VOLUME 13                    MAY  1996                NUMBER  5

EDITOR'S COMMENTS

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

What was that we said last month about the hope of spring in the air here in New England? Well, two snowstorms in one April week, making an all-time-record accumulation, somewhat dampened that hope. Perhaps that's why our lead article features an indoor repair project, although everyone knows that repair projects are always in season.

This article by Donald Teale is a reprint from a 1963 magazine contributed by Paul Williams. For AC/DC radios of that era, it is as useful today as it was then.

Richard Arnold tells us about his RCA Model T10-1 oversized tombstone, a 10-tube set which covers the shortwave bands as well as the usual broadcast band. Quality sound must have been a goal of RCA with this set since it has an 8-inch speaker and 8.5 watts of "undistorted power."

Mac Lackey provides us with a glimpse of radio's past in his article on WJZ Newark, which can trace its history to 1909 and the experimental broadcasts of Dr. A. Frederick Collins. By 1922, Westinghouse had begun experimenting with radio as entertainment on WJZ by playing records on a Diamond Disc phonograph provided by Edison himself.

This month Paul Bourbin writes about the Navy OQ-3, the military version of the Weston Model 788 tube tester. Paul is remembered for a number of test equipment articles for A.R.C. in the past, and has been joined recently by Alan Douglas in adding to our knowledge about tube testers.

Reports on radio meets, auctions and club spotlights add up to four this month. The Greater Boston Antique Radio Collectors (GBARC) held its 27th meet here in Massachusetts in February. (Yes, it sometimes takes us this long to get a report together for A.R.C.) As host of the largest event in New England, GBARC welcomed over 900 browsing attendees and provided for 90 flea market tables.

At the other end of the record book was a gathering at the Crested Butte, Colorado, ski resort. Here the attendance was six with one vendor. (Quantity is not always what counts!) This first annual event has a way to grow, so all of you radio-skiers out there, let A.R.C. know if you are interested in attending the second annual "Meet on the Mount." Small or large, expect a success.

Richard Estes held another major radio auction with sales exceeding $34,000. We print his report along with a number of photos. With 153 bidders, Richard's events are not to be missed by any avid collector. Top bids were brought by a Majestic Charlie McCarthy radio at $925 and a Zenith 15U-269 console at $600.

And speaking of major auctions - a new advertiser to A.R.C., Auction Team Köln, of Köln, Germany, announces a "Classic Radio & TV Sets" auction on June 8, 1996. See pages 112 and 113. If Germany is not on your June itinerary, absentee bids will be accepted.

The Arizona Antique Radio Club is featured on our Club Spotlight page. This club has grown to over 150 members since it was formed in 1983. Although based in the Phoenix area, it draws collectors from the entire southwestern region.

Photo Review shows a number of AC sets from early TRFs to a 1950s plastic model. An interesting breadboard-style crystal set by Electronic Age Mfrs. (EAM) of Brooklyn, N. Y., is shown also.

A Radio Miscellanea letter identifies the man and woman listening to their Radiola IV on our April cover. Although we suspected that the couple were celebrities, we decided to leave it up to our readers to do the sleuthing for us. Also included are follow-ups on Nipper, a Deluxe Midget radio, and KDKA. And, a subscriber from almost the end of Alaska's Aleutian Islands writes in appreciation of A.R.C. - and, thank heavens, not to complain about his 3-week plus delivery time!

Chuck Dachis' long-awaited book, Radios by Hallicrafters, is reviewed this month by A.R.C. staff member Ray Bintliff. Published by Schiffer, the publisher of the Philco and Zenith books, this book is a "must buy," according to Bintliff. It joins the fine books by Moore (Communications Receivers, 3rd ed.) and Penson (Heathkit: A Guide to Amateur Radio Products) in filling the information needs of collectors of ham equipment.

Additional books for the ham collector are The Pocket Guide to Collins Amateur Radio Equipment, 1946-1980 by Jay Miller; two new books on ham transmitters - Transmitters, Exciters, and Power Amplifiers, 1930-1980 by Ray Moore, and Tube Type Transmitter Guide by Eugene Rippen. Also available is Rippen's Ham Price Guide. A.R.C. now carries all of these books.

Coming Radio Events. This month there are 55 events for the collector with multiday events in Indiana, Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, and Alberta. The next event for A.R.C. is the Dayton, Ohio, Hamvention on May 17-19. Attracting 35,000 hams, this is the largest ham event in the U. S. Although mainly for radio amateurs, this event is attended by many radio collectors, as both buyers and sellers in the outdoor flea market.

A.R.C. will be at Booth 207, with New Wireless Pioneers next door at 206. Our booths are a "must stop" for all Hamvention radio collectors. Dayton-area A.R.C. subscribers Dianna and Lew Lewis, Alan Partin, and Tom Steele help me out at this event, so stop by and say "hi" to us all.

Happy Collecting

John V. Terrey, Editor

ON THE COVER

Our cover this month is a stylized line drawing by A.R.C. staff member and collector/artist Dave Crocker. They are from top right, counterclockwise: an Emerson 543, ca. 1947; an RCA 35X, ca. 1942; a Motorola 5R1, ca. 1951; a Crosley 10-138, ca. 1950; a Zenith H-725, ca. 1951; and a Westinghouse H-210, ca. 1949. Dave's talent and extensive radio knowledge are a great resource for A.R.C.