Old radio folks and Hams ?

[clam71]

Interesting to note, some here are ham operators or collectors of antique tube radios.
So, with Bob's ok, I start a new thread.
Looking forward to pics and interesting stories and anecdotes ! Amazing meltdowns, triumphs, and general bantor.
Ideas and projects. Funny stories etc. SHOCKING moments !
Smart things and Darwin moments ! All for our education and amusement.
Thanks, John.....

[cazclocker]

What a cool idea! OK, I'll bite. I bought this RCA model 128 from a guy at a flea market for fifty bucks. The interesting thing is that two days before I bought this radio, I bought from the same guy a collection of three antique clocks for another fifty bucks! But that's another story that I'll post here sometime. Here is my RCA model 128, which I am told dates to 1937.

[cazclocker]

Whoops, someday I'll get the hang of posting photos here. Sorry for the huge size! Anyway, a bunch more photos of that radio can be found at my website. Look under "Other Hobbies".

[clam71]

VERY NICE old tombstone radio ! Very familiar tube compliment as well.
I'd have definitely paid fifety bux for it ! Ebay prices on these have soared in the past few years.
My 1939 Motorola 52T1 has, as usual, been on all day today. Interesting thing about it...
It's loop antenna was beyond my time to take to repair it so I made an external one. Litz wire !
It's about 16X16 inches and made from 2 1X2's notched to form an X.
Inductance about 200uH. It's sensitivity is amazing. I'd post a pic but it's finished...covered by nice paneling.
I also have 2 other 52T1's, one of which has been partially restored and the other's chassis works but needs re-capping.
The case for this one is beyond my ability to repair.
I bought an old Q meter years ago on ebay but, alas, it smoked one day ! It's thermocouple is good though...
An AM radio's local oscillator and my O-scope gets my near for calculating inductance, capacitance, etc.
I've built a little buffer amp out of a MPF102 fet to prevent "pulling" the oscillator.
Ahh- also about my main Motorola--When I got it, it's audio txfmr had failed and blew out the 47 tube (?).
A Radio Shack 6.3 volt filament txfmr works well as a replacement ! The type 47 tube is happy with it.


Nice to hear from you, Caz ! Gotta get back to re-cleaning my old 18s Waltham---A bad Anchor oil thing...

[clam71]

Oh, also forgot to note....A nice source for new old stock tubes.. Antique Radio and Supply, Tempe AZ.
WWW.tubesandmore.com. sure wish pocketwatch parts were as easy to get !

[cazclocker]

OK, how about this one. This radio DOES NOT belong to me, but I sure wish it did. It belongs to my cousin. He's the other strange one in my family. It's a Philco 96.

PHILCO MODEL 96 - BEFORE DOING ANYTHING TO IT - 06-2010 002 [25%].jpg (32.96 KiB) Viewed 6405 times

[clam71]

Caz, that Philco 96 looks very familiar ! A "wish I had it" thing for sure.
I visited a friend up here in the Pocono's many years ago and He showed it to me.
This 20-ish year old guy got super agitated when I started playing with it.
It hummed 60 cycle wise, and needed filter caps but I was playing with the leather-looking dial string.
I took the wife into a corner and said I WAN'T THAT ! She didn't share my admiration of it.
Shouldda waved a few twenty's to that guy. Maybe 3 ?

[WatchFixer]

I do amateur radio, been licensed for about 20 years. However, I am a professional communications teacher/repairman. I retired from the USAF as a Ground Radio technician. I currently teach RF Transmissions for the Air Force still. We cover any and all comm systems from radios to satcom. I have 35+ years of teaching this subject!

[Brassy]

Very Nice, Apprenticed on tube radio's... Nice to see the interest !!! 73's VE7 DOD