[Groundhog74]

Final post on this never ending 42-380 project. Ordered the caps. Started replacing them and doing an ops check after each one was replaced. On the third from the last, the 6X5GT tube started glowing bright red and the 146 ohm resistor in the candhom smoked again. Put in a new resistor, replaced the tube in case it was a bad one, same. Searched throughout the set and replaced any wiring that even looked questionable. Same. Pulled every tube except the 6X5GT. Same. Finally I checked the two .01 micro farad caps inside the black plastic casing where the power cord attached. They checked open... so no shorts. I went ahead and changed them anyway (what a pain getting that "tar" out of there) and finally everything works great. I apparently got the power off before either of my 6X5 tubes were damaged as they both test fine and work in the radio. The radio picks up very well with the internal antenna. Volume is good and it has a nice sound to it. This radio was a real pain, but it was my second full meal deal refurb, and I learned quite a bit from working on it. That's worth the trouble. From now on I know future projects will be better. I'm hoping someday soon, I can get smart enough to post some pictures.

Just figured out the photo deal...here is a pic, but not a real good one.
[Image: http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t679...9f3004.jpg]

[Mike56]

Hi there! I just read the thread concerning the 6X5 in the 42-380. I just checked my 42-380 and sure enough the 6X5 is the recitifyer. Further, the tag on the inside indicates it's original to the set. I am aware of this tube from other applications and since I got this set working nicely, I sure as heck don't want to fry it. Is there another rectifer that can be directly used such as the 5Y3, 5U4. Is there a schematic for replacing the 6X5 with silicone rectifyers as Ron suggessted?

Thanks, Mike.

[PT57]

You're right Groundhog74. It does look better with the three photo finish panels removed. I just aquired my 42-380 this past weeked and that feature is my least favorite on the cabinet. But since mine is in decent shape, I will forgo any refinishing projects in the near future. Perhaps a little touching up to conceal some minor scratches and scuffs are in order though. The dial escutcheon is cracked and warped and must be replaced though. The knobs and pushbuttons seem to be fine.

It's the innards that need the most attention. This is my first antique radio and I must admit, I don't know jack about these things. But this forum is giving me a crash course on the subject. Tuning must be done by manually turning the tuning wheel from the inside due to a broken string. Reception is poor, but hum and crackle is minimal. There's a small tear in the speaker, but it's only about an inch long.

I know someone from a local chat forum who says he's experienced in repairing tube devices. I may take him up on his offer to bring this radio up to good working order. I have also seen restored antique radios on ebay where the person rigged it up with connections for an FM tuner or even an iPod. That may be a cool idea since AM radio in my area is limited to religious programing, Spanish, and talk radio. I want to pump music through this thing, preferably vintage swing from the 30s and 40s. I also wonder if I could replace the existing single speaker with a modern two or three way system. A sub woofer, midrange and tweeter configuration. I'm clearly not real concerned about keeping it 100% authentic. I'm probably going to H**l now for saying that!