The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay The Radio Bench Checking out the radio

I have a TF radio. It is out of the truck and I would like to start at the first step of checking it out.

Can I connect a speaker, plug it into an antenna, ground it to the negative post of the battery, and connect the power wire to check if any noise comes out?

How can I check the on/off, fader switch if noise comes out of the speaker?

This seems to be the basic first step for a radio that I picked up at a swap meet for $5.

Oldblue,
that sounds like quite a scoop you got at the swap meet.
First, I would not try it out on a battery without a fuse in line. I like to use a trickle battery charger for my testing.

Always make sure the volume control is turned to minimum when you start testing. If the speaker that you are testing with gets disconnected and the volume is turned up, it can be harmful to the radio. Any old speaker, preferably 8 ohm, will do.

I would suggest pulling the vibrator, which is inside, powering it up and check to see if all the tubes are lit and the off and on switch works.

The next step would be powering it up, with the vibrator installed and an antenna or hunk of wire inserted into the antenna socket. If you use a piece of wire, it should be insulated except for a short length that inserts into the center.

If you wish to, try these steps and let us know what happens.

Good luck!

are tfs negative ground?give it a couple of minites for the tubes to warm up.

Yes , for sure, patience is the word waiting for the tubes to warm up.

I believe the +ve grounds for the GMCs was long gone by the time the TF (task Force) series came along. With a mechanical vibrator tube radio, it doesn't matter whether you use +ve or -ve ground.

Thanks for the reply,

I did not think of taking the vibrator out before turning it on. Nor using a trickle charger and a inline fuse. I will add that to the list.

Over the holidays I should have time to do this. I was concerned about the volume on/off switch. It did not seem right. The casing was loose and would not click on/off correctly. I fixed it but was unsure if I did it correctly. I have also bought and replaced all the tubes. That is why it sits on the shelf. I got confused.

I have also brought this up some time in the past and a fellow bolter from Canada was very helpful. Thank you to our Canadian brothers.

I will keep trying as time permits.