Hi,
I purchased a small mantle radio with no brand name, I think from 1939?
Wooden Case.
Valves 6A8G, EBF2, 6Y6G, 5Y3G, no schematics.

Worked fine when I got it home, getting stations quite well actually.
Then I started tinkering around.

Only took the valves out to give them a dust and to see what the insides looked like, little dusty so gave it a wipe.

Put it all back together and now not working, has power, hear crackle when I turn volume but no stations, so disappointed.
What are the chances of trouble shooting this as it was just working.
I’ll get some photos put up with the radio and inside
As a side note it is emitting a beeping sound, only when tuned to the very end of the dial, like morse code, 4 tones three, what’s that?

In one of my photos the volume pot only has one wire coming from it.
The middle lug is soldered to the pot casing, is that to earth it?
I’ve also noticed the wire connected to the volume pot goes to two orange capacitors or resistors (the second one is behind) , but that mustard capacitor seems to be disconnected, should that be soldered to the point were the volume wire meets the two resistors/capictors?

There is the possibility that you put a valve back in the wrong hole: Did you actually pull them all out at once?

The beep beeps should be dots & dashes in the long wave band. These are Non Directional Beacons and the order of the dots & dashes of the Morse code will tell you which aerodrome is transmitting it. Eg if it was an NDB transmitting SYD that would be: dot dot dot, dash dot dash dash, dash dot dot.

Normally that's the sort of thing one gets in an Astor JJ and a few others when you put a 6J8 in the 6A8's hole. So the calibration is way out.

Has that thing been restored? EBF2 tells me it may have been built during the war. Output will be a 6V6. Do not run 5Y3 sideways.

Clearly, more info needed.

Yes I pulled them all out at once, lesson learnt.
Luckily on the chassis it is labelled where the valves go and I have put them in the same places.
It does not appear to have been restored
There is also no option to change wavelength, just volume and tuning.
Hopefully when photos uploaded it will help further.

Some radios from 1946 with that valve line-up:

Airway Model BC1001
Genalex Model BC1001
Juno Model 1001
Planet Model 1001
Tasma Model 1001

Most brands above were manufactured by Tasma.

It looks like a case of sitting on ones fingers until we work out what it is.

I do get a few cases where the set has sat for a long time & the filter capacitors loose polarity and short as soon as its plugged in. At this point I am of the opinion that one of the tuning gang vanes has been bent or a trimmer has ben damaged cleaning and is shorting.

When working on a set it pays to have the tuning gang with the vanes fully closed.

Photos uploaded.

Whoever had a go at that (although we don't know when) has done half a job. That big red Ducon will have to go and I don't see a second one: Might be a chassis mount albeit I can't see it.

If that blue one is not marked polyester it should go. The volume control, appears to be wired very wrongly, as you thought? However, even so that would not explain why it worked before you touch it & is now off frequency and in the aircraft band.

The mains cable has no grommet and is otherwise non-compliant as it has a knot in it and is not properly fastened.

Just because there is no circuit, does not mean it cannot be sorted and that scenario happens here regularly..

Looks quite similar to an Airplayer/Aristone, which was a house brand of Myers. According to the Radiomuseum:

QUOTE: Airplayer radios and radiograms along with Aristone were the house brand for Myer from the 1930s to the 1960s.

Aristone was manufactured by Aristone Radio Co. from 1933 to 1935 and by other Australian manufacturers post 1935. They also imported Aristone radios from Hongkong in the 1960s.

Airplayer radios, advertised by Myer from 1931 were manufactured by other Australian manufacturers.

Thanks for the responses.
Advice noted regarding the tuning veins, I was very careful dusting them and will double check.

I'll replace that big red Ducon, there is also a chassis mounted one.
I'll get a grommet for that cable
The blue one I have confirmed is polyester (written on it)
The one wire from volume control "appears" to go through 2 capacitors then goes to the EBF2 valve
The volume control is then only being used as a"shunt" would that be correct?

I have a bit of spare time in my hands at the moment so this will be a great project that I would love to tackle to pass the time and also educate myself, your assistance is appreciated


So possibly a Myers supplied radio from the 1930's interesting!

I will upload a few more better detailed photos.

The capacitor is a paper Ducon, 14 M.F.D 600 P.V. Polarised.
I’ve tried Jaycar and they said they don’t stock anything to replace it
Where would one purchase a replacement , or are there any suitable alternatives?

Jaycar don't usually stock any capacitors over 450 volts.

These days a 16μF 630 volt would be the closet equivalent. I seek such caps from Wes Components, RS Components, element14, Mouser, Digikey, etc.

BTW: an electrolytic cap of that spec will not be cheap.

Could I kindly ask you for an exact part number for either of those suppliers?

Its a "Little General" style radio.
Probably has the same circuit.

The volume control is ok, it will be varying the cathode bias on the first 2 valves.
Only one wire to one end, centre lug earthed.

If the set worked previous to pulling the valves out there is no need to change anything!
Wriggling the valves out has done something.
Are the heaters glowing?
Probably a bad contact on a valve pin now, or ,a wire inside a pin has fractured.
Or a component in the first two stages has lost connection due to movement.

I would pull the first two valves in the front end and resolder all the pins.
Also spray the pins and sockets with cleaner / lube from Jaycar.
Then look closely around the sockets for a fractured component lead like a coil wire..

Sounds like the local oscillator has shut down and the set is trying to work as a straight TRF in the 455kHz band.

Time for a bright light and careful looking.

Cheers, Fred.

I think I have circuits for the little Generals. However, I would tend to expect a cathode type volume control to have a cathode resistor in series with it? I will check the workshop library.