Still need radio help

sconnors

Active Member
Still having some problems with the Sonomatic radio on my 1950 Buick. So far I've replaced the vibrator and the OZ4 tube, blew out the inside with canned air, checked the antenna connection (yes it's fully extended). When I turn the radio on, it comes on but all I'm getting is a stuttering noise. I've also tried adjusting the antenna trim and still nothing. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Any help would be greatly appreciated
Scott
 
Gatta come out.

Once on the bench and powered up it's easy to find what's rong. They always need vibrator and buffers. CK the tubes and coupling caps. Maybe the speaker is shot. These are machines so need cleaning and lubed. In the old days (50's) it was $50 for the whole job, even R/R. Now $250.
 
Sounds like you may need to have all the capacitors ( Also know as Caps. ) replaced , they dry out and change working voltages . HTH
 
I've got a pretty much complete Sonomatic minus the chassis, buttons, volume, and some other stuff but all the electrical hardware is there. Let me know if there's anything you need from it--tubes all look good, was almost perfect inside. Went with a custom setup with the original knobs and buttons but with a 12V radio and mp3 line-in, think it was the guts from a Vintage Audio USA-2 that made up most of it, so I have most of the electronics lying around.
 
My radio in the 53 was working.... Today I found a good AM station and went to try it out in the Buick and it has a vibrating noise coming from a cylinder on the drivers side..I can feel it vibrating..from what I could tell the tubes are lit up and working....When I bought the car, the guy I bought it from used to rap on the dash and get it to come on? I know not a real fix....
It has worked perfect in the past and even though I drive the car every day she lives in the garage....any ideas?
 
radio

In my 1950 there's a big can inside the radio called a vibrator. If you take it out and slap the end on your palm really hard a few times that will usually get it working again. You'll probably need to order a new one. The Vibrator is the biggest one in the radio, you can't miss it.
 
is it on the driver's side and a bit bigger than a vacuum tube? does it...vibrate?

If so I think I identified it
 
radio

I believe it is on the driver's side. It's looks like a small can. You can tell it because it has no glass like a tube. It should be silver and larger than the tubes. You can unplug it and pull it out and slap it on your hand a few times and it should work
 
I yanked the vibrator and slapped it on my palm...it appears to be working is I can hear it working and feel it working in the radio...
maybe the tubes are bad?
 
I've got a pretty much complete Sonomatic minus the chassis, buttons, volume, and some other stuff but all the electrical hardware is there. Let me know if there's anything you need from it--tubes all look good, was almost perfect inside. Went with a custom setup with the original knobs and buttons but with a 12V radio and mp3 line-in, think it was the guts from a Vintage Audio USA-2 that made up most of it, so I have most of the electronics lying around.


Krinkov58,s radio mods sound interesting. Krinkov. let us know a little about how it was done?
 
I've run rca cables from an amp into my ipod...it works fine, you get ipod stereo... I even converted 6 to 12 on just the amp so it would run.
www.audioshoppe.com one upped me and put out the v8audio vc1 which is a four channel controller you'd run before the amp and this way you can control volume, fade, low, mid and high.....much more sophisticated...basically it's a head unit just for i pod....I just want my am radio workin for the sick satisfaction of having both :)

This is all covered in the may 2010 issue of rod and custom....
 
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