Quote:
Originally Posted by archie2
... and thought I'd re-cap it. All tubes light as well as the original dial lights but it just hums, loudly. one tube is loose in its base.
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That's likely all it needs, a recap of the wax caps and the electrolytic caps. Tubes are likely okay, even the one with the loose base likely works. Tubes will last forever if never used, on the shelf or in a radio that sat unused for years. Not so for caps, the wax caps absorb moisture from the air and become electronically leaky, and the electrolytic drys out. Replace each cap one at a time, so you don't forget where it connects to. I don't try to remove all the old cap's leads from tube socket or other terminals (these can be fragile), just snip the lead, maybe leaving enough to make a "J" hook to connect the new cap to. Do place physically the cap and the leads approx where the old cap was. And be sure the new leads can't short to something, and reuse any insulating tubing the old cap had.