VOLUME 25               FEBRUARY 2008                NUMBER  2

EDITOR'S COMMENTS

From Antique Radio Classified for February 2008
(Copyright 1996-2007 by John V. Terrey - For personal use only.)

"Global" is the operative word today, and far be it for radio collectors to be out of sync. For one thing, our club activities are, indeed, global, as articles in this issue attest. From the annual AWA meet in upstate New York, to a museum exhibit in Florida and a 25th anniversary jubilee in Australia, radio activities are alive and well. Even our cover photo of a Stromberg-Carlson and its world map of time zones reflects the international scope of our avocation.

The AWA Conference has always had an international following. Swiss collector Max Bodner, a regular attendee, is pictured this month with a prize acquisition. And Alan Carter of Croydon, England, was presented a Special Recognition Award for his twenty unbroken years of attendance. Max, Alan, and everyone else who gathered in Rochester, New York, enjoyed all aspects of this well-organized event. Though the four-day rain forecast put a damper on the flea market, vendors still managed to do well between showers. Note the photo of Jim Moneghan's empty table.

Photos of the flea market and contest show a range of unusual items on display. Though the auction proceeds were down a bit, the good news was that Marconi lives -- his bust went for $1,500! The seminars and banquet were well attended, so, as always, this conference is worth planning to attend.

On to Australia to join our fellow collectors, at least in spirit, for the Historic Radio Society's celebration of its silver jubilee. Richard Begbie paints a sweeping picture of down- under radio collectors gathering from the far corners of that vast land to pay tribute to vintage radio. Every period of radio history was on display, a well-organized auction was a highlight of the weekend, and the banquet and entertainment were first class.

Of note was the flea market which was open to the public who were eager buyers of nostalgia and were in awe of what had survived the passage of time. U.S. clubs take note: in addition to new buyers, this open door policy led to new memberships.

On to Florida where new memberships were also a welcome result of the Jacksonville Antique Radio Society's exhibit at the Jacksonville Beaches Museum and History Center. A club that makes this kind of effort to attract the community to radio collecting does much to encourage the preservation of radio history.

Of course, the same is true of those who engage in restoration projects. Mike Biddison reminds us of the pleasure of rediscovering his Troy 75 and then bringing it back to life.

In a similar vein, Roger Schreur describes the reawakening of old memories in his letter to Walt Lindenbach, author of the Heathkit scope story in the December 2006 issue. A happy memory is always worth sharing.

Unfortunately, a not so happy memory will linger forever for Herb Sollman as a result of the loss of everything, including his collection, due to a Kansas flood. Though we report most often on good radio times, Herb's story stands as a reminder that the worst can happen in the face of natural disaster.

Memories are an integral part of radio history, and Art Redman's article on Oregon's first radio station may well evoke a few for some of Portland's senior citizens. The Northwest Radio Manufacturing Company, the subject of Art's earlier article, supplied the equipment for Station 7XG. Once again, one article leads to another, and that's a plus for us all.

A.R.C. Benefits. Be sure to take advantage of A.R.C. benefits: a toll-free number (866) 371-0512; Discover, MasterCard, American Express, Visa accepted; the Web, www.antiqueradio.com; books shipped free in the U. S. by USPS media mail; and for current subscribers, a 10 percent discount on all book orders.

Coming Radio Events. The big event for us here in the East is Radio XXXIX on February 17 in Westford, Mass., which is organized by A.R.C. We look forward to seeing you there. In addition, there are three auctions, 10 meets, and 27 meetings listed this month. Be sure to make at least one of them.

Happy Collecting!

John V. Terrey, Editor

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ON THE COVER

Ken Lowther entered the handsome Stromberg-Carlson International Model AWP-8 on our cover in the AWA old equipment contest. Not only is it an all-wave, portable, 8-band radio, but it is topped by a time-zone map, and contains Taylor weather instruments. His display also included the manual for the radio and the weather station.

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OOPS!

The January issue of A.R.C had hardly landed in your mailboxes when we received e-mails from both "Irv" and "Ian" Sanders correcting the attribution of the Heathkit article on page 13. The article was written by Irv, not Ian. Our apologies to both.