Reading posts on this forum always leads me to the same question. Why do so many of you continue to just flail around instead of learning how radios work before jumping in?

It really isn't difficult. AM radios are complicated. Anyone with basic reading and math skills can learn how they work if they will just take the time to do some homework.

Once you have a good understanding of what is going on in a set you will be able to go about troubleshooting in a methodical manner. This avoids a lot of wasted time, money, frustration, and possible damge to the set or you.

Here's a good place to start:

http://users.tpg.com.au/ldbutler/Superhet.htm

So get with it. You'll like it.

Oops, make that NOT complicated

:Reading posts on this forum always leads me to the same question. Why do so many of you continue to just flail around instead of learning how radios work before jumping in?
:
:It really isn't difficult. AM radios are not complicated. Anyone with basic reading and math skills can learn how they work if they will just take the time to do some homework.
:
:Once you have a good understanding of what is going on in a set you will be able to go about troubleshooting in a methodical manner. This avoids a lot of wasted time, money, frustration, and possible damge to the set or you.
:
:Here's a good place to start:
:
:http://users.tpg.com.au/ldbutler/Superhet.htm
:
:So get with it. You'll like it.
:

Funny about forums. Draws all kinds of people and opinions. Some who like the relationship of fellow radio hobby people. Some who have forgotten that there are many ways to learn.

The interesting thing is that a lot of guys don't learn. They just randomly measure things and change parts until they finally stumble on something that seems to work. This goes on time after time. No idea what is really going on, just that "changing that brown cap made it work". Next time it will be "changing the red one made it work".

Learning by doing is fine and will speed things up if it is used to verify theory and leads to a real understanding of the circuits. Knowing how things work is fine but knowing why will allow you to fix a lot more sets in a lot less time and have greater confidence that they will stay fixed.

A good way to understand things is to read up on the circuits and then go through a working set and compare what is there with the written descriptions. This will soon lead to "so that's what that means".

The more you learn, the more you will want to learn and the more fun you'll have.

:Funny about forums. Draws all kinds of people and opinions. Some who like the relationship of fellow radio hobby people. Some who have forgotten that there are many ways to learn.
:

:Funny about forums. Draws all kinds of people and opinions. Some who like the relationship of fellow radio hobby people. Some who have forgotten that there are many ways to learn.

I've got some old 1940's issues of Radio Craft magazine laying around the house. 60 and 70 years ago, guys were working the bugs out of radios all over the country, and they would send letters in to the editor. We can still read those letters about how a certain brand had such and such fault, and how they eventually resolved the problem. We can learn a lot by sharing what we know. Whatever the problem, somebody out there has had it too and fixed it.
So yes, I agree, learn as much theory as you can. But share the repair stories here as well.

:

::Funny about forums. Draws all kinds of people and opinions. Some who like the relationship of fellow radio hobby people. Some who have forgotten that there are many ways to learn.
:
:I've got some old 1940's issues of Radio Craft magazine laying around the house. 60 and 70 years ago, guys were working the bugs out of radios all over the country, and they would send letters in to the editor. We can still read those letters about how a certain brand had such and such fault, and how they eventually resolved the problem. We can learn a lot by sharing what we know. Whatever the problem, somebody out there has had it too and fixed it.
:So yes, I agree, learn as much theory as you can. But share the repair stories here as well.
:
:I have to admit I have asked some dumb questions here but sometimes a little nudge in the right way can help big time. Here is a you tube link to a radio guy who starts off on the basics and works up from there. He also has a great book on learning radios. Great reading. I feel like Frankenstein being able to bring back to life a radio that has nor worked in 60 years and bringing back to it's former glory and not in the land fill. Here is the you tube link. http://www.youtube.com/user/AllAmericanFiveRadio

:
::
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:

:::Funny about forums. Draws all kinds of people and opinions. Some who like the relationship of fellow radio hobby people. Some who have forgotten that there are many ways to learn.
::
::I've got some old 1940's issues of Radio Craft magazine laying around the house. 60 and 70 years ago, guys were working the bugs out of radios all over the country, and they would send letters in to the editor. We can still read those letters about how a certain brand had such and such fault, and how they eventually resolved the problem. We can learn a lot by sharing what we know. Whatever the problem, somebody out there has had it too and fixed it.
::So yes, I agree, learn as much theory as you can. But share the repair stories here as well.
::
::I have to admit I have asked some dumb questions here but sometimes a little nudge in the right way can help big time. Here is a you tube link to a radio guy who starts off on the basics and works up from there. He also has a great book on learning radios. Great reading. I feel like Frankenstein being able to bring back to life a radio that has nor worked in 60 years and bringing back to it's former glory and not in the land fill. Here is the you tube link. http://www.youtube.com/user/AllAmericanFiveRadio
:
::
I had the books from the DeVry Institute correspondence course for 1957. Radio and television, about 50 booklets in all. They now reside in the garage of another radio nut. All the info you'll ever need is now available online for free. Such as:
http://www.km5z.us/NRI_Radio_Course.php
::
::
:
:

:Funny about forums. Draws all kinds of people and opinions. Some who like the relationship of fellow radio hobby people. Some who have forgotten that there are many ways to learn.
:
Hi Scott,
I second that.
I suspect from some of the questions out there that people are asking quesitons they know the answer to, just to make contact with someone with a similar interest.

