Pilot Radio
Pilot Radio certainly used to have a factory in the UK, in London NW10, from the 30s to the 60s I believe. Whether they made their own sets or simply assembled US sets adapted for European customers is a different question.
The only identification I can see on Djev's set is on the back of the chassis, on the left hand side - it looks like A70 (or possibly 470?) but I cannot identify this set from any schematic I have.
I think that Djev might have to go to one of the vintage radio websites to pursue this further.
Pilot Radio certainly used to have a factory in the UK, in London NW10, from the 30s to the 60s I believe. Whether they made their own sets or simply assembled US sets adapted for European customers is a different question.
The only identification I can see on Djev's set is on the back of the chassis, on the left hand side - it looks like A70 (or possibly 470?) but I cannot identify this set from any schematic I have.
I think that Djev might have to go to one of the vintage radio websites to pursue this further.
1St time lucky.
"One, two, three, four. Is it snowing where you are, Mr. Theissen? If so telegraph back and let me know."
[Reginald Aubrey Fessenden - 23 Dec. 1900]
It's working
Thanx for all your help. I replaced the broken ECH81 with a nameless tube which got almost the exact same appearance, got some of the correct nylon string and a spring, figured out a way to connect all rollers and pulleys with it, and switched it on and waited for a bang
No bang, no smoke, no nothing, just a nice green and red lamps glowing and all tubes glowing slightly. I measured on speaker connector, nothing - no AC no DC. Connect an old speaker and a piece of wire to FM ANT. connector, still nothing. Start turning the frequency knob, MUSIC. Loud and clear. It seems to work perfectly from about 88Mhz al the way to about 108Mhz FM. Not very loud , just good for small room listening. Reception with wire ariel, very good. It turned out that selector 6 is for FM and 5 for AM, though I only received 1 AM station.
Thanx again for all the help and advice. Now I really want to get into tube stuff, a small amp to start with. John, what kind of biltong do you like?
"One, two, three, four. Is it snowing where you are, Mr. Theissen? If so telegraph back and let me know."
[Reginald Aubrey Fessenden - 23 Dec. 1900]
It's working
Thanx for all your help. I replaced the broken ECH81 with a nameless tube which got almost the exact same appearance, got some of the correct nylon string and a spring, figured out a way to connect all rollers and pulleys with it, and switched it on and waited for a bang
No bang, no smoke, no nothing, just a nice green and red lamps glowing and all tubes glowing slightly. I measured on speaker connector, nothing - no AC no DC. Connect an old speaker and a piece of wire to FM ANT. connector, still nothing. Start turning the frequency knob, MUSIC. Loud and clear. It seems to work perfectly from about 88Mhz al the way to about 108Mhz FM. Not very loud , just good for small room listening. Reception with wire ariel, very good. It turned out that selector 6 is for FM and 5 for AM, though I only received 1 AM station.Thanx again for all the help and advice. Now I really want to get into tube stuff, a small amp to start with. John, what kind of biltong do you like?
Well done!
I think that maybe it only works on FM?
That would be the case if the ECH81 was replaced by something not quite compatible. It's job (as I mentioned earlier) is the AM oscillator and mixer. But on FM it (might) be an IF stage (or not).
The volume level:
Could be due to low emission valves, or the wrong one.
Also, the sensitivity of an FM tuner of it's kind will not be as good as a modern one. Just give it plenty of signal and make sure to tune critically - slight mistuning with a "ratio detector" causes appauling distortion.
Biltong:
Thanks, but I was joking There is no point going to the expense of posting it half way round the world. Anyway, I'm a heathen: I thought it came "as is"- from whatever hapless animal had got caught
Cheers,
I think that maybe it only works on FM?
That would be the case if the ECH81 was replaced by something not quite compatible. It's job (as I mentioned earlier) is the AM oscillator and mixer. But on FM it (might) be an IF stage (or not).
The volume level:
Could be due to low emission valves, or the wrong one.
Also, the sensitivity of an FM tuner of it's kind will not be as good as a modern one. Just give it plenty of signal and make sure to tune critically - slight mistuning with a "ratio detector" causes appauling distortion.
Biltong:
Thanks, but I was joking
There is no point going to the expense of posting it half way round the world. Anyway, I'm a heathen: I thought it came "as is"- from whatever hapless animal had got caughtCheers,
Re: 1St time lucky.
I enjoy my MOSFET amp alot but always wanted a valve amp so I am quit serious on doing this. I will definately 1st do the "reading and learning" thing before I attempt to "build and blow". Here and elsewhere are for sure all the information I will ever need.
Now I must go for dinner and bed - some Kudu biltong and "boerebeskuit" with coffee will do.
