Parts or Repair? - Philips AL990 Shortwave Radio

If something is broken there’s little to lose but much to gain by attempting a repair - even when I don’t have a clue what I’m doing.
INFO:
• I don’t want to plug this into power - so it’s fine that this part doesn’t work.
• I don’t need to use the alarm - so it’s fine that this doesn’t work.
• I used electrical insulation tape on the soldered wires as I couldn’t find my bag of heat shrink tubing.
• It uses 6 C-Cell batteries - the red battery release ribbon is looped behind the rear two batteries, so one pull of the tape releases all the batteries.
• I checked the polarity of the 12V DC plug by reading the service manual before I plugged by adaptor in
• This is not my first rodeo
• Try to just enjoy things as they come - it’s more fun than looking for holes in them. It’s a simple video about an old radio that just needed new batteries.I’m really not trying to fool anyone here - these types of videos take a long time to shoot but then are edited down to the highlights. Just like watching a 30 minute TV show where someone builds a house - you are seeing selected highlights - a house takes more than 22 minutes plus adverts to build and like that this video was spread over three days of shooting which accumulated about ten hours of video. If something isn’t shown in the videos it doesn’t necessarily mean I forgot it - I mean who in their right mind would leave bare wires pushed up against a circuit board - the suggestion is preposterous, of course I covered the wires...but no one really needs to see someone wrapping wires in insulation tape any more than they’d like to see me walking to the Amazon locker to pick up my aerial delivery or the hour long section where I tried to get both of the incredibly fiddly copper washers back into the new aerial.
It’s just a video it’s not a challenge.
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[@Techmoan]

*There’s a bit more information about this in the video description text box.*

[@rokokoko123]

I am really curious why PSU is not working. Try measuring resistance of transformer, it is blown if it reads open circuit or very high res. If it displays somwhere under 200ohms, diode rectifier is gone

[@Techmoan]

You’ll have to remain curious. I’m not interested in finding out why a feature I don’t want to use isn’t working. There are far better things to spend my time on - like the next video.

[@sa6kod154]

Techmoan could you maybe do some reviews on sw radios? Ex Tecsun, Sony. If you like it so much why not?

[@thejacal2704]

I think an hour long video of you trying to get the incredibly fiddly copper washers back into the new aerial could be a great video... Just an idea. Great vid as always, thank you for all the time you spend on them.

[@DJTKarlsson]

@@thejacal2704 maybe you can edit it for him? "It’s just a video it’s not a challenge."

[@videomaster8580]

Isnt it great when something which seems dead, comes back to life - and gives enjoyment for many more years.

[@lesjones5684]

Like my ex wife 😂😂

[@MatSpeedle]

Nothing beats getting something listed as broken, only to find with a few quid it's up and running and you've got a bargain! Top work as always!

[@zoolkhan]

i bought that thing for 50 bucks somewhere.. and still gave it away eventhough it wasnt even broken. Not a good receiver, but it looks cool.

[@RobertTaylor-zt1ci]

If you take a layer or two of the insulation tape off the trnsformer you may find a thermal fuse which can be replaced. Keep up the good work.

[@garylangley4502]

I'm 65 years old, and back in Junior High School, grade 7,8, and 9, I took an electronics class, and I would repair old tube radios. I used a signal generator, and a signal tracer to find a faulty part. I would then tune the "cans" according to the manual and they worked great. It was a good hobby.

[@user-su6hm2xx2l]

شكرا جزيلا كيف اعرف الفولت لهذا الجهاز المحول معطوب علما يوجد ٢خرج

[@kenwinston2245]

Shortwave was a joy in childhood discovery for me here in the states during the 70s. My folks came into a huge grundig home console that was labeled entirely in german. The world just opened up in front you. Thanks for the show

[@AlexKworld]

Would like to say this is one of my favorite videos of yours. The thought of these old beasts winding up in a landfill cause it needed batteries is just plain sad. Besides, the process of personally rescuing & restoring a piece of kit like this is so much more rewarding than buying a perfect "New In Box" specimen for 10x the price. Well done!

