810-812 radio

I just recently purchased a radio antenna harness from Rhode Island Wire (riwire.com) that worked just fine with a Crosley radio and reproduction under chassis antenna in a 1937 812 Cabriolet.

If you haven't done so already you might try disconnecting the antenna lead at the radio and use an ohm meter to test between the center conductor and shield of the cable, you should read infinite resistance (no conductivity). Be careful not to touch both the center conductor and the shield with your fingers while making this measurement as the ohm meter might register the leakage through your body. If you do measure some resistance there is likley a problem with either the cable or the antenna or both.

There is an adjustment on the radio chassis itself to match to the capacitance of the lead-in and antenna but even if mis-adjusted it's unlikely you would receive no stations at all but stranger things have happened. The under chassis antenna has rather poor performance.
Is your radio a Crosley or a Philco? Somewhere I have the antenna adjustment procedures for these, I've restored both brands.

Mark

Hi Pete: sorry to hear about your troubles with the radio. I have a Westchester sedan with original rebuilt radio and an original antenna. Everything has worked fine since they were installed in 1996. Perhaps there is a radio club in your area? They may have a better handle on the problem vs an electrical engineer. Gotta go now; Amos and Andy are coming on!
Tim.

I believe both Henry Portz and Stan from ACD Parts in Wellington Kansas both make up this wire from the radio to the undercar antanna.

Gents- 2241H '36 Cord phaeton is ALMOST ready to be shown and judged at Auburn, but the radio doesn't want to play in the car! I have an electrical engineer extraordinaire as a neighbor and a long time friend looking at the problem, and he's asking me to list the problems he sees.

1. He has the radio playing beautifully on the bench using a vertical loop antenna; the antenna on the car is original Cord, correctly mounted and isolated through the correct attachments. The cable from the radio to the antenna is a store bought 93 ohm unit, the fine wire lead is attached to the antenna and the external woven ground is firmly attached to a ground on the car. His first question is there a source for a lead like the original with higher impedance- maybe in the 150 ohm arena (a greater diameter ground sheath with a yet finer lead wire?)

2. Has anyone gotten an original AM Cord radio using the Cord antenna playing in the car O.K.???

Anyone who can help us is due at least couple of beers!

Pete Rhoads, somewhere under 2241H