#355 Let's try to build a Vacuum Tube Radio

Vacuum tubes are an old, but fascinating technology that was used before transistors were invented. We can learn how simple circuits were back then if we build a kit like this three-tube receiver. Join me on my discovery journey. I have no clue about what I am doing. But, after the video, we will know more, I am sure. Whether the receiver will work or not.
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[MrCarlsonsLab]

Thank You for the kind mention Mr. Spiess!

[vincentpertoso]

I am 71 years old now so I not only remember tubes I learned basic electronics in the 50s from my father starting at age 5. I was building small radios at 10 and repairing tube TVs with my dad. Well I am retired now having been an Electronic Engineer for over 35 years. Got lots of old tubes around so can't wait to build a tube RADIO again.

[PhG]

Wonderfull project. Only 3 months ago I donated all my remaining tubes (quite a lot..) to a radio museum here in Belgium. Together with almost all my prehistoric radio's and a few TV sets from the late 50's/early 60's. I had no choise, they took too much space. However, I still have 3 left. One I inherited from my grand parents and is dated 1927. Your video is sure a trip down memory lane....

[jimcompton]

My Morse is very rusty. But after several replays I got "Hi Youtubers". Thanks for the fun video. 73's

[McTroyd]

I was fascinated by electronics from when I was young. My grandfather even bought me my first soldering iron when I was 10. But, it wasn't until I stumbled across Mr. Carlson's Lab a couple years ago, that I finally understood how analog circuits work. You are quite right; Paul Carlson is not only an authority, he explains himself and his process well. I'm hoping to use his methods to restore an old (circa 1952) AM/FM tube radio that I bought from a local antiques market. (Even broken it was US$90! These things are getting expensive.) Mr. Carlson suggests using them to listen to period-correct music. It's a rare opportunity to hear how that music was experienced back then.

[Jogris]

Thanks for taking the time to make the video! I built the kit with point to point wiring and could not get it to work. Soon as you said L1 and L2 were “confused” that sorted it out for me. I know this post is a year old now, thanks again and keep up the great content!

[justusgronts]

I built a three tube five band radio from a Heathkit kit back in the 60s as a kid. Started my career in electronics, was a great learning experience. Nicely done video.

[TheBalconyWorkspace]

Holy Moly! I never expected this kit would be sold to Europe! The tubes inside were made by Beijing Electron Tube Works, and this is exactly the same kit which I bought here in China!

[Richardincancale]

I think my first electronics project was a single valve radio of the same sort of design but without the audio amplifier - just used high impedance headphones. You really could hear the world. That got me started over 50 years ago!

[ElectronixHobbyist]

Hello, I have tried to decode the Morse code that you Played in the Vaccum Tube Radio 😁
.... .. -.-- --- ..- - ..- -... . .-. ...
"Hi Youtubers"

Is it correct ??

[newburypi]

This really carried me back. My very first electronics build was a Heathkit "All American Five" superhetrodyne AM radio. FM was still in the future :) Certainly the kit was much better documented and all the components fit the assembly. One thing that just came back to me... there was no printed circuit board. The components were either mounted to the metal chassis or strung between the mounted components' leads. A few inches of fabric tubing kept connecting wires from shorting. It was powered from 120 volts, yet still available for construction by youngsters. No health and safety committees back then.

Thanks, yet again, for an interesting and memory jolting video.

[fotografm]

HI YOUTUBERS. Thank you Andreas for this wonderful video. It took me straight back to my childhood where I bult many such projects. I never tried low voltage directly heated valves however. I was used to 300V / 6.3V PSUs as an 11 year old and I survived ! My memory is now flooding with ECC83, EF50, EL84, KT88 and QQVO6-40 ! 73 de G4EYR

[dogastus]

I find it quite amusing to see such a crude radio being set up with all that expensive test gear - spectrum analyser, function generator etc. 'When I was a boy' I only had the receiver parts, no test gear. I think your next project should be a superhet radio :)

[zachreyhelmberger]

What fun!! Thank you for making this video!

