let's see your vintage radios!

[Token]

Oh, you are good.

How did you come up with that?

I have seen one before, and the switch plate (bezel) was familiar. After that a search on the "FM718" on the model label hit on Howard, I broke out the Riders and there it was.

Just a note, the "FM" band on that radio is not 20 to 100 MHz, note the small "4" in front of each number. The original US FM band went from 42 to 50 MHz, and that radio was built to work in that range. So, read the large numbers as ones place and tenths place, with the 4 in the tens, so the "90" becomes 49.0 and "20" is 42.0.

(edit) I might be wrong about that 1947 or after I said in my first post identifying the radio. My book says 1947, but by 1947 the new FM band was in use. Also, I found another source that says the model 718, not quite the same radio, started production in 1940. The "old" band (42-50 MHz) was first assigned in 1940 and was taken away in 1945. Some radios continued to be made with the "old" band after the new band was official though. So, I would say produced sometime from 1940 to 1947. As there was essentially no private radio production from early 1942 to mid 1945 I would say made 1940, 1941, 1945, 1946, or 1947.

T!

 

[k9rzz]

Hey, great info. Thanks for the research, very much appreciated.

 

[SkyPager]

I use this on cold winter nights R-390A/URR circa 1967.

 

[ridgescan]

oohh nice Collins man! IMO should be higer up the rack like on top! I wish you could do a short video of it in action-could ya

 

[Big_Ears]

Vintage Radios

I finally remembered about this thread and took this photo of an old SW radio when I was at my mom's house last weekend. It was my dad's radio and still resides in the garage. It's an old Zenith radio and has (3) bands. There is AM band, a 1.5-5.5 Mhz and a 5.6-18.0 Mhz band. I get a kick where it states Marine - Police - Fire around the 2.0 - 3.0 Mhz range. It's an old metal tube radio. I blew all the dust out, plugged it in and it works! One of the stages was upgraded to a modern? glass vacuum tube. I remember my dad working on that lone time ago. I didn't have time to string up a longwire and try to tune WWV or a RTTY signal but AM works fine. The case is real wood..there's no fake wood laminate here. I don't know what the age is but somebody here would probably know.

 

[ridgescan]

I would seriously relieve that beautiful vintage Zenith of its "garage caddy" duties immediately, and put it in a proper safe spot! Near as I could find, you have this radio from 1938!!
Radio Attic's Archives - Zenith 6-S-223

and I am impressed with the fact that she still runs how lucky you are to have that one in your family.

one sold here last year for $549
http://radioattic.com/item_sold.htm?radio=0960524
but I believe he was asking $649
http://radioattic.com/item.htm?radio=0960611

 

[majoco]

Visit

Antique Radios - The Collector's Resource

and register - they'll tell you all about it - and quite a few of them will scream "DON'T TURN IT ON"......until you have replaced all the ancient electrolytic capacitors! I suspect the glass tube is one of the originals - the metal-canned black ones were a later development. Great radios - although the price paid by EPay buyers is not a proper guide to it's resale value.

My advise in the short term - don't leave it unattended while switched on - you may let the magic smoke out!:roll:

 

[K5TXC]

Two of my old radios

Upright model is Atwater Kent Super-Heterodyne Model 711, belonged to my Grandmother.
Table top radio is Philco Model 42-122 battery powered "Farm" radio.

 

[K5TXC]

One more old radio

Motorola portable, Model 56M1
117 Volts AC/DC or self contained battery.
S/N 8002
Paid $6.50 at a 2nd had store, one tube, and power cord missing.

 

[ridgescan]

Nice collection! First time I ever heard of a "farm" radio-why did they call it that-I am thinking it's because you can take it on the tractor with you?

 

[K5TXC]

They were radios used before most farms had electricity, when the REA was established, the rural areas started getting power. I not sure if "farm" radio was the proper term, I just used that because I know most of these radios were used there. Thanks for the question, I have two more old radios I will post pictures of when I have the time.

 

[LesWurk]

two tube regen set, not a real pretty example but fun unit

 

[majoco]

Farm radios typically ran off lead-acid batteries that were charged from a wind-driven generator. Back in the dim and distant past I was part of a small team installing experimental 50 watt NDB's around the Scottish Islands that used a similar system - 16 cells in wooden containers of 4 glass cells each in small wooden crates - fortunately by then the transmitters were all transistor - no vibrators for B+! All in a steel shed about 6foot square and 7foot high securely bolted to a concrete pad to survive the Atlantic gales! I don't think they were very succesful, as I can not find any info on the aero charts now - the wire antennas and poles were the weakest part.

 

[kilokat7]

Great thread! I've enjoyed looking at everyone's old radios - keep them coming!

Here are my two daily drivers. They have been restored and are used almost daily. Both sound amazing and still pull in DX. The tombstone is a Zenith 6-S-27 from 1936, and the console is a Zenith 11-S-474 from 1940.

 

[kilokat7]

Here are a few more from the collection that are scattered throughout the house:

 

[ridgescan]

<<--me drooling over the 7-s-474

 

[ridgescan]

two tube regen set, not a real pretty example but fun unit

Did you build that one yourself? I read it's from the late 50s-nice

 

[LesWurk]

Not built by me, but the wiring and soldering was very well done by the builder.

It's my first working regen set, kinda fun tuning a station in.

Did you build that one yourself? I read it's from the late 50s-nice

 

[woody_46]

Some great radios here guys!

I do have to say Ebay is a joke for the old ones. There are guys that only deal in radios driving prices up. Some of their new radios are even "buy now" at more than you can get at your local radio shop. Some of the boat anchors have ridiculous reserves too.

I bought my Hallicrafters for 40$, so check your local newspapers, etc. There are still deals out there.

 

[SCPD]

tx for that