VOLUME 20               NOVEMBER 2003                NUMBER  11

EDITOR'S COMMENTS

From Antique Radio Classified for November 2003
(Copyright 1996-2003 by John V. Terrey - For personal use only.)

Only a few years ago, predictions were that the Internet would pretty much replace meets and auctions, but nothing seems farther from the truth. Instead, we are still playing catch-up with the many major events across the country in the past several months.

Personal hands-on interaction among collectors is very much alive and no more so than in the Mid-Atlantic states. The Delaware Valley Historic Radio Club's meet and auction has joined with the ongoing Renninger's flea market in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. The result is a perfect venue. Kudos to DVARC for setting a trend in complementary events.

In nearby Maryland, the Mid-Atlantic Antique Radio Club's RadioActivity 2003 is another significant two-day event. Even the heavy rain failed to shut down the enthusiasm pervading this major meet.

Also in Maryland, the third part of the Nye Estate Auction was another benefit for the Radio History Society's Radio-Television Museum in Bowie, Maryland. Museums, like auctions and meets, offer opportunities for personal interaction among collectors. The relatively new Southern Appalachian Radio Museum (SARM) in Ashville, North Carolina, is another place for such interaction. Reporter John Travis conveys the pride of those involved in the museum operation.

Herb Parsons takes enthusiasm for old radios to a very personal level in his description of how one radio repair job got him started on a long radio journey. So too with Joseph Chambers' home-brew radio high school project. And Bernard Magers' interest in following up on black-coated tubes is another example of a collector's commitment to radio history.

Nothing may require more enthusiasm and sheer perseverance than building your own set or restoring one. Louis L. D'Antuono's nice before and after photos testify to his success in bringing a rusted BC-342 receiver back to life.

One item in Photo Review surely stands out -- a Zenith advertising floor mat. Radio Miscellanea follows up on our error in mismatching sets in the January 2003 Photo Review.

Get Ready for the Holiday Season! Order books early for family and friends. Toll free number, (866) 371-0512; the Web, www.antiqueradio.com.

Coming Radio Events. Among the 41 events listed this month, the major 2-day events are the VRPS Convention in Texas and the SCARS Meet in California.

Happy Collecting!

John V. Terrey, Editor

PRINTED WITHOUT COMMENT

We continue to receive reports from classified advertisers of a response via e-mail to their classified ads proposing paying for the item via a third party. The check (one subscriber reports the check received was "bad") would be in excess of the purchase price, and the seller is asked to refund the difference to a foreign address.

As always, we suggest that you know your buyer and seller or ask for references to minimize problems.

ON THE COVER

The handsome 1930 Philco Concert Grand on our cover was Jim Wilson's entry in this year's MAARC RadioActivity Old Equipment Contest. Ron Ramirez, in his book Philco Radio 1928-1942, describes the Concert Grand as having a combination of a Screen Grid Plus 96 and an electric phonograph housed in an elaborate corner cabinet with double doors. It sold for $350, less tubes. Philco called it "the greatest of all receivers."