Hello, I just have recaped my Westinghouse WR-186 radio and have a question. I could identify everything but one capacitor. As found on the schematic on this web site for the WR-186 on the S1 Range switch pin 9 there is a capacitor that just has 5600 on it. It is tubular with raial leads and brown in color about 1" long and 3/8" diameter. What is it? there is no voltage listed and the schematic is fuzzy. So I just left it in for now, the good news is that everything works great, but want to complete the job. I hope this helps.
Thanks
David

Here's your schematic: http://www.nostalgiaair.org/PagesByModel/261/M0024261.pdf

I can read a cap labeled 5600MMF. This means 5600pF = .0056uF. This cap is in the antenna ckt, and sees virtually no voltage. If you want, you could check it for leakage with an ohmeter, and if OK leave it in the ckt.

:Hello, I just have recaped my Westinghouse WR-186 radio and have a question. I could identify everything but one capacitor. As found on the schematic on this web site for the WR-186 on the S1 Range switch pin 9 there is a capacitor that just has 5600 on it. It is tubular with raial leads and brown in color about 1" long and 3/8" diameter. What is it? there is no voltage listed and the schematic is fuzzy. So I just left it in for now, the good news is that everything works great, but want to complete the job. I hope this helps.
:Thanks
:David

:I can read a cap labeled 5600MMF. This means 5600pF = .0056uF. This cap is in the antenna ckt, and sees virtually no voltage. If you want, you could check it for leakage with an ohmeter, and if OK leave it in the ckt.

Thanks for all the help. I put in a .0056uf as sugested by you and Thomas and it works great. I live here in MD and I can pick up stations in NY, OH, NJ, SC and MD. The shortwave also works great with a 15' piece of speaker wire, it is amazing how well these things pick up and sound on AM. It blows the AM radios made today, they can't pick up anything.
David

AM radios of then often blow away AM radios of to-day. There are exceptions, though. I own a couple of modern AM radios that are as sensitive as my old ones, and lack the static due to better filtering or something. However, the tonal quality in most old AM radios is almost always better than the new ones. I often improve the harshness in the old radios with negative feedback in the audio, but aside from excessive harsh tones, the audio in these old sets is curved well for music and entertainment. I hate it when I get in a car and turn on the AM radio, and all of the high notes are cut off like someone sawed down a tree. This is especially pitiful when I enter a Lexus or BMW. Shame on them! The 1949 Mercury radio by Zenith that I have in my 1951 Chevrolet has the most amazing tonal quality. It has 4 settings--speech, music, high fidelity, and low noise. Each are curved perfectly for what the indicator says. The bass is superb (push-pull), and the treble is all that could be desired for an AM radio. Zenith always was the king for tonal quality. Incidently, I have this radio in because I got it for only $10. I'd go for the original Chevrolet radio, but these sell for lots of money. Actually the Mercury radio does, too, but I found it at an antique store (someone didn't know its value). I wouldn't trade its push-pull for Chevrolet's single ended output, though the Chevrolet radios are alright. This Mercury radio, like all other tube radios, is a real station puller, though. It's quite amazing. Even with a vibrator and even with tires building up static while driving, reception is clear and extremely sensitive. Don't try to explain all of this to people, though. People will fight a bloody fight over their modern hi-tech devices. The companies are lucky to have so many free advertisements. Modern radios do have a lot of features and better design (stability), but whoever designed them left out sensitivity and tonal quality.

Thomas

Ah Thomas you are a purist... soo nice huh?
I used to work on these radios back in the Army in 1963... R390a/urr...(Collins radio) Now this is touted by all the purists I've seen out there collecting these... that this is the radio of all radios...from a technical excellence point of view thay say... I don't know how it stacks up for fidelity though.
Are you familair with this radio Thomas?

As far as sound and tone quality--nothing can compare to my Telefunken Opus 7. From AM to Short Wave to FM it all sounds great. I guess it has a lot to do with the six speaker design, but it really can pull a station in. I listen to it every day for hours while I am working. I am also able to use my XM satile radio and broadcast it through this radio and hear all the Old Time Radio programs.
David

Heard of the brand name. Never saw the radio.

Thomas