VOLUME 19            JULY 2002                NUMBER  7

RADIO MISCELLANEA -- JULY 2002

From Antique Radio Classified for July 2002
(Copyright 1996-2002 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.

More on VTVM on AC/DC Sets
Dear Editor:

I am surprised that anyone working in the antique radio field is still using VTVM equipment to check out AC/DC radios. In addition to the possibility of burning up a VTVM, it can give you readings much higher than the standard VOM used in the old days because it is a high impedance device. This could give you the impression that the radio being tested was defective, when it is not. It is best to use a low impedance meter of 1,000 to 10,000 when testing radio equipment built in the 1920s through the 1940s if you expect to read voltages somewhere close to the radio manufacturer's specifications.

--Robert J. Goad, Tampa, FL

More on Tabs
Dear Editor:

I just wanted you to know that I hate the stickers that you put on A.R.C. Removing them often pulls away the top glossy layer of paper, and makes it look ugly. If it doesn't remove paper, it leaves behind adhesive which picks up dirt and looks ugly. Actually, the cover of one of my issues was torn adjacent to one of the stickers.

Just my two cents.

--Gary J. Alley, Springfield, VA

Dear Editor:

I read each issue of A.R.C. from cover to cover, word for word, and was slightly taken aback by the two negative comments in the Radio Miscellanea section about the tabs on the magazine.

They can be very easily removed by taking a single edge razor blade in a proper holder (we all have one of these), and slipping it under the edge of the tab and gently pushing it toward the edge of the pages. After one side is loose, the tab can be easily, but slowly, peeled from the other side. If the residue left on the cover is a problem, it can be removed by putting one drop of Goo-Gone on a Q-Tip and gently rubbing the residue spot and voila, it's gone! You might wish to have a paper towel handy to dry the spots.

I personally appreciate the tabs. Prior to their use, my copy would be two to three weeks late and torn and dogeared. In addition, from time to time, there would be entire pages carefully torn from the magazine. Very irritating!

Keep up the good work.

--Irv Sanders, Harrisburg, PA

As we stated on this page last month, the postal service requires tabs on A.R.C. (Editor)

In the Marketplace -- Diamond Cut

In the March 1997 issue, Joseph Jackson reviewed for us the Edison Lateral Series, a collection of three CDs filled with previous unreleased lateral recordings made in the late 1920s by the Edison Record Company the Lucky Strike Orchestra, Glenn Miller, and others. The recordings had been restored with the PC program Diamond Cut Audio Restoration Tools or DCart, a program that uses digital processing techniques to eliminate surface noise, clicks and pops when old records are played. Collectors could now listen to the music their antique radios were intended to play.

We recently received an announcement from the supplier Tracer Technologies about a significant upgrade: Diamond Cut 32 Version 4.0. The company offers a 1-day trial of the product at www.tracertek.com/free.htm. You are invited to download it and give it a try.

Diamond Cut 32 also has a "big brother" Millennium that offers many great features. Among them are better resolution and support for DVD audio mastering and simultaneous application of multiple filters.

New recent Edison CD releases at $17.95 each include Fox Trots 1920-1923; Vintage Rudy Vallee, 1928-30; and Eddy Duchin and His Central Park Casino Orchestra, 1932-37. For these recordings go to www.tracertrek.com/edison.