[@jayducharme]

You're too modest. You're a fine repairman. You track down a problem and then think of a creative solution. That what repair is all about!

[@gtoger]

This video makes me appreciate my Panasonic RF-2200 which has been collecting dust under my desk all this time. I've managed to lose the battery compartment door somewhere...

[@sclerismockrey8506]

The RF2200 is my absolute favorite MW receiver ever. As a standalone portable with batteries and that Gyroantenna and that big air variable tuning capacitor, the RF2200 is just the best single AM rig I own. Sure, I can usually dig out more DX with phased antennas on a big tabletop rxer but that requires a bunch of gear and outdoor antennas. For just grabbing a radio and listening for longhaul, interesting analog AM stations, nothing beats the RF2200.

[@mistermatix8241]

Love these old world band shortwave radios! To me, they're almost akin to a geeky adult version of a Fisher Price Activity Centre! Knobs to turn, levers to flip, buttons to push, meters to gaze at, lights to turn on and off, you get my drift! When I was younger, my dad had one very similar (don't remember the manufacturer, I doubt it was Philips, as dad wasn't a fan of their products, as we'd had bad experience with Philips kit) but it packed in, and was deemed too expensive to repair, but I just loved playing with the chunky levers, and messing about with it, maybe that's why I'm a big techy now! Just thinking, it could have been Sharp, Sony or Panasonic. It's quite nostalgic for me, as my dad passed away 10 years ago. That radio, he didn't like anyone messing with it, but when it failed, I said I'd like it, and he gave it to me, yes it didn't work, but it was like a holy grail. I just had it as something "cool" in my room, as it was immaculate. Happy memories...... Embarrassing fact: me and my mates Michael and Ian were big scifi fans, and I'm sure we made a scifi film using dad's Sony betamax video camera, and used the broken radio, my brothers Sanyo boombox, and and Michael's Atari 2600 as a control console (yes we were into tech) I'm still mates with Michael and Ian, and yes we still love scifi, and reminisce about Logan's Run, Silent Running and the like down the pub!

[@shelby3822]

Shortwave always scared me as a kid...so many odd & interesting channels that made it seem like you were spying on activity.

[@tamtgirl]

funny you said spying.. as a kid i used to listen this on guy on his "radio telephone" calling his wife saying he had to work late, then calling his mistress arranging a hook-up! lol

[@Ka9radio_Mobile9]

Its my Mother that always scared me when I was a kid, its when she would make that powdered milk for me to drink! :-)

[@bennri]

Daughter and I used to play"guess which language this is?"

[@suburban404]

@@tamtgirl Me too, while listening to the New York Marine Operator.

[@HakanKoseoglu]

You can get a lot of spy traffic on these bands!

[@TomRuzanski]

This deserves a revisit. You have loads of experience repairing things now lol

[@Kevin_Carlson]

Having lived more than half my life in South America, I've always loved shortwave radio. There's not as many stations to listen to now days, but I still have several receivers. So great that you were able to revive this radio.

[@RTheren]

I would love it if you'd do repair videos like these more often :)

[@jack_2000]

I just love that little pop up control panel. The cherry on top of this neat little radio

[@bobuk5722]

Two tips. 1) Use heat shrink to insulate soldered joints. 2) Stagger the joints. BobUK.

[@zachsteiner]

Hell yeah! New techmoan video! I swear this man could record a video discussing a potato and I'd be entertained.

[@jftechdrones]

He already has.

[@kfalxa]

Well, he sort of does, his potato peeler and air fryer videos! :D It got me to buy an air fryer and I use it almost daily ever since!

[@frglee]

This is the kind of thing I'd have really liked to have had when I was working in the Middle East 40 years back - Before the net, SW radio was a very important source of news and entertainment for us expats. Happy memories of sitting on top of the car in the desert at night to catch the BBC World Service news! Seems to be a lot less stuff on the SW bands these days, or maybe its just my cheap old SW radio.

