VOLUME 16            JANUARY 1999                NUMBER   1

RADIO MISCELLANEA -- January 1999

From Antique Radio Classified for January 1999
(Copyright 1996-9 by John V. Terrey - For personal use only.)

"Antique Radio Classified" invites its readers to contribute letters and information for inclusion in "Radio Miscellanea" and elsewhere in the magazine. "In The Marketplace" is based on information submitted by the businesses themselves. All topics should be of general interest and sent to A.R.C., P.O. Box 2, Carlisle, MA 01741. All material submitted should be verified for accuracy and may be edited for publication, which is not guaranteed. See the masthead for more details.

The Web -- Pro & Con & Con & Pro
Dear Editor:

I am a subscriber and happy to hear that you're going to put the ads on the Net. I realize this has been a difficult topic for some time, and the traditionalists want you to stick with print. As you obviously realize, the Internet is simply too efficient to ignore.

My first purchase on the Net was from A.R.C. -- a book, which arrived as expected, and it made my struggle with recapping a Philco 16 easier. It is also a lift to see the magazine in the mail each month. A.R.C. has anchored and validated the radio hobby for many years. Thanks for your excellent work.

--John Drewitz, Minnetonka, MN

Dear Editor:

As a 78-year-old with 42 years of computer experience behind me, I find that the Web is not necessarily the perfect learning tool. Trying to digest serious material while scrolling is somewhat distracting. Also, I can't take a lengthy scroll of pages with me to bed. Sure, I can download and print it out, but that defeats the purpose of instant information and a paperless environment. Because a few of us use the Net does not mean everyone should be forced to modernize. Abandoning the "hard copy" of A.R.C. would alienate many subscribers, probably myself included. Remember the old Chinese proverb, "All progress is not advancement."

--Dale Parsons, Cross Lanes, WV

Don't worry, A.R.C. will not "abandon the hard copy." The Internet will simply be another way to read the magazine for those who prefer the electronic method. (Editor)

Dear Editor:

If you go on the Internet, this will be my last subscription renewal. There would be no point to subscribing if you could get A.R.C. on the Internet.

--Mel Urban

A.R.C. ads on the Internet will be available to subscribers only, who will have the advantage of both the Net and the hard copy, an arrangement that we hope will make readers on both sides of the argument happy. (Editor)

Dear Editor:

It has been interesting following the pros and cons of A.R.C.'s further entry into the Web. The reality is you have no choice if you are to survive. My main reason for subscribing to A.R.C. is to keep up to date on trends and prices of radio-related items. A collector book provides only a limited snapshot.

On the Internet, I can log on to E-bay 24 hours a day and view hundreds of radios, many with color pictures. I can see what collectors are willing to pay for items right now. I can search to find the items I am interested in without having to read through pages of fine print.

You have no choice but to move with the times. If you don't, you won't be part of the future.

--Brian Vitarelli, Whitby, Ontario, Canada

Old Magazine Browsing
Dear Editor:

Several months ago, I bought seven 1920s Popular Radio magazines and later, a 5-tube TRF Freed-Eisemann Model NR-6. In the radio, two of the 01-As were missing and the other three tested good. Also missing were two tuning knobs and the end bearings of the two capacitors, as well as the labels on the rear where the terminals protrude.

That evening, I was browsing in the September 1925 Popular Radio, and to my surprise, there was the complete layout and product report for a Model NR-20, almost identical to the NR-6, with different locations of the switch and speaker jacks. The NR-6 did not have the speaker terminals at the back of the set like the NR-20. With some square copper bus bar wire and some spaghetti of the same vintage, I duplicated new terminals and wired in speaker terminals.

On the cover of the same issue was a picture of a beautiful loop antenna. I intend to build it to go with the Freed-Eisemann.

Another tip from the same issue: Many think that the term "magnatron" came with the introduction of radar.

But, an ad by the Connewey Electric Laboratories shows the company touting its 201-A and 199 tubes as magnatrons (see logo reproduced above) at $2.50 each. Times never change!

--Alton A. DuBois, Queensbury, NY

15-Year Ad A Success
Dear Editor:

After about 15 years, I'm sorry to say goodbye to my ad in A.R.C. I am now 77 years young, but I had a heart attack in August and have been told to slow down. It has been a good 15 years, as this little ad kept me very busy repairing an average of 15 radios a week, after my retirement from industrial electronics in 1983.

You have a wonderful thing going in A.R.C., so please keep it up. Thank you very much for all your help with my hobby -- it's been wonderful.

--Chuck Humphries, New Haven, WV

Kudos for Historic Information
Dear Editor:

The December 1998 article by Jack Ward on the transistor was very accurate on the role Raytheon played in the early transistor years. Jack reviewed many original documents in our archival files, inspected our transistor memorabilia, and talked with several of our early transistor people.

The articles on John Bardeen and, in earlier issues, on Emil Berliner, and Cliff Gardner were also of great interest. Much of this important historical information has never appeared in print before.

--Norman Krim, Raytheon Archives, Newton, MA