VOLUME 26               JUNE 2009                NUMBER  6

EDITOR'S COMMENTS

From Antique Radio Classified for June 2009
(Copyright 1996-2009 by John V. Terrey - For personal use only.)

Twenty-five years! That's a long time, especially when I realize that I have been publisher/editor of Antique Radio Classified for twenty-three of them! My thanks to all of you who have traveled with us, from the early days of exciting growth in collecting and readership, to the present day of economic difficulties.

That journey is recounted in Managing Editor Dorothy Schecter's article "A.R.C -- The First 25 Years." Every five years, we like to look back to see how far we've come and how much has changed. For those of you who have lived through many five-year periods with us, the recent changes will be the most telling; for newer subscribers, it may be surprising to learn how much organizational history there is to tell.

Thank you too for the understanding many of you have expressed about the need to publish, what some have called, the "skimpy" May issue. As promised, this June Silver Anniversary issue includes a variety of articles, as well as ads, coming radio events and a club listing -- everything you need to keep in touch with the radio world. (In the interest of article subject balance, we have postponed the Radio XL report until a future issue.) We will probably continue with the cost-saving measure of publishing issues of varying size, which, nevertheless, will provide in total the same amount of information you are accustomed to receiving.

In addition to your generally positive reaction to the change, we have even received a few donations, for which we are grateful. And, "Radio Miscellanea" contains some of your encouraging comments. These extra displays of support for A.R.C. reinforced my belief that we are all in the business of preserving radio history together.

Most of us are pursuing this hobby for love, not for profit. In fact, what many may not realize is that A.R.C. has not been a profitable enterprise in recent years. But, it has been my way of adding another dimension to my personal love of old radio and of providing to others what one responder called "a lifeline to the radio world."

As an unofficial historian for club events, A.R.C. publishes annual reports on major meets and auctions, such as MARC's 2008 Extravaganza contributed by Mark Oppat and John Reinicke. Starting at 7 a.m. sharp on Friday, this public-friendly meet has all the ingredients of a great event. Its "Radio Reception" on Friday night is open to all -- a festive highlight in a weekend of radio collector camaraderie. The 2009 Extravaganza will be held July 9-11, and so you still have time to plan to attend.

A new radio book is another kind of exciting event. Howard Stone reports on Where Discovery Sparks Imagination by John Jenkins about the extraordinary contents of the American Museum of Radio and Electricity in Bellingham, Washington. If Howard's wife Karen, who "isn't in love with old radios" was excited by a visit to the museum, he is sure you will be excited by the handsome pictorial contents of this book.

We also asked John Jenkins himself to write an account of how he came to write the book, as this seemed like a natural follow-up to his March 2003 article about the museum in a much earlier phase of its history. With this book, John has certainly gone the extra mile in recording the growth of the museum and its coverage of four centuries of electric technology.

Of course, there are many other ways to contribute to our ever-evolving knowledge of radio. One is to undertake the restoration of a set as impressive as a Scott Allwave 23. Frank Drost did that, not once, but twice! The second time he documented every step, and we are all the beneficiaries of his work.

In a similar vein, A.R.C. staff member Ray Bintliff can't resist a repair challenge. This time, even he was surprised by the strange NeoNeon sign presented to him for repair. Though it uses vacuum tubes, it is not a radio; however, a good engineer always has to analyze how such a device works and to share his findings.

Similar due diligence is admirably exhibited in Paul Turney's article on the G & F Searchlight radio. Paul attempts to solve the mystery of who actually made this interesting radio. Though he draws a conclusion from his research, he allows that other possibilities could still be out there. In an interesting aside, he explores how punchcards offering radios as prizes figured in the advertising campaigns of the period.

And so it goes -- there's no limit to what might capture the interest of an individual collector, and we are fortunate that many of you share that interest in writing with the rest of us.

One thing is for sure, we at A.R.C. are happy to produce this magazine and intend to continue to keep it going for the purposes and pleasure of 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. Summer is everyone's favorite season for getting out and enjoying our hobby. Listed this month are 26 meetings, 10 meets, and 4 auctions. Let the good times begin.

Happy Collecting!

John V. Terrey, Editor

---

ON THE COVER

The DeForest Model W-5 receiver, ca. 1926, shown on our cover is only one of over 1,000 receivers exhibited at the American Museum of Radio and Electricity in Bellingham, Washington. It is also one of over 600 items illustrating John Jenkins's new book about the museum. The book covers the six galleries of the museum, and this set appears in Gallery Four, "Radio Enters the Home."