The Thrill Of Working On 1964 Holland Made Philips L4X25T Radio
This was one among the 7 sets brought to me by a customer living in a faraway place. Those of you who are interested in this lovely antique Radio using Germanium Transistors, may please visit the following link to see more photos of inside and outside: https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/philips_l4x25t.html
After seeing the pictures in the above, look at the condition of the set which was brought to me:
What a contrast, might be the impression set in your minds, am I right? But just visualise, from 1964 to 2026, this set might have been handled by several hands during the 62 years that it survived! So, the present condition is not all that bad, especially when it was tested for life applying the power, before I dismantled it.
I replaced all the cracked capacitors as well as the electrolytic capacitors, which definitely were out of range. Also retouched a few dry solders here and there. But could not do so in some places, where the solder had got hardened like solid rock. Then lubricated the controls. The IFT was found perfectly tuned and there was no need to adjust the typical philips type screws, which are internally stuck to a ferrite bead and might break loose when turned. Unfortunately the Medium wave section had suffered due to some unknown reasons and the oscillator coil was affected. But the radio picked up many long distance stations in the SW1, SW2 & SW3 bands. The sound output was also too good. The speaker was in good condition, though I guess the cone paper might have got changed. Even the dial lamp was found working when the switch of that was pressed. The on/off button was found damaged and therefore I bypassed the same. I had a tough time in cleaning up the inside and removing the rust. In fact, I was not happy about the work, as I could not restore the cabinet and its MW to an accepted level, though cabinet remake is not at all a part of my work. The crystal clear output when there was no electrical line disturbances, was amazingly superb! Look at the quality of the products that were available in the olden days! But nowadays, the life of a set is already programmed at the time of release itself!
Sets go dead or defective only after a few days of expiry of warranty! The set is programmed in such a way that only company trained technicians can handle the job. Everything has gone upside down as manufacturers seek ways and means to monopolise their products! But unfortunately, the common man is affected and is given no choice! That is where, this type of antique sets come into the picture and sought after by many antique lovers around the Globe!
As for me, mission got accomplished with satisfaction, which found acceptance by the collection bag.
This article was prepared for you by Parasuraman Subramanian from India. He is 76 years old and has more than 30 years’ experience in handling antique equipment like Valve Radio, Amps, Reel Tape Recorders and currently studying latest tech-classes conducted by Kerala State Electronics Technicians’ Association. He has done graduation in BBA degree, private diploma in Radio Engineering and retired as MD of a USA company. Presently working as Consultant to Hospital and other institutions.
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Albert van Bemmelen
November 7, 2026 at 6:40 pm
The well placed remark: "nowadays, the life of a set is already programmed at the time of release itself!" may as well not only be true for these old radio sets but television sets too!
Parasuraman S
November 7, 2026 at 10:05 pm
Yes, manufacturers find all sorts of crooked ways to ensure continued business. AI also is assisting them in a large scale! Many thanks for your expert comments! (But for us, any antique devices bring nostalgia!)
Paris Azis
November 8, 2026 at 6:09 pm
Hello Parasuraman!
For sure these antique devices bring nostalgia to everyone being involved with their repairs from that time onwards...
These caps with their military colour on their body had legendary durability. The same was true with those using the same colour band coding with resistors for their value and voltage/tolerance. We used to call them "tiger" caps at that time. And some of them, which were not prismatic in shape,but cylindrical somehow with both their terminals at the bottom side (mounted vertically on the pcb) had the very poetic name "tear drop" capacitors. All produced by Philips as i remember. So, yes, nostalgia is present again, thanks to you Parasuraman!
Good job!
Yogesh Panchal
November 7, 2026 at 11:24 pm
Good Fix! Sir,
The deterioration of components is purely a consequence of the passage of time, yet ending up in the hands of an experienced professional is often a matter of chance.
I agree with you regarding the lifespan of programmed devices. I have observed with many devices that they tend to fail around the time their warranty expires—especially laptops, batteries, and storage devices, such as SSDs and NVMe drives.
Parasuraman S
November 8, 2026 at 10:18 am
Yes, manufacturers have stopped to very low levels for the sake of survival of the fittest! Many thanks for your comments, dear Yogesh Bai!
Mark J
November 8, 2026 at 3:52 am
Good restoration and repair. Thanks for sharing Parasuraman.
Parasuraman S
November 8, 2026 at 10:19 am
Many thanks, dear Mark!