New Member with a 1938 Maroni mdl 139

[Kyle]

Hey! I’m Kyle. I recently bought a Marconi 139 Canadian built and currently in progress of restoring it. I stumbled across this forum while looking for info on it. I found info on it on another thread but it was not enough. My radio did somewhat work. I had it turned on for maybe ten minutes when I first got it. I’m in the middle of restoring radio chassis.

I would like to know how the magic eye works. I have been doing some research on the tube and have an idea on how it works but not how it works on the actual radio itself. Does the eye turn on when the radio turns on or when you tune in a station or comes on when the radio is on and closes the shadow when tuned in a station? Mine did not come on at all nut I did see a small glow coming off the filament.

How do you tune in the autotune module? I have the service manual and I see that each row of buttons only tunes into so many kilocycles (Ex 600 – 800k.c) Do you turn them clockwise top to bottom until you fond the station that you want?

And the last question. I’m looking for two maybe three of the knobs. I need one of the inner ones. The other one is cracked but usable if glued and the other one that I need is the outter smaller center knob for the automatic / manual switch. Where would a guy find some replacements?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Like I said I’m in the middle of restoring it, both the cabinet and chassis. I’m just really curious on how this old radio works. Thanks, Kyle.

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[Dan Walker]

Hi Kyle ,, I have one of these radio and I can help you with it .. At the moment I have to go out
[and buy a radio[ I will get back to you with photos and some help…DONT PLUG IN THE RADIO., UNTIL YOU HEAR FROM ME.
I will do what I can to put you on the right track
Dan Walker in Calgary

[Kyle]

Thanks Dan! I have plugged it in but that was when I first got it but not since then. The chassis is torn apart. I’m going to recap it and rewire it. More then half the wiring insulation is crack, peeling and missing. Even the insulation on the wires coming out of the power transformer are cracked. I sent the transformer out to get rewired.

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[Dan Walker]

Kyle I don’t have your email.. could you email me with it so we can converse that way thanks Dan in Calgary

[phil]

sounds like Dan is helping you offline so hopefully you got your questions answered. You didn’t post your area and knowing where you live ( roughly) helps others with helping with parts as someone may be local to you and not need to mail stuff, or maybe there are meetings near you.
I wouldn’t rewind the transformer unless it is blown, even then often you can take one from a donor if you can find one similar enough. That rubber is falling off but you can just get rid of what’s left of it and slip some heat shrink tubing cover to cover the wires up near tot he transformer and make a good western union splice into some fresh wire. solder and heat shrink the splice with appropriately rated heat shrink.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Union_splice

[Kyle]

Hey Phil. The transformer is not getting rewinded. Just the wires coming out of the windings are getting replaced. I could do it myself but was afraid of buggering it up so I sent it to a pro to get it done. Thanks for answering.

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