Hi guys

Up until recently I had quite a few valve radios and most of them needed work. Just to get some of the fundamentals, I went through an introductory electronics course from the early 60's I downloaded from the net. Then I gave recapping a go. The first radio was a New Zealand Pacemaker which although going, was not healthy. It sounds much better now. Next was a Kriesler beehive which was dead and now picks up medium and short wave transmissions quite well given the lousy reception in my area.

This is my most recent project, a 1942 Philco 42-P7. It has a very nice rounded wooden case in the same style as the Philco Bakelites of the era. It was DOA when it arrived from the US but after a clean up and new capacitors, is going strong. It has a loop area which although directional, works surprisingly well. I'm getting a very clear and loud signal from Rete Italia, an Italian am station broadcasting out of Concord West. Lots of music (all in Italian of course) and very few ads.

I went to school in Concord West at St Ambrose's. How that place has changed...

Those knobs seem out of place are they the correct ones?
nice radio.

The right knobs are probably the ones on this set.

Philco did a good job at using a piece of carved timber for a front panel. Surely it would have been a production bottleneck.

Well spotted! The knobs are from a later Bakelite Philco of the same shape. I have the original knobs for this radio however they are slightly cracked. Given that this radio has a live chassis (or at least no transformer) I'd rather not risk using them.

This radio has a very nicely made case and sounds surprisingly good. I haven't even needed to connect it to an aerial as the internal loop does quite a good job.