Have seen several people attempt to solid state a BC-348 but somehow always appears to be more a hack then real attempt to fix a problem that don’t exist. That would be the problem of finding replacement tubes. I once thought that finding tubes would be an issue but have to say it’s the exact opposite being tubes like 6SK7 are easily available on eBay, just did a search and there are over six hundred listings for just 6SK7 tubes. With older radios like my HRO every tube is still out there and not an issue if you need another. Just pure speculation but think that many tubes were produced as spares and never used and that accounts for the huge number available today.

Then the other thought would be about the problems of solid stating a receiver designed for high impedance devices like tubes that are constant current and voltage change to transistors that are low voltage and current change. Yes, you can do it but what are the effects on the magnetic fields in IF and RF transformers and also what happens to things like the AVC ability to control gain and keep it linear throughout the devices operating curve.

Yes, you can do it but other than doing it what’s the point? Best performance is going to be along the lines of the original design. Have no problem swapping out things like dynamotors with solid state AC power supplies although did find using something like a 6X4 gives just a little chance to delay the B+ before the rest of the tubes light up where solid state zaps the B+ bus with a high voltage before the tubes can load it down and I do like using a low impedance output transformer to drive low impedance speakers and headphones but part of the fun of running a BC-348 is things like the combined AF/RF gain control and the wide band nature of the IF, makes it sound better when listening to AM!

Fifty years ago when you had only one receiver, no money except maybe a allowance or five bucks for cutting the neighbors grass and you wanted a “hotter” receiver to compete with your friends Drake 2A receiver it was one thing to hack this stuff and back when I did that video that’s what I wanted to produce , not a video of a restored WW2 BC-348 but of the radio I was using back in 1978

Ray F/KA3EKH