Starter tube radio?

[Stevopedia]

Hey guys,

I'm afraid I'm catching the tube bug (this can't end well, can it? ) and figure that a good way to get my feet wet with tubes and feed the radio interest at the same time would be to get myself a... tube radio! This one seems promising:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Zenith-Radio-Tub...3%3A1|294%3A50

Whaddaya think? And what can you tell me about it? And of course, if you've another suggestion, I'm certainly open to it

-Stephen

[tlavergne]

I am going through he same thing. See my posts further down. I purchased a Zenith H845 from 1960 or so. It should be here via UPS today. I think it will be fun and, like you said, "this can't end well". Good luck.

[tlavergne]

Stephen...read my post in "New to tube radio...need advice" in this forum. I just received my Zenith H845 from eBay a few minutes ago. Highly recommended radio. I love this radio!
Tom

[sanford12]

I would set my sights a little higher like Zenith H845 that Stevopedia has bought. A better radio with better sound and range and probably get one just as cheap.

[Jeffhs]

You can't go wrong with any Zenith radio from the 1940s through the sixties; they were built for great sound and excellent RF sensitivity as well. I have a Zenith C845 that sounds great and pulls in stations like a magnet, just with its built-in antennas. I also own a Zenith K731 which does not have an AM RF stage, but does have two IFs and a limiter stage which amounts to three IF amps....it works very well and sounds great, with a 6x9 oval speaker and a 3" electrostatic tweeter.

It was a darn shame that Zenith went out of the radio business in 1982; their last radio was model J430W, AM/FM, with slide controls for volume, bass and treble and a tuning meter. It was housed in a particle-board cabinet with, IIRC, a faux wood veneer, not unlike Contact paper, over it. The radio also had on the back what Zenith referred to as a "bass booster"; however, I don't think this was much more than an air chamber that may not have had much (if any) effect on the sound from the radio's single speaker. The only clue that this was a Zenith radio was a stamped plastic nameplate on the front panel, at the lower left corner of the speaker grille, unless there was also the word "Zenith", with the company's famous lightning bolt logo used as the Z, stamped into the back cover. The radio itself was probably made by a subsidiary of Zenith in Taiwan or Korea; my best guess is the former, as many if not most Zenith radios from 1980 until the end of the company's radio production era were probably (even likely) built in Taiwan.

BTW, I wonder what ever happened to the Z lightning-bolt logo. Is Zenith still using it on its LG-built televisions? If not.....I hate to think they just abandoned the symbol (or it quietly went into the public domain[!]) a year or so after the LG takeover, as this was a symbol for quality known literally the world over (Zenith radios were in use in many European countries prior to and after WWII, as evidenced by the company's export models of certain of their more popular receivers of the late forties if not earlier). Now that it's gone (if in fact it is gone for good)....again, I hate to think of it. I always thought Zenith would not give up that logo without a fight, as well-known as it was, regardless who would own the company years or decades into the future. There is always the possibility that LG does not know or care beans about Zenith's history, being concerned only with its (LG's) bottom line; if this is the case, it is just too bad.

[Fisherdude]

Well, are you interested in getting a tube radio simply to listen to it, or are you also interested in getting one because you want to start to learn about working on one?

[electronjohn]

Here's my .02: If you're interested in learning repair & restoration, I'd start with a very basic "All-American 5" set from the early to mid 50s. It'll have the typical 50C5/35W4/12BE6/12BA6/12AV6 lineup...so if tubes are needed they're easily found and cheap to boot. Low parts count makes the repair/restoration easier. I picked that time frame so that you'd find a radio with a metal chassis...thus avoiding vexing circuit board problems. Only the most basic tools are needed...soldering iron, inexpensive digital meter, a few screwdrivers, etc. You could spring for a tube tester if you want, but usually substitution reveals the bad guy quickly. An isolation transformer is a very wise purchase, since simple 5-tube radios have had a "hot chassis" (connected to one side of the power line) since the dawn of time. Radios with a transformer power supply don't present that problem, but, as always, high voltages are present and the usual cautions apply in all cases.

[Stevopedia]

Originally Posted by Fisherdude

Well, are you interested in getting a tube radio simply to listen to it, or are you also interested in getting one because you want to start to learn about working on one?

Both, mostly the listening-to side. I don't intend to get too into tube gear.... but then, that's what they all say, isn't it?

[amptramp]

I'm with electrojohn on this one, the AA5 configuration is something that worked well with a minimum of parts. You can learn the skills you need to know on one of these relatively cheap sets before graduating to the more elaborate ones.

Don't skimp on the digital meter; make sure the ohms scale goes above the usual 2 megohm limit because the AVC resistor is usually 2.2 megohms and the first audio grid resistor is usually 10 megohms. I have one meter with a 20 megohm limit and another with a 30 megohm limit.