The mysterious 32V DC Monarch D671/32 from Astor

Every so often, I come across a radio for which I am unable to find any information. Perhaps it’s an orphan from a particular radio manufacturer’s family or for some reason, the manufacturer omitted it from the list of receivers published in the Australian Official Radio Service Manuals (AORSM) or other trade publications.

This view shows the fully restored set. Note the polarity discs fitted to the power leads.

These omissions make it just that much harder to service the "unknown" set – particularly if it has been modified (or "improved") since manufacture. How often have you obtained a set that has been modified and have had to resort to the published information to restore the receiver to its original specifications?

The Monarch brand is one of several Astor clones – like Peter Pan, National and Airchief, etc. However, I looked through all the Monarch information for this particular set without success. Because it is a 32V DC operated set, I then searched for any Monarch that had a similar valve line-up that used 32V high tension (HT), still without success.

My next step was to check all Astor clones in my various books and service manuals but that didn’t turn up anything either. I had hoped that I would at least find a receiver with a nearly identical circuit but I had no luck at all.