Old radio - is this line-powered?

[Gnobuddy]

Saw this advertised locally as "Old AM Radio". The seller claims the output valve is a 6V6 (not normally found in a line-powered radio, I don't think they work well at such low anode voltages). Also, there appears to be a tweeter, which I would imagine is a luxury you would not have found in line-powered "All American Five" radios.

But I can only see one (very beefy) transformer in the photo, instead of the expected two - power and audio output transformers.

What are we looking at here?

-Gnobuddy

[Tom Phillips]

That big Transformer is definitely the power transformer. The output Transformer would be much smaller and I suspect it's mounted underneath the chassis. Note the speaker wires coming out of the hole in the back of the chassis.

[DrGonz78]

Yup definitely mounted inside the chassis. I also see Rogers branded tubes so it makes me think that might be the brand. Figure out the model # and you might even find it at this site here...
Nostalgia Air: Rogers-Majestic Corp. Ltd. (Canadian)

[Enzo]

And how did we determine the anode voltages were low? That power transformer can put out whatever voltage they wind it for, and a 300v B+ sounds perfectly reasonable in that unit.

I agree the OT is likely under the chassis, it needn't be large for this table radio. No larger than a Champ OT or a Fender reverb transformer.

[nosaj]

Saw this advertised locally as "Old AM Radio". The seller claims the output valve is a 6V6 (not normally found in a line-powered radio, I don't think they work well at such low anode voltages). Also, there appears to be a tweeter, which I would imagine is a luxury you would not have found in line-powered "All American Five" radios.

But I can only see one (very beefy) transformer in the photo, instead of the expected two - power and audio output transformers.

What are we looking at here?

-Gnobuddy

just because there is a 6v6 does not mean that is what belongs there. People will sometimes fill sockets with whatever fits so they can show it turns ons( and sometimes burns up).

nosaj

[g1]

I take it you do not have the unit and are just looking at the ad? Or can you post a pic of the front?
Chances are that a schematic could be found.
That added 1/4 inch jack looks pretty iffy, not sure what that would be for? Ext. antannae do not usually use 1/4" type connectors.
Maybe someone was using it as a guitar amp.

[Gnobuddy]

That big Transformer is definitely the power transformer. The output Transformer would be much smaller and I suspect it's mounted underneath the chassis. Note the speaker wires coming out of the hole in the back of the chassis.

I did notice the speaker wires coming out the back, but then again, the way that big black transformer is mounted, all the connections to it are also under the chassis, so I didn't know what to think. Basically, I have zero experience with valve stuff of this vintage, so not enough background knowledge to draw the right conclusions.

Thanks for your input!

-Gnobuddy

[Gnobuddy]

And how did we determine the anode voltages were low? That power transformer can put out whatever voltage they wind it for

Sorry, you misunderstood me, I was thinking out loud that the presence of a 6V6 output probably meant that the black transformer would be a power transformer, i.e. this wouldn't be line-powered. But the next mystery was, where the heck was the OPT?

-Gnobuddy

[Gnobuddy]

I take it you do not have the unit and are just looking at the ad?

Correct. The seller seems to know very little about the radio; he hacked into it and added the 1/4" jack in the attempt to turn it into a guitar amp, but he says his attempt was unsuccessful.

An old radio with at least one botched bit of work on it. Not a likely restoration project, but if the price was low enough, maybe worth it for the transformers and vintage speakers, maybe even the chassis and wooden case?

-Gnobuddy

[nosaj]

Correct. The seller seems to know very little about the radio; he hacked into it and added the 1/4" jack in the attempt to turn it into a guitar amp, but he says his attempt was unsuccessful.

An old radio with at least one botched bit of work on it. Not a likely restoration project, but if the price was low enough, maybe worth it for the transformers and vintage speakers, maybe even the chassis and wooden case?

-Gnobuddy

I wouldn't pay more than $10 for it.

nosaj

[Justin Thomas]

Trannies, case, chassis? Prolly. Speakers? Erm, not so much. $10 sounds good to me! Unless seller can verify that it WORKS, not "powers up & tubes light up."

Justin

[nosaj]

Trannies, case, chassis? Prolly. Speakers? Erm, not so much. $10 sounds good to me! Unless seller can verify that it WORKS, not "powers up & tubes light up."

Justin

Fix it up into a ghostbox add some steampunk and sell it for $800. They're really crazy

[Enzo]

You know, if we had the make and model, it would go a long way towards answering these questions. Schematics are available.

Yes, the 6V6 might not belong there, but I disagree with the assertion they are not found in line operated sets. In fact that is about the only place I'd expect them. 6V6 is not designed for series string heaters. They would be powered by a transformer.

Oh wait, by "line powered" you mean hot chassis. To me a power transformer model is also line powered.

Never mind.

[Gnobuddy]

You know, if we had the make and model, it would go a long way towards answering these questions. Schematics are available.

I'm not being coy - as I said, the seller doesn't seem to have much information about the radio he's selling. It does say "Viking" in the ad, but there is no year or model number. A little Google sleuthing turned up this: Canadian Eaton's Viking Tube Radio

The radio in that link is clearly not the same model, but it seems that "Viking" was a house brand for a chain of east-coast Canadian department stores called "Eaton". I would guess that "Vikings" were sourced from whatever manufacturer happened to be lowest bidder at the time.

I used Google images to try and find anything similar looking, to see if I could pin down a year, manufacturer, or model number. So far, no luck.

Google also turned up this Kijiji ad for another Viking radio. I have a suspicion this is either the same, or at least a similar, model to the one shown earlier (back view only): https://www.kijiji.ca/v-art-collecti...ationFlag=true

At any rate, the seller wants much more than I think this thing is worth, so that's probably the end of that, unless he experiences a bit of a wake-up.

Oh wait, by "line powered" you mean hot chassis. To me a power transformer model is also line powered.

Sorry if I used the wrong terminology. Yes, I meant "plugged into the wall, but no power transformer".

-Gnobuddy

[Gnobuddy]

Speakers? Erm, not so much.

You may be right, but I was thinking "little single ended 6V6 guitar practice amp". Maybe the bigger (elliptical) speaker would handle that job.

-Gnobuddy