Just got my grandfather's radio back from being restored. I cannot say I did anything other than save it from the trash heap, hold it for 20 years, and finally send it off. The picture belies its beauty...it turned out much better than it looks here. Turned it on last night and picked up Australia, China, and UK on the SW band, and local stuff on AM. My wife said "I can't believe that is that piece of junk the cat was running the mice out of."
My grandfather listened to baseball on it. Guess what...first channel I tuned into on the AM band was a baseball game. Gave me a little tingle.
My house was built in 1918.
My barn was built in 1918.
My T was built in 1923.
Now I have a 1939 radio (least I think that's the right year).
I am too young to feel nostalgic, and too old to not appreciate all of this.
Cool! I'm a radio restorer myself. It's always such a pleasure to save an old radio from the dumpster and bring it back to life!
Now you can listen to Fibber & Molly Tuesday night and the Opry on Saturday. How do you like the magic eye tube?
That brings back memories ---
I remember wanting a big multi-band radio when I was a kid so I could listen to people from "far away places"
The comments about Fibber & Molly, and the Opry made me laugh and the Pacific Garden Mission "Unshackled" immediately flashed thru my mind.
I wonder if the radio waves are still floating around and if I got an old radio I could hear those old shows!
Steve,
The magic eye tube is COOL. This unit has not worked in my lifetime so I had no idea there WAS a magic eye tube. Its mesmerizing!
Steve
Oh yes,nothing like tuning in WSM on saterday night and listening to the grand ole opery on a antique.
I have fixed a few in my time,and have some more to fix.
That turned out nice.
I just checked the 1939 sears catalog I have here and there is a couple with the same button setup but the cabinet is slightly different.
I would say you are very close to the right year though.
Before my time but the Pan American used to go right by the WSM tower not long after she came through Radner Yards out of Nashville and they would blow the whistle as she went by. They would play it over the radio daily. My family (on my dad's mother's side) were L&N folks. Their story was that the guy broadcasting there at the tower would open the window and stick the microphone out as the train went by. But I think there was a microphone actually mounted on the tower. I think about it every time I go by the tower on the way into Nashville and tell my wife about it. She is really tired of hearing about it.
The tower has other uses too. You can tune your ADF to 650 and fly right into Nashville on it. Or you used to be able to. I'm not sure the range in there since there turned it down years ago.
That's a real beauty Steve!
Thanks for the kind words.
Steve, Who did your restoration? I've got two console floor models, one from my parent's house and one from an aunt and uncle's house that need restoring.
Terry,
http://tomsradiorepair.bizland.com/.
Steve
Steve, I too received my Grandfather's "Zenith Tombstone" many years ago. As a wee lad I would listen to the Boston Red Sox ballgame with him. Good ole WBZ radio. Somehow that radio disappeared while I was in Navy Boot Camp 45 yrs ago. Nobody in my family admits to what happened to it and I have missed it since then. There is just something magical about and "connected" about listening to any old "super-hetrodyne" radio. I have not found another like mine in all these years. ENJOY Yours!
The other day I was telling one of the boys in my class that I was very lucky to be born when I was, because I got to experience real radio. If you were around at the time you know what I mean. You can listen to recordings of the old shows, but that's sort of like learning about a dinosaur from the bones. Not the same as experiencing the live critter.
Beautiful old valve radios!
I've restored a few. My favorite was a Zenith port hole table-top made the same year my dad was born. I gave it to him for his 60th birthday (this was 15 years ago).
Fantastic! My dad was an RF engineer in the early '50s. He had quite a fondness for early radios and had over 200 of them when he died a bit less than 10 years ago. My mother and brother still have most of them. (They would like to sell them, but my brother insists on wanting too much for them.) I have a few from the '20s, but none of them are in working order. I really admire them when they work. Enjoy it.
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2
Speaking of radios from the '20s...
This is a 1925 Music Master that I am restoring. It was a barn find when I got it, and it was in rough shape. Everything has been worked on in it, interstage transformers rewound, wiring cleaned up, basically everything that could be done to it. I still have to the silk screening on the front panel, but other than, it's pretty much finished, and plays great!
The front panel was bakelite originally, but it was shot. I had new one made of black plexiglass. It looks great, but it sure shows fingerprints!
The horn is a Tower with a Music Master driver, and I made the antenna.
my collection is now 300+ - all battery sets from the 20's My website is under construction for Kodel radios, but it can be googled at Johns Kodel radio history. Over the next few weeks alot of info coming. I would put the link here, but dont know how to do that yet.
John,
That's great! I love radio sets from the '20s. I would have to say that those are my favorites. I just love all the different designs and features that they were trying back in the day.
Just copy and paste the address, like this:
http://kodelradiomuseum.com/
Cameron, we have some real nice ones made in Cincinnati other than that "Crosley hype"! - Brass front Cleartones, Ainsworths, Kodels and the wonderful Midwests!- fabulous!
Seems like in 1 of my old books it shows a antenna made like that.I will have to look that up Cammeron.Thanks for posting that as I have some radios in the liveing room where I cant run a out side antenna.
For many years I tried to obtain the same model Zenith radios that were in my Grandparents house and in our house when I was a kid. They were both shortwave models and led me to a lifetime of electronics and ham radio fun.
I finally found and restored my parents and just a year ago found my grandparent's model which I am now restoring.
How many other hams got into the hobby because of grampa's radio ?
schuh - KF5IO
Grandpa's
Mom & Dad's
I love those old port-hole Zenith radios.
If you guys ever come across or have any original, hand-carved, wooden "Z" knobs, don't pass them up or give them away. Plastic repros were $40+ per pair last time I checked a few years ago. Once saw a pair of original wood ones sell for over $100 on eBay.
They say you can reproduce knobs with a female mold and QuikPoly.
Here's a pic of a Zenith port-hole nearly identical in finish to the one I restored for my dad. Called a Zenith "Cube". Mfg in 1938.
In December of 1949, with my sister on the way, my parents moved from a two-bedroom house to a three-bedroom house. I had just turned eight, and my dad decided I was old enough to have my own radio, which was put on the nightstand next to my bed. I really felt grown up, especially because my grandparents had the identical model radio in their living room. The radio didn't survive one of my mother's periodic clean-out-throw-away sessions, but I have always remembered it very clearly. A few years ago, I decided to dig around the internet and see what I could find. I found this on e-bay and ended up the only bidder. It's not the radio itself, but it is absolutely identical and I do at least have the feeling that my radio is back.
I may try the quik poly knob idea. Mine current has four generic knobs. I am missing one of the four originals. I suppose that's a thread all in itself...repop vs original knobs...I wonder if they argue about that on the old radio forums? In the interest of full disclosure my radio is actually running an "E Tuner." It's in the back and LOOKS like a regular old style tube but in fact is running dual pentium processors. I don't care that it has removed all of the charm of tuning into a station...
Does anyone have photos of Stromberg Carlson radios.We have hugh Floor model from the 20's
-Don
(sorry we don't have a camera)
I understand that Dewey Tatro in Decorah, Iowa manufactured radios in the early days. Do any of you have a Tatro Radio or have you ever heard of any?
try Googling Eckstein Radio - I think thats the Tatro's.
Dont pay that type of a price for radio knobs without checking the Antique Radio Forums online first. There are some great Zenith parts available, and try radiopup@bellsouth.net for originals.