News:

"The phone is a remarkably complex, simple device,
and very rarely ever needs repairs, once you fix them." - Dan/Panther

Main Menu

What type of radios do you own

Started by winkydink, January 08, 2009, 07:00:12 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

AET

Quote from: BDM on March 02, 2009, 12:18:07 AM
Enjoy ;)


Watched the Philco 650.  Ha, I started playing name that tune and heard Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town, by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, 1969.  Also, what kind of antenna do you use to get so many stations.  My room's on the lower level of our house and I don't get much in the way of AM stations.  I only get AM1350, but would like to get a couple other stations which are within about 30 miles, that I just can't get.  The same is true in my car.  Is there any kind of special antenna I could use?  Mine right now on the RCA is just a piece of Tie-Wire.
- Tom

BDM

Those particular Philco's are very sensitive, using a well designed RF amplifier stage. I was using a 150' long wire, but they'll receive quite well on just 20' of wire. In fact, the vids showing the chassis on the floor, I'm using my 40' attic antenna. 40' of wire, looped into about 20' of attic space.

Now, higher end sets that use a loop antenna, or built in antenna as many call it. Also receive quite well. Those tuned loops can do an excellent job for the bands they're intended for.
--Brian--

St Clair Shores, MI

BDM

P.S. I should add, I'm an anal SOB when it comes to properly aligning sets after a full recap, and replacement of any other parts that don't meet spec. I always try to keep tube voltages within 5 to 10 percent of specification. I will sometimes spend a few hours on a set going over the alignment again and again, and again. Most of my sets are operating about as efficiently as possible. I'm no radio genius, but I'm proud of my alignment abilities ;D

So my sets tend to operate quite well (ok, I'll stop the horn tooting ;)  )
--Brian--

St Clair Shores, MI

Kenny C

Cause i am fixing to get about 30 desk radios.
In memory of
  Marie B.
1926-2010

LarryInMichigan

30?!  :o

I have a few radios, including a 1941 RCA console, 1946 GE tabletop, and 1947 Admiral tabletop which all work.  I also have a 1929 Stewart Warner console which may or may not work, but I have not had time to try it, and a few miscellaneous others.

Be careful with old radios.  They are not like old phones.  The voltages in tube electronics are VERY high, like +-400V.  Severe electric shock and fire are serious possibilities when working on them.  Also, the large capacitors can hold quite a charge, so a serious shock hazard can exist even long after the radio has been unplugged.

Larry

Dan

I like them alot. I have three GE superadio's and an old Ross shortwave Am-FM
"Imagine how weird telephones would look if our ears weren't so close to our mouths." - Steven Wright

Phonesrfun

I have about 3, so I don't consider myself as a collector.  Not yet, anyway!

-Bill G

Bill

I have a couple hundred, almost all pre-WWII wood sets. I have decided it is time to start to thin out my collection. This turns out to be tougher to do than I expected. Lots of emotional energy went into these things, even the ones I haven't yet restored.

Bill

jsowers

Kenny, I've been collecting radios longer than phones. I got my first old radio when I was 12. A 1946 Silvertone AM/SW console. It's sitting in my bedroom today and I've had it much longer than the original owner. I even took it to school one time, in the 9th grade. We had a "radio station" in our classroom and it was easy to plug the record player and mike into the phono input and then the sound came out of the radio.

In the kitchen, I have a 1936 Silvertone console with a round dial and a 1941 Philco wood table radio like my mom listened to when she was a kid. In the spare bedroom I have a 1942 Philco console with "Music on a Beam of Light." And a Grundig radio-phono in blonde oak that was my Uncle Don and Aunt Jane's wedding present in 1960. I posted a picture of the Grundig (actually one exactly like it) here...

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=2931.msg39645#msg39645

Here's a link with pictures of the two Silvertones (at the bottom) and a few things from Bill.
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1332.msg17078#msg17078

In the basement are the unfinished ones. A few Atwater Kent and Zenith consoles and some others. Retirement projects, I suppose. Radios are not as easy as phones to repair or find parts for. But they do provide a lot of entertainment once they're working. The more complete the set, the easier it will be to repair.

There are several people here who can help you with some of the repairs and many websites that offer some tips for beginners. Here's one of the best sites for that...

http://www.antiqueradio.org/welcome.htm
Jonathan

bingster

Like several others, I've collected old radios for ages.  Big ones, small ones, all date ranges and brands.  To add to the warnings already given, remember that there are NO parts inside a radio that are serviceable by a novice (except for tubes, and they're rarely bad).  You can do great damage to both yourself and the radio if you start tinkering with them, without first having a little basic electronics knowledge under your belt. 

You can also do great (and expensive) damage to them just by plugging them in and trying them out.  With cheap radios, that's not a big deal I guess, but if you've got anything special in the lot, you won't want to take the risk of seeing if they work.

Take Jonathan's advice and check out some websites and forums to learn about what you have before you try to do anything with them.
= DARRIN =



Greg G.

I only have one, a non-working decor piece.
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

AE_Collector

#26
Brinybay:

I thought that you had used "Photoshop" to add an arrow into the picture pointing at the phone sitting on the radio. What a cool touch to make the arrow in a woodgrain tone!

Oh wait, its the corner of a picture frame on the wall!

Terry

Dan/Panther

Kenny;
Are they tube radios or transistor radios or a mix.
List some of what you may get and prices to make sure you are getting a good deal.

D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

HarrySmith

Terry; I thought the same thing at first glance :D
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

Kenny C

they are a mix and between 30-40 of them he wants 30 for the lot
In memory of
  Marie B.
1926-2010