Philco F817 All American Five "The Edsel"

[AC5UP]

...today must be an incredibly slow news day. 

[N4NYY]

I need to take pics outside, and we got slushy snow.

[AC5UP]

The radio needs to go outside so it can bark at the other dogs in the neighborhood.

[N4NYY]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190639699894

Check the pics. This money will go into a fund for a Youkits FG-01 antenna analyzer.

[AC5UP]

Very Nice... The radio cleaned up well and looks better than I expected. The front brass plate appears to be flawless in the photos and the clear plastic dial shows no signs of yellowing. That's going to add to the appeal of the radio, and considering the Phabulous Phiphties styling it needs all the help it can get. 

BTW: You already know this, but the 'tick' between 6 and 7 on the dial is a Conelrad mark and there should be another near 1240 KC's. Some collectors consider CD or Conelrad marks as a 'feature' worthy of a slight price premium.

The only criticism that I'd have regards the lack of strain relief on the power cord. If the cord was pulled too hard (like someone moving the radio before unplugging it) the cord could damage the PC board. Usually they were wrapped around a standoff or other cabinet part then routed out below the bottom of the rear fiberboard panel.........

[N4NYY]

Very Nice... The radio cleaned up well and looks better than I expected. The front brass plate appears to be flawless in the photos and the clear plastic dial shows no signs of yellowing. That's going to add to the appeal of the radio, and considering the Phabulous Phiphties styling it needs all the help it can get.  

BTW: You already know this, but the 'tick' between 6 and 7 on the dial is a Conelrad mark and there should be another near 1240 KC's. Some collectors consider CD or Conelrad marks as a 'feature' worthy of a slight price premium.

The only criticism that I'd have regards the lack of strain relief on the power cord. If the cord was pulled too hard (like someone moving the radio before unplugging it) the cord could damage the PC board. Usually they were wrapped around a standoff or other cabinet part then routed out below the bottom of the rear fiberboard panel.........

I did not know about the nick between the 6 and 7. I did not put in a strain relief, because on the B-540, I had brittleness in the back panel, and was having great difficulty installing a grommet. This radio originally had a female plug mounted to the back panel, which I removed. So I had to hardwire the AC cord into it.

[AC5UP]

Civil Defense stations were near 640 and 1240 KC's and were designated as the go-to radio frequencies in the event of WW III or other catastrophic emergency.

As for defeating the power interlock originally supplied with the radio, that means it no longer meets UL standards. Adding the polarized cord and safety condenser was a good idea, adding a 3/4 amp pigtail fuse on the hot side of the cord upstream from the power switch would make it even better......

[N4NYY]

As for defeating the power interlock originally supplied with the radio, that means it no longer meets UL standards. Adding the polarized cord and safety condenser was a good idea, adding a 3/4 amp pigtail fuse on the hot side of the cord upstream from the power switch would make it even better.

This is true, but the problem is that the original cord was poor, which there was no replacement for. There are no area or screws that make the case hot. There are no screws anywhere except inside.

What size fuse do you typically use?

[AC5UP]

What size fuse do you typically use?

An AA5 will show 30 to 35 Watts on the rear panel, newer 4 tube models with a selenium rectifier are closer to 25 watts.

With 120 volts on the line a 30 Watt radio draws 1/4 of an Amp. Cold filaments increase the draw momentarily each time it's turned on so a 1/2 Amp fuse might tend to open prematurely. That's why I mentioned a 3/4 Amp fuse and I'm thinking slow blow because back before transistors it was rare to see a fast blow fuse on the AC supply. Concept is to choose a fuse rating that will open reliably if the chassis is grounded but not so light that it opens every 50th time the radio is turned on.

I think 3x the power draw wouldn't be too far from about right.........

[AC5UP]

Well, here we are with about a day and a half left in the auction and no bids on the ol' Phugly Philco.

Breaks my heart, considering the time and effort you put into that radio... Hell, if If had a spare Franklin kicking around in my wallet I'd be sorely tempted to call up an escort service and have a good time with it. With the Franklin and the escort, not the radio, doofus.

Have you considered mentioning the radio might have Herpes? Could improve its buyer appeal............... 

BTW: For those of you who have no clue as to why this thread continues to thrive, it all started here:

http://www.eham.net/ehamforum/smf/index.php/topic,78747.msg552323.html#msg552323

Memories........... Stuck within the cobwebs of my mind. Dusty, musty, nasty memories, of the way..........

[N4NYY]

I am not worried about it. If it doesn't sell, I can find an alignment procedure and alignment it for practice. I will get rid of it somehow.

[AC5UP]

Even at $40.00 opening bid, it's still Phugly: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1957-Philco-Radio-/120857867677

BTW: During the 50's and 60's the AA5 design became so universal the alignment instructions for any similar radio will apply. There isn't much to it... 455 KC's for the two IF coils, align the detector (second) coil first. Local oscillator slug adjusted to line up the dial around 600 KC's, oscillator trimmer on the tuning condenser lines up the dial around 1500 KC's. Alternate between the two until the dial tracks reasonably well. Last item is to find a weak station around 1400 KC's and adjust the antenna trimmer for best signal.

Ain't no thing.........................

[AC5UP]

HOLY SHIZZ!!!  Somebody bid on ol' Phugly.....................

When you ship the radio be sure to write the address on the box IN BIG LETTERS because ya' gotta' be selling it to a blind person.

Congrats!

[N4NYY]

LOL

[AC5UP]

...and a week or two from now you can order the antenna analyzer.

Imagine that, one more piece of test equipment that you're not really sure how to use................