1934 Rogers 4821 Console Radio

Here is a Canadian Rogers 4821, 8-tube console from 1934. Rogers and Rogers-Majestic radios of the era were known partly for their colourful dials and this one does not disappoint.
This was a 37 hour restoration (not including the cabinet), due mainly to the extreme crowding under the chassis, as seen in the photos, with difficult access to many of the capacitors and resistors.
Some of the highlights of the process:

  • The mechanisms controlling the bass, treble, and band switching were very tight. These were completely dismantled, cleaned and re-lubricated.
  • To gain access to a number of components, the audio interstage transformer had to be completely removed
  • The 2nd IF transformer had to be removed and dismantled to replace the very brittle grid cap wire
  • Four capacitors were contained in a pitch-filled metal can. The guts were removed by softening with a heat gun. This was a messy process but once cleaned out, new capacitors were wired in and re-stuffed into the can-seen in photo.
  • Only two out of 5 sections of the power supply resistor string were good. This string was a self contained single unit. This was removed, a multi-lug terminal strip installed, and new discreet power resistors were wired to this to construct the string.
  • The biggest challenge was in removing the band switch assembly to access components contained within. As seen in the photos, this was partially removed but it was still a difficult process to replace bad capacitors and resistors. At the same time, much brittle wiring had to be replaced.
  • The loudspeaker wiring was in poor condition. This was renewed and secured. A new 4-prong Cinch Jones plug and receptacle were installed to replace the existing hard wiring.
  • During alignment, found that the AM band sensitivity was very poor. During troubleshooting, noted that I could not peak the AM antenna trimmer. A continuity test of the AM antenna RF coil found it to be open. Unfortunately, this coil is part of the band switch assembly. Instead of going through removing the band switch again (hours of work), I decided to install a new RF coil. Found a perfect location for this adjacent to the tuning capacitor as seen in the photo. After wiring it in, the AM reception was restored.

Radio images-click on thumbnail for large view:

Front View
In Operation

Screenshot

Rear View
After Restoration

Rogers 4821 Cabinet Rear View

Chassis Front
After Restoration

Rogers 4821 Chassis-Front View-Completed

Chassis Top
After Restoration

Rogers 4821 Chassis Top View-Completed

Chassis Left Side
After Restoration

Rogers 4821 Chassis-Left View-Completed

Chassis Underside
Before-After

Rogers 4821 Chassis Underside

Audio Component Module
Before and After

Rogers 4821 Audio Board Re-Capping

Loudspeaker
Restoration

Rogers 4821 Speaker Restoration

New Antenna
Coil Installation

Rogers 4821 New Antenna Coil

Capacitor Can
Re-Stuffing

Rogers 4821 Capacitor can re-stuff

Band Switch Removal
Part 1

Rogers 4821 Bandswitch removal Part 1

Band Switch Removal
Part 2

Rogers 4821 Bandswitch removal Part 2