[pcravero]

Mission completed!

I have replaced all five capacitors mentioned by Lawrence with "jb" polypropylene axial rated for 630V (bought off ebay from UK seller). I was worried they wouldn't fit, but they are actually much smaller than the originals. Now I see why "axial" is better.

Then I traced the lack of oscillation in the lower part of the MW band. I slid a strip of paper between the blades until I realized that the outermost blade was bent inwards. That was another easy fix.

Hardest part was to fit the circuit back into the case, mostly getting the right spacing without all original screws&C. Some beads from my daughters' toys were put into service as spacers.

I tried powering the RD160 off 220V mains and I confirm it became more sensitive, at least considering the loudness of the background noise (and hum). I am now waiting for sunset to see how it performs with weaker distant signals. It has a small ferrite antenna, so using an external wire is a must.

Left to do: glue the plastic case, restore knobs (they are cracked and slide instead of turning the shafts).

Thanks for the support, in this thread and in all past discussions about restoring!
Paolo