I have a Truetone D2634 I have found and figured I'd try to make it work as a summer project. I've never done this before but figured this would be perfect to learn on as it doesn't have much value. I have replaced all the capacitors and bought replacement tubes from a vendor said to be good (don't have any test equipment yet). When I turn it on I get nothing...although everything lights up. When I turn it to "phono" and hook up an input it plays like a champ. Turn it back to radio....silence. No static....no hum....nothing. Suggestions?

Hi James

The audio circuits are operating since you can use the phono input. Circuits around 6SQ7, 6V6 and 5Y3 are working.

Measure voltages on the 6SA7 & 6SK7 tubes. Here is the schematic if you don't have it already.

http://www.nostalgiaair.org/PagesByModel/770/M0023770.pdf

Tubes are seldom a problem so save the ones you removed from the radio.

Norm

:I have a Truetone D2634 I have found and figured I'd try to make it work as a summer project. I've never done this before but figured this would be perfect to learn on as it doesn't have much value. I have replaced all the capacitors and bought replacement tubes from a vendor said to be good (don't have any test equipment yet). When I turn it on I get nothing...although everything lights up. When I turn it to "phono" and hook up an input it plays like a champ. Turn it back to radio....silence. No static....no hum....nothing. Suggestions?

Boy, I'm always behind Norm, he's the best help you can get.

:Hi James
:
: The audio circuits are operating since you can use the phono input. Circuits around 6SQ7, 6V6 and 5Y3 are working.
:
: Measure voltages on the 6SA7 & 6SK7 tubes. Here is the schematic if you don't have it already.
:
:http://www.nostalgiaair.org/PagesByModel/770/M0023770.pdf
:
: Tubes are seldom a problem so save the ones you removed from the radio.
:
:Norm
:
:
: :I have a Truetone D2634 I have found and figured I'd try to make it work as a summer project. I've never done this before but figured this would be perfect to learn on as it doesn't have much value. I have replaced all the capacitors and bought replacement tubes from a vendor said to be good (don't have any test equipment yet). When I turn it on I get nothing...although everything lights up. When I turn it to "phono" and hook up an input it plays like a champ. Turn it back to radio....silence. No static....no hum....nothing. Suggestions?

James, Looks like thei is your set:
http://www.nostalgiaair.org/PagesByModel/770/M0023770.pdf
Is the antenna connected properly?
To check the oscillator operation, tune the Truetone to about 900kc and a different, working set to about 1355kc, dial around and you should hear the osc. on the working set. Good luck, let us know what you find.

:I have a Truetone D2634 I have found and figured I'd try to make it work as a summer project. I've never done this before but figured this would be perfect to learn on as it doesn't have much value. I have replaced all the capacitors and bought replacement tubes from a vendor said to be good (don't have any test equipment yet). When I turn it on I get nothing...although everything lights up. When I turn it to "phono" and hook up an input it plays like a champ. Turn it back to radio....silence. No static....no hum....nothing. Suggestions?

:I have a Truetone D2634 I have found and figured I'd try to make it work as a summer project. I've never done this before but figured this would be perfect to learn on as it doesn't have much value. I have replaced all the capacitors and bought replacement tubes from a vendor said to be good (don't have any test equipment yet). When I turn it on I get nothing...although everything lights up. When I turn it to "phono" and hook up an input it plays like a champ. Turn it back to radio....silence. No static....no hum....nothing. Suggestions?

Well, the ggod news is that you know that half the radio is working. The bad news is the working half is the easiest half to fix. ;>). Hang in there, with the help you can get here, you'll have it fixed in no time.

Lewis

It works! You know its great to hang around old electronics shops cause every now and then an old timer walks in who worked on these things when they were new. I been trying to make this radio work for months and gave up and while chatting with him mentioned it. I described what was wrong, told him what all I've done and in two seconds he told me to try checking the resistances on the IF transformers. Sure enough...that was it. One of the little fine wires on a coil was broken off on the inside and there was no getting it back. So since I'm a newbie and can get away with doing stuff I'm not supposed to I changed out the IF transformer with one from another radio and now the thing works. And I actually can recieve stations all across the band with good reception without an alignment. Newbie luck. So...what do I do know to make it perfect?
James

:I have a Truetone D2634 I have found and figured I'd try to make it work as a summer project. I've never done this before but figured this would be perfect to learn on as it doesn't have much value. I have replaced all the capacitors and bought replacement tubes from a vendor said to be good (don't have any test equipment yet). When I turn it on I get nothing...although everything lights up. When I turn it to "phono" and hook up an input it plays like a champ. Turn it back to radio....silence. No static....no hum....nothing. Suggestions?

First.. congrats for having the guts to try things.... and the resultant success!!

The old transformer can be fixed if there is even a tiny part of the thin broken wire left.
You can very carefully actually solder another little piece of any old kind of thin stranded wire to that little stub and then re-connect it.
That will work.
There are even ways to sort-of work around a bad or open IF by by-passing it with caps and resistors... but don't worry about that now.
As far as what's in there now... all you need do now if you want to align things is to feed in a modulated 455khz IF signal from a signal generator and tweak the IF trimmers... then you can insert an RF at the high end 1500khz and tweak the tuner trim caps then check the low end of band around 600khz.. to see if it tracks properly.
Thats it.

And.. by the way... where does one find "old electronics shops" nowadays?????

:And.. by the way... where does one find "old electronics shops" nowadays?????

Ah the "old electronics shop". This is the shop that once sold you your tv or radio, serviced it for years afterwards, stocked endless shelves of components and gadgets, fixed whatever you happen to bring in and was an endless knowledge base for all your projects. And then came disposible electronics. Now...its a shadow of its former glory selling a few pieces of audio components and some cables, doesn't do repairs anymore cause most stuff isn't worth opening up, and is still around because the building was paid for years ago and the old guy who owns the place doesn't have much else to do. I discovered my "old electronics shop" looking through the phonebook trying to find a resistor. I asked the old fella on the phone if he had one and he says, "sure...whats it for?" I tell him an antique radio. "Oh yeah...I got tubes too." I knew I was on to something. What I discovered was walls of components that make radio shack look empty. Most complete with a quarter inch of dust on it. Of course you can never leave without staying and talking a bit. I would imagine the place gets one or two customers a day. I would hear the stories of how his shop and the TV shop across the street were flooded with repairs and he tells me about the giant ovens in the back where they once repaired picture tubes. I recently helped clear out the TV shop across the street that closed in the 80's and filled a giant dumpster with about 50 or so vintage televisions, radios, and thousands of components from transformers to picture tubes and everything in between, most being new in the box. This place is in fact where I picked up the Truetone that started this thread. I kept it cause it was the only one that had a nice shiny finish....I tossed the other radios in the dumpster. This was of course before I got interested in these things else I would have kept all the vintage test equipment and radios that got tossed. The owner finally sold the building after 40 sum odd years and had two weeks to clear it out. It is now going to be a health club. Of all the stuff I helped toss I would have loved to keep some of those radios and vintage TV's. I dumped hundreds of tubes still in the box. I dumped one of those highboy radios from the 20's and some huge wooden TV's with little round picture tubs. Of all things I kept a radio worth about 40 bucks and a couple antique typewriters. But that radio led me to the hobby and to here....now if I could only find out were the trash company dumped that stuff....
James