Intro - AW15 ?'s Static or Sensitivity control & Wave Change Switch Lever

[Matt Endicott]

Hi, I've been collecting old radios since the early 90's.  I built a discontinued on clearance HH Scott LT110B that I received as a Christmas gift when I was about 13 and still have so I've had the disease for a long time and two storage places full of junk to prove I am a legitimate hoarder.

A few weeks ago I acquired an AW15 Waverly cabinet that I've been working on.  Yesterday I purchased an AW15 w/amp and Jensen speaker to complete the package from a local collector.  In looking over the schematics and reviewing posts I understand there were several versions of the AW15.  Mine has the Wunderlich tube and two red antenna posts so I believe it is an early version.  In the instruction manual I notice the far right control is marked "Static", but my cabinet escutcheon is marked "Sensitivity 1-5".  The right shaft on the chassis is a 5 position switch.  Is my "Sensitivity" escutcheon correct?

My unit looks untouched and complete except for missing ALL of the knobs and the wave change switch lever.  I suspect the switch lever will be a hard item to locate.  Are reproductions available?  I've looked around at the regular sources and come up empty.  After looking at pictures online I believe I could probably machine a new lever from three pieces of stock press fit together.  I have a miniature Sherline mill.  That would probably take me a day or more to complete at my speed so finding an original or cast reproduction would save me a lot of trouble.

I'm sure I'll have more questions as I go, but right now I'm just trying to understand what I bought.

Matt

[mike hadley]

Matt,
My AW15 has four posts a wunderlich tube, the static control is a pot and not a switch, the bezel is marked 'static control with no numbers, your chassis having a switch and the escutcheon marked 1-5 would suggest that this is correct, but rember it is a Scott and they are all different.
The switch lever could be made from epoxy, jb weld comes to mind the colour would look close to an old worn switch, although the hole through the center may be a problem as it has a flat.

Mike

[Matt Endicott]

Mike,

Thanks and I agree the 5 pos switch seems to be a match for the sensitivity plate.  Gotta wonder if this chassis wasn't sold with this cabinet originally?  I asked Art B, the chassis seller, if it came from the same place the cabinet did and he says no.  Perhaps the cabinet seller (now deceased) sold it to the guy Art bought it from at an earlier time?  Both the cabinet and the chassis came from a 50 mile radius of each other.  Serial number is K-325.  Does that mean anything?  The decal on the cabinet is mostly gone and I don't recall the cabinet having any number on it and I cleaned every square inch of it.  BTW there are or were sharp nail points under the felt lid cushions.  Is that typical of Scott cabinets?

Matt

[Y2K Bruce]

My AW 15 in the Stamford cabinet also has the right side bezel label as SENSITIVITY and has 5 positions in the control. There is no extra knob control on the back of the chassis but there are 2 up/down switches in the back.

[Matt Endicott]

Great!  Glad to know I don't have some weird aberration.  And it further supports my theory it was original to the cabinet.  From my casual looking around it does seem the static control is more common.  Is that what you guys with experience have seen?  Mine also has two switches on the back.  No knob either, but there is a slotted nut adjustment control located immediately left of the far right switch.  Will begin cleaning it later today and post pictures when finished.

Bruce, do you have ship's wheel knobs or the inlay ring versions?

Matt

[Y2K Bruce]

I have the ships wheel knobs and my serial number is E-282

[David C. Poland]

My early Wunderlick tube AW-15 (LEDO cabinet) has a 5 position control with SENSITIVITY control escutcheon.

-   The up/down toggle control on the receiver back in the middle near the set cable is an antenna switch. Selects the long wire antenna (black post) or a special short wave antenna (the pair of red antenna posts). For a long wire antenna, switch is UP.  Lacking the special short wave antenna, leave that switch UP.

-   The 2nd toggle switch on the back near the corner is a STATIC SWITCH according to my early AW-15 manual. UP is the norman position. With a distant station, the DOWN position may help reduce static -  it cuts the high audio frequencies (so it is a tone control). Later models have either pot or a stepped  tone control located there with a matching wood knob.

-   The recessed screw slot control on the back is there to allow the owner to adjust the BFO tone heard when pressing the BFO button (below the band selector) knob. When using the BFO button, the tone descends as you home in on the carrier wave to exactly tune the station. The rear control allows you to determine how low that tone is when the station is correctly tuned.

[Matt Endicott]

Thank you David.  That's very helpful.  Are all the band switch levers the same from AW12 dlx thru AW23?  Hobbs illustrates a patent on page 155 that shows a nice side view of the switch lever.  Is that accurate of the actual production?  Some I've seen appear to have a skirt at the base.

[David C. Poland]

Yes, same cast metal band switch pointer knob for the 12 tube Deluxe, Fifteen and AW-23 models.

What eventually happens for some is the casting weakens and the larger portion breaks off. 

The whole coil changing system gets harder to turn sometimes and the added resistance further stresses the cast metal pointer further. There were some reproductions made some years ago. Most of my sets have the original cast metal knob in good condition. One has a reproduction.

They all have a small skirt, but I have seen  a couple where the skirt is crumbling. Depends what went into the pot metal. I understand some have used  a couple coats of super glue to penetrate the developing cracks to attempt stabilize pot metal - but can't vouch for success.

Recommend grasping the central portion of the knob to minimize pressure on the larger portion of the casting.

[Matt Endicott]

Thanks David.  If someone could post two closeup pictures with views from the front and the side with the set screw that would be helpful.  I should be able to interpolate the dimensions based on the 1/4" shaft.  Knowing the overall length would still be helpful.  Then I can try my hand at machining a new one from brass with my miniature mill.  If I wanted more than one then definitely casting is the way to go.  The cabinet cleanup and new grill cloth install came out nice.  The picture I posted at the antiqueradio forum was taken in bright sunlight which highlighted all the flaws, but inside it looks great.  Everytime I walk by it I'm encouraged to hurry up with some other projects so I can get it running.  So from that perspective alone it was a good purchase.

Waverly Grill Cloth install

[mike hadley]

Matt,

I'm on vacation for the next 6 days, when I return I will attempt to reproduce the bandswitch knob, I have a need for the very same knob for an antenna tuner I'm making to go with my AW-15,

hence all of the plating process to make the bezels,

I have a small amount of casting knowledge and my intention is to cast them from zinc.

Mike

[mike hadley]

Matt, please note that the keyway inside the switch is offset, the exact length of the switch is 1.813 inches nose to tail, the skirt is 0.725 inches in diameter, the body is 0.5 inches in diameter and the overall height is 0.617 inches,

sorry about the last grainy image, the sun is not at this side of the house yet and the room is a little dark.

Hope this helps.

Mike

[Kent King]

I still have a small number of the original (1990s) metal repro knobs available. They are $20 plus $5 postage each, combine orders and save on postage. All proceeds help defray the costs of operating this site.

Kent