OK, Silvertone people! I need your help!

[radiotvnut]

I picked up this beat up battery Sears Silvertone tombstone for $10 at a flea market. All I know about it is that is should have six tubes and is battery operated. Can anyone ID the model?

The cabinet is pretty rough; but, could probably be made into a pretty radio by someone who knew what they were doing.

[jeyurkon]

I believe it's a Silvertone 4437

http://www.antiqueradios.com/gallery..._4437.jpg.html

http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/029/M0017029.htm

John

[radiotvnut]

Thanks for the information! I am glad to see that this radio only requires 4.5 volts and 90 volts to operate. Should not be too hard to build a P/S for it.

[Reece]

I like basket cases the most: there's more to do, more fun to have. Notice on the schematic, this being a battery set, that maximum power output is 0.25 watt undistorted. The set needs an efficient speaker. I would change the speaker board and put an 8" speaker in this, since it was an option per the parts list. You would want a "standard replacement" 8" of the type used in consumer radios, TV's, phonos, not a "hi-fi" one with high compliance cone as is commonly available now. The latter type speaker tends to be less sensitive and requires more power to operate satisfactorily.

Once you have the radio operating, you could try bridging larger caps across the audio coupling capacitors C11, C14, C15, C17, for more bass. Too large and the amp would be overloaded and distort. It isn't going to be a thumper, but with a more modern speaker in it the amplifier could be restricting the low end. Trial and error on those caps to find the best compromise of sound vs power output.

Reece

[radiotvnut]

Thanks for the speaker and amp info!

I like basket cases because I can often get them cheap because no one else wants them!

I've generally found that battery radios are usually easier to get going than their AC big brothers. I guess that's due to them not having a standard power supply, etc. I've actually found old battery sets that played after being pulled from 40 years of storage.

I'm anxious to see how sensitive this animal is. It amazes me how some of these old AM radios can pull in stations that the newer models can't touch.

[louisiii]

In looking at it; it looks like it was built in the 1930's, it was probable made by Warrick Television Company in Zion, Illinois. They built most of the Silvertone Radios and TV's until Sears kited them out of business in 1958. In 1957 they built a plant outside of Mexico City to supply Sears/Silvertones's demand. It looks more like a Philco. The chaise layout is very basic the tubes Probably have 35V heaters. My 1950's Philco Portable used a 67v battery from Burgess. The design is very basic for the period so a schematic should be easy to find even if it is a different brand. Hard to tell if it is a battery radio or a 110v DC radio (early homes in NY NY had 110v DC ). I looks like it may also had a loop antenna frame glued inside the cabinet and a connection for an external one too. Sears never really made any thing. They contracted for their private label brand names "Silver tone, Kenmore, Sears, David Taylor, ect.). So even though it says Sears Silvertone it could be Philco, Warrick, RCA, Edison, Emerson, Motorola or any of the many other real manufactures of the day. ( I had a nine inch b&w TV that said Sears on the outside and Sanyo on the inside). Some new vernier, grill cloth, lights, and knobs, you should have the start of a working vintage radio. I have a couple of 1930 Philco's table and counsel style radios so I can tune in the old radio broadcast from from the 1930's, 40's, and 50's ( I never been able to tune in those radio broadcast on new radios???).

[Reece]

If it's indeed the set that the schematic shows, it's 1937, and the knobs are the same as others built that year. Sears owned Colonial and had a lot of them built by Colonial and Stewart Warner in those days. The tubes have two-volt filaments per the schematic, and also shows that it takes an external wire antenna. If there is a model number anywhere left, the first three digits before the decimal point indicate the manufacturer. A list of the manufacturer's codes is on this link:

http://antiqueradios.com/forums/view...ht=sears+codes

Reece