howard radio
 

I went to a flee market and found a howard radio that I'd like to buy. I'm not sure what model it is but it does have a tuning eye so it should be late 1930's. Its a table top and it is kind of rough but for ten dollars I am not too worried about that. I noticed when I look in the back that one of the speaker wires has been pulled out of the output transformer. Ok, I have gently peeled back the paper on one before ,found the wire and just soldered a new one on and was back in business.If this one is not that easy what kind of hoops will I have to jump through to find another one?

You MIGHT go down to Fair Radio there in Lima & see if they have anysuggestions...They just MIGHT have a substitute tranny that would work.

See if you can find a model number on it, so one of us can recommend a replacement that will work.

I will check again for the model number. The origiinal tag is there but it looks like someone spilled coffee or soda on it.

An output transformer is very easy to find. They are uncritical, and a generic unit will do just fine. Or you can cannibalize another set.

On a early 50's majestic TV that had a blown audio output Xfmr. I just replaced it with a similar sized unit that came from a amp from a cheap Deca HiFi phono console I junked, and it works just fine like that.

A generic replacement or a junked part should work fine.

[QUOTE=Electronic M;3026365]On a early 50's majestic TV that had a blown audio output Xfmr. I just replaced it with a similar sized unit that came from a amp from a cheap Deca HiFi phono console I junked, and it works just fine like that.

A cheap Decca! LMAO. Thats an Oxymoron. (sp)

I thought an output tranny was a little more of a specialty item. At Fair radio they have a box of the same size rca speakers with the trans. on them, so I will just grab one of those and mount it. Ok, I did not know it was that easy. Thanks. Oh, One more question if I may. because of price I have been subbing 5y3 rectifier tubes in my radios instead of 5u4 tubes. Is this a mistake?

It used a three tube amp for stereo, no tuner, dual volume knobs instead of volume and balance, puny speakers ,and an earlier version of the changer in that Arvin you were surprised I used to play records in a Goodwill. I have no clue what it originally sold for, but from scrapping it I got the feeling that it was cheaply made (I could lift it with one hand). This thing gave me the impression of a good sounding cheeply made table model's electronics stuck in a console for the heck of it.

The 5U4 is rated for somewhat more current than the 5Y3. So look up the tube to find the allowable current and compare it to the load in the set.

Of course, if you aren't a purist, a couple of 1N4007 diodes (for pennies each) and a resistor will substitute just fine in almost all cases.

Just curious, but what radio(s) do you have that use 5U4s? Being heavier duty with a 3 amp filament, they were more exclusive to TVs and large amplifiers. Whereas 5Y3 with its 2 amp filament was more commonly used in radios.

My capehart 21n2 uses 2- 5u4 tubes. I am using 5y3's in it now. I had a couple of old tv's I did the same thing with. I have'nt noticed any problems doing that but wanted to make sure.

Those 5Y3's are probably going to have a reduced service life doing the job of 5U4s.

Think I'd go the silicone diode route before straining a 5Y3.

Every Howard I've seen on Da Bay has the std BCB + a couple of SW bands....What does this 'un have ?!?

The same.... broadcast and sw. Its rough but I still like it. the metal dial has rust where the painted numbers used to be.the rest of the dial is clean and shiny. The cabinet is in one piece but needs a lot of tlc. I will post pics when I get home. I always liked a set with an eye tube. Kind of makes it stand out when running

What resistor value would I put in series with diodes?

Measure current through the diodes without the resistor, and how much higher than speck the B+ is the resistance will be about equal to the voltage over current. But adding the resistor will change the behavior of the circuit some so you may want to tweak the value to get the voltage closer to speck. You want to use a power resistor with a rating in watts that is equal to or greater than (greater is safer) the planned voltage drop across the resistor times the current through the resistor.

Some folks neglect the resistor if the increase in B+ voltage from the silicon diodes is within 10 or 20% of speck.

The resistor is important to limit the surge when the unit is switched on.

The lowest value to use is perhaps 22 Ohms in high power circuits, more in lower. Power rating should be double actual dissipation, not easy to calculate. Best to see how hot it gets and use a higher rating if you think it's running too hot.

I know this thread is about 2 years old, but I was sitting here listening to one of the two Howard radios that I own and thought that I would see what threads were here on V-K relating to these among the most beautiful and well built radios. I only found two threads; one being a thread I created trying to find other Howard fans, then this one.

I felt that it would be worth trying to follow up on and see if pictures were ever made. None were posted, but the last entry said some were to be posted and I would like to see how this came out. I looked on Google Images hoping to steal a couple of pictures of my two sets, but I didn't find any of my models. I did discover that some of the most beautiful radios ever made were made by Howard. Anyone in doubt should check out the Google Images. Of course you will have to look at bunch of trash with Howard Stern as well, but that's life I guess.

Neither of my Howards' have ever been restored, but both work well. That always tells me a bit about the quality of a radio. That is when a set still performs fairly well on original capacitors and often tubes. Oddly enough, I have found more of these true survivors from the 30s than any other decade. My collection spans the 30s through the 60s. My guess is that radio reached a peak of sorts during this time frame in both engineering and quality. This peak I have found happens with most technology; even today. For that reason I don't ever buy new technology during the first buying frenzy and market saturation. I wait for better quality and lower prices.

Of course I get seen as the "throwback" who doesn't have a "smart" phone or a flat screen TV, and my vehicles still require my thought and physical movement to get me where I am going. But I don't care; I just sit back and laugh back and count my savings....