[@DJTKarlsson]

there is some good stuff still out there, short-wave info will help you out easy

[@highpath4776]

Grundig Yatch Boy and similar are good, some come with cassette deck too.

[@goishikaiganmademou]

Nowadays you'll get internet radio from anywhere in the world with FM sound quality. That's probably why so many MW and SW stations have closed down.

[@rosshilton]

frglee Dubai 1978 - 1979. BBC World Service, news, cricket, football results. I can still recall the BBC fading in and out, the hiss and the crackle. A scary bit in February 1979 when the Shah of Iran fell. Only about 100 miles across the Gulf. We were glued to the radio in case war broke out. Where were you mate?

[@skateboarding118]

There is still shortwave though, despite there not being as much as in the past. It’s like fishing, there are good days and bad days! You can get a Tecsun receiver with tons of features and great sensitivity/selectivity for cheap nowadays. Even add a wire antenna and it’s a ton of fun!

[@twocvbloke]

I've had radios in the past that had an alarm function, and they didn't work unless the radio was on mains, so not really a fault, just a symptom of the dead mains side... :)

[@therealjammit]

A glance at the schematic does show the alarm will work on batteries, external 12v, or AC mains. I had the same thought at first.

[@Fatgerman]

Wow this brought back some memories. When I was a kid and we used to visit my uncle, I'd sleep in his "study" where there was a SW radio. (I think he was a ham operator but I'm not sure). He had an enormous aerial mounted outside and on good days you could hear people on the other side of the world. To my young mind it was absolute magic. There was a guy we could occasionally pick up who did a morning weather report every day from his house in Australia (I'm in the UK). I still think about him. These days you can "hear" anybody anywhere just by opening an app on your phone, but it doesn't have the magic of carefully tuning it in and actually hearing someone's voice.

[@plonchyvideos7456]

I'm just jealous that you had an uncle who had a study. Tres posh.

[@BradGryphonn]

I remember back in the early 70s I had a shortwave radio my dad got for me. No digital display of course but I loved. I'd sit outside at night tuning into weird noises imagining they were signals from UFOs.

[@fsphil]

Shortwave is kind of magic. Not as much on there these days but I still like to scan through it now and then.

[@argentik82]

Long life to shortwave!

[@craigt.barthmaccc-a4598]

Has the internet really squashed short wave? I've not scanned the dial in 20 years!

[@624radicalham]

@@craigt.barthmaccc-a4598 Nah. It's there. If anything better in some ways because there is less, so you can hear interesting distant DX stations on sideband and on AM. Fascinating. It's not dead at all.

[@624radicalham]

@kristopher hewitt The big blowtorch 1 million watt stations are gone, absolutely. What this allows, if a person likes the hobby, is for one to experiment with bigger and bigger antennas and angles to see what you can catch on the other side of the world. Changing antenna angles and such is very rewarding, like fishing. It's a sport and in many cases a competition sport. Check out channels like Oxford Shortwave and Senderyaeger and have a look at the amount of stations these people catch on a competition basis everyday.

[@erikgstewart]

Are there still number stations out there?

[@jtmichaelson]

Outstanding work. I used to tinker with shortwave as a kid in the late 70s and early 80s. It was a lot of fun getting British radio stations and learning your "language", as it were.

[@TechBaffle]

5:55 I love that - infact every switch and dial is a work of art

[@southjerseysound7340]

Techmoan should see if Mr Carlson's Lab wants to do a repair video collaboration. Mr Carlson's lab is a repair guru and a great teacher.

[@Melmelbaton]

Radio Repairs? Mr. Techmoan's Lab?

[@ollyalme]

Nice one! A certain way to go before reaching Mr. Carlsons level, though. Carlson would've fixed the mains, and probably the alarm-clock, even if not driven by tubes :)

[@PeteJohnson1471]

I like watching Mr Carlson too ;-)

[@Dust599]

Way faster pace than Mr Carlson!!!

[@ruikazane5123]

My Mate Vince but it's not VInce?

