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OK, having read some of the other posts, I realize that The model number is almost useless to date this radio by, but I'm looking for advice. I got it for $2 at a yard sale, and plugged it in and got a speaker hum, but not a radio signal. I don't have any records to play on it, but I traced the wires and found where the phono plugs into to amp. It appears to be an old RCA Jack. I'm considering getting an adapter and testing if it will put any decent sound out with an Ipod plugged into that jack instead of the phono, but I'm a little scared by stuff I've read in other blogs about not "just plugging it in" to see if it'll work. I am trying to figure out what to do with it, and if it doesn't work at all I'm considering replacing the "guts" and re-finishing it to make it look old but still be workable. I hate the thought of chucking a working tube amp if I don't have to. Might it be possible to just replace the tuner if it comes to that? It's the only part of the radio that is bakelite anyway, and I would love to try n find something in brass to make it look better. Any thoughts? I know its probably not worth much, but how much effort should I put into keeping it in it's current, apparently original condition?
Re: Montgomery ward WG&C Series 8A56
That is a common symptom of old tube gear. Many times, the capacitors are bad but everything else works fine, even the tubes. If you can swap the power supply capacitors, try that first and see if that fixes it. If you can't solder or identify the capacitors, take it to someone who can. It isn't a difficult job and the parts don't cost much. There's a good chance that will fix it.