12-28-2023, 10:10 PM
F-1540 progress report.
Thanks to this Phorum and the great wisdom from the members that took time to answer my questions, I am able to declare significant progress made on this 1938 receiver, and pleased to inform it has be accomplished over budget and way over my time expectations. The directions I received here the other night were spot on.
Today I got a 6 volt Optimum gel cell auto battery and built a short, fused, power cable. I turned off all the shop led lights and anything electrical built after 1930, put all the covers on the radio and hooked up an antenna . I then scanned the band and soon was listening to the first off the air reception on this radio. I’m not really sure how many hours I have in reading till my eyes bleed, looking for service data, reading old Rider troubleshooting books and service bulletins for every like receiver I could find. My wife has been curious about all the little component purchases, soldering odds and ends, test cables, etc. Curiously she had the audacity to question why I would purchase a signal generator just to fix an old radio. I will admit the challenge of getting mediocre AM noise out of this old radio became a bit of an obsession over the last month or so.
Tonight I was sitting in my man cave siping a Bourbon Manhatten, all the Chinese LED lights off, and tuned into Clear Channel WBZ out of Boston. I was basking in the glow of the single amber tuning dial pilot light oozing the spirit of determination, and accomplishment.f
Next I need to attack the cosmetics, the speaker grill cloth needs replaced along with the tuning indicator bezel. I also want to stuff the power supply 4/8 uf capacitor can with new electrolytics if I can locate components that will fit. I don’t like the bottom chassis scabbed in capacitors. There are a couple resistors that are a bit off value and I may replace them. Hopefully I will not break anything in the process. At my NASA job I was always careful not to technician things to death.
I expect when we put it in place in the 38 Ford Woodie it will be noisy as I do not see any of the suppression components on the vehicle. Really this will be more to fill the dash holes and have something to brag about at the car shows.
The help I received here was top notch and it is much appreciated. Now that I’ve taken your time reading this, please have a Happy New Year.
Regards
Bill
Ford F-1540 … on the air
Thanks to this Phorum and the great wisdom from the members that took time to answer my questions, I am able to declare significant progress made on this 1938 receiver, and pleased to inform it has be accomplished over budget and way over my time expectations. The directions I received here the other night were spot on.
Today I got a 6 volt Optimum gel cell auto battery and built a short, fused, power cable. I turned off all the shop led lights and anything electrical built after 1930, put all the covers on the radio and hooked up an antenna . I then scanned the band and soon was listening to the first off the air reception on this radio. I’m not really sure how many hours I have in reading till my eyes bleed, looking for service data, reading old Rider troubleshooting books and service bulletins for every like receiver I could find. My wife has been curious about all the little component purchases, soldering odds and ends, test cables, etc. Curiously she had the audacity to question why I would purchase a signal generator just to fix an old radio. I will admit the challenge of getting mediocre AM noise out of this old radio became a bit of an obsession over the last month or so.
Tonight I was sitting in my man cave siping a Bourbon Manhatten, all the Chinese LED lights off, and tuned into Clear Channel WBZ out of Boston. I was basking in the glow of the single amber tuning dial pilot light oozing the spirit of determination, and accomplishment.f
Next I need to attack the cosmetics, the speaker grill cloth needs replaced along with the tuning indicator bezel. I also want to stuff the power supply 4/8 uf capacitor can with new electrolytics if I can locate components that will fit. I don’t like the bottom chassis scabbed in capacitors. There are a couple resistors that are a bit off value and I may replace them. Hopefully I will not break anything in the process. At my NASA job I was always careful not to technician things to death.
I expect when we put it in place in the 38 Ford Woodie it will be noisy as I do not see any of the suppression components on the vehicle. Really this will be more to fill the dash holes and have something to brag about at the car shows.
The help I received here was top notch and it is much appreciated. Now that I’ve taken your time reading this, please have a Happy New Year.
Regards
Bill
Ford F-1540 … on the air