[@TheRealColBosch]

I clicked on the thumbnail without reading who posted the video, and was VERY surprised by the Techmoan intro music.

[@gato38]

I love pop out hidden control panels I don't know why but I need more of these in my life

[@MrWombatty]

Until the hinge or the plastic-clip holding it shut breaks!

[@ixionn563]

@@MrWombatty It's spring loaded but I get your point. Those spring loaded mechanisms to open and close those usually don't break though.

[@keithbrown7685]

@@MrWombatty Why do you have to destroy a dream? That balloon was just about to rise, and you come along with a sewing needle. : )

[@MrWombatty]

@@keithbrown7685 Sorry, just speaking from experience with my modular Pioneer boom-box/bookshelf-system, but it was being loved for over 20yrs!

[@andrewgwilliam4831]

Maybe you have more at home than you've realised! 😁

[@alejandrocoll5967]

you were very lucky that the previous owner did not know / care about this beautiful piece of technology! kudos to you!

[@MarkyShaw]

Love shortwave. Just recently got in to ham and became licensed. Really awesome exploring the world of wireless. Great to see that there are still so many broadcasts out there too. Awesome radio!!!

[@JohnyTechReview]

I’m not even in interesting in this type of radio but it is so fun and interesting watching this on Sunday morning with a cup of latte. Cheer mate ^^ greeting from USA!

[@vmitodd]

As always, yours is a very nice approach to repairs and presenting your discoveries. Nice work, Mat.

[@mikengo9306]

I share the same hobby. Sheer joy and pleasure recovering these retro gadgets.

[@taketimeout2share]

You make me want things I absolutely dont need! Good job, Sir!

[@Jerbod2]

I love these simple repairs. Does the product service. Doesnt necessarily have to be a full refurb like the 8 bit guy does. Its the little things. Thanks Mat!

[@JayeK47]

Have a look at the Zenith Transoceanic line of shortwave radios for iconic design and build quality. They used a steel chassis ( like a tube radio), socketed discreet transistors and point to point wiring long after the practice ceased in the rest of the industry.

[@FromSagansStardust]

I had a 1968 model, this video made me miss it (more)! Especially how it opened/closed.

[@Pokav1deo]

Relatively new viewer/subscriber here. This has quickly become one of my favorite KZbin channels. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@kontan2504]

Great video as usual. I personally think that most of the Hi-fi products one stores in the attic before getting rid of them are just a few simple repairs away from being brought back to life.

[@dylanmilne6683]

I love retro sony products, they all look so good.

[@redsmith9953]

plot twist never was a sony but a phillips instead ...

[@thomaswachter7782]

My goodness, what a cool video. When I was a kid, I had a shortwave, and picked up the most amazing synthesizer sounds found. A jewel.

[@vwlssnvwls3262]

That is a nice looking piece of technology. I could see myself spending hours every day enjoying something like that.

[@Seiskid]

Nice vid. Its quite fun cleaning and fixing up old kit like this. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@dazio7035]

Brilliant, another really good video. I too always have a bit of a spray around if what I'm looking at doesn't work. Great stuff.

[@spottydog4477]

I luv watching electronic repairs....very therapeutic- keep them coming please!!

[@treespunk]

It's awesome that you and LGR are somewhat close. Both of you made me realize that old technology is really cool. Thank you

[@MrCarlsonsLab]

Hi Techmoan. They must really like my photo, seen at 0:44 in your video. The receiver shown (a restoration video on my channel) is a CRF-320, not the 330K as mentioned. You can clearly see there is no tape deck option on the CRF-320, where as the 330K has the option, and is much taller.

[@leisergeist]

Wow, I thought that looked eerily familiar. Selling someone else's KZbin thumbnail printed off a cheap inkjet for $7.. that's certainly a new one!

[@ccllvn]

@@leisergeist that is brilliant, 5 cent of cost and then sell for $7. like those genuises selling shirts online and apparently have every (copyrighted) logo in stock - when you order they drop ship some low quality print from china a month later. brilliant business I want to do this myself

[@LakeNipissing]

10:33 . . . "probably more likely someone is clearing my house out." How kind of you to think ahead for others, Mat.