All the Best,

Bill Grimm

:Reading posts on this forum always leads me to the same question. Why do so many of you continue to just flail around instead of learning how radios work before jumping in?
:
:It really isn't difficult. AM radios are complicated. Anyone with basic reading and math skills can learn how they work if they will just take the time to do some homework.
:
:Once you have a good understanding of what is going on in a set you will be able to go about troubleshooting in a methodical manner. This avoids a lot of wasted time, money, frustration, and possible damge to the set or you.
:
:Here's a good place to start:
:
:http://users.tpg.com.au/ldbutler/Superhet.htm
:
:So get with it. You'll like it.
:
:
:"It really isn't difficult. AM radios are complicated." Not much of a contradiction in terms".

Here's a good one to read and John Rider has many.

Then get a book on vacuum tube theory. I've been reading them for six years now and I still need help on occasion. And it's fun to come here and to the other forums and help beginners out. But the first thing I will recommend is doing a little homework, having a basis electronics 101 class under your belt and know a little math for electronics. If you can't read a schematic, figure out ohms law and you don't know what all the symbols mean maybe taking up knitting would be safer.

Johnny

::"It really isn't difficult. AM radios are complicated." Not much of a contradiction in terms".

It should have been "not complicated". This was corrected in the next post.

All ypu need to fix am radios is a screwdriver and a wet finger.

:::"It really isn't difficult. AM radios are complicated." Not much of a contradiction in terms".
:
:It should have been "not complicated". This was corrected in the next post.
:
:All ypu need to fix am radios is a screwdriver and a wet finger.
:
:

Hi to all,

I'd like to respond to that because this is an interesting philosophic point.

It's true, as "Scott" said, forums brings all kind of people and opinions.
Some are purists, professionals, hobbyists, perfectionists, amateurs and/or looking for relationship of fellow radio hobby people .

I don't consider myself a professional in old tube radios even if I'm retired from a career as technician for Marconi company.
I never worked with tubes at Marconi. Only high technology from true hole to smt mounts than to micro electronics. Yuk.
Have you ever debug a circuit through a microscope and dressed in a white rabbit clothes ?
I'm much happier now with my old tube radios, also because my sight is not as good as it use to be and I don't have to follow the ISO 9000 rules and restrictions anymore.
I least, I now can take my coffee on my workbench and take a break anytime I want and fart without starting an alarm.

Thanks to "Old Henry" for the link about superheterodyne tutorial.
I should read it and learn something.

I sometime learn quicker by asking questions here and mostly by my mistakes.

As "Robert" said, I think we all feel like "Frankenstein, being able to bring back to life a radio that has not worked since a long time ago."

I believe we sometime choose to be a perfectionist in some of our hobbies, not to all of them.

I choose to perform in dancing, until i became a dance teacher at 55 y-old.
Not in restoring old radios.
I did enough performance in electronics and been subject to annual performance evaluations.
I dunno much about tube radios. But i think i'm a good Frankenstein junior :o)

I almost almost never recap all the caps in my radio sets.
Only the electrolytics, and some big paper caps.
If i have too much problems, like low voltage B+, excessive heat somewhere or distortion etc..i recap more paper caps.
But i understand that they all leaking and should be all replaced.

However, since i consider myself an amateur, i know that very few people could do what i do in restoring old crap radios.
See my pics below. I'm proud of what i do.

And some professionals here likes to answer to my dummy questions. :o)
They are better than me of doing this and to help other members.

I can understand "Old Henry", in the search to share with people of the same professionalism.

I felt the same in the dance school.
Some of my friends still dance like beginners, because they don't have the time to practice 6 days a week like me, they are not willing to learn the male and female figures as well, and not willing to pass
exams, and not willing to spent thousands of dollars for just a "sunday Hobby".
Often they don't remember their figures, but they have fun that way.
When i go to the dancing, i'm lucky if i find 1 or 2 female performers at my level, few of them dance only the beginner levels, and the rest of them ( 50%)
never even took a single dance lesson...and they go dancing !!!!????
I'm sharing the same floor with professionnals (5%), beginners (45%)....and "natural" dancers (50%).
I'm now trying to not expect to find people like me, otherwise i won't have fun.

In conclusion, we all having fun in different manners, and try to share that with others.
Some have great fun with only the basic, some needs to go deeper in the mastering of their hobbies.
It's ok like this.

BTW
I often get rid of the magic eyes in my sets.
6E5 are too expensive.
Some people near my place are selling NOS 6E5 for $50
That is the price i usually pay for a whole set.
Does anyone found a cheaper replacement somewhere ? (even if i need to modify wiring or filament voltage.)

Thanks
Vianney

You have some nice work there.

The interesting thing about this whole thing is the apparent lack of general interest in knowing what you are doing. There are guys who have been on this and other forums for years and still have no idea what they are doing and don't seem to care. They just stumble along and hope someone who has taken the time to learn will help them.