Discuss Safe use of an old valve radio in the Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

Welcome to ElectriciansForums.net - The American Electrical Advice Forum
Head straight to the main forums to chat by click here:   American Electrical Advice Forum

i know. can't beat a good pentode for realistic sound. still i suppose semiconductors are OK for justin beaver and little mix. they will always sound crap whatever.
I never came across an ac/dc radio here in Australia. My pride and joy are 2 Grundig and 1 Telefunken radios. All have mains transformers and fuses . The only problem I have, are the final tubes,Ecl86 and Ell80. Never heard ,not even in my local Radio Club , fom anybody ,of equipment catching fire. But I must mention this: When I traveled to Australia by boat ,quite a bit of my gear was soaked in sea water.After washing it in fresh water and drying it ,it worked for quite a while but my plastic vacuum cleaner got warmer and hotter and started to change its shape! It was retired. Never ever did any of my gear catch fire,not even my home made transmitter running at 11oo volts ! Some people must have problems ,or fiddle to much with their apparatuses.
 
Hi & Welcome to the Forum.
What's the problem with the output valves ?, Do you mean getting hold of them ?

They're still available over here but the prices are crazy, even for used items.

As you, I've never seen or heard of a Vintage radio catching fire. I've seen and heard a few go pop though, when some fool pulls one from Grandma and Grandpa's attic and connects it to raw mains.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi & Welcome to the Forum.
What's the problem with the output valves ?, Do you mean getting hold of them ?

They're still available over here but the prices are crazy, even for used items.

As you, I've never seen or heard of a Vintage radio catching fire. I've seen and heard a few go pop though, when some fool pulls one from Grandma and Grandpa's attic and connects it to raw mains.
Hi & Welcome to the Forum.
What's the problem with the output valves ?, Do you mean getting hold of them ?

They're still available over here but the prices are crazy, even for used items.

As you, I've never seen or heard of a Vintage radio catching fire. I've seen and heard a few go pop though, when some fool pulls one from Grandma and Grandpa's attic and connects it to raw mains.
Hi Specialist,I found out,the Ell80 can be replaced easily by 2 El95 and I hold 2 in reserve. The Ecl86 is a different story. As the 6 volt version is outrageously expensive I opted for the 12v variety and ordered 3 locally from Melbourne.To my surprise, they came from Malaysia! All three were correctly marked .Testing them revealed : 1 was a 6volt version , 1 was a 12volt version and last, not least,the 3rd had gas . All were advertized NEW OLD STOCK. All 3 looked used.I kept 2 of them and got my money back for the one with gas. So much for the internet,LOL.
 
Hi Specialist,I found out,the Ell80 can be replaced easily by 2 El95 and I hold 2 in reserve. The Ecl86 is a different story. As the 6 volt version is outrageously expensive I opted for the 12v variety and ordered 3 locally from Melbourne.To my surprise, they came from Malaysia! All three were correctly marked .Testing them revealed : 1 was a 6volt version , 1 was a 12volt version and last, not least,the 3rd had gas . All were advertized NEW OLD STOCK. All 3 looked used.I kept 2 of them and got my money back for the one with gas. So much for the internet,LOL.

Aah the joys of repairing Vintage kit :), I looked up the ECL 86 on the bay this morning. Quite a few came up, but tested used valves are changing hands at up to £20 - 30 each & new up to £60 - 70 each. Think I'll have to check my stock of NOS valves.
Slightly different subject but do a lot of people still use CB radio in Oz ?
 
Aah the joys of repairing Vintage kit :), I looked up the ECL 86 on the bay this morning. Quite a few came up, but tested used valves are changing hands at up to £20 - 30 each & new up to £60 - 70 each. Think I'll have to check my stock of NOS valves.
Slightly different subject but do a lot of people still use CB radio in Oz ?
Hi Specialist,I really enjoy this thread. I do not have CB, but I was told , there is a lot of foul language being used. When travelling in the bush you very often find writing on the rear of a caravans : Say Hi, to....on UHF! channel ....There are some channels reserved for emergencies and repeaters. I use Amateur Radi0 as I have a full licence. I actually had to use 2m FM via the Alice Springs Repeater as I had problems with my car ca. 40km west of Alice Springs. Don't know about activities on 27 Mhz. During summer you can cover long distances but it it unreliable. I prefer to use 80m. Thanks heaven for the spellchecker as English is not my first language. Enjoy your summer. Our night temperatures at the moment are 1-2 centigrade , during daytime it goes up to about 12-14. Best regards OH_GERD.
 
Hi Gerd, we are actually having a bit of summer at the minute :)
Glad you were able to use the radio to help get out of trouble, not a lot on the air over here any more.
You take care :thumbsup:
 

Reply to Safe use of an old valve radio in the Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

Electrical Goods - Electrical Tools - Brand Names Electrician Courses Green Electrical Goods PCB Way Electrical Goods - Electrical Tools - Brand Names Pushfit Wire Connectors Electric Underfloor Heating Electrician Courses
These Official Forum Sponsors May Provide Discounts to Regular Forum Members - If you would like to sponsor us then CLICK HERE and post a thread with who you are, and we'll send you some stats etc

Electrical Forum

Welcome to the Electrical Forum at ElectriciansForums.net. The friendliest electrical forum online. General electrical questions and answers can be found in the electrical forum.
This website was designed, optimised and is hosted by Untold Media. Operating under the name Untold Media since 2001.
Back
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website. For the best site experience please disable your AdBlocker.

I've Disabled AdBlock