Philco 42-345 Restoration/Repair - Printable Version
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RE: Philco 42-345 Restoration/Repair - RodB - 06-12-2025
Yesterday checked Mouser for the price on some caps and was curious about the mica equivalent. The 27pf 1kv ceramic is 20 cents apiece, the same in mica is 2 dollars. I'll stick with ceramic and plastic film.
RE: Philco 42-345 Restoration/Repair - osanders0311 - 06-13-2025
I checked Mouser for ordering the caps but had too many options for a beginner to try and figure out what to order. Just radios was so much easier for me even though I purchased the wrong type
, I just wish I had ordered everything at the same time from them since they have a limit. Hopefully my purchases from Amazon will hold up.
RE: Philco 42-345 Restoration/Repair - osanders0311 - 06-13-2025
Now for an update film capacitors arrived and installed, all 630Volts. After installing and trying the radio I realized that with the wrong type caps and the polarity issues I wasn't getting any feedback from the tone or volume controls. Now I have feedback along with static from the reception and hopefully no smoke or popping. Back to more testing to see if I can get it to pickup any stations as when I first started.
I sure hope these 630V capacitors are ok, they look so small compared to the 200Volts I purchased.
RE: Philco 42-345 Restoration/Repair - RodB - 06-13-2025
If you're not using the 0.33 mfd 200 volt ones for this project, they are excellent tweeter crossover caps.
RE: Philco 42-345 Restoration/Repair - osanders0311 - 06-13-2025
Hello Rod
" If you're not using the 0.33 mfd 200 volt ones for this project, they are excellent tweeter crossover caps."
Oh yes I did use the 200's in place of the 200Volt ones to be replaced the smaller one's are 630volts 0.22 mfd which were listed saying that they are good for radios. I just posted a picture showing the difference in size. Please tell me that the 630's will work, so far the radio has powered on and I finally was able to pull in a radio station.
I was skeptical about the size of them when received and would be glad to order another type if needed.
RE: Philco 42-345 Restoration/Repair - osanders0311 - 06-13-2025
I am not sure how the loop antenna supposed to work but think I have figured it out. I had one lead on terminal 1 and got nothing, connected it to terminal 2 and received static. I touch the other end and even more static, then I connect leads to terminal 1 and 2 and nothing.
Ok so I remove terminal 1 and going through the stations I finally hear something but crappy sounding, brainstorm I touch the other lead again to terminal 1 and the station clears up. Turn the radio off and on and that station stays and is clear, also I am able to pull in more channels. It seems after I was able to locate one channel I can now pull in others.
I've heard that some places have been able to pull in more stations later in the day than earlier, maybe this is what is happening.
The bright side so far, the radio sounds better than when I first started working on it.
RE: Philco 42-345 Restoration/Repair - RodB - 06-13-2025
The 630v caps will do just fine. Physical size increases with capacity values and voltage. You don't have to replace 200 volt caps with 200 volt caps. The replacement can be 200 or more. The voltage rating of a cap is the capacitors' maximum operating voltage. Quite often you will find the 630v version is cheaper.
Your antenna is, in essence, an rf transformer, with the primary capable of being connected to a long wire aerial. The secondary connects the signals to the input of the first tube.
RE: Philco 42-345 Restoration/Repair - MrFixr55 - 06-13-2025
Hi OSanders.
another thing about the loop antenna is that it is directional. Try turning the radio in different directions to increase signal strength or minimize interference.
Congrats on your progress so far.
RE: Philco 42-345 Restoration/Repair - Arran - 06-13-2025
Rod;
I that 27 pf 1 kv capacitor you found a C0G ceramic cap or just a regular ceramic cap? A different topic but I think that C0G are the ones to use to fix those Automatic style IF cans from the 1950s.
Regards
Arran
RE: Philco 42-345 Restoration/Repair - osanders0311 - 06-14-2025
Rod, Mrfixr55 and everyone else thank you very much for all your help with this radio thus far. Today will be more testing and work on the speaker and get the chassis back in the case. Mrfixr55 I will give your antenna suggestions a try soon as it's installed as well.
RE: Philco 42-345 Restoration/Repair - RodB - 06-14-2025
Arran, didn't notice the specifics for the caps. What's the code going to get me? I'm working on restoring a Philco 50-920 right now and I'm anticipating the SMD problem again. Two in a row, can you believe that?
RE: Philco 42-345 Restoration/Repair - osanders0311 - 06-15-2025
Hello RodB,
Checking my previous post I realized you're the one with the 42-340. I replaced the string for the tuning knob and think I followed the original but seems backwards.
On your 340 when you turn the tuning knob to the right does the station ID'S go from the highest to lowest and vice versa?
Curious if this is the way it works or I need to figure out why it's off track.
RE: Philco 42-345 Restoration/Repair - osanders0311 - 06-15-2025
The thrill is gone again, thought I was close to being done with it. Well Friday it was receiving broadcast, Saturday morning the same. My final check before inserting the Chassis I turn the band selector knob to see if any of the other bands worked and nothing so back to regular broadcast. Now can't receive any broadcast at all, only static. I have tried moving the antenna wire around and no change. I've done nothing but turned the band selector. I've checked the selector to see if it may be shorted because I noticed a slight static at times while turning the knob.
Does anyone have any idea of what I can check?
Thanks
RE: Philco 42-345 Restoration/Repair - Paul Philco322 - 06-15-2025
Hang in there...Paul
RE: Philco 42-345 Restoration/Repair - RodB - 06-15-2025
The band switch selects different oscillator coils for the band selected. I would look for a bad connection in the switch contacts or the oscillator is not operating correctly. When you hear the background hiss and no station it usually indicates that the oscillator quit. You can confirm it with a signal generator tuned to the modulated IF frequency into the antenna. You don't need the oscillator to hear the IF.
With the pointer on the left, the tuning capacitor meshed and tuning the knob clockwise, the pointer should move left to right. If it doesn't then the dial cord is wrapped on the tuning knob shaft in the wrong direction. Or, if you're European leave it alone. (Sorry Peter, Vlad, couldn't resist. )