Home Forums Electronics Restoration Sparton with ONLY push button tuning??????

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  • #24593
    Ralph Spracklin
    Forum Participant

    Steve
    You have got me thinking again on this one. I am assuming that the Dial Drum is rotating behind a clear plastic cover located on the Bezel which is still on the radio cabinet. If that is so, I would suggest tuning the radio, while it is in the cabinet, to a known frequency and placing a thin vertical strip of colored tape on that clear plastic bezel and that line would become your Tuning Indicator mark. I would also assume that this Dial Indicator strip should be dead center above the lineup of the five Push Buttons. Also Dan, you seem to be still saying that there is NO WAY to tune stations, when radio is in its cabinet, other than by pushing the Push Buttons. Push Buttons are usually meant for AM Stations. That would mean you have no way to tune Short Wave Statons. Is it possible that maybe there was some sort of swing lever attached to that tuning drum, which protruded thru the front of the Dial Face and which has somehow broken off and lost. There has to be something you/we are missing. But we are making Progress with this strange setup. Have I lost us all yet??? Some close-up pictures o/f that bezel, from the inside of the cabinet and the outside might help.
    Regards
    Ralph

    #24596
    Dan Walker
    CVRS Member

    I guess I will take some more photos and post them
    I have looked over this chassis and THERE IS NOTHING to tune in the station other then the drum with the plastic round dial .
    The shaft that comes up from the center of the tuning cap has the round drum attached to it [sort of like a cover on a merry go round].
    The drum is removable.
    The metal drum has a set screw in it so you can rotate it and set the drum in any position you want.
    When I change bands the light bulb moves up and down so the light shines in the bottom, center or top of the plastic
    when I am on AM the bulb is at the top [where the AM indicator is]

    If I tune in a station; lets say 700 I will undo the set screw and rotate the thing so that the light shining from the rear shines on 700 and then tighten the set screw.
    It is a bulb with out a narrow gap in front, so the light covers a wide area.

    I am thinking of putting something with a narrow slit over the bulb,so it is more or less focused.

    Steve, it would be nice to have the instructions for the alignment. They might shed some light on the issue.
    This is my email address

    I will post some more photos a little later this morning
    Dan in Calgary

    • This reply was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by Dan Walker.
    #24598
    Ralph Spracklin
    Forum Participant

    Dan
    Here is the Alignment for this Radio as pulished by Pacific.
    Steve may have a different one. That dial indicator lighting setup is interesting. Still trying to wrap my mind around how it works. But is there a clear plastic lens on the bezel itself to cover/protect the lettering and markers on the drum itself?? And not quite certain as to whether you can spin the drum from outside the cabinet itself. The gray ring on the drum, is the same gray ring that shows on top of the dial face when radio is in its cabinet, so I am thinking by rolling it from outside the cabinet, the tuning condenser should also turn. Unless for some reason it is binding. It seems to me that, that large gray ring, is the tuning knob, large Yes. but it does protude outside the front of the cabinet.
    http://pacifictv.ca/schematics/sparton10140data.pdf

    Ralph

    #24599
    Dan Walker
    CVRS Member

    Here are the photos;

    It is the best I can do to explain how it works.
    Yes you can spin the drum from the outside of the cabinet.
    It is not binding in any way at all.
    When you roll the drum it is connected to the tuning capacitor and the tuning capacitor turns also.
    The plastic is painted on the inside of the drum.
    It is not a good system. I do have that same information from Pacific TV
    Dan in Calgary

    #24607
    Ralph Spracklin
    Forum Participant

    Dan
    You Say: “I have looked over this chassis and THERE IS NOTHING to tune in the station other then the drum with the plastic round dial .”
    Then you say there is no way to tune stations other than the Push Buttons. Then you say that ths Gray Ring that’s atop the Dial Drum protudes outside the cabinet and that its not binding when radio is installed in cabinet. That Gray Ring is your tuning dial, and I guess that is why I am not following you. Now of course, when the radio is out of its cabinet, you would have no marker indicating the frequency of any station AM or SW, because that indicator line is/should be on the clear lens mounted in the Bezel Assembly on the front of the cabinet. You would have to mcgiver a tuning indicator line for Alignment purposes, not any other choice, but could be done. I sppose trying to Align with radio in cabinet might be asking for al lot.
    Sorry if im being a bit dense.

    Ralph

    #32290
    johngillespie
    CVRS Member

    Hi Dan
    This radio is listed with the radiomuseum.org. It has a copy of the RCC diagram. The diagram has a top of chassis picture that clearly identifies the manual tuning control. As others have suggested, it appears the dial drum is above or below the celluloid dial, and looks as if it is manually turned like a thumbwheel. Pretty interesting design. john

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