[The Plan]:Updated January 25, 2008

If I only had a plan..

The first step towards bringing this radio back to life (which I was assured had been working in some fashion not too long ago) is to take inventory of the current issues..

Current Issues with Stratosphere Radio


  • Knobs are missing. I have one large knob and part of one smaller knob. I have both lever knobs.
  • Power chassis is rusted and in need of overhaul. This is probably the first large task to take on. The decision needs to be made on whether or not to strip down the chassis, remove the rust, repaint the chassis, and reassemble the power supplies and amplifier. The construction techniques are not too difficult, and the result, if completed, would be the best choice. Of course this takes time and patience, which I do not have a lot of right now.. A quick fix may be in order, if it can be done safely, and a more complete restoration could be put off for a bit. It would also allow me to see if the rest of the radio is working.
  • Many of the dial lights are missing. I have one original bulb, and have been looking at finding suitable replacements. The bulbs evidently were not a standard size, and I have not found anything that exactly matches these bulbs. The ones with the right base and diameter are too long, and the closest seems to be a different base and slightly smaller in diameter. I am settling on the latter for now, and have purchased base adaptors so that I do not have to make any wiring changes to the radio.
    UPDATE: I have seen Intermediate based bulbs on the internet that may be a better match.. More on this when I track them down..
  • I am missing a shield for the tuner section of the radio. This is not significant, and something could be fabricated easily enough.. I will leave this until later..
  • One speaker cone is severly damaged, and needs to be reconed. I have looked for reconing services, but have been a bit skiddish due to the irreplacability of the speaker.. Any suggestions?
  • Cabinet needs some restoration. Some of the smaller things I may tackle, but I will try to not do much to the cabinet until I can get some professional advice and assistance. Some well-meaning inlaw decided to help by sanding off some of the flaking finish, and got a bit aggressive on the trim. There is some veneer damage on the base, and one side of the radio. There is some superficial seperation on the bottom plywood shelf which I am sure will respond well to regluing.
  • Several tubes need to be replaced, and it needs a recapping. Fairly simple thing, though with 6 45 tubes, not cheap!
  • It needs a good cleaning!
    •

    Well.. This list is not too daunting.. I have pulled and tested the tubes from the bottom chassis. About half were bad, and will be replaced. The rest of the chassis needs a good cleaning, and I may experiment with the best way to remove the rust.

    Based on the results of that test, I will decide if I do the simple, "get it working" sort of job now, or look at doing a complete tear down and restoration. There is always danger that a tear down will damage an irreplaceable item, so I don't take the decision lightly. The primary mantra will be to not do anything that can not be reversed later. If there is any way I can stop the rust, restore some cosmetics to the chassis, and restore the function without compromising the original components, I tend to think that I may want to go in that direction.

    UPDATE: I decided to strip the chassis down and clean the rust, then rebuild it. You can see the photos on the next section of the saga.. Interesting that the Zenith schematics did not exactly match my set..

    A friend is looking into having a set of knobs for this radio made. I do not have any more information at this time. My thought is that if we have one set made, we might make another at the same time, "just in case"..

    I plan on moving soon, so I am not wanting to undertake any major project until after that move is completed, so much of this is currently on hold.

    Once I have worked out the details on the dial lamps, I will post the specifications for both the old lamps and the new ones I have selected. Since the wattage may be different, I may elect to insert a solid state rectifier in line with the lamp supply. This will reduce the wattage on the bulbs, and preserve the switch contacts on the band switch. A quick check of the schematic shows that these 110v lamps were switched on the band switch! We are used to 6v lamps in most radios. This, obviously, is not most Radios!

    More later as I get time...