If you choose to
play your vintage radio, please read this article.
I would strongly recommend that you not
play your radio for hours on end like you would a modern
solid
state radio. Playing your radio is good and if you do choose
to do so, do not stuff into a tight cubby hole where air
cannot circulate around it. If you enjoy playing an old radio all
day long, make sure it has adequate ventilation to dissipate the heat properly.
On many of the early sets you may
hear a slight hum even though the set was restored electronically,
this may be normal as the circuits in some sets to filter out the
hum were not very efficient and some speakers were more efficient in
reproducing the hum than others.
When appliances cycle on or off
or light switches are flipped, you may hear noise or static. The
same conditions could also cause the volume level to change or you
may hear more noise or static. This too is normal and will vary
depending on your reception area and antenna. Nearly all radios
made up to 1939 (and some after) required an external antenna and will perform very
poorly without one. Computers and TV sets often wreak havoc with AM
radios due to the RF interference they generate.
Keep in mind that during the
heyday of tube type radios & television, there was an army of
radio repairmen out there with a radio (and later, radio/TV) shop
on almost every corner. There was a reason for so many of these
shops (all but gone now). Tube equipment required a lot of
maintenance. Tubes wear out and components can fail. Unlike modern
solid
state equipment, expect to have some repair service if you
play your radio for many hours each day.
A NOTE CONCERNING
SAFETY! none power transformer
radios
can be a SHOCK HAZARD and even be lethal. Take care in operating
such radio Some that were made in metal cabinets, can be DEADLY if the
AC line is at case or chassis potential. When I restore these sets I
install a "Polarized" line cord to prevent the shock hazard. Under
no circumstances should a polarized plug be defeated. As mentioned
above, many early sets require an external antenna for operation,
NEVER ATTEMPT TO GROUND ANY RADIO MADE FOR AC/DC OPERATION or allow
your antenna to come in contact with any metal portion of the radio
such as the chassis or screws that may be connected to the chassis.
The antenna connection is usually a wire coming from the
inside of the radio and is always isolated from the chassis to
prevent a shock hazard. A radio with a power transformer is isolated
from the chassis and should not be subject to a shock hazard under
normal conditions.
my companion article:
Operating your small AC/DC vintage radio
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