Some early sets were very picky about 24 type tubes. RCA wanted a monopoly on the superhet circuit; before 1930 they would not license the patents to anyone else and in 1930 started letting others pay out the butt in license fees to use it. So manufacturers got creative to try to get around RCA's superhet patents. RCA caught on and redesigned the 24 tube with the "new and improved" 24A which used less filament current and was internally just different enough to brick some of the sets that were trying to use 24s in unlicensed superhet circuits. 1930s techs would keep a bunch of used 24s & 24As to swap them in/out of 1930-1932 era sets to get around the problem. RCA made so many enemies at Philco that they later refused to use the eye tube (an RCA invention/patent) just to thumb their nose at RCA and went hard on Sylvania's loctal tubes to avoid RCA's patented metal octal tubes. Zenith would omit pin1 on sets so metal RCA patented tubes would not function (no metal shield connection to ground if pin1 is missing) forcing customers to use glass G or GT types!

The owner of this radio may be right in the original guys who had a passion are dying off, but there are certainly a lot of younger people that also have a passion for fixing, restoring and preserving these radios too.   I am 50, old by some standards, but young as far as tube radios, and I have a passion to restore and keep them around.    I know people younger than me that love them too.

1:08 That looks totally safe to plug right in. 😃

I came for the tips and the cynical joviality. I stayed for the industrial archaeology and the revivification. I left with mild lead poisoning symptoms and a heightened awareness of mesothelioma, to answer the door to the frantic knocking from the heath and safety goblins. A perfect start to my Sunday.

These very old radios are cool time capsules, looking at these ancient components! Nice job repairing this one.

I'd get 600 volts surging through my body trying to work on that thing, and even less hair than I already have. Ad I have 40 percent less hair than I used to! 🤣🤣

4:46 "Tubes...are easy, it the coils that make (diagnosis) difficult." Never thought about that, but it's true.

" where's the pleasure when the music is a continuous square wave. " Yesss, preach it, brother! 😆

Nice!  94 minutes of Shango for my Saturday morning!!    0.05V X 100 = 5.0 V

Awesome job, can’t believe how well it works with just a clip lead for an antenna! 90+ years old and still working!

Feels kinda sad thinking that every single one that was involved in the development and manufacturing of each part of this radio (and the radio itself), people that sold and transported these things, even the families that owned them new, all long gone! Even the ones born in the 30s are most all gone.

You saved a piece of history bro!

I'd love to see it when the cabinet and clock are fully restored.

The Philco model 50 dates from somewhere around 1931 or 1932. I have a Philco Model 70 cathedral that has a chassis that looks almost identical to the Model 50 that was produced in 1932. The bakelite caps are fun to work with. They either have to be heated to remove the tar or they have to have the tar chipped out and a new modern cap installed inside.

and silk insulated wire inside that resistor!

I find the smell of solid state radios back bord smell while hot quite relaxing

Cool Old Radio ! Just think of all the programs that were played on this ole guy. I'm so glad that someone still understands all the styling and workmanship  that was put into these. Please give your customer a pat on the back form all of us old farts out there.

I get so happy when you say "looks like its gonna be long video"  thanks for doing what do . Awesome

The day you need the short bus is the day when donkeys fly.  👍🏽👍🏽💕

Bob Anderson has a great video on those Bakelite blocks that I’ve followed. They’re actually fun to restuff, and make a very convenient place to hide/mount the new caps. Small drill bit to break the original capacitor lead wires inside the brass eyelet, then heat slightly and pop the tar block out by poking a pin or drill bit through the eyelets. Doesn’t even take much heat because you don’t have to soften the whole tar block, just the boundary layer where it contacts the Bakelite

25 cycle was common on farms that used "windchargers" for electricity.