1954 PYE P178 AC mains 5 valve MW/LW/SW compact table radio - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

howard · 27th Dec 2011, 11:58 pm

Hello again,

Christmas is over so I finished this little PYE P178 today which I originally acquired over 18 months ago. It came in a box of small valve radios so it didn't cost a lot, around £2, and then at the last Wootton Bassett auction I won a second P178 for £5 in poor condition but it had all the bits missing from the first one including one front knob, an undamaged waveband switch knob, a rustfree R&A loudspeaker and other bits. I did a later PYE P178A a couple of years ago, the only difference between them is that the P178 has a Mazda 6C9 frequency changer valve and the P178A a Mullard ECH42.

This original set worked on arrival but I still replaced the tubular capacitors with new Vishays. The original smoothing capacitor and two electrolytic capacitors were still OK. As usual the chassis was cleaned with white spirit and the valve pins/sockets, volume potentiometer and waveband switch were cleaned with DeoxiT. I realigned all three bands, a bit fiddly on this set as the scale is attached to the cabinet so the chassis needs to be slipped into the cabinet to set the pointer position but only the LW aerial trimmer needed much adjustment. A new 3 core cable was fitted and the chassis was checked over, HT was fine and the set was now working really well with all its original valves still in place.

The loudspeaker was removed from the cabinet and as the paper cone had come away from much of the frame around the edge it was discarded. The dial was removed and polished with Brasso. The cabinet was cleaned with upholstery cleaner and polished with Brasso and apart from a couple of small scratches was perfect, so I dabbed a little Topps Scratch Cover over the scratches and amazingly they all but vanished. I then reassembled the set using the loudspeaker, knob and waveband switch knob taken from the scrap set.

So another good set costing around £10 built from scrap and it's a really nice one too and it works very well.

Howard

greasylox · 28th Dec 2011, 1:50 am

Nice job Howard, another one saved from recycling, well done!

danwdanw · 28th Dec 2011, 9:13 am

Hi Howard. fantastic job. The set looks absolutely spot on. Regards, Brendan.

bobbyball · 28th Dec 2011, 6:20 pm

Nice result there and some useful tips!

Robert

Hybrid tellies · 29th Dec 2011, 12:59 pm

Nice job Howard I love these smaller table radios and this one is a good example of one.

howard · 29th Dec 2011, 3:05 pm

I like 1950s compact valve radios too, in particular PYEs as they're nice sturdy little AC mains sets and I have several of them including P43s, a P78, P178A and an AM/FM Piper and they don't take up a lot of space. I'm surprised that this one was discarded and sold off with other scrap sets in a box as it is a nice one and has retained all its mottled pattern and gloss finish on its bakelite cabinet. The main weaknesses of this model are its flimsy knobs and its loudspeaker which tends to rust around the rim.

As there were a few indelible spots on its grille I've now replaced that too using the grille from the scrap set and I've also repainted the centres of the front knobs.

Howard

27th Dec 2011, 11:58 pm	#1
howard Nonode Join Date: May 2005 Location: Godalming, Surrey, UK. Posts: 2,593	1954 PYE P178 AC mains 5 valve MW/LW/SW compact table radio Hello again, Christmas is over so I finished this little PYE P178 today which I originally acquired over 18 months ago. It came in a box of small valve radios so it didn't cost a lot, around £2, and then at the last Wootton Bassett auction I won a second P178 for £5 in poor condition but it had all the bits missing from the first one including one front knob, an undamaged waveband switch knob, a rustfree R&A loudspeaker and other bits. I did a later PYE P178A a couple of years ago, the only difference between them is that the P178 has a Mazda 6C9 frequency changer valve and the P178A a Mullard ECH42. This original set worked on arrival but I still replaced the tubular capacitors with new Vishays. The original smoothing capacitor and two electrolytic capacitors were still OK. As usual the chassis was cleaned with white spirit and the valve pins/sockets, volume potentiometer and waveband switch were cleaned with DeoxiT. I realigned all three bands, a bit fiddly on this set as the scale is attached to the cabinet so the chassis needs to be slipped into the cabinet to set the pointer position but only the LW aerial trimmer needed much adjustment. A new 3 core cable was fitted and the chassis was checked over, HT was fine and the set was now working really well with all its original valves still in place. The loudspeaker was removed from the cabinet and as the paper cone had come away from much of the frame around the edge it was discarded. The dial was removed and polished with Brasso. The cabinet was cleaned with upholstery cleaner and polished with Brasso and apart from a couple of small scratches was perfect, so I dabbed a little Topps Scratch Cover over the scratches and amazingly they all but vanished. I then reassembled the set using the loudspeaker, knob and waveband switch knob taken from the scrap set. So another good set costing around £10 built from scrap and it's a really nice one too and it works very well. Howard Attached Thumbnails

28th Dec 2011, 1:50 am	#2
greasylox Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Carmarthen, Wales, UK. Posts: 79	Re: 1954 PYE P178 AC mains 5 valve MW/LW/SW compact table radio Nice job Howard, another one saved from recycling, well done!

28th Dec 2011, 9:13 am	#3
danwdanw Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Paisley, Renfrewshire, UK. Posts: 12	Re: 1954 PYE P178 AC mains 5 valve MW/LW/SW compact table radio Hi Howard. fantastic job. The set looks absolutely spot on. Regards, Brendan.

28th Dec 2011, 6:20 pm	#4
bobbyball Octode Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester Posts: 1,217	Re: 1954 PYE P178 AC mains 5 valve MW/LW/SW compact table radio Nice result there and some useful tips! Robert

29th Dec 2011, 12:59 pm	#5
Hybrid tellies Nonode Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: 1966-1976 Coverack in Cornwall and Helston Cornwall. 1976-present Bristol/Bath area. Posts: 2,967	Re: 1954 PYE P178 AC mains 5 valve MW/LW/SW compact table radio Nice job Howard I love these smaller table radios and this one is a good example of one. __________________ Simon BVWS member

29th Dec 2011, 3:05 pm	#6
howard Nonode Join Date: May 2005 Location: Godalming, Surrey, UK. Posts: 2,593	Re: 1954 PYE P178 AC mains 5 valve MW/LW/SW compact table radio I like 1950s compact valve radios too, in particular PYEs as they're nice sturdy little AC mains sets and I have several of them including P43s, a P78, P178A and an AM/FM Piper and they don't take up a lot of space. I'm surprised that this one was discarded and sold off with other scrap sets in a box as it is a nice one and has retained all its mottled pattern and gloss finish on its bakelite cabinet. The main weaknesses of this model are its flimsy knobs and its loudspeaker which tends to rust around the rim. As there were a few indelible spots on its grille I've now replaced that too using the grille from the scrap set and I've also repainted the centres of the front knobs. Howard Attached Thumbnails Last edited by howard; 29th Dec 2011 at 3:15 pm.