Dobalovr
Being on the Cbody diet SUCKS!
The stuff you google sometimes....I'd likely be scarred for life reading your search history....all out of context naturally
Testing car radios - what's needed?
- Thread starter tallhair
- Start date
The stuff you google sometimes....I'd likely be scarred for life reading your search history....all out of context naturally
Secondary voltage, haven't tried it first hand... did mention to the victim "Maybe you'll use a f$%^ing fender cover next time?" I hear its more fun than peeing on an electric fence...
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
I take it you have never been to an All You Can Eat Chinese restaurant buffet.DO WHAT ?!!! Do people eat that ?!
Ummm, I have. I guess I'm going to have to look a lot closer at what is set out. I can say that I have never seen anything that says "fried fish balls" though. What do they put those in ?
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
furyus 67
Senior Member
That's funny.......I've never seen a fish with balls!!
tbm3fan
Old Man with a Hat
Old capacitors. Paper, wax or can. They are good for maybe a couple of decades.
Speakers are 8 ohms.
Below two radios I had for my truck. One from 1964 and the tube from 1963. Some tubes seem to have no capacitors to deal with just those two tubes which can last a long time if handled correctly.
Understanding capacitors:Replacing Capacitors in Old Radios and TVs
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Ummm... fish? That's just a guess.
Oh brother...
So what you're talking about is balled up fish, as opposed to a fishes balls.
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
Yes. Balled up fish. Boulettes de poisson aka Fish balls...Oh brother...
So what you're talking about is balled up fish, as opposed to a fishes balls.
Fish balls? I thought those were Rocky Mountain Oysters.
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
The discussion on fried balls is longer than the discussion on testing radios. 
If you are dealing with old tube car radios, I have a box of 6 volt vibrators.
If you want to know how it works:
Vibrator Power Supplies
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
OK. Who's going to make the first joke. Not me. Uh, uh.
Yes. Balled up fish. Boulettes de poisson aka Fish balls...
I'm glad we got that straight, you had me scared there for a while !
Simply because you keep pushing your fish ball agenda
OK I have an antenna and some speakers now. Just need some wire for power
Boomer
Active Member
Maybe I missed it in the thread, what type of radio are you testing? Is it an older tube-type radio or newer solid state/transistor type? Tube radios definitely require a more scroteful power source than transistor sets as they draw much more current. You'll also want to be sure to ground it well. Newer sets will usually have a red/black wiring scheme if not using the case for ground. In that case(no pun intended unless you're bored), as Big John mentioned you'll likely have a spade lug or bolt for an attachment point.
Big speakers sometimes don't work well as they take more power to drive than some of the weenie sets are capable of producing. If the audio is weak, don't automatically blame the radio.
John, those vibrators are getting to be scarce. Failure is seldom from the coil opening, more often it's the contacts welding or otherwise sticking together. Sometimes a shot of juice to the coil will break them loose but it's always a gamble. You can always open the can and clean or free them up, just seal the can back up well afterward.
Forgot to add, tallhair - if you turn on the radio and it has a loud buzz or raspy audio, most likely your electrolytic filter capacitor has dried out. Shut it off before you fry something else. If it's a tube set, check the tubes to see if any have internal shorts. Always a good idea to replace the caps in an older set anyhow, the filter at the very least. Give the controls a shot of contact cleaner and work them well while it's out of the dash, too. Gets rid of the scratchy volume noise.
Big speakers sometimes don't work well as they take more power to drive than some of the weenie sets are capable of producing. If the audio is weak, don't automatically blame the radio.
John, those vibrators are getting to be scarce. Failure is seldom from the coil opening, more often it's the contacts welding or otherwise sticking together. Sometimes a shot of juice to the coil will break them loose but it's always a gamble. You can always open the can and clean or free them up, just seal the can back up well afterward.
Forgot to add, tallhair - if you turn on the radio and it has a loud buzz or raspy audio, most likely your electrolytic filter capacitor has dried out. Shut it off before you fry something else. If it's a tube set, check the tubes to see if any have internal shorts. Always a good idea to replace the caps in an older set anyhow, the filter at the very least. Give the controls a shot of contact cleaner and work them well while it's out of the dash, too. Gets rid of the scratchy volume noise.
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