VOLUME 22               MAY 2005                NUMBER  5

EDITOR'S COMMENTS

From Antique Radio Classified for May 2005
(Copyright 1996-2005 by John V. Terrey - For personal use only.)

As our report on the Greater Boston Antique Radio Collectors Meet in Westford, Mass., says, luck was with us again. A winter meet in New England is always a risk, but somehow we beat the odds and can take justifiable pride in our success. The meet organizers -- namely the A.R.C. staff -- certainly have the right to do a little bragging, as attendees continue to tell us that this is the best meet on the East Coast.

First among the reasons given are the amenities of the hotel which provides a large, comfortable venue for the meet and some entertainment for families. Second, effective advertising brings in new buyers and potentially new collectors, and the result is that our attendance continues to rank among the top tier of one-day meets in the U. S. And last but not least is the prevailing camaraderie that just can't be beat. Can you blame us for tooting our own horn a bit?

Richard Arnold also has reason to congratulate himself -- in this case, for finding a replacement for the Silvertone 6050 that he had made the mistake of selling. Why a mistake? Because it related to his wife's family history, and she was not at all pleased that it was gone. He not only got back in her good graces with the replacement, but also won the set a place in the "forbidden living room." Furthermore, Richard does all of us a good service by writing about his discoveries in his favorite Oklahoma antique shop. That seems like another extension of the sense of "radio family" that goes on at meets like Radio XXXVI.

Though radio is our primary subject, we're always interested in its close relatives like Robert Enemark's collection of early telegraph equipment. In Bob's description of his museum quality resonator and a homemade learner set, we are reminded of the importance of examining items very carefully in case a stamp or identifying mark has been overlooked.

If you should happen to be looking for another aspect of our hobby to vary your collection, you might consider following Robert's path to the unusual, or Walter Hall's interest in test equipment, which is even more closely related to radio. Walter undertook the challenge of restoring a high quality Western Electric Primary Frequency Standard. We salute his expertise and his interest in a different side of radio preservation.

Once again Ray Chase reports on a large Estes Auction with items so extensive in almost all categories that we have pulled them out and reported them separately. For example, a battery set collector like me found so much that was interesting on the Estes website that I decided to go to the auction myself. I did have some success and concluded that collectors of varying interests are drawn to Estes events because of Richard's success in finding quality consignments.

I was also able to add to Ray Chase's photos and decided that overall, the number of detailed photos in this issue amounts to "Photo Review" sections almost throughout the magazine. In the auction report alone you will see a Zenith Military Trans-Oceanic, an Air-Way G receiver, a Zenith Porthole TV, an Amrad SE-1420C medium wave receiver, and two versions of the Amplion AR-102 speaker, one of which shows the word "Dragonfly" on the label. I suggest that you keep tabs on the previews to these auctions to see what might enhance your own collection.

A.R.C. Benefits. Continue 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. Good weather means more meets are possible -- 15 are listed, including Kutztown, IHRS, and Radio Daze. There are 26 meetings and 3 auctions listed, with a grand total of 44 events. Be sure to attend at least one in your area.

Happy Collecting!

John V. Terrey, Editor

ON THE COVER

Our cover photo, taken by Editor John Terrey at Radio XXXVI, shows the Bernd family of Fairfield, Connecticut, displaying their transistor radios and Beatlemania items for sale. Walter, a longtime A.R.C. subscriber, his wife Jane and son Chris, who had just bought his first radio, epitomized the supportive family teams prevalent among the sellers at this popular meet.

OOPS!

Several letters this month commented on the "Resistance Line Cord and Ballast Tube Replacement" article in the March issue to which we will respond in detail in a future issue. The significant error was one made by our printing contractor the square root sign was replaced by a divide sign. This error makes the equation in the March issue unusable. The correct equation is below: