I didn't resolve the voltage issues, so I spent several days trying to align this set. For the first 20 attempts, I kept forgetting some step in the process. When I finally got it right, I had fairly good reception above 90 kHz, but much noise and very weak signals below 90. The last step in the alignment is adjusting the oscillator condenser for the lower frequencies, but every time I adjustment it, the output (audible) did not change. I would screw it down to a hard stop, back it out a half dozen turns, and there was no variation in the (barely audible) output.
I finally pulled out that condenser for a close look, but I found nothing amiss. When I was bolting it back in place I noticed a little rust on the adjusting screw, so I put a drop of 3-in-One on it.
When I had the condenser bolted in and rewired, I turned it on and tried the oscillator adjustment one more time. To my amazement, all the lower frequency stations came in strong, clear, and with no noise between stations. That tiny bit of rust had stopped the screw before it got to the right capacitance.
Now I'm sure the set can be aligned, but now the high end of the dial is problematic. I get pretty good reception, but excessive noise between stations. The tracking is perfect. The lower-end stations are very strong, but when you get down to 600 kHz the stations comes in over a range of 40 kilocycles. There should be a way of balancing this, but all I've tried so far hasn't worked. Is it likely that the IF frequency is the problem? Or should I back away from the peak oscillator low-frequency adjustment?
I expect that my cheapo signal generator isn't very accurate. In fact, it's not really an actual signal generator. It's a signal GEMERATOR!
I would greatly appreciate advice on which alignment parameters to address.