[@marccarson7620]

I love it! Always appreciate your cheery voice. You even recorded the FM broadcast so we could better hear it, which is so rare. Thank you.

[@bennri]

Sometimes the manual is worth more than the radio. Last year I did an estate sale on many of my father's treasures, including a Hallicrafters shortwave set. The operating manual was worth more than the radio! Same for an old Pixie vacuum cleaner and many other devices for which we no longer had the device but my father had meticulously preserved the operating manual!

[@keithbrown7685]

Future historians might thank him for that.

[@EdoDijkgraaf]

I downloaded the service manual to see if I can help. Let me try to translate. In the manual I read the radio can store local time, a second time en the time the alarm is supposed to go off. Set alarm time Push alarm (38). Push store (40). The alarm time will disappear. Indicator alarm (54) blinks. When (40) isn't pushed in 5 seconds after (38) was pushed, the local time will reappear. Set the prefered alarmtime (see setting the clock). Store the alarm time in the memory with te start button S/S (38). Alarm Choose alarm function SK-E (26). Choose alarm 1 or 2 (35) local time or second time. Switch lever radio/clock SKG (30) in the clock position. The loudness depends on the position of the volume button (3311). The alarm can be switch off by: a) Puting the switch radio/clock SK-G (20) in the middle. b) The touch contacts (44). The alarm will repeat in 24 hours. c) The alarm switch SK-E (26) switched off.

[@benters3509]

As an ex MN Radio Officer, this would have been useful back in the day. I notice you have a BFO (Beat Frequency Oscillator) that makes the reception of morse code more user friendly! Whether the radio is any good for this purpose really depends on its sensitivity and the precision of the tuning. One ship I was on, our Chief Engineer had a Sharp portable world wide radio that had extensive short wave capability. He could pull in the BBC World Service in his cabin with a small external antenna sticking out of the porthole, where I was struggling with my professional setup in the radio room. I always wanted one of those radios. I saw one for sale on e-bay a few weeks ago, but did not buy it. I am trying to downsize my life.

[@bj20715]

Good on you bringing that old beauty back into use! Love those classic multi-banders from that era!

[@624radicalham]

Oh man I was the avid shortwave radio lover that about a year mentioned you look into some gorgeous vintage shortwave radios like this and Hammarlund and the WW2 BC 454 and others with automatic tuning, and Sir you've made my year. Thanks for doing this. Few could have reviewed it like you.

[@SangiTariq]

First Time you made video about Shortwave radio. I love shortwave radio.

[@wa1ufo]

I love shortwave radio too plus I am an amateur radio operator. If the internet and cellphones go down my battery powered Icom station will be on the air.

[@skateboarding118]

Haha same here. I see many of your comments on radio channels

[@wa1ufo]

Beautiful radio and great job fixing it up. I would never part with it while I was still sucking wind and above the turf!

[@jnorth6022]

Fascinating video and what a great job of refurbishing a device that can still be very useful for years to come!

[@Orbis92]

This radio is a beauty, it reminds me at those big ham radio stations :) I didn't know that short wave is still a thing. When I was a child I always wanted a world receiver to listen to it... and now 15 years later I want one again :)

[@ThePiquedPigeon]

0:43 - I'd buy that just to honor the sheer genius of whoever came out with that idea!!

[@SquirrelMonkeyCom]

Love your videos!

[@scwaty180]

As usual great video. Good buy on the shortwave radio. I can remember as a child listening in on my grandfathers shortwave. Thanks for another entertaining video

[@SilvioTischer]

i really enjoy your videos. so much love for almost forgotten and old stuff.

[@EMCF_]

"Slumber Function" was my street name for several years.

[@lancecombes]

So many questions... You know what, nevermind, I don't think I want to know!

Bah! My street name is Pitfall, since Atari Age !

[@kushith]

Mine was Slumber Lumber

[@SPENCERH30]

@@kushith Is that the opposite of morning wood?