JDeV said:
I enjoy my MOSFET amp alot but always wanted a valve amp so I am quit serious on doing this. I will definately 1st do the "reading and learning" thing before I attempt to "build and blow". Here and elsewhere are for sure all the information I will ever need.
Now I must go for dinner and bed - some Kudu biltong and "boerebeskuit" with coffee will do.
Splendid! Well done on replacing the string! I'm glad it works. Have a good sniff around (don't get too close - a shock to your nose hurts). A slight warm dust smell is fine, smells like bacon or underground trains are not. After it's been on for 30 minutes, switch it off, unplug the mains, and check how hot resistors are. Have a look at the bases of electolytic capacitors (they're aluminium cans), the (usually black) plastic or rubber bases should be flat and shouldn't have bulges. If everything looks OK, carry on. Bulging electrolytic capacitors can cause an awful lot of damage later on, so they're best replaced immediately...
The AM ranges are for listening to "Test Match Special," or whatever your national cricket programme is. G&T is required.
The AM ranges are for listening to "Test Match Special," or whatever your national cricket programme is. G&T is required.
EC8010 said:
I just love that old dusty smell. Aint "smelling" part of the romance around a tube amp? Must be, it is not all just about the "tube" sound.
Still sounding beautifull after 8hrs.I just love this stuff. I am going to do something now which might make me very unpopular around here, but hear me out. I am going to build a tube amp - no great deal - but from this radio. Wait just a minute before killing me, I just want to use it as a surrogate, not stripping it or killing it. For my planned circuit, it is just about perfect, just have to move some wires around, disconnect others, and that's it. Exceptable?? Will restore it again promise.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=136729#post136729
Re: 1St time lucky.
There are 3 ECH8x type tubes that look very similar. The US equivalent to the ECH81 is 6HU8 if I recall. I think I have several lifetime's supply of these
Regarding E/PCL 83, 82, 86:
E/PCL83 has a rather unusual pairing of a rather big output pentode (for a bulb that small!) with a low mu triode. The latter is probably why it went out of favor in consoles - you needed extra amplification for a turntable. This same thing seems to be the reason for E/PCL86 taking over for E/PCL82 - slightly higher power from the pentode, and an ECC83-like triode with a mu of 100, simple to hook up a turntable with more than enough ampliication, plus extra for NFB.
E/PCL83 and E/PCL82 were used much longer in televisions, as parts of vertical deflection circuits, also a second PCL82 for audio.
JDeV said:
There are 3 ECH8x type tubes that look very similar. The US equivalent to the ECH81 is 6HU8 if I recall. I think I have several lifetime's supply of these
Regarding E/PCL 83, 82, 86:
E/PCL83 has a rather unusual pairing of a rather big output pentode (for a bulb that small!) with a low mu triode. The latter is probably why it went out of favor in consoles - you needed extra amplification for a turntable. This same thing seems to be the reason for E/PCL86 taking over for E/PCL82 - slightly higher power from the pentode, and an ECC83-like triode with a mu of 100, simple to hook up a turntable with more than enough ampliication, plus extra for NFB.
E/PCL83 and E/PCL82 were used much longer in televisions, as parts of vertical deflection circuits, also a second PCL82 for audio.
Geez... this is an old post that has been revived
Johan, the SA Pilot is not related to any other product by the same name anywhere else. That radio was built right here in SA (I believe Joh'burg) and the thin li'l IF transformers were typical of those made by Philips. The radio itself would have been an early to mid-sixties one, nothing special, and more of a budget model than anything else.
I have two Pilot radios here requiring restoration, actual condition quite good. These are AM only, and use 6BE6, 6BA6, 6AT6, 6V6 & 6X4 rectifier. They use the larger IF transformers typical of the 50s and are AM/SW1SW2SW3 only, no FM. Best of all - no rust ;-)
Oh, you poor chaps who live down in the docks with your corroding sea air.... <only kidding, pangs of jealousy might be assumed here>...
F_D
Johan, the SA Pilot is not related to any other product by the same name anywhere else. That radio was built right here in SA (I believe Joh'burg) and the thin li'l IF transformers were typical of those made by Philips. The radio itself would have been an early to mid-sixties one, nothing special, and more of a budget model than anything else.
I have two Pilot radios here requiring restoration, actual condition quite good. These are AM only, and use 6BE6, 6BA6, 6AT6, 6V6 & 6X4 rectifier. They use the larger IF transformers typical of the 50s and are AM/SW1SW2SW3 only, no FM. Best of all - no rust ;-)
Oh, you poor chaps who live down in the docks with your corroding sea air.... <only kidding, pangs of jealousy might be assumed here>...
F_D
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