HELP! Bench Testing Vintage Car Radios?

[classicfan1]

How does one do this? All of mine are transistor, I don't have the equipment to deal with tubes. The first one I have is out of a 60s or 70s Valiant.

I have it hooked up and the light is on, for the first time in over 30 years! All I have to work with is a red wire, orange wire, green wire, and a black wire. There is also a jack for the antenna. I understand that the red is for power, black is for negative, green is for ground, and orange is for lights. But where do I plug the speakers in at?

:???:

 

[Sedanman]

The black and green are for the speaker. The red is power and the orange is for the light...I think

 

[classicfan1]

^Same radio I have! LOL!

That DOES jog my memory. I believe I need another wire to connect the (-) on the battery to the metal body of the radio to ground it. I tested several later units this way.

 

[Sedanman]

lol. I have never seen a ground wire so I assume it uses the radio to dash bracket as the ground.

 

[Sedanman]

I have 3 myself and should test them. I'm pretty sure 2 of them work.

 

[classicfan1]

GOT IT!!!! My power source wasn't strong enough and the contacts were dirty. Thanks for the help, Sedanman!

 

[68coupe]

Traditionally, the red is +12v power, black is ground, orange or yellow is for instrument/dash lights, and the green is for speaker. Most of the 60's radios are mono, therefore left and right speakers not needed.

 

[Sedanman]

The black and green go to the speaker. It uses body ground as the main ground. Your welcome

 

[1994redram]

The black wire is negative to your speaker! Black and green wires go to the speaker. Orange is for the light. Red for the power supply. And the radio case is ground. There isn't a negative wire for the radio. It grounds through the dash frame.