[@keithbrown7685]

@@kushith Mine was Major Cucumber.

[@ForgottenLore]

The AL990 is a thing of beauty, sure as hell don't make them like that anymore.

[@johanbruijnooge6818]

When watching vids like this one, I can see that mr. Taylor is very patient when curing a "patient".

[@FarawayPictures]

Fascinating. I have great memories of being a kid listening to my ITT Combat radio in my bedroom and finding stations from other countries. It was a magical experience.

[@joeblow8593]

Congratulations, you got a nice radio for a great price. I wouldn't be surprised if Shango066 watched this. (Shango can repair vintage radios and TV's even if they've been out in the desert for decades)

[@kareno8634]

I second. = ] lol even fixes those drowned in Rat poop. =p

[@joeblow8593]

@@bichela Shango is based in the Los Angeles area. But I'm sure if he had the schematic and the parts, he could fix it....if he wanted to.

[@joeblow8593]

@@bichela Oh OK. Most likely there is, but I don't know who that might be. Maybe someone else here can answer.

[@AttilaSVK]

Being a HAM radio operator (although with currently no rig to be on the air), I also have a thing for shortwave receivers and communications receivers. I've got myself a Sony ICF-7600D (known as ICF-2002 in the US) and an ICF-2001 (not to be confused with the ICF-2001D). As far as I know, the 2001 was Sony's first SW receiver with a digital tuner, and even John Lennon had one :) (at least he was photographed with one)

[@dashrathrajguru4947]

Dear sir,who will repair the ICF..200l and ICF 7600DSl in India as no good repairs a are reachable I had both radio, please guide me.Godspeed to Sony radio's.thnx.

[@mk.istruct-fing-e3741]

Been looking at the ‘Tecsun S-2000 Desktop Receiver’, and appears good for the price, reasonable looks, and has advantages of some modern tech. Are there any advantages to older tech when it comes to receivers?

[@oleo007]

Amazing radio! Buttons, lcd display, 80's typical design, I love it, but broken things and bring this things to life is amazing!

[@rockwithjerry]

I totally dig that you're doing these types of videos. While I enjoy your reviews on dash cams, this is a nice change of pace, and you're getting better at the repair too! Keep it up my friend!

[@Hagledesperado]

Haha, so you were hoping that nobody would notice the lack of heatshrink? Well, hope again! >:)

[@Techmoan]

I used electrical insulation tape - this video is an edited version of events - sequences have been shortened to enhance entertainment. It was shot over three days.

[@Hagledesperado]

@@Techmoan Yes, I think I actually spotted the tape in a frame or two. But this being KZbin, I figured someone would inevitably point out the superiority of heatshrink, so I figured it could as well be me. Don't take me too seriously, I really enjoyed this video.

[@jasoningalls4412]

Great video 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍! I'm glad you got it to work.

[@freepress8451]

@@Techmoan I like your repair & clean videos. Peeps seem to forget how much the time & effort goes into editing - on another channel several were amazed it only took 57 minutes to pour and set, a very large concrete patio ;-)))

[@pegtooth2006]

@@JasperJanssen I know, eh? It almost makes me soil the front of my britches watching that dope chooch.

[@PredatoryQQmber]

10:25 That's pretty grim -_- Also, since it doesn't work with 12V DC either then it's likely that diode bridge and some other stuff after the transformer is fried too… while transformer itself may even be well alive.

[@antebellum45]

WOW! Trip down memory lane!! Used to have this exact radio.... a long time ago in the 80s... loved that unit!! Thanks!!👍🏻👍🏻

[@superotterboy7937]

While that Philips will never be any of the Sonys, it's still far cooler looking than most of the modern receivers out there now. Great repair job! Always nice to see an old radio get a lease of new life.

[@TheLetterTen]

No matter the video, I always love Techmoan's relaxing voice. Never stop making videos, Techguy. Have a wonderful day. This comment is brought to you by me reading the top comment and slightly copying as of the time of this comment's posting time.

