Just picked up a nice looking Crosley 52. The only thing is, is that it only picks up the most powerful local station. No matter where you place the dial or what.The grid leak says 1/5 megs and it reads 1 mg.
On these radios, where is the best place to look?
The manual I downloaded on a website say that to turn the radio on. You push the switch out. On, mine, you push it in. Also, the manual says that if the rheostats are all the way to the left, there is no current. On mine, the tubes light up as if they have full voltage.
thanks.

This set is 90 years old and a lot could have happened to it in that time span... if the controls don't seem to operate according to the manual, you might want to bug out the set's actual wiring against its schematic.
Radio was very much still an experimenter's domain when this set was manufactured, so an early owner may have modified it to his own operating tastes.

This is a regenerative set and will have poor selectivity unless the regeneration control is correctly set, which is just on the hairy edge of oscillation. If you can't adjust the set to break into oscillation, you probably have an open coil connection
or oxidized tap selector contact.

:This set is 90 years old and a lot could have happened to it in that time span... if the controls don't seem to operate according to the manual, you might want to bug out the set's actual wiring against its schematic.
:Radio was very much still an experimenter's domain when this set was manufactured, so an early owner may have modified it to his own operating tastes.
:
:This is a regenerative set and will have poor selectivity unless the regeneration control is correctly set, which is just on the hairy edge of oscillation. If you can't adjust the set to break into oscillation, you probably have an open coil connection
:or oxidized tap selector contact.

CV,
thanks
can get the radio to do the typical regen sounds, the squeals and such. Just that on some taps especially. You can turn the dial from total left to total right and hear 1520 , which is 50,000 watt on the whole dial. It acts like my home made crystal radio.
My Miraco and Standardyne, you can see by turning the rheostats, the filament "GLOW"change. This one, it's like full blast all the time.

::This set is 90 years old and a lot could have happened to it in that time span... if the controls don't seem to operate according to the manual, you might want to bug out the set's actual wiring against its schematic.
::Radio was very much still an experimenter's domain when this set was manufactured, so an early owner may have modified it to his own operating tastes.
::
::This is a regenerative set and will have poor selectivity unless the regeneration control is correctly set, which is just on the hairy edge of oscillation. If you can't adjust the set to break into oscillation, you probably have an open coil connection
::or oxidized tap selector contact.
:
:CV,
:thanks
:can get the radio to do the typical regen sounds, the squeals and such. Just that on some taps especially. You can turn the dial from total left to total right and hear 1520 , which is 50,000 watt on the whole dial. It acts like my home made crystal radio.
:My Miraco and Standardyne, you can see by turning the rheostats, the filament "GLOW"change. This one, it's like full blast all the time.

One thing I have noticed is that on the book capacitor. There is a small film or sheet that came lose from the plate that is closest to the side of the radio.
If, that needs to be fastened. I wouldn't know how to do it.
The person where I bought the radio from. Had a complete with tubes Radiola RCDA. But, he said the transformers were more likely bad. feel the 52 is a better choice.

:::This set is 90 years old and a lot could have happened to it in that time span... if the controls don't seem to operate according to the manual, you might want to bug out the set's actual wiring against its schematic.
:::Radio was very much still an experimenter's domain when this set was manufactured, so an early owner may have modified it to his own operating tastes.
:::
:::This is a regenerative set and will have poor selectivity unless the regeneration control is correctly set, which is just on the hairy edge of oscillation. If you can't adjust the set to break into oscillation, you probably have an open coil connection
:::or oxidized tap selector contact.
::
::CV,
::thanks
::can get the radio to do the typical regen sounds, the squeals and such. Just that on some taps especially. You can turn the dial from total left to total right and hear 1520 , which is 50,000 watt on the whole dial. It acts like my home made crystal radio.
::My Miraco and Standardyne, you can see by turning the rheostats, the filament "GLOW"change. This one, it's like full blast all the time.
:
:One thing I have noticed is that on the book capacitor. There is a small film or sheet that came lose from the plate that is closest to the side of the radio.
:If, that needs to be fastened. I wouldn't know how to do it.
:The person where I bought the radio from. Had a complete with tubes Radiola RCDA. But, he said the transformers were more likely bad. feel the 52 is a better choice.

Shouldn't the + and - at the tubes have a for the plus side, a -5 volts and the minus side have no volts? On mine, the plus as zero volts and the minus has a -5 volts.

:Shouldn't the + and - at the tubes have a for the plus side, a -5 volts and the minus side have no volts? On mine, the plus as zero volts and the minus has a -5 volts.

Here is the set's schematic:

http://www.angelfire.com/retro2/jimm/page16.html

:
::Shouldn't the + and - at the tubes have a for the plus side, a -5 volts and the minus side have no volts? On mine, the plus as zero volts and the minus has a -5 volts.
:
:Here is the set's schematic:
:
:http://www.angelfire.com/retro2/jimm/page16.html
:
:thanks, CV