hello,
I'm having trouble finding any info or parts for my turntable. It is a Sears Silvertone phonograph/radio combo model 528.31516100. Sound comes from the radio but not the turntable. You can faintly hear sound coming from the needle rolling across the record. I suspect a bad cartidge but I'm having no luck finding one. The needle arm references the cartridge # as 57-88932. I took it out and it reads MOD 198 and 110 33 422 0. Someone told me that some of these turntables were made by Magnavox. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
That is an old Electro Voice crystal cartridge. Since it is so old, the cartridge probably has failed. They all do as they get older. You will not find a replacement for that cartridge. Cartridges have all been magnetic for years an are not compatible with your unit. Astatic do have some new/old stock of ceramic cartridges, which might work, but the output is generally lower than crystal types. Since crystal and ceramic cartridges have not been made for many years, there is no guarantee that the replacement will work.
You might be able to adapt this one.
Lastly you do not know that it is the cartridge, it could be the phono amp section. If you disconnect the leads and touch the left and right leads in turn, you should get a buzz/hum from the speakers from each of the wires out of its respective speakers. If not there is an amp problem.
If you try and replace the cartridge then you will have to drill out the rivets and replace the rivets with new ones.
The other problem is that in those old turntables the tracking force was not usually adjustable. So if the new cartridge is a different weight, which is likely, then you have another problem to solve.
Finally those units were junk when they were new, and it will still be junk when you repair it. So you have to consider how much time and resources you want to throw at junk.