Regentone ARG79 with no sound from turntable - help!

[Lucas1138]

Hi

I'm new here and after some advice really. I'm lucky to gave been given a Regentone ARG79 (I think it's a 79).

The radio seems to work but doesn't light up, but I can get a few channels which are clear.

The turntable loads and spins, and I can hear the record through the needle, but it isn't coming through the speaker. I've checked all the basic wiring and it all looks OK.
The bloke I got it off says he had it working and records sounded great, so I'm not sure if it is a recent faulty issue.
I'm a novice when it comes to repairs on electrics, but I have a multimeter. I'm not sure how easy it will be to get spares or replace parts and I'm a bit concerned about valves etc.

Any advice or help would be brilliant.

Thanks.

[Nuvistor]

Service data here for the ARG79.
http://www.service-data.com/product....13/6999/e15513

General repair advice here
https://www.vintage-radio.com/repair...ion/index.html

The voltages inside the gram require respect if you don’t want to injure yourself or others. Use safe working practices and do not remove or bypass safety critical components.

[Michael Maurice]

I have just serviced an ARG79 for someone. On her one, the O/P transformer had failed because of continued use without it being serviced.

You MUST have this unit properly serviced, by that I mean replacing all the paper/wax capacitors and out of tolerance resistors.

These radiograms are now over 60 years old all these parts are well past their life expectancy.

As for the gram fault, you will probably find that the cartridge or its wiring has also failed.

[Edward Huggins]

If you touch the cartridge pins you should hear a healthy buzz trough the amplifier. If not, I would suspect the cartridge. If it's the original mono one, then this will have to be replaced anyway as you can't use this for Stereo LPs - which most people will have. Fortunately for you, suitable cartridges are still available.

[Lucas1138]

Thanks for all the advice. I downloaded the service data sheet but now suspect the model I have is a different one as it also plays 33's & 45's.

Edward - what does the cartridge look like? I took the back off it and cleaned it all out. The wires all look healthy enough. The valves light up a bit, but look a bit dark in area.

Michael - Where would i get something like this serviced? I live in Liverpool. I bought a 1950's TV at the end of the summer too, but haven't plugged it in yet (havent changed the plug on it either) as i read it could damage the set. I'd like this servicing too if possible but don't know where to begin.

Thanks

[Station X]

The cartridge is the component which the stylus (needle) fits into.

You can post in this section to find someone to repair your vintage items:-

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...play.php?f=145

A 1950's TV won't work without a standards converter. 405 line VHF TV signals are no longer broadcast in the UK.

[Lucas1138]

Thanks Graham!

[electrogram]

It would be well worth getting this going properly. These humble Regentone\rgd models with their large speaker do sound quite good and had everything desired in a modern instrument in 1955/6, three speed autochanger and VHF radio, and probably gave a lot of satisfaction to their owners.

[Lucas1138]

Yes, I really can't wait to have this back in working shape. It really looks beautiful, and hope it sounds as good as it looks.

[Edward Huggins]

Yes, from your photos I can see the original Acos mono cartridge. This may well have failed by now. Do the test as I suggested and if not working, buy a replacement. We can advise as to these.

[crackle]

I wouldn't advise doing any tests on the cartridge terminals until it has been checked over by somebody who knows what they are doing as expensive damage can be caused to the electronics.

The cartridge is the last item to be replaced after you know it has been restored and is all working.

Mike

[Lucas1138]

Hi Edward.
Thanks for the advice. I took a look under the arm and discovered the red wire had come away. I reconnected and it works sweet! Sounds so nice!
So next I suspect I need to looking into getting it stereo.
Thank you!

[Edward Huggins]

There is no point in trying to convert this to stereo. Essentially you just need to fit a stereo compatible mono cartridge to allow you to safely play your stereo records, but of course still in mono, on this nice old warm sounding radiogram. If you want to migrate to stereo, you will need to start off with getting a stereo radiogram.

[Lucas1138]

Hi Edward. Yes, that sounds perfect. Where would I obtain a compatible cartridge?
What will happen if I play stereo albums on this currently?
Thanks again.

[Edward Huggins]

If you play stereo albums on this you will permanently damage them.
You need to fit a stereo-compatible cartridge - a BSR X5M. These are now very scarce.

[paulsherwin]

You can of course fit a full stereo cartridge, and strap the two channels together at the back of the cartridge. Some people have fitted the cheap red Chinese cartridges available for a couple of pounds - these generally work very well, but require the fabrication of mounting hardware if you're not going to resort to a lump of Blu-tak.

[Lucas1138]

Thanks for the tip off on not playing stereo albums Edward. What prices are the BSR X5M going for? Where would I find one of these? In this group?

Paul, where would I get a cheap Chinese cartridge?

[paulsherwin]

Typical eBay listing: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1PCS-Turn...4AAOSw06xZlShh

There are many other sellers if you search, and you can buy them from other sites too.

[Lucas1138]

Great! Thanks Paul

[Edward Huggins]

Originally Posted by Lucas1138

Thanks for the tip off on not playing stereo albums Edward. What prices are the BSR X5M going for? Where would I find one of these? In this group?

You can search on google. Musonic, Mantra Audio and The Stylus Lady did have them. Price is around £35.00. These can play 78's as well and are an easy fit. There is nothing wrong with the ultra-cheap Chinese ones, but they do have a lower output, can't play 78's and will need a bit of ingenuity to fix into the headshell with the correct alignment.