Hello folks.

Picked up a Healing AG 578E the other night.

Few questions. I am new to this game. Radio works but I couldn't tune it, the tuning cord looks broken.

- Radio says SW, is there any stations to listen to?

- Can you get some sort of FM to SW converter?

- There is a 'pick up' connection at the back, can you plug a phono socket or likes into this?

I think thats its, would be nice to post some photos.

TVM

Ed.

G'day Eddie,

Please e-mail your photos to me and I will upload them to the server for you. Click my username to access my e-mail address.

Welcome to the forum.

Your model hails from circa 1947.

Restorers and repairers generally don't power up old equipment until they have taken a good look over them for signs of the usual problems that inhabit gear of that age, especially if it hasn't been used for a long time. The usual regime is to replace capacitors, especially electrolytic types, and check for shorts, etc, before applying power. This is to avoid destroying components which are often irreplaceable, or at the least hard to find.

Tuning string is still available, and restringing can be done -- although some tuners area easier to restring than others.

SW stands for Short Wave. Short Wave stations are generally based overseas. You usually need a good long line antenna to pick up SW stations and night time is usually the best time to receive them.

Short Wave uses AM (amplitude modulation mode) transmission which is quite different from FM (frequency modulation mode).

The pick up connection was designed to allow an electric phonograph to use the radio's audio amplifier stage. There should be a mode switch to select that input, or otherwise you need to tune to the 'space' between stations.

Equipment like MP3 players can often be connected to pick up inputs, but there is usually a need to "match" the impedance of the pick up input to the device being used on it.

One needs to look at the circuit to see how the set is wired, before attempting to attach iPods, MP3 etc. These devices are stereo the healing is not. Healing may also be back biased.

If the iPod etc. is run from a regulated battery saver, there may be a war smoke & the healing will probably win. You do need to couple these via audio transformers that will isolate the two apparatus from each other and give some impedance matching.

We also need to actually see what condition the set currently is in to assess its intrinsic safety. That for me on any radio that comes in is the first step. Not plug it in to see if it goes. Irrespective of the fact that the reason it is on my bench is for not going.

Exception: I have had one "1950's still in service", set recently that came in with severe hum, but was still running. How the person was not killed by the power cord, disconnecting it I do not know. It was rubber insulation, the original & cracking to pieces and bare wire was showing? It had had a repair perhaps in the 70's by the cap used.

Marc