Hacker RP33 Autocrat - Page 2 - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

canonman75 · 12th Jun 2017, 11:58 am

The Russian GT322A transistors finally arrived last Thursday.

I tested the entire batch with my component analyser. They all tested good with no leakage, so I then fitted four in the radio, held my breath and switched on...

Success! It's now working and the sensitivity is good. The noisy volume pot is no longer an issue as it never needs to be turned that far round anyway. My word, it's loud!

It's all back in the case now and I'm just waiting on some double sided tape to arrive so I can stick the rexine strip back on to the handle.

More photos to come when it's finally finished, then I'll probably start a new thread about the red VHF Herald I started working on yesterday

mhennessy · 12th Jun 2017, 12:19 pm

Good news - well done! Sounds like you've got the beginnings of a decent collection there

canonman75 · 12th Jun 2017, 12:50 pm

Ta!

I need to get round the local car boot sales and see if I can bag some bargains. eBay prices aren't always cheap enough

Radiocruncher · 12th Jun 2017, 1:21 pm

Well done Dave. Glad you got it going. Those russian transistors do work very well. Good luck with the VHF Herald. They are great sets.

Regards

Graham

canonman75 · 13th Jun 2017, 9:58 am

Thank you

New thread on the Herald coming soon

canonman75 · 15th Jun 2017, 12:32 pm

Final photos of the completed Autocrat below.

I'm pretty pleased with the way it's turned out. The only thing I'd do differently if I was doing it again, would be to use one continuous piece of foam for the rear cover rather than four small rectangles - you can see the joins slightly in the plushness of the rexine.

Thanks again for the help and advice. Much appreciated

mhennessy · 15th Jun 2017, 6:38 pm

What a splendid result

I'm glad that people are interested in the more lowly of the Hacker sets. It seems to me that most is written about the Sovereigns and Hunters, and rather less about the smaller AM-only sets like these. But these are great sets in their own right, and deserve to be preserved. Along with this one, I also really like the Mini-Herald. And the Democrat gets an honourable mention for having one of the most complex dial cord arrangements in a basic set!

Keep up the good work

canonman75 · 17th Jun 2017, 3:37 pm

Cheers!

At the moment the Autocrat is actually getting more use than the Hunter, mainly in the kitchen as it's a bit more portable. Still damn heavy though!

I'm quite lucky living where I do because I'm only a couple of miles away from the local transmitter, so the signal is strong and there's still a few decent stations to listen to on medium wave. I had a couple of Roberts Ramblers a few years ago and they never seemed to work quite as well as this Autocrat does

stuboy57 · 17th Jun 2017, 6:27 pm

Well done with your restoration. I too like the Autocrat and Democrat, nice radios to work on.

canonman75 · 17th Jun 2017, 9:56 pm

Ta very much

I do like the look of the Democrats, but the speaker grilles always look a bit delicate and hard to restore if they're damaged.

I will get one eventually, I just need to wait for one with a good grille to turn up!

12th Jun 2017, 11:58 am	#21
canonman75 No Longer a Member Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Madeley Heath, Staffordshire, UK. Posts: 132	Re: Hacker RP33 Autocrat The Russian GT322A transistors finally arrived last Thursday. I tested the entire batch with my component analyser. They all tested good with no leakage, so I then fitted four in the radio, held my breath and switched on... Success! It's now working and the sensitivity is good. The noisy volume pot is no longer an issue as it never needs to be turned that far round anyway. My word, it's loud! It's all back in the case now and I'm just waiting on some double sided tape to arrive so I can stick the rexine strip back on to the handle. More photos to come when it's finally finished, then I'll probably start a new thread about the red VHF Herald I started working on yesterday Attached Thumbnails

12th Jun 2017, 12:19 pm	#22
mhennessy Dekatron Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Evesham, Worcestershire, UK. Posts: 4,244	Re: Hacker RP33 Autocrat Good news - well done! Sounds like you've got the beginnings of a decent collection there

12th Jun 2017, 12:50 pm	#23
canonman75 No Longer a Member Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Madeley Heath, Staffordshire, UK. Posts: 132	Re: Hacker RP33 Autocrat Ta! I need to get round the local car boot sales and see if I can bag some bargains. eBay prices aren't always cheap enough

12th Jun 2017, 1:21 pm	#24
Radiocruncher Hexode Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Torrington, Devon UK. Posts: 446	Re: Hacker RP33 Autocrat Well done Dave. Glad you got it going. Those russian transistors do work very well. Good luck with the VHF Herald. They are great sets. Regards Graham

13th Jun 2017, 9:58 am	#25
canonman75 No Longer a Member Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Madeley Heath, Staffordshire, UK. Posts: 132	Re: Hacker RP33 Autocrat Thank you New thread on the Herald coming soon

15th Jun 2017, 12:32 pm	#26
canonman75 No Longer a Member Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Madeley Heath, Staffordshire, UK. Posts: 132	Re: Hacker RP33 Autocrat Final photos of the completed Autocrat below. I'm pretty pleased with the way it's turned out. The only thing I'd do differently if I was doing it again, would be to use one continuous piece of foam for the rear cover rather than four small rectangles - you can see the joins slightly in the plushness of the rexine. Thanks again for the help and advice. Much appreciated Attached Thumbnails

15th Jun 2017, 6:38 pm	#27
mhennessy Dekatron Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Evesham, Worcestershire, UK. Posts: 4,244	Re: Hacker RP33 Autocrat What a splendid result I'm glad that people are interested in the more lowly of the Hacker sets. It seems to me that most is written about the Sovereigns and Hunters, and rather less about the smaller AM-only sets like these. But these are great sets in their own right, and deserve to be preserved. Along with this one, I also really like the Mini-Herald. And the Democrat gets an honourable mention for having one of the most complex dial cord arrangements in a basic set! Keep up the good work

17th Jun 2017, 3:37 pm	#28
canonman75 No Longer a Member Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Madeley Heath, Staffordshire, UK. Posts: 132	Re: Hacker RP33 Autocrat Cheers! At the moment the Autocrat is actually getting more use than the Hunter, mainly in the kitchen as it's a bit more portable. Still damn heavy though! I'm quite lucky living where I do because I'm only a couple of miles away from the local transmitter, so the signal is strong and there's still a few decent stations to listen to on medium wave. I had a couple of Roberts Ramblers a few years ago and they never seemed to work quite as well as this Autocrat does

17th Jun 2017, 6:27 pm	#29
stuboy57 Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK. Posts: 86	Re: Hacker RP33 Autocrat Well done with your restoration. I too like the Autocrat and Democrat, nice radios to work on.

17th Jun 2017, 9:56 pm	#30
canonman75 No Longer a Member Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Madeley Heath, Staffordshire, UK. Posts: 132	Re: Hacker RP33 Autocrat Ta very much I do like the look of the Democrats, but the speaker grilles always look a bit delicate and hard to restore if they're damaged. I will get one eventually, I just need to wait for one with a good grille to turn up!