hi john they didn't have polarized cords in 1937 when your set was made so you can just solder a new cord to the terminals where the cut off ends go. the local switch is there for local strong stations so they don't over load your set the triangel symbol is probobly for a long wire ant. the ground probably won't matter much these sets had a long wire ant. but you can probably just string 10 or 15 feet out and it will work allright some of these had a built in ant. as well and it worked for the stronger stations as for your capacitors there will be a lot more than one these have to be unsoldered to replace, the paper ones are probably bad but it is more importend to check the electrolytics these are usually in cans on the top of the chassis but can be in paper tubes or boxes underneath you can tell them by a higher value 8 to 50 mfd while the smaller bypass capacitors are usually .oo1 to .1 mfd there are also mica capacitors small plastic looking squares with dots these are usually good if you are not sure what you are doing be very carefull these old sets have very high voltages in them.i hope all this is of some help.butch s.
And make NO assumptions regarding modern electrical standards and practices versus what was implemented back then. You asked about polarized cords. There was none of that back then. As a result it is very possible for voltages to show up in unexpected places and surprise you. Radios weren’t fused, high voltage parts can be exposed while in operation, and even something as seemingly innocent as the speaker could kill you because high voltage from the field coil is here.
The manufacturers of these devices probably couldn’t sell them commercially “as-is” today because of the way they are put together and the fact that safety matters a bit more today.
Now having said that, don’t get too discouraged either. It is a fun hobby.
The only way you will know about your power cord is to look inside the radio and see where the ends are connected. One end should go to the switch and one will go to the power transformer. If the cord is to be replaced with one using a polarized plug (recommended), the side with the narrow blade should be the side wired to the switch.
Another requirement is that you must absolutely be able to read and understand a schematic. The schematic for your radio is on this site at the following address.
http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/806/M0007806.htm
The first half of the document is for a model F-88. Your F-96 is the second half.
The three screws on the back are for connecting an external antenna. From the schematic I would say that the triangle with a dot in it you refer to is probably an “A”.
When it comes to connecting an antenna, almost any length of wire will do. Those who know more about antennas than I can be more precise and explain why. But if you have 10 feet of copper wire laying around, connect it to the radio and you ought to be in business.
Your friend was correct about the paper capacitors. But according to your schematic, there are at least 6 of them in there, not just one. Unless someone else has already replaced the others over the years. And, No, they don’t pull out like tubes. They are soldered in place. There are however multi-unit cans that contain electrolytic capacitors and do look a bit like tubes. If you look carefully though they are usually soldered from underneath the chassis and may be connected by way of a bent tab or two through the chassis.
You may be able to snip the leads and remove the old paper ones but the new ones have to be soldered in place. It would be good practice to unsolder the old ones instead of just cutting them out.
Can’t help you on the repair shop location, but I recommend finding someone that can help you instead of doing it yourself for now if this is your first time.
There is a high probability that the tubes are absolutely fine and work properly. The electrolytic caps and the paper caps all should be replaced. And there may be a few resistors that are off by 20% or more that should be changed as well. Electrolytic caps must observe the correct polarity or they can EXPLODE. Polarity for the replacements for the paper caps doesn’t matter though. All caps must observe the specified voltage ratings and because of the voltages involved these are not parts that the local Radio Shack will be carrying either.
If you still want to work on this, great. Just be safe and know what you are doing first.
Randy
www.tubesandmore.com sells books as well. David and Betty Johnson's Guide to Restoring Old Radios (or a similar title since I can never remember the exact title) will help you with the electrical part of the set. Do not worry so much about the construction of your set, though. A fuse is nice to have, and you can add one (1.5 or 2 ampere slow blow), but many radios to-day are produced without fuses and have power transformers. There are also many radios with remote controls that leave the transformer on at all times to power the remote control device. The better ones have fuses. I don't recommend leaving your radio on at all times unattended. As long as you put a new cord on the radio and don't leave it on when you are away (you can leave the room for a moment, of course...just don't leave the house for hours), you should have no worries about sacrificing your safety If you replace all condensers, there is less chance for failure as long as the power transformer doesn't get roasting hot, which would be due to a failure within the transformer itself if everything else is working properly. It'll get comfortably warm under normal circumstances. The primary winding in the power transformer is so thin, though, that it would likely burn out if the transformer went severely bad. The transformer is usually encased in metal, which reduces the fire hazard (on the rare occasion that the transformer shorts out). The filament winding in most radios is typically the winding that is most capable of producing a fire due to its high amperage. Replacing wires that are in poor condition will limit this trouble. Old pilot lamp wires, especially when the pilot lamps are moved around, can be a problem. The book I mentioned above will rather thoroughly, though not completely, give you confidence. There are certain details that the book misses in my opinion, that I would have done a far more thorough job on, but it will allow you to get most radios working. It is a good book for the beginner. You must start with a bit of your own confidence, however, and read the book logically. If you don't soak in the information and try to thoroughly understand it, first, you will never be able to repair radios. You must read the information agressively.
Thomas
Thomas
:If you wish, e-mail me a picture of your local-distant switch box including the plug (click on my name upper left hand corner--turns light blue). Your radio originally used a long wire antenna like Butch said. Ideally this should be from 25 to 50 feet. The center terminal on the radio is likely for an optional V-Doublet antenna, which is discussed in the General Electric section of the Resources section of this web page (where you will also find your schematic). If you wish to build one in the future, I can give you fair details. A V-Doublet antenna often improves radio performance and eliminates a lot of static. Your radio only uses this terminal for one band, though, so you will not take full advantage of the V-Doublet antenna. These were commonly used only for the short wave bands, but I own a radio that uses the full antenna for all bands with remarkable results. You do not have to construct such an antenna for your radio to work reasonably well. Wireless internet, computers, televisions, neon lights (even small ones like in nightlights and orange switch indicators, though usually not), light dimmers, and fluorescents in your home will be likely causes for horrible reception. Other items such as microwaves and electric motors (brush type such as in a mixer or vacuum) will cause noise, but these are only used momentarily. A properly constructed radio that uses a V-Doublet antenna performs far better around these interferances than a radio that uses a regular long wire antenna. A long wire antenna will likely be fine for you for now, though.
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:Thomas