Hi from a new member

[Mongojustpawn]

Hi everybody, I'm new here, just found the site yesterday, lurked around some, decided to join up. I'm kind of local, near Kittanning, just getting into some audio gear after my retirement last year. have a small Pioneer sx440, that needs some help and a Grundig majestic console I rescued from the dumpster during summer clean out, not working. Been prowling online for info on both, also reading some text books on electronics, also doing some soldering on some junk boards.
Gary

[SunnyDaze]

Welcome.

Is your Grundig a tube unit? 

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

I'd be shocked if it's not.

The great thing about those old tube consoles is that they are fairly easy to work on.   I know almost nothing, have never read a book on electronics and have rehabbed a couple of them.   The tube tester at the shop is free, a DMM is all that is needed to test the transformers and resistors, and most caps should be replaced anyway.   Pretty straight forward stuff.

What kind of help does your 440 need?   I'm currently doing some light rehab to a 450.

[Dicky]

Welcome, and enjoy the ride.

[Kingman]

Welcome!

[Reverend]

Welcome to the forum!

[RuralTom]

Greetings Mongo!

[GraphicFX]

NEW BLOOD!
Watch out man, these guys are rough.

They will break your balls, bash your bose and tell you how much your stuff sucks.

Just kiddin'
Nicest guys on the planet.

Welcome aboard.

[SunnyDaze]

They will break your balls, bash your bose and tell you how much your stuff sucks.

BOSE is awesome!

[GraphicFX]

They will break your balls, bash your bose and tell you how much your stuff sucks.

BOSE is awesome!

See what I mean?

[Mongojustpawn]

Hi Guys, Thanks for the welcomes. The Grundig is a tube set, model ms-40 or 41, am,fm,sw tuner with TT, looks complete and unmolested. I did plug it in to try it when I first got it home, didn't know better, tuner lights up, and the tubes all appear to glow, but no sounds. Other than looking for loose or broken connections, haven't done anything else. The sx440, suffers from left channel distortion and weak fm reception, stereo indicator light not working. I'm thinking of recapping the PS, and see where that leads. Any thoughts?

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

First thing to do is DeOxit all pots and switches.   A flaky tape monitor switch will give the symptoms you report.   Then once everything is clean, measure the DC offset.

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

That's regarding the Pioneer, not the Grundig.   First thing to do on the Grundig is measure all the iron.

[Dicky]

Careful plugging that tube stuff in, and more careful probing around in there.  Check out antiqueradio.org, among other sites for useful info.

[SunnyDaze]

Where around the 'Burgh are you located, Mongo?

When you are working with the Grundig, a good rule of thumb is to keep one hand in your pocket while probing for current / voltages and the like.

If you powered up the unit and the tubes glow, your power transformer is most likely just fine. The next thing I'd do would be remove all the tubes and test them. A few members have testers as does the shop.

It's a good idea to check resistors with the tubes removed. Any resistors that are out of spec should be replaced.

It's also a good idea to replace any capacitors that are in the signal path.

You may want to replace power supply capacitors as well. Sometimes they stand the test of time, sometimes they don't. Some say this is a mandatory replacement while others say if it's not broke, don't fix it. This step can be a preventative measure to prevent failure down the road as well. You won't know the current status of your power supply capacitors until you power the unit up on a Variac. If you don't have access to one, google "Poor Man's Variac" and have at it.

Best of luck!