1939/40 Philco model# 40-125

[Mike Stehr]

I posted this in tube audio, it's probably more appropiate here...
I reworked it for a co-worker. It was his grandmothers radio, he's 50.

It's a model with the rubber wiring that Philco used from 39-42? That was real fun to change and patch up.
What was going to be a power cord replacement turned out to be pretty much a rebuild.

Now it's rather quiet, and drags in many stations.

I brought it to work and fired it up in front of everyone. They were all dumbfounded that the 67 year radio still worked. When I hit a oldies station playing some 40's big band music, everyone got a look on their face like they just went into a time warp.
Glorious tone...

The co-worker is happy. He can listen to the Seattle Mariner games.

I'm more into tube Hi-Fi, but there is something cool about getting a old radio up and going.
I may offer to get his larger Philco console going, but if it's got that rubber wiring, he can kiss my ass.........

[Sandy G]

You did 2 good things-1) Rebuilding a radio for a friend, & 2) Saving said Old Radio from the landfill. Kudos to you, sir.

[Chad Hauris]

That's great you got that old Philco working. We did a 1939 model and almost everything had to be removed from the chassis and and replaced including repairing the power transformer wiring with heat shrink tubing and replacing the wiring inside the IF cans. The good thing was that there was plenty of room inside the chassis to work with.

[Mike Stehr]

Originally Posted by Chad Hauris

That's great you got that old Philco working. We did a 1939 model and almost everything had to be removed from the chassis and and replaced including repairing the power transformer wiring with heat shrink tubing and replacing the wiring inside the IF cans. The good thing was that there was plenty of room inside the chassis to work with.

Was that 1939 Philco a console unit, Chad? I didn't have much room with this tabletop. Some of those wax caps were 4 layers down at the bottom.

It seem I would replace one rotted wire, and then there was another one!
I replaced everything I could, and heat-shrinked over the rest.

This thing was serious fire hazard the way it was. Unbeleivable it still worked.

Johnny would have kept the radio even if it didn't work, it's a heirloom from his grandparents.

I just couldn't see him setting his apartment ablaze with the little Philco tabletop, especially when his insurance carrier laughs at him when they find out what started the fire. Old out of code radio? Sorry pal!!

I didn't have much interest in old tube console and tabletop radios, but the Philco kinda changed that.
Somebody may have listened to the Pearl Harbor attacks on the thing.....

I'm pretty certain Johnny's Philco console is a 1936 model, and it should have cloth covered wiring insulation. It's a good sized chassis as well.
I may volunteer to get the console going, I did check the tubes already.
It had a wanked 6J5 and a 5Y4 rectifier.
I have a 6J5, but I don't have 5Y4. Can a guy sub a 5Y3 for 5Y4? They seem pretty close......

My favorite old radio is audio buddy Dan Marshall's 1929 Edison. Restored and cool looking, old 45 output tubes with 27's.

Thanks for the kudos guys...

[Tom Bavis]

5Y3 and 5Y4 are the same except for the basing... Philco didn't want you to buy tubes from the "enemy" (RCA), so Sylvania made the 5Y4 for them. I have a few, both G and GT style. Probably mixed in with my 5Y3s, keeps things interesting...