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Did the 38-3 have an antenna? - Printable Version

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+--- Thread: Did the 38-3 have an antenna? (/showthread.php?tid=649)


Did the 38-3 have an antenna? - Jon Scaptura - 05-20-2007

I am wrapping up work on the chassis in my 38-3, and am turning to the cabinet. Mine is in rough shape, possibly having sat in a wet basement: Photo
The chassis has three terminals marked red, black and gnd. Was there an antenna in the cabinet, or was it sold seperately?

- Ron Ramirez - 05-20-2007

Hi Jon

This set was designed for an external antenna; specifically, the Philco High Efficiency Aerial. Any longwire antenna may also be used by connecting it to the terminal in back marked RED. With a simple longwire, there should be a jumper connected between the BLK and GND terminals.

Re: Did the 38-3 have an antenna? - n9vu - 05-23-2007

Jon Scaptura Wrote:I am wrapping up work on the chassis in my 38-3, and am turning to the cabinet. Mine is in rough shape, possibly having sat in a wet basement: Photo
The chassis has three terminals marked red, black and gnd. Was there an antenna in the cabinet, or was it sold seperately?

I had one of these sets as well. No internal antenna, however the previous owner, an old engineer with WGN Radio in Chicago, custom built a loop that surrounded the bottom of the cabinet. It looked and worked quite well. If I still have photos of the set I'll post so you can get an idea, maybe build your own.

- 49Stude63 - 09-28-2007

Sometimes you will see people run a wire around the back of the frame, I have seen that quite a few times on my 38 models radios. For what they are they seem to pick up local and mid-distance stations decently.

- Jon Scaptura - 09-29-2007

49Stude63 Wrote:Sometimes you will see people run a wire around the back of the frame, I have seen that quite a few times on my 38 models radios. For what they are they seem to pick up local and mid-distance stations decently.

Thanks for the info, guys. I've been using a short length of wire as an indoor antenna. Will a loop antenna work with this set?

- Texasrocker - 09-29-2007

I have had success adding loop antennas on many older radios to receive the local stations only. I always keep a good stock of scavaged loop antennas from garage-sale $1 bargain late 50s-60s tube radios that also yield a few good small size pm spkrs and miniature tubes as well. The best way to find out if a loop antenna will work with the older radios is by experimenting with a few different ones, and by rotating them in different directions using only one connector from the loop antenna jump-wired into the main orig outdoor longwire antenna terminal on chassis of the vintage radio. Do not use the other antenna terminal back to chassis ground! That 2nd terminal on the modern loop antenna can be used to continue thru a .00025 mmf cap to your "added-isolated" fahnstock clip mounted somewhere inside the wood cabinet, or special built rear perforated rear radio panel isolated from the chassis, and a regular outdoor longwire antenna can also be attached with the modern loop in series by connection of the 2nd terminal of the modern loop type antenna. The .00025 mmf cap will help keep "antenna -overload" from happening in association with outdoor longwire also being added, but you may want to experiment with several different values mmf caps for best "balance" of the orig chassis tuned circuitry. The modern loop "added" will provide local reception only on the BC band, and if separate antenna terminals are provided for BC/Shortwave reception, always use your outdoor longwire for SW reception separate from BC antenna. Has worked for me before very well. Randal (TxRockr) Icon_biggrin

- davemc - 10-19-2007

How does this radio perform? The reason I ask is there is a fairly nice one in an antique store (overpriced, of course - but LOCAL). I was curious what "magnetic tuning" was so I looked up the schematic (looks like it is just some sort of AFC, like in some high-end Zeniths).

But what was curious was that Philco would go to the trouble to implement AFC, and then use some sort of strange method of implementing push-pull audio by driving the grid of one push-pull tube from the screen of the other tube! How could that possibly work (well, at least). Surely adding a phase inverter tube would not cost that much. So I am curious as to how this radio sounds.

It was also not obvious in the antique store how this radio is tuned. There seemed to be some sort of crank arrancement.

Thanks

- Jon Scaptura - 10-19-2007

davemc Wrote:How does this radio perform? The reason I ask is there is a fairly nice one in an antique store (overpriced, of course - but LOCAL). I was curious what "magnetic tuning" was so I looked up the schematic (looks like it is just some sort of AFC, like in some high-end Zeniths).

But what was curious was that Philco would go to the trouble to implement AFC, and then use some sort of strange method of implementing push-pull audio by driving the grid of one push-pull tube from the screen of the other tube! How could that possibly work (well, at least). Surely adding a phase inverter tube would not cost that much. So I am curious as to how this radio sounds.

It was also not obvious in the antique store how this radio is tuned. There seemed to be some sort of crank arrancement.

Thanks

My radio performs pretty well after I replaced the caps and a weak tube. I have not attempted to align the magnetic tuning, and notice no difference with it on or off, except for the additional dial lights that come on. As for tuning, the "crank" is used for tuning the presets. The regular tining is via the vernier dial.