The worse hacked set ever

[ChristianFletcher]

Just before Christmas on a rain soaked Friday night i had taken delivery of a Hallicrafters S20-R and having looked at it for the first time today it’s a bit of a shocker. I don’t normally like to berate fellow radio restorers we all work to our own level and do the best work we can. But to say this set had been hacked at is a serious understatement. It’s had the mains transformer replaced and many of the capacitors. Unfortunately most of the replacement components are hanging loose and shorting against each other. But what really had me scratching my head was the total lack of audio total silence. Well turns out the replacement output transformer was a replacement smoothing choke although it looked like it had four wires it hadn’t. Well it turns out that a 8 ohm speaker had been connected directly to the anode of the outputs valve. No audio output transformer. I have spent the day cutting parts off until it’s now partially working and only smokes a bit. I’m seriously wondering if this is worth the investment in my time, but have a soft spot for basket cases like this. But I have my work cut out for me this time!

Well what I’m wondering, what is the worst restoration you have taken on willingly or in error and the worse hackery encountered?

[baza100]

Hello, My Receiver Broadcast Type C No.4 was advertised as converted to Bluetooth. Was hoping it was not too far gone but by the looks of it there is a fair bit missing. Anyway on the To do list.
Thanks barry

[Radio Wrangler]

There's a photo in a recent post in the audiophoolery thread that shows the innards of an expensive audio amplifier. It's in this league, and that seems to be how it was built!

Worth a look.

David

[ChristianFletcher]

I think there is a special place in hell reserved for the “up cyclers” I haven’t see a nice Avo 8 lamp yet.

[Gabe001]

Originally Posted by ChristianFletcher

I think there is a special place in hell reserved for the “up cyclers” I haven’t see a nice Avo 8 lamp yet.

I have!

[ChristianFletcher]

Gabe001

ERrrrrr. I have reserved you a seat next too the pregnant popes.

Chris

[Lloyd 1985]

Oh that’s a mess! I know I am a bit lazy fitting components when I’m just tacking them in to see if something will work, but normally I’ll refit them properly later. The worst hacked set I’ve come across so far is a little PYE BV30 tv, someone obviously got a new pair of side cutters for Christmas, and decided to try them out on the poor little PYE! It’s not like they were trying to remove components, they all seemed to be left alone, but they just snipped at the wiring in random places! That set has been left on the very bottom of the roundtuit pile since I discovered that, it needs a total strip and rebuilt, at least the CRT is good, I’ve borrowed it for other sets and it displays a decent picture.

Regards
Lloyd

[ChristianFletcher]

I’m sure a point is probably reached where a set is so bad a full chassis up rebuild is probably the correct action. I would however find such a scratch build quite daunting so I generally go for the rolling restoration. It would be nice if anyone can share pictures of their worst hacked at sets.

[Restoration73]

Sometimes slight changes have to be made for safety compliance, but it should be
possible to do this in a sympathetic way to the original. Goods sold commercially with
plug should have recent PAT label. The Hallicrafters original transformer was 110 volt.

Items that appear to have been made non-functional deliberately ; this is often done
where equipment is written off for inventory or insurance purposes.

[David Simpson]

Chris, the worst vintage item I ever worked on since joining the Forum in 2007 was a pre-war Cossor 3339 Oscillograph, back in 2010. Years ago, someone had tried to convert it to a primitive TV. (Pictures in post 23, 6th Aug. 2010).
Worst item ever - - back in '66, an RAF Hartley 13A Oscilloscope - someone had blown up the huge oil-filled EHT Transformer.

Regards, David

[wireman]

Originally Posted by Restoration73

Goods sold commercially with
plug should have recent PAT label.

Could you clarify if this is just a statement of good practice?

[Paul Stenning]

PAT testing is off-topic for this thread and has been discussed multiple times here before.

[Lloyd 1985]

Does this one count as hacked about?!

Looks like a rather plain old TV22, but something looks a bit off about the CRT, it looks like it’s slipped back from the mask a bit, then look inside!!

Regards
Lloyd

[Welsh Anorak]

Does my auction buy TX10 count? The innards had been replaced with an electric blanket so it had a mains lead!
That TV22 actually looks to hve been quite well converted, and could be changed back if one with a broken cabinet turns up. At least there aren't additional holes in the cabinet - at least I don't think so. And it's not a fish tank, so be grateful for small mercies!

[ChristianFletcher]

I think that may be worth some points Lloyd but it would be a shock if you bought it as a valve receiver. I haven’t heard of the Electric blanket modification LOL, did the blanket work ?

[The Philpott]

As has been said before, it's everyone's right to 'modify' their vintage acquisitions and purchases, but for avoidance of doubt (and to save anyone else having to say it) upcycling things like analogue meters into table lamps and nixie clocks is largely very unpopular here. Attitudes tend to worsen still further if said items appear for sale elsewhere.

Fashions change but good test equipment persists. Just saying..

Dave

[Gabe001]

Originally Posted by Gabe001

I have!

Just to qualify, they're not mine and I wouldn't do that to an any vintage equipment. I just posted to show that it's being done. Apologies for the misunderstanding.

[Lloyd 1985]

Originally Posted by ChristianFletcher

I think that may be worth some points Lloyd but it would be a shock if you bought it as a valve receiver.

There is a bit of a story behind that set, I was young and inexperienced in vintage tv’s, and I’d had this book called ‘Bakelite Collectables’, in which was pictured a TV22, I’d already been collecting radio’s, and had a couple of fairly modern TV’s, so I fancied a valve TV! I’d been looking on eBay at several different ones, and then this set came up, and it was shown working! Well, it had snow on the screen, and in the description it said you couldn’t use it on modern day signals, so I guessed that it was all above board and would be a good purchase. I promptly bid what seemed to be the going rate for TV22’s at the time... Then it arrived... probably a good job it didn’t have the original chassis as the CRT would certainly have popped, you can imagine my disappointment when I took the back off, ‘WHERE’S ME VALVES!!’ Still, at least it worked and I could pick up modern broadcasts on it! At least it didn’t put me off collecting, about a year later I did get a complete and original TV22, probably still paid far too much for it though, but it is now one of my best sets.

As for this bodged set, I was considering updating its chassis with maybe a built in freeview box, and somehow rig it to turn the TV on and off with the remote. I did get a chassis for it, but never got round to doing anything with it, the cabinet is damaged too, there’s a crack from one of the knobs to the bottom right of the screen surround.

Regards
Lloyd

Ps; love the tale of the TX10 electric blanket!

[ChristianFletcher]

Hello Gabe

I was only pulling your leg as others have said people can do what they wish with their own property. I’m a fan of infinity diversity. But what I had on my mind is just really poor inappropriate repairs.

Lloyds storey reminded me a Cossor I bought thinking it was from the 1930. I didn’t spot the ferrite rod in the ebay listening. Turns out it had a 1950 valve radios installed inside. We live and learn I got a laugh out of it. It’s probably rights of passage thing, everybody buys a lemon from time too time

Chris

[Richard_FM]

I've heard of a prop 405 line sets having a 625 line chassis fudged inside to make it easier to feed a line signal.

I used to have an NOS Sanyo 9 inch CCTV monitor which I considered making the case look older, but never got round to it. I sold it last summer to a retro gamer as I was over my collection allocation.