I remember when I was a teenager and I made a regenerative receiver out of a single 6BF6 vacuum tube and some coils on toilet paper tubes (it took the poor salesman forever to find one in his stock)!! I got the schematic from some hobby magazine. It was wonderful to hear all of these shortwave stations on the radio. I even made a coil for the CB radio band (27Mhz) and it actually worked! I could hear the locals talking on their CBs. The selectivity was not all that great so I would hear multiple channels at once but what fun!!

The original circuit used a potentiometer to vary the positive feedback but it was really scratchy and really hard to get that super high gain without tripping it into oscillation. So I modified the tickler circuit by winding a pancake coil on a piece of cereal box paperboard and stuck it inside the main coil and arranged it like a butterfly valve so I could vary that magnetic coupling to the main coil as you turned it open or closed. It was AMAZING how smooth it was and I could sneak up on the gain to ridiculous levels and really pull in the shortwave stations!

[jimgbf]

Enjoyed the video. Although not with vacuum tubes, I built a small transistor radio in the 60s from a kit. It was exciting to hear the AM station when it first fired up.

[jackpatteeuw]

Best explanation of a 3 tube receiver I have seen !

[peter.stimpel]

I am very happy tubes are no standard for hobbyists anymore. My wife would kill me if I had an eqivalent of valves laying around here. The small transistors and diodes can hide ;) Thanks for this journey into history

[gwesco]

I "cut my teeth" on vacuum tubes back in the mid '50's. The first digit of the tube number is usually the filament voltage. Most rectifiers like the 5U4 and 5Y3 were 5 volts. Most other tubes were 6 volts. Some were 12 volts with a center tapped filament so they could be wired in parallel to work off 6 volts. Battery powered radios in the mid 50's tended to use the 1 and 2 volt tubes because they had a couple of batteries, one for filaments and a higher voltage for B+. Typical B+ in old tube equipment ran as high as 700 VDC in some cases. A few dozen milliamps but enough to give you a big jolt.

[campchennai]

I like most your lucid way of explaining everything and taking pains to respond to most of the comments..My father a Physics teacher in India, motivated me in the 60s. An enchanting Hobby these low voltage tubes!! Lovely video .I'll be 80 soon and I want to build a One valver one day.I have a liking for those 4 pin directly heated Triodes for their sheer simplicity. Crosley pup is a fantastic radio .( I have'nt seen it physically though)

[robertsmiczsmiczamplificat]

A great video. I’m a tube guy. I grew up in a radio and tv shop in our garage through the 60’s and 70’s. My dad had my head in the back of big color TV chassis’ at 5 yrs old. Of course teaching me what to and what not to touch. I still build, modify and repair tube gear. I work on a fair amount of tube ham radio gear, and a lot of guitar amps. There is so much work, because most techs wont mess with tubes because of the near 50O vdc B+ on many tube guitar amps. I have also made many tube RF amps for ham radio. Spanning from 100 watts to legal limit and more. It is an old technology, but nothing sounds as good as a Tube/valves in a guitar amplifier. One issue with tubes in guitar amps is that you need to turn the volume up very high to get that nice tube distortion that most players love so much.The tone is very sweet, but the amp needs to be very loud to get that warm tone. I make Tube Adapter Converters to replace typical 5-35 watt pentode tubes with a 1 watt miniature pentode tube. See www.smiczamps.com/tacs. This allows guitar players to get that great tube tone at low volume levels. Many audio tubes are manufactured to this day in China, Russia and other eastern European countries, such as the Slovak republic. There are many current manufacturers of tube guitar amplifiers due to the warm harmonic rich tone that tubes generate. Not even modern class D devices can generate that wonderful tube sound. Tube generated Even harmonic distortion which is pleasant to the ears. Modern Solid state device produce odd harmonic distortion which is not very pleasant. I am involved in all types of electronics, but i will always love the simplicity and sound that tubes generate. I loved the video. 73 de N1FQF.