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  #16  
Old 11-29-2018, 09:59 PM
Titan1a Titan1a is offline
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It looks to me like a keeper. It's fairly rare and has good reception.
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  #17  
Old 11-29-2018, 11:34 PM
old_coot88 old_coot88 is offline
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3-gang tuning cap. Doesn't look like there's an RF stage, though.
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  #18  
Old 11-30-2018, 11:13 AM
dieseljeep dieseljeep is offline
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Originally Posted by init4fun View Post
Were the ballast tube burnt out and unobtainable sure I'd run an AC capacitor in it's stead and not think twice about altering the circuit , in my opinion running condition trumps original condition with most tube radios . But , since I'll bet replacements for the original ballast tube are still available , and since the ballast tube carries no built in safety hazard by design like the curtain burner cord does , I'd be inclined to leave the circuit as is and stock up on a couple or few spare ballast tubes while they are still somewhat available .
If the ballast tube is readily available and reasonably priced, then fine. The 165R8 number seems to be a Triad or Hytron number. JFD numbers are different.
When the set was new there was a lot of DC districts, so a resistive dropper had to be used.
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  #19  
Old 11-30-2018, 11:22 AM
dieseljeep dieseljeep is offline
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Originally Posted by old_coot88 View Post
3-gang tuning cap. Doesn't look like there's an RF stage, though.
Wells-Gardner used a four-gang tuning condenser in their high tube count superhets. It seemed that the fourth section was used as some sort of an antenna pre-selector.
I looked at the schematic again and it's not being used at all. I thought maybe, as they built that set as a long-wave model, they used it, but they didn't!
Possibly a chassis layout or an inventory reason.
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  #20  
Old 11-30-2018, 12:35 PM
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decojoe67 decojoe67 is offline
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Originally Posted by zombie1210 View Post
Curtain burner line cord? Sounds ominous.
I've had many working "curtain-burner" radios in my many years of collecting and you could literally lay the cord in a pile of dry paper shreds and nothing will happen. Even after long play time it only gets moderately warm. Pure urban legend that it will burn the house down.
It's the same urban legend with the sheet of asbestos on the top of the inside of the radio in which you better put your Hazmat suit on and dispose of it before it sends you to an early grave!

Last edited by decojoe67; 11-30-2018 at 05:47 PM.
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  #21  
Old 11-30-2018, 04:12 PM
old_coot88 old_coot88 is offline
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Originally Posted by decojoe67 View Post
I've had many working "curtain-burner" radios in my many years of collecting and you could literally lay the cord in a pile of dry paper shreds and nothing will happen. Even after long play time it only gets moderately warm. Pure urban legend that it will burn the house down.
That's been my experience with 'em also. The gripe is more on the cheezyness factor than any real hazard.
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  #22  
Old 11-30-2018, 07:09 PM
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decojoe67 decojoe67 is offline
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Originally Posted by old_coot88 View Post
That's been my experience with 'em also. The gripe is more on the cheezyness factor than any real hazard.
I agree. I like those sets with their original thick cloth cords. Right now I have about 5 that work excellent.
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  #23  
Old 12-01-2018, 06:45 AM
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init4fun init4fun is offline
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  #24  
Old 12-01-2018, 10:27 AM
dieseljeep dieseljeep is offline
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Originally Posted by old_coot88 View Post
That's been my experience with 'em also. The gripe is more on the cheezyness factor than any real hazard.
The real cheap and nasty four tube TRF's were referred to as "Depression radios". They all used the resistive cord droppers and many were sold for around $10 USD. Many of the ones I ran into the cord was damaged one way or another. Most of the time the resistance wire was pulled loose from the plug connection and the plug was replaced.
If the cord was in good condition in later years, many times the resistance wire was rusted open as the wire was some kind of an iron alloy for ballasting action, just like the ballast tubes had.
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  #25  
Old 12-01-2018, 10:33 AM
dieseljeep dieseljeep is offline
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Originally Posted by decojoe67 View Post
I've had many working "curtain-burner" radios in my many years of collecting and you could literally lay the cord in a pile of dry paper shreds and nothing will happen. Even after long play time it only gets moderately warm. Pure urban legend that it will burn the house down.
It's the same urban legend with the sheet of asbestos on the top of the inside of the radio in which you better put your Hazmat suit on and dispose of it before it sends you to an early grave!
If the builder of the product wanted U/L listing, they couldn't get it on a set equipped as such.
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  #26  
Old 12-01-2018, 10:08 PM
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decojoe67 decojoe67 is offline
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Originally Posted by dieseljeep View Post
If the builder of the product wanted U/L listing, they couldn't get it on a set equipped as such.
I'm sure of that. It definitely isn't the greatest idea, but the severity of it has been a little exaggerated over the years by collectors.
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