Carefully inspect the power cord to insure that it is new, or if not, that there are no cracks or frayed spots in the cord and that the plug is in good condition.
If you have purchased an unrestored antique radio, you should not plug it in unless you are experienced in repairing antique radios and have the proper equipment to safely test an unrestored radio.
Old radios pose a serious electrical shock hazard. Proceed at your own Risk!
1. Carefully unpack your "new" radio and inspect it for damage. Make sure knobs have not come loose during shipment. Gently turn radio side to side. There should be no loose parts rattling inside. If you hear loose parts inside, carefully remove the back and see what is loose. Make sure all tubes in fully seated in their sockets. If there are any loose parts inside, contact the seller for further instructions.
2. Choose a location for the radio away from electric motors, appliances, fluorescent lights, computers, or other electrical equipment. RFI (radio frequency interference) from such equipment can cause noise, often a buzzing sound or sometimes a shrill whistle, in your radio
3. If the radio has an external antenna, extend the antenna wire protruding from the back of the radio along a baseboard or shelf. The radio will receive poorly or not at all if the antenna is not extended. From about 1940 on, most old radios have an internal antenna.
4. Plug the radio into a 115 VAC household receptacle.
5. Turn the radio on. The ON switch is usually combined with the volume control, and will usually be found on the left hand side of the radio as you face it. For clock radios, see instructions below. It may take a minute or so for your tube radio to warm up and receive stations. When you hear static or noise, use the
6. TUNING knob to tune in a radio station. Be careful not to turn the TUNING knob too far to the right or left or you may damage it. Stop when you feel resistance. You should be able to see when you are at either end of the dial scale.
7. The quality of reception will depend greatly upon your location, where the radio is placed in your home, and your antenna. You may have to experiment to find a spot with the best reception. With some radios, you may only receive a few strong local stations, especially in the daytime. Reception may improve at night.
8. If your radio has a clock, it should start operating when the radio is plugged in. Set the time by turning the time set shaft in back of the radio. Turn this knob CLOCKWISE only. If there is not a shaft protruding from the rear of the radio for time setting, then find a small knob on the front for setting time. Again, turn the knob CLOCKWISE to set time.
9. To turn on a clock radio, one of the small clock knobs will be marked RADIO or sometimes MANUAL. Turn the knob to RADIO or MANUAL. After a warmup period, you should hear static or a station. See item 6 above for tuning. To turn off the radio, turn this knob to the OFF or center or neutral position. Usually the knob has three positions: OFF (center), RADIO and ALARM or sometimes AUTOMATIC, OFF, MANUAL.
10. To set the clock alarm, find the small knob usually marked ALARM SET. Usually, this knob is carefully pulled out from the face of the clock, then turned COUNTER-CLOCKWISE to rotate alarm set pointer, or on some clocks, a small inner clock dial, to the desired alarm time. Leave the knob out. Push the knob in to shut off the alarm when it sounds. To set the alarm when the radio is off, turn the small RADIO-OFF-ALARM knob to ALARM or AUTOMATIC.
11. Remember, your radio is probably fifty or more years old. You should play the radio an hour every month to keep the electrical components from drying out, but it is not advisable to leave the radio playing unattended. Tube radios generate a lot of heat. If the radio becomes unusually hot or emits a burning smell or unusual noises, unplug it immediately.
www.edsantiqueradios.com