works but has filter capacitor hum.

I would like to know how hard it is to replace the old filter caps in these old Telefunkens and how good of a performer will this radio be once its recapped?

Also where did this radio fall in the model heirarchy?

Thanks for your help with this radio.

Electronic M · #2 08-22-2021, 09:54 PM

I own one. It's a monophonic unit. These are loud and sound superb when working properly. Decades ago it was restored by the tech that got me started learning radio (he bought it to fix and flip and I ended up buying it) so I can't tell you how hard it is to recap.
These radios almost always have the schematic in an envelope inside the back.

vortalexfan · #3 08-22-2021, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Electronic M

I own one. It's a monophonic unit. These are loud and sound superb when working properly. Decades ago it was restored by the tech that got me started learning radio (he bought it to fix and flip and I ended up buying it) so I can't tell you how hard it is to recap.
These radios almost always have the schematic in an envelope inside the back.

I looked in the envelope and unfortunately the schematic is long gone on this unit, so I'm going to have to locate one for this. Do you perhaps have access to the one in the back of your unit that you could scan and send me?

Electronic M · #4 08-22-2021, 10:28 PM

I don't have a scanner and most people find my pictures illegible...This is covered in Sam's so you should be able to find a Sam's for it.

vortalexfan · #5 08-22-2021, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Electronic M

I don't have a scanner and most people find my pictures illegible...This is covered in Sam's so you should be able to find a Sam's for it.

I did end up finding the sam's for it. And I took the bottom cover off and it looks pretty straightforward to recap. the main filter cap is a 50/50 MFD @ 385 VDC capacitor which only has one wire lead on each section and a resistor on one of the sections and that's it, besides the ground connection to the capacitor.

There's even enough room in the chassis to tack a terminal strip in there and wire in a couple of 47 MFD 450 V axial lead caps to replace the old filter cap can.

vortalexfan · #6 08-23-2021, 12:28 PM

Is there a current source for a replacement pilot light socket for this radio?

I'm asking because the pilot light socket on mine is trashed, the rubber insulator/mount is completely dry rotted and I was thinking of reinforcing it with shrink tubing around the socket itself but then the rubber mount broke...

madlabs · #7 08-23-2021, 05:50 PM

I have a couple of Telefunkens in daily use. They are pretty easy to replace the electrolytics. One had a selenium rectifier that was getting too warm. The other was fine. I replaced both with silicon diodes and put a dropping resistor in there. They are great performers. On of mine is a Gavotte and the electrostatic speakers don't work and I haven't gotten around to trying to fix them. The set sounds good anyway. In short, I love the styling and performance of mine and have many hours on them.

vortalexfan · #8 08-23-2021, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madlabs

I have a couple of Telefunkens in daily use. They are pretty easy to replace the electrolytics. One had a selenium rectifier that was getting too warm. The other was fine. I replaced both with silicon diodes and put a dropping resistor in there. They are great performers. On of mine is a Gavotte and the electrostatic speakers don't work and I haven't gotten around to trying to fix them. The set sounds good anyway. In short, I love the styling and performance of mine and have many hours on them.

This is my first Telefunken radio I've owned, I've had several Grundigs but they all developed detrimental problems that were unable to be repaired so I had to scrap them. I am hoping I can get this Telefunken going so I can have a
working German radio in my collection.

How did you fix the light socket in your Gavotte?

madlabs · #9 08-25-2021, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vortalexfan

This is my first Telefunken radio I've owned, I've had several Grundigs but they all developed detrimental problems that were unable to be repaired so I had to scrap them. I am hoping I can get this Telefunken going so I can have a
working German radio in my collection.

How did you fix the light socket in your Gavotte?

I didn't. It is still working.

vortalexfan · #10 08-26-2021, 03:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madlabs

I didn't. It is still working.

Hmm, well mine is presumably still working but the rubber insulation around it failed (it dry-rotted) and I'm not sure how that happened.

I'm assuming it had to do with storage conditions, as the guy I got it from originally had the radio stored in an old storage locker that wasn't climate controlled, because he lives in an apartment building that dates back to the early 20th century and I don't think he had access to the basement from his apartment but I could be wrong.

Anyways I would think that one could use shrink tubing to replace the old rubber insulation around the light socket on this radio, but I'm not sure.

TV-collector · #11 09-15-2021, 09:19 AM

Hi!
Do you want a clean manual incl. dial stringing?
I have closeby everything in schematics, but I am hanging here around only in the TV sections.

Just saw your request.
You can have from me SABA-Automatic repair informations, too, in english!
Just send me your email adress and what else you need.

Regards,
TV-collector

madlabs · #12 09-15-2021, 09:34 AM

Yes, some heat shrink should be fine. I haven't really looked at the wiring of mine since it is working. But if it is easier to heat shrink than replace then do that.

vortalexfan · #13 09-15-2021, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madlabs

Yes, some heat shrink should be fine. I haven't really looked at the wiring of mine since it is working. But if it is easier to heat shrink than replace then do that.

Yes, I think Heatshrink tubing would work better than trying to locate a new light socket for this radio which is a style of light socket that I have yet to see on places like Mouser, or Digikey.

vortalexfan · #14 09-15-2021, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TV-collector

Hi!
Do you want a clean manual incl. dial stringing?
I have closeby everything in schematics, but I am hanging here around only in the TV sections.

Just saw your request.
You can have from me SABA-Automatic repair informations, too, in english!
Just send me your email adress and what else you need.

Regards,
TV-collector

The Saba I don't need a manual for, because I just gave up on that, and returned it back to its owner.

As for this Telefunken, I found a manual for it already, it was covered in Sam's Photofact, which I just bought and used that for figuring out this radio.

vortalexfan · #15 09-16-2021, 02:16 PM

Well I got the filter caps replaced in this Telefunken radio, but for some reason or another it has absolutely horrible sensitivity and selectivity on AM, SW and FM, and I looked at the IF cans and they all appear to still be sealed, and I checked the tubes and the only tubes that checked bad were the output tube and the ECC85 tube in the FM Tuner which I tried subbing it out with a couple of other tubes and it didn't affect the issue any, except that subbing out the bad EL84/6BQ5 output tube made the radio louder and much more responsive audio wise but other than that the tuner isn't picking up anything hardly its not even picking up many of the higher powered AM and FM stations that are nearby.

Any ideas as to what could be the problem here?