Philips A5X83A tuner (1958)

Te koop Philips A5X83A tuner (1958) prachtige retro radio werkt perfect .The A5X83A was the first Philips radio without AF amplifier or speakers. In the late 1950-ies this would have been an awkward concept for most people. But if you had the money to spend on a “HiFi” sound system this would have been a sensible choice. This model has AM and FM bands, with FM coverage from 87 to 108 MHz. It is really a very sensitive receiver as I found out.The A5X83A is a tuner, not a complete radio. The model is from 1958, and it is modernistic in its design. My specimen looks like it is from 1960, it might be an A5X83A-19 but somebody has blotted out the “-00” or “-19” part on the type label at the back, so I don't know. This tuner has more valves than some radios that do have an AF output stage:

• ECC85 as FM front-end and frequency changer;
• ECH81 as AM frequency changer (or first IF on FM);
• 2x EF89 as IF amplifiers;
• EABC80 as AM detector, FM detector and squelch amplifier;
• EC92 as line output amplifier;
• EM84 as tuning indicator;
• EZ80 as rectifier.

So it has one IF stage more than most other receivers. Another point of luxury is the use of the triode in the EABC80 to suppress AF output if no signal is received on FM. This “squelch” or “silent tuning” function makes the tuner easier to use at the cost of an extra valve.When I opened the case, I saw the previous owner had already started cleaning the tuner. On the inside, a layer of greasy dust was covering the chassis. I pulled the valves and cleaned the inside.
A view of the chassis after cleaning, valves not yet in place.