ID Help - Early Setchell Carlson Tombstone

turf1600 · **Joined:** Apr Tue 29, 2014 4:48 pm **Posts:** 37

Trying to ID this Setchell Carlson tombstone that I picked up at a garage sale. I can't find a thing on it. It has 5 tubes and had a label on it that said "Early 30s". Any thoughts?

Indiana Radios · **Posted:** Jun Tue 27, 2017 12:17 am

What's the tube lineup?

egg · **Posted:** Jun Tue 27, 2017 12:24 am

Are there any numbers stamped on the chassis or speaker?

Greg.

turf1600 · **Joined:** Apr Tue 29, 2014 4:48 pm **Posts:** 37

I will report back after I get home

Tim Tress · **Posted:** Jun Tue 27, 2017 1:09 am

From the dial and cabinet style, it's probably from 1934-36.

turf1600 · **Joined:** Apr Tue 29, 2014 4:48 pm **Posts:** 37

The 4 tubes are labeled (in no order):

34 38 46 75

Chassis says 40691

The speaker appears to have been replaced - but it is marked as follows:

LA 349
734013
447 807

GlensterTX · **Posted:** Jun Tue 27, 2017 5:12 am

Edited after posting: in your first post you say there are 5 tubes, in the post above you say there are four - which is correct?

With that tube lineup I'm pretty sure it's a battery set. The Mallory-Yaxley database at http://www.grillecloth.com/sylvania/tub ... ubmit&db=5 shows that lineup, with a 1A6 instead of the 46, as a model 40, as found in the Sylvania documentation. Riders and the Gernsback Manual both do not seem to have a schematic for it.

According to Wikipedia (hardly a bastion of accuracy!), the company that became Setchell-Carlson started in 1928 manufacturing automobile radios under the name "Karadio". They first used the Setchell-Carlson name in 1934 when they introduced a line of "home" radios. If your set is a battery set, it might well be from SC's first year of manufacture.

turf1600 · **Joined:** Apr Tue 29, 2014 4:48 pm **Posts:** 37

I also found this inside

egg · **Posted:** Jun Tue 27, 2017 1:30 pm

turf1600 wrote: I also found this inside

We wait with bated breath...

Can you post a photo of the chassis, and the underneath if you intend to remove it.

Greg.

turf1600 · **Joined:** Apr Tue 29, 2014 4:48 pm **Posts:** 37

I tried to attach it - I didn't realize until this morning that it exceeded the max file size.

turf1600 · **Joined:** Apr Tue 29, 2014 4:48 pm **Posts:** 37

GlensterTX wrote:

Edited after posting: in your first post you say there are 5 tubes, in the post above you say there are four - which is correct?

With that tube lineup I'm pretty sure it's a battery set. The Mallory-Yaxley database at http://www.grillecloth.com/sylvania/tub ... ubmit&db=5 shows that lineup, with a 1A6 instead of the 46, as a model 40

It is a 4 tube.

It very certainly has an AC plug and what appears to be a rectifying tube. Are you suggesting that it could be a conversion?

egg · **Posted:** Jun Tue 27, 2017 7:02 pm

If it is indeed a battery 32Volt?-farm set do not plug it into 120VAC without first pulling the chassis and looking underneath.

Tim KA3JRT or one of the other resident experts will no doubt advise you on how to proceed.
You will need to show more photos.

tmoen5grj is an ebay seller in Prior Lake, Minn.
https://ebay.com/sch/tmoen5grj/m.html?i ... 7675.l2562

Looks like he sold it 700-plus sales back in time for $75.00

Greg.

GlensterTX · **Posted:** Jun Tue 27, 2017 8:04 pm

I'm afraid there's no rectifier tube here:

34 Super-Control RF Amplifier Pentode

38 Power Amplifier Pentode

46 Dual-Grid Power Amplifier

75 Duplex-Diode High-Mu Triode

(1A6 Pentagrid Converter)

I believe these tubes were intended to be used in battery sets - perhaps they're not the correct ones for your radio?

turf1600 · **Joined:** Apr Tue 29, 2014 4:48 pm **Posts:** 37

I feel like this thing has been significantly re-jiggered- and I now agree that it's probably a homemade cabinet - albeit a nice one.

turf1600 · **Joined:** Apr Tue 29, 2014 4:48 pm **Posts:** 37

Accidental double post

egg · **Posted:** Jun Wed 28, 2017 8:37 pm

Can you edit your last picture post above as the images
are displaying at 3024px (pixels) wide which equates to 42" (inches)... :shock:

Image file restrictions here are width-800px by height-800px and file size-256kB max

Resize image on-line→ http://picresize.com

Do not change height when resizing.

Greg.

Tim Tress · **Posted:** Jun Wed 28, 2017 10:18 pm

It's a Frankenradio, for sure. The reason that there is no rectifier tube is because silicon diodes have been added; one is visible in the underchassis view. The speaker and the output and power transformers are not original, obviously post-war production.

My guess is that it started out as a battery or 32 volt farm radio and was modified for AC operation. As for a schematic, you'll have to trace it out yourself, to see just what is in there.

Indiana Radios · **Posted:** Jun Thu 29, 2017 12:11 am

I believe that the cabinet is, in fact, a factory made cabinet, that it retains it's original finish and grill cloth, and it started out as a 6 volt vibrator farm battery radio that was later converted to AC operation. Look at the Setchell Carlson's chassis, note how all of the major components are crowded over to one side. This is to make room for the large vibrator box which included the vibrator, B+ transformer and possibly the rectifier tube. Below is a similar 6 volt farm radio chassis. Note how similar the components are arranged on this chassis in order to accommodate it's vibrator power pack.

Setchell Carlson was kind of like L Tatro in that they made a variety of farm radios which they marketed mostly to the northern great plains states such as Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, the Dakotas, etc. where farmers made up a large customer base.

Oh, and please resize those gargantuan photos! PRETTY PLEASE.

GlensterTX · **Posted:** Jun Thu 29, 2017 10:07 am

Here are your photos resized. Please delete the huge ones above (click on the "edit" button on the lower right for that particular post) - they make it impossible to read the forum posts on computers/tablets with smaller screens.

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IMG_1134.JPG [ 112.31 KiB | Viewed 2601 times ]

egg · **Posted:** Jun Thu 29, 2017 1:44 pm

I like your radio Michael. Is that the 401A model?

Greg.

ID Help - Early Setchell Carlson Tombstone

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