['LIVEWIRE?']

Some weeks ago I was handed a rather sorry looking RT1, which, as some members will know, was Roberts first transistor radio, released in 1957. Amongst other problems, the volume control was seized up (never known that happen before!), the tuning gang was shorting out at various points, and the circuit board was cracked in several places around the driver and output transformers due, obviously, to the fact that the radio, or at least, the chassis, had at some point been dropped. After extracting, with some difficulty, the chassis from the cabinet, I first replaced the volume control. Fortunately I had an almost identical 5k Log pot. in my spares stock, so it was a simple process to fit that once I'd cut the spindle of the replacement pot. to the required length. I then set about soldering suitable lengths of 18swg tinned copper wire across the points where the board was cracked. This, combined with the fact that the PCB is secured at eac end to the metal frame, helped to make the repair rigid. With some difficulty, I managed to clear the tuning gang of it's short circuits and electrically leaky spots. The radio was now working again, although the alignment was a little out on both MW & LW. With the aid of my AM signal generator I confirmed that the I.F. was correct at 470kHz, so a judicious ttweak of the Oscillator coila n MW Osc. trimmer corrected the MW settings, although Radio 4 LW is still slightly out of position. As reception on both bands is good, I have decided to leave the alignment as it is. Other electronic repairs have involved several capacitors, including the AGC line decoupler and main smootihing capacitor (Whilst writing these notes I don't have the service sheet to hand, so am unable to quote component reference).
The cabinet now needed attention. I began by removing the broken lengthts of the original handle. This involves unsoldering washers from the pims inside the cabinet. Next I reglued the (rexine?) inside the cabinet by using a hot mely glue gun, having cleaned the covering, using first a cloth with a little washing-up liquid, then applying a coating of green shoe polishing cream, and allowing that to dry overnight. The radio is now ready to reasseble, once I receive a set of replacement knobs from member Ti Pwun, who makes relacement knobs for early Roberts radios, price £18 for a set of three, or £7 each. The same knobs, incidentally, were used on the Revelation 'Silvertone' record player..