FM IF Alignment on a Vintage Webcor 2449 Radio

[@glk001]

Very interesting video, thanks...I've got a 5 band Webcor Radio, I'd say 60's vintage for sure...It's at a work site right now, so can't check for model and year...Other than loosing one of the two antenna's, it still plays great...I just rerouted to the remaining antenna...Am, Fm, Sw, Vlb, and Hpb...Was given to me by my grandmother who knew how much I enjoyed listening to it as a kid...I'm 60 now and this has gotten me very interested in finding out when this radio was manufactured...

[@retrochad]

This is a great video...I have some FM radios I have replaced caps on which still have some distortion in the sound and I think I need to re-align them but I was never sure of how you did it.

[@glk001]

I stand corrected...After looking this radio up on the web, I see it's a 6 band model # WFM - 2069...Actually found a review from someone that pruchased one on ebay at a Herculodge web site...Distributed through Consolidated Merchandising Corporation, made in Japan...Learn something everyday...Still an good video...lol...

[@RandyOnTheRadio]

Great. Thanks for the input on this. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[@seatboi]

VERY educational! Thanks for posting!

[@nlimchua]

I've seen them on a Zenith transistor radio (circa late 60's). Also, didn't NASA have those issues with whisker shorts? That's the reason why the study was launched to investigate it.

[@RandyOnTheRadio]

Thanks for the tip. I just ordered all of the remaining electrolytic caps. I would have never guessed that a bad cap will kill the volume like that, so thanks for the info. Do these radios sound decent after they're fixed? I bought it because it was a Webcor. I realize that this wasn't my dad's Webcor, but a foreign made version. As long as it sounds decent after completion, I'll be happy. (The case on this radio that I bought is really clean).

[@SoddingaboutSi]

Same problem here, no Sweep Marker Generator. Using a fm modulated generator and a sweep generator but have no marker so no idea where the 10.7 is. Reverted to the 10.7 Mhz peaking of the If.

[@RandyOnTheRadio]

I just bought this same radio on e-prey. I replaced the electrolytic caps in the AC power supply, since it had a bad hum. The hum is now gone, but the volume level is very weak. It's clear, but weak, even at full volume. Any ideas what the problem may be? I'm hoping it's not the transistors. I have a feeling that it's not. Other than the low volume, the radio picks up everything. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.... Randy

[@nlimchua]

If you have germanium type transistors, it's likely they're bad and need replacement too. Google cat's whisker/germanium transistor. It will help you understand why.

[@RandyOnTheRadio]

Now that I know the why's of how they go bad, can I replace them with a silicon type of transistor? (I'm working on this radio, very slowly, as you may have guessed). Thanks... Randy

[@markmarkofkane8167]

Early video. How far back do you go? Nice find!

[@nlimchua]

you sure can. Just need to find good substitutes.

[@nlimchua]

trying to replicate your effort. I don't have the BK415.Can the same alignment method be performed using a signal generator (10.7Mhz, modulated) an o'scope? I can't seem to get the same WF as yours. thx.

[@fbloggs]

You know, as interesting and informative as this video is, even though it's horribly out of focus throughout, is that these guys on youtube are generally not detail-oriented. What do I mean? Well, for example, there's no mention of the fact that you need to reconnect the stabilizing capacitor before doing the S curve. Also there's no mention of whether the IF strip should be aligned using any modulation or not - same goes for the S curve adjustment. If you;'re going to make a video then for Pete's sake be accurate because there are a lot of people out there who really want to understand and you ought to make sure to be really precise. Sometimes you don;t need to disconnect the stabilizing cap and sometimes you need to short out the oscillator coil and then align the IF strip. Well it's an old video now, so maybe the author has improved on his delivery. I really like his videos but I find that you need to be a detective and study many, many youtube videos from many people before you'll ever really know how to do an IF alignment on an FM radio with real precision. Also what about when it's a stereo that you're aligning - then you have to really go for a flat-topped alignment. No - I'm still looking around to find someone who really does a great job of covering this topic.

[@shair00]

Where did you get your sweep generator?

[@shango066]

shair00 ebay

[@widecast]

Pity all this video is out of focus. Makes it annoying to watch.

[@philepstein524]

Going too slow. Rehearse it and re-present it. Less chatter.