Stewart warner motorized tuning

[Dan Walker]

I have this eleven tube Stewart Warner 3 band floor model radio,,and it has mororized tuning[besides regular dial tuning].
The radio works well although I still have to recap it. the motor for the tuning works but it will not shut off and tune in a station.. I would like any information as to how this beast works or any reference material concerning the radio
I went on ARF and the guys there could not find my model number.. One of the guys there said it is similar to one that he has and his has a cable plugged in the backfor remote tuning … he said that this is a rare radio The model number is an unmistakable R409… I think it may be a Canadian model???????.. Any help would be appreciated Dan

[Dan Walker]

Thank you Gerry…. I did make a mistake – it is a ten tube radio…I do have the set up pages and the schematic[from just radios].. What I am looking for is any information about the push button mororized tuning. What happens is that when I set it up for push button operation ,,,,,the motor runs and does not work properly..
I suppose that there was some kind of instructions on troubleshooting that part of the radio at one time, in 1937 or 38..
The chassis weighs about 45 pounds but it does play good. I find myself spending a lot of time just trying to figure out how it works,and maybe then I can get it to work.Like some of the old radios,, it gets frustrating but thats part of the fun .. Thanks Dan

[Bob Weaver]

From looking at the schematic and the photo, it appears to me that the automatic tuning has no electronics involved; it’s just a motor and some cam actuated switches. So, I would check to see that the switch contacts are not bent or otherwise damaged, and that the cams are set up to actuate the switch correctly.

The radio does have an AFC (automatic frequency control) circuit, which I thought at first may be linked to the motorized tuning, but I don’t think so. It looks as if the AFC simply corrects electronically for any sloppiness in the mechanical tuning.

[Dan Walker]

Thank you all for the replys… I did get a lot of information from Antique Radio Forum and one of the guys there sent me a whole set of instructions for this set up.. It gives the specific distances that the contact springs are to be set at and a lot of other information.It is a motor and cam actuated switches but what a system.. Now the problem is ,,,,since I recapped the radio I can’t recieve any stations until I get that fixed. Once again Thanks for the input..Dan

[Dan Walker]

Well with the help of a friend of mine He got the radio going.I had put in a cap backwards..
Just thought I would post a few photos of the radio.. The mototized tuning works very well and the radio sounds real nice.
Thanks for the input you guys gave me.



The second photo is not as yellow as it looks,,it’s just the flash

[Radio Nut]

Hi Dan
That is one nice looking radio. That motorized tuning looks like a nightmare, AND TO THINK IT IS 1937-38 I am off today and am going over to play with some radios.
Bruce Ruttan

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