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Vintage Radio (domestic) Domestic vintage radio (wireless) receivers only. |
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13th Oct 2019, 7:44 pm | #1 |
Hexode
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Ireleth-in-Furness, Cumbria, UK.
Posts: 286
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Fada Radio 740, will it always be an ugly sister?
Now I'm going to have to admit that I have gone away from domestic radio's for a while. But I still have a few in my "A Round Tuit Pile" that I want to see the light of day eventually.
I've always wanted a little American set and one came my way the other day. It's a bit bashed in Ugly Sister of a Fada 740, I'd love to make it into a bit of a Cinderella. The case is broken, the back is missing, the dial cover has gone yellow and it's been tinkered with inside. But it's all more or less there. I'm going to clean the case up and see if I still fancy the project, but while I'm in the process, does anyone have a circuit or link to a circuit. I don't think they were ever in the ERT supplements were they ? Thanks Nick G0HIK |
13th Oct 2019, 7:50 pm | #2 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 9,642
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Re: Fada Radio 740, will it always be an ugly sister?
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13th Oct 2019, 8:00 pm | #3 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 14,005
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Re: Fada Radio 740, will it always be an ugly sister?
I'd encourage you to resurrect it - at least it's a proper classic "AA5" superhet rather than the poverty-spec 1-V-1 things that were extensively sold to the radio-demanding poor here in the UK in the same timeframe.
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13th Oct 2019, 8:30 pm | #4 | ||
Hexode
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Ireleth-in-Furness, Cumbria, UK.
Posts: 286
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Re: Fada Radio 740, will it always be an ugly sister?
Quote:
The "Tubes" in mine are different, maybe it's been revalved at sometime. I've got a start though. Quote:
Just a shame with the Celluloid gone yellow, but I guess that the "Patina" as the Antique dealers say. Nick |
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13th Oct 2019, 10:53 pm | #5 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 9,642
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Re: Fada Radio 740, will it always be an ugly sister?
I found that via Google, but if you've got some time to spare there may be a revised one buried in here somewhere!
https://www.rsp-italy.it/Electronics...ders/index.htm |
13th Oct 2019, 11:09 pm | #6 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK.
Posts: 875
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Re: Fada Radio 740, will it always be an ugly sister?
Those dial 'lenses' are effectively vacuum-formed plastic - you may be able to knock something up with an old food container [the thin translucent plastic 'trays' etc.] and a hot air gun.
Is this set 120v on a dropper cord, an internal dropper, or a mains TX? Either way be careful with the power supply - and beware of 60Hz v 50Hz issues. Some of those little catalin American Midgets are real works of art ... but I've studiously avoided them for the latter reasons. Good luck - and keep us abreast of your travails/developments eh?
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14th Oct 2019, 5:58 am | #7 | |
Octode
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Southport, Merseyside, UK.
Posts: 1,156
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Re: Fada Radio 740, will it always be an ugly sister?
Quote:
John |
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15th Oct 2019, 6:49 pm | #8 | |
Hexode
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Ireleth-in-Furness, Cumbria, UK.
Posts: 286
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Re: Fada Radio 740, will it always be an ugly sister?
Quote:
I've not found out as my set does not use miniatures and has Octals, I was looking for the wrong circuit anyway. It appears its an L56 which has many variants of case style. I've found the circuit in that index, but not found it in the pages yet. So if anyone has a link to an L56 that would be great. Nick G0HIK |
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15th Oct 2019, 6:52 pm | #9 | |
Hexode
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Ireleth-in-Furness, Cumbria, UK.
Posts: 286
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Re: Fada Radio 740, will it always be an ugly sister?
Quote:
I've not gone in to the circuit in detail yet, but I think I'll run it though an isolation transformer or a DC supply. |
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15th Oct 2019, 6:56 pm | #10 | ||
Hexode
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Ireleth-in-Furness, Cumbria, UK.
Posts: 286
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Re: Fada Radio 740, will it always be an ugly sister?
Quote:
I can find all my DVD's but the CD's with the Trader sheets have gone to ground, I've put then safe, they will come to light when I'm looking for something else I sure. I've also got volumes of the trader sheets that I've not thrown away. I'll have to spend an evening going through them sometime. Nick G0HIK |
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15th Oct 2019, 7:02 pm | #11 |
Hexode
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Ireleth-in-Furness, Cumbria, UK.
Posts: 286
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Re: Fada Radio 740, will it always be an ugly sister?
The case has cleaned up nicely, so it's worth progressing.
I've notice this before with Bakelite, you can keep polishing and you can keep getting brown off the case onto the polishing cloth, it looks like Nicotine, but is it really the colour from the resin and you could go on forever ? Also I always seem to still get a faint blooming of the case that can be seen some light angles, I'm never totally happy with the finish, can you ever get it to a perfection? Nick |
15th Oct 2019, 7:26 pm | #12 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 13,454
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Re: Fada Radio 740, will it always be an ugly sister?
Quote:
http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resource...=\M0005582.pdf Resources page: http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/ Lawrence. |
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15th Oct 2019, 7:34 pm | #13 | |
Octode
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Southport, Merseyside, UK.
Posts: 1,156
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Re: Fada Radio 740, will it always be an ugly sister?
Quote:
John |
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15th Oct 2019, 8:05 pm | #14 |
Hexode
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Ireleth-in-Furness, Cumbria, UK.
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Re: Fada Radio 740, will it always be an ugly sister?
Great.
Thankyou |
15th Oct 2019, 10:38 pm | #15 | |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK.
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Re: Fada Radio 740, will it always be an ugly sister?
Quote:
__________________
Red to red, black to black. Throw the switch and stand well back! |
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18th Oct 2019, 10:50 am | #16 | ||
Hexode
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Location: Ireleth-in-Furness, Cumbria, UK.
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Re: Fada Radio 740, will it always be an ugly sister?
Quote:
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18th Oct 2019, 10:55 am | #17 |
Hexode
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Ireleth-in-Furness, Cumbria, UK.
Posts: 286
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Re: Fada Radio 740, will it always be an ugly sister?
Right I'm getting a little brassed off and am going to have to get more technical now.
Initially it was "Dead" except for the heaters, after finding a few bad connections and a dead short H.T decoupling cap, I had a very low hiss. I measured all the Caps and most had no capacitance, these have since been changed. I can now receive the local M.W. station "Radio Cumbria", it is very distorted and the only station I can hear. There also hetrodynes right through the band, I presume it's "taking off", what should I look for next ? Nick |
18th Oct 2019, 11:44 am | #18 | |
Hexode
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Ireleth-in-Furness, Cumbria, UK.
Posts: 286
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Re: Fada Radio 740, will it always be an ugly sister?
Quote:
I expected the radio to pulling stations with a small Aerial, but not. I've connected the outside long wire and it seems fine now. I still have a few faults to sort. 1) Distorted Audio. 2) LW range appears incorrect. 3) signal fades occasionally, maybe the band switch is the culprit here. Nick |
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18th Oct 2019, 1:20 pm | #19 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK.
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Re: Fada Radio 740, will it always be an ugly sister?
What's the HT looking like?
__________________
Red to red, black to black. Throw the switch and stand well back! |
18th Oct 2019, 5:49 pm | #20 |
Hexode
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Ireleth-in-Furness, Cumbria, UK.
Posts: 286
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Re: Fada Radio 740, will it always be an ugly sister?
Not too sure what it should be, but it seems correct.
120v before the filter and 85v after. Nick P.S. thinking about it, 450 ohms filter, means is pulling around 80 mills, too much ? |