[@wal]

Fun video, thanks for sharing!

[@aviramiancovici93]

So happy it was only a power supply problem!! wonderful machine!

[@pedalcarguy]

Sir, I am so happy for you for snagging this find! And a bit envious too. My father was a DX-listener, so he would have appreciated this very much. Keep 'em coming, always eager to watch your content!

[@paulattard1043]

If someone hasn't already suggested. The transformer may have a in-wind fuse hidden under a few layers of wrap. I have repaired several transformers by replacing that fuse. It will be on the primary (Input) winding and is usually a fiber insulator with a tiny piece of wire across it. Good luck.

[@Robb403]

A very enjoyable video. When you have a little time and with some patience, you may be able to repair the transformer. Since it isn't smoked, a conductor has probably opened up in the transformer or more likely on the board. You just have to track it it down. Also, make sure that the replacement fuse is the right size since some people fix a blown fuse with a bigger fuse.....

[@mhoppy6639]

Can’t believe some of the comments to which you have alluded in the description above. I really enjoyed this one. Thanks Matt. Lr

[@cricuts1]

I absolutely know nothing about electronics and those gadgets. Yet i love watching Mat showing them on KZbin.

[@Cristofre]

Battery only? An easy way around this is to add up the voltages of the batteries, then get a power adapter that makes that voltage, hook it to the positive and negative terminals of the battery compartment. Maybe solder in a jack so it could be unplugged too.

[@krzysztofczarnecki8238]

Or use the existing socket, just disconnect it from the board and change the label to the right voltage. I definitely wouldn't use a switching supply though, as that would most likely completely ruin the reception. And the transformer is probably ok and this is somewhere later on in the power supply, like the regulator. Making a simple linear regulator power supply with the existing transformer would be easy if it works (schematics anywhere online, look at LM317 or L7812), and the trafo can be checked with an ohmmeter. If the primary and secondary show continuity then it is probably ok. I say probably as I had one with shorted turns once, this can happen after mechanical injury or overheating. The voltage was ok at first, but then it started to smell and melt, so check if it doesn't get too hot after running for a while before putting it in the enclosure.

[@jusb1066]

fantastic sounding SW radio, didnt know SW COULD sound good, great from when the world needed radio for information, maybe if the internet goes down its useful again!

[@TheRealColBosch]

I try to stay out of the analog vs. digital debate, but when it comes to actual over-the-air radio broadcast, analog beats digital every time. Most digital broadcasts are at stupidly low bit rates to squeeze more channels into the same bandwidth.

[@TheMajkla]

Have a look at my channel, if signals are good, SW sounds nice to ears. But some folks even enjoy the static cracking and fades. It's a different experience what we get from sterile digital sound.

[@dlarge6502]

The internet only manages to get to certain parts of the world. Most of the worlds population dont have access. Radio goes everywhere.

[@kodessa]

I always love watching these repair videos.

[@Kochiha]

At 5:57 I gasped with delight when I saw that control panel open up. I miss having little hideaway things like that in this day and age, they're so swanky but so hard to find!

[@ERKNEES2]

Now you can listen to the VORW broadcast!

[@Ruby_Witch]

But not on the weekends anymore :(

[@MegaDysart]

ERKNEES I was hoping someone would mention VORW :)

[@MadBiker-vj5qj]

Due to the fact that it did not work on the 12v input I would suspect something other than the transformer... it's more likely to be a voltage regulator on the supply board. To check the transformer bleep out the windings for continuity.

[@beware_the_moose]

I actually thought maybe the secondary coil may have fused to a short, which would take the 12v input to a short too if it's wired that way. Just an idea anyway!

[@Muzer0]

@@beware_the_moose So disconnecting the transformer completely would maybe make the 12V work if that theory is accurate...

