Classic Hifi Care

I have had this set for awhile. I was listening to it this afternoon when it started fading. I could bang on the cabinet and the audio would return. I haven't done much to it, just changed the filter caps a few years back. It needs a good cleaning, recap, then a good alignment. I can't get anything done in the shop on scheduled projects. These little jobs appear and interrupt progress. I don't suppose there is any hurry......

That is a nice 6 tube radio with phono input. I had to Google it to see what it looked like.

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/rca_4_x_6 ... 40rc1.html

Bill

I took some pictures, but I messed them up somehow. I'll have to do it again. This is a dandy radio, with its "Golden Throat" speaker. I wonder how a hot chassis radio works with a 45 rpm record player accessory. I would think the tone arm could be hot and there might be a hum issue. I'd probably run the radio on an isolation transformer if I tinkered with the record player, but in the day they wouldn't have done that.

I have a RCA radio with a similar chassis, it was a very good playing radio but now I can barely get one station. It too has a phono input and when I tried it with my 45 player it did not sound good. Can't remember if it was a hum or just weak sounding.

Bill

This radio has a huge loop antenna on it, but it is fairly directional. I don't know how radios "get out" of alignment, and why they seem to do that suddenly. It was playing just fine. I try to run each radio in rotation so they all run once a month. There is always at least one that needs tweaking....

electra225 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 22, 2025 11:55 pm I I wonder how a hot chassis radio works with a 45 rpm record player accessory. I would think the tone arm could be hot and there might be a hum issue. I'd probably run the radio on an isolation transformer if I tinkered with the record player, but in the day they wouldn't have done that.

My little mono "suitcase portable" RCA 9-EMP-21H record player increases the risk by using a steel case. You're only one paper capacitor away from disaster.

And don't be fooled by the "Golden Throat" jargon. The little portable has the same throat but via a 4" speaker. C'mon now.... Somebody pointed out that it meant that it was engineered for very limited frequency response, although the term implies otherwise.

Chris Campbell

None of my efforts to get to the bottom of the fading have been successful. This thing goes like a house on fire, until it fades. Then I lose about half the stations and the strong ones come in weakly. Sometimes, if I wiggle the 12BA6 IF amp tube, the audio comes back. I have cleaned everything I can see to clean, some of them several times. It acts to me like a bad connection someplace.

Can you say GE Trimline buzz?It is very aggravating when something is either intermittent or you can't find the why!

Bill

I MAY have fixed it. (I hope that didn't jinx me....) I subbed the 12BA6 IF amp tube. I gave the tube socket a huge squirt of PB BLaster. It played for a couple of hours and didn't fade. I don't have the oscillator tracking set right yet. The instructions say to do the alignment procedure more than once. That may be good advice....