Post-War RCA A.M./F.M. Bakelite Table Radio

[NoTransistors]

I have an RCA 3RF91 AM/FM Golden Throat radio. After a little disassembly and cleaning, it has turned out to be absolutely stunning. The bakelite and brass trim are flawless. So is the painted detailing. The A.M. works flawlessly. I have to work on the F.M., as that is silent. First, though, I have to clean the chassis.
When I am finished with the restoration, can I expect a worthwhile amount from an eBay auction? Or should I keep it for my listening pleasure? A.M. sounds fantastic. F.M. should be at least as good.
This is my 1st antique bakelite tube radio, though my entire Hi-Fi is tubes.

[crooner]

check the past auctions or perhaps Google for more info.
It all depends, some radios are definitive keepers.
I sold quite a few but have hanged on to my Philco 70 and Hallicrafters Sky Buddy.

Regards,
crooner

[Sandy G]

I'd hang on to it ! If it sounds & looks good, why get rid of it ? Since you've "gone thru it", that sorta makes it "your" radio a little. If you have kids, it might be neat to pass it along to them. Just a thought. -Sandy G.

[Chad Hauris]

It seems like the FM on the old RCA's and GE's is adequate for fairly strong local stations. The sensitivity is not all that great. Some RCA's use the same convertor tube for FM and AM.

As far as performance, Zenith is the best on the tube type table radios...also some Japanese imported tube radios such as Panasonic, Masterwork, Audition, etc, have very good FM performance.

I would say that the RCA is not really a high dollar item, probably 10-40 dollar value.

[bgadow]

I had 2 of those so I recapped one and donated it to a charity auction here in town. Sold for $50, which I thought was pretty darn good. (I paid something like $5 for it)

Never been impressed yet by a 40s FM set although I haven't done that much with them. Drift, drift, drift.

[Paula]

Originally posted by NoTransistors
When I am finished with the restoration, can I expect a worthwhile amount from an eBay auction? Or should I keep it for my listening pleasure?

My experience with old radios on eBay is that it's something of a crap shoot. This is a somewhat obscure model, so it depends heavily on whether or not any bidders are looking for that particular model at the time of the auction. I would say that if you like the radio at all when it's finished, then you should hang on to it. You can always sell it if/when you get tired of it.

In case anyone is wondering what a 3RF91 looks like, here's a picture. Quite stylish, actually!

[NoTransistors]

Thanks for the input.
It is quite pretty.
The rectifier is a nice high-amp job and the audio is courtesy of a 6V6GT. Lots of power. If I replace the speaker , the sound might improve, but the radio will no longer be stock.

[Jeffhs]

Originally posted by NoTransistors
I have an RCA 3RF91 AM/FM Golden Throat radio. After a little disassembly and cleaning, it has turned out to be absolutely stunning. The A.M. works flawlessly. I have to work on the F.M., as that is silent.

Are you by any chance trying to get FM reception without an antenna connected to your radio? If so, I'd try hooking up at least a length of wire or, better yet, a pair of TV rabbit ears to the external antenna terminals. I live in northeastern Ohio, 35 miles from Cleveland, so am not familiar with FM reception problems (or the lack of them) in the New York City area. As a general rule, however, in any area you must use some kind of antenna on an FM radio to get any kind of reception. I'd try that first before replacing tubes or digging into the circuitry.

One warning, however. Do not touch the AM or FM antenna terminals (if your set has them), or for that matter the chassis and/or control shafts, and ground at the same time while the radio is switched on and plugged in. I am not familiar with the 3RF91, but would guess it is an AC/DC "hot chassis" receiver in which the AC line is connected directly to the chassis (as most small table radios of that era were). In these sets, the chassis will have the full line voltage on it or will be grounded, depending entirely upon which way the line cord plug is inserted into the wall socket. There is a 50/50 chance you will plug the set in so the chassis is grounded, but I wouldn't take that chance. Always unplug the cord from the wall socket before attempting any work on, in or under the chassis.

[NoTransistors]

Shocking advice that I can live with. Thanks

[ddk375]

I also have one of these sets - unrestored. As a follow up to Jeff's post, this set is unusual in that it uses a power transformer and full-wave rectifier (5Y3), so is not a "hot-chassis" model. Still, I'd be careful, as leaky line bypass caps can put a nasty jolt on the chassis of a/c operated sets. Am looking for a knob for mine - any suggestions?

David

[NoTransistors]

All these knobs crack in the same place.

There must be places on the 'net that have parts. Or else, try a HamFest.

My neighbor has this same radio, but out of wood. Bakelite looks better.

Seth
Forever Analog

[Thespeakerdude8]

hi , your radio is not 'hot chassis' so no need to worry. See that big old transformer in the back? yup its not ac/dc.


Also, the 6v6 gives it away. On Ac-Dc radios, all the heaters are in series, using weird tubes to such as the 50c5 or 35c5 power tube and /or 35w4 rectifier with some other 12v, 14v, and 19v tubes to equal the 115v line voltage. Your radio uses 6.3v tubes so its not line operated.

5y3 and 6v6gt....sounds like a champ in a radio case to me

would be cool to add a 6sn7 or 12ax7 on a tiny board before the power amp with a switch... cool unsuspecting guitar amp, but thats just me.