[@alain99v6]

sending twice the voltage on the primary would of course make the seconday ouputtuing twice the voltage, probably right about voltage regulator but maybe also capacitors if they were rated like 16V or 25V at the output of the rectifier

[@Lucien86]

I would definitely guess the main voltage regulator blown.. but it works off batteries so its (this is) a bit of a mystery. Maybe there's a primary regulator that took the heat. The transformer will prob be okay but the 4 way rectifier(s) might have blown.. The rectifier would stop a short circuit in the transformer from pulling the 12v line down so something else is blown.. Probably a few dead caps too.

[@lezzman]

My solution would be to take it to an electrical repair shop and say "Hey, fix this!"

[@nutsnproud6932]

Thanks Mat. I love it when somebody takes the back off something.

[@CubicleNate]

Fantastic find and what a cool looking device. Thank you for sharing!

[@BertGrink]

Please bring back the MUPPETS occasionally!

[@southjerseysound7340]

Why did he stop?

[@BertGrink]

@@southjerseysound7340 Well, it might be a stretch to say that he stopped entirely, but i just haven't seen any muppet epilogues in a while, thus, feeling sure i wasn't the only one who missed them, i emitted my plea! ;)

[@Techmoan]

They appear every time I have an idea for them. The last was a few weeks ago.

[@southjerseysound7340]

@@Techmoan Thanks, I missed that one and wasn't there a Mrs Moan muppet?

[@alexyo3927]

Very well made and thought about, with the protection bars and replaceable parts. Nice save but I'd have to replace th transformer

[@paulsengupta971]

My OCD says replace the transformer!

[@paulsengupta971]

Or rather the DC section after it.

[@69Dartman]

A lot of the OLD military radios had bars and things to help protect them from the abuse they were sure to get, so it transferred over to the portable short wave radios made much later. Besides many listeners started out with military surplus radios and stepped up as life got better and they had money to upgrade and it made the radios look similar and built to take abuse.

[@loslosbaby]

Alarms are useful when you want a chance to listen to a certain program on one of the overseas scheduled services etc. A relic of the pre-time-shift world! Thanks for the vids! Most excellent!

[@johns8000]

I'm enjoying these last two Parts or Repair videos :) Thank you

[@Turborider]

You bought that thing from the same ebay seller where I bought my Technics SU-8099k

[@BILL-2002hst]

Propably

[@dirtybongwater5751]

That's mighty fishy

[@KGB240]

Ebay is in internet website that works globally.

[@DishNetworkDealerNEO]

The thermal fuse in the power transformer opens the primary return line! A heat sink must be used to solder in a replacement!

[@AndyHullMcPenguin]

More specifically, there is often a thermal fuse "hidden" in a small plastic pouch or taped under the plastic tab on these transformers, on the primary side. With a little careful surgery, you can usually replace it. This may be possible without affecting the look of the thing, or may involve some heat-shrink tubing and a little bit of a bodge, depending on the construction of the transformer. We used to have to do this from time to time, on a certain well known printer manufacturer's main transformers back in the day. In that particular case, the thermal fuse cost a couple of pennies, but the transformer was a bit of a beast, and cost an arm and a leg. The fault that caused the fuse to open also needs addressing, which in this case may be something on the secondary side, although you may be lucky, and it may simply be that the application of 240V to the device when it was configured for 110V was enough to rupture the fuse without any secondary damage.

[@urieluntevarin9934]

That Thing looks really "professional". All the knobs and switches. I really dig that design. Beautiful.

[@brianrees8892]

Great job finding matching color wires to solder together with the existing ones for the external antenna.

[@AdamChristensen]

10:32 Ah, that's the dark British humour I'm here for.

[@daveburgess412]

Good grief! It's no beauty on the inside, is it! All those wires. Makes you appreciate modern multi-layer PCB and surface mount technologies.

[@624radicalham]

Check out the insides of any 1950's shortwave receiver video on here, it's a rat nest of wires, no PCB at all, just point to point wiring!

[@daveburgess412]

@@624radicalham Yes, I've seen those. The amount of labour needed back then!

[@GraemeRobinson]

Brings back some great memories. Great video.

[@DEMENTO01]

This radio is sooo coooool, like the clock function buttons, how they slide from there omggg. This is retro-futuristic af