GE 5 Transistor Early '60s AM Radio Repair.

[cb123]

I believe this GE radio is almost probably from the early '60s, on account, of its brown circuit board, not its latter green counterpart from '64.  After pulling all of its Nashville/Crapsville electrolytic capacitors, which were either dried out to a very low value or was double dipped, fried wide open...Hello!!! Fortunately, only four of its resistors were out of tolerance. Just for fun I re-stuffed one of its ceramic capacitors. The last photo is of the monster battery which is supposed to go into it, but I just used the regular 9 volt.  It's a really great performer with those three IFs, they didn't penny pinch skimp by using stingy, cheap transistors.

 

[kenkart]

Oh I wish!

I knew how to work on electronics, I have a bunch of old radios that need help!

 

[cb123]

I was vexed by the same annoying feeling for quite sometime myself! Nobody could fix it, making it out to be some kind of rocket science, of course. You'd only send it off to get it back in worse condition then before you sent it to some inapt, ignoramus masquerading around as a repairman under a fog of electronic subterfuge . So,  I resolved myself  to its study, in the hallowed halls, at The University of  YouTube, and, thus, received my degree be learning from a bunch of old pros mistakes. They will teach you how to do it right the first time. But even still it takes you about two years to get good at it. Here's a photo of a '48 Crosley which I just repaired for a friend of mine. Outside of a general recap and the replacement of a single bad resistor, the biggest problem was a bad audio output transformer with an open primary winding, which was to deep to be repaired. So, I replaced it with an AA5 off of EBay, and it should now work trouble free for another fifty or sixty years. The last photo is of the trash which came out. And YES, Crosley used to make some really fine stuff, but sadly no more!

 

[TheSpiritOf76]

CB123....

I love early 60's and late 60's General Electric audio equipment. Especially record players! I have several very nice examples of them I will attach some pictures.

 

[human]

KenKart wrote: Oh I wish! I knew how to work on electronics, I have a bunch of old radios that need help!

I reply: The first step is to learn how to read a schematic diagram and the second step is to develop some good soldering skills. If you learn to do those two things and have some patience, it's not that difficult. That said, my skills are mediocre at best. I've been working up my nerve for almost six months to tear into my late '70s vintage Pioneer cassette deck to replace the belts, a task that requires no soldering.

 

[cb123]

TheSpiritOf76

That collection is five foot two and eyes of blue...very nice, very nice! Here's a photo of a mid 60s GE AM/FM solid state radio that I just finished. All I did was a general recap and, of course, its only pot( volume control ) was completely shot. It really is a good performer now, nice little radio. After you do a couple dozen of these things you start to get pretty nimble with them...like nestle quick. I for the most part don't require a sams schematic, unless, of course, you had someone in it before with their golden monkey wrench and shot gunned it to near death. Another reason is I am cheap! This little radio only cost me five dollars and a sams would cost me an additional fifteen dollars, and like I said before, after you've done a couple dozen of'em it becomes quite simple.    

 

[jimjimmunster]

Radio Troubles...

I am never touching another radio in my lifetime. I worked on a RCA V - 209 console set, and I turned the tuning knob and the string snapped... I still haven't got the new strings routing cracked.

 

[kenkart]

I like GEs too

I have a modern walnut console in my living room. I was told it was bought in 65 but I'm not sure. really good radio and the changer works well. its a solid state unit. equipped for Porta Fi.

 

[cb123]

Whatever you do don't lose the infernal spring for the tuning capacitor disk ( if it's from the '50s or '60s ), because that spring gives you your tension in your tuning string. I can tell you with those sets about 90% of the time you will have to loop it three times around your tuning knob. Since it's a RCA console you might want to invest in a SAMS, and a good place to find one is on THAT, THAT EVIL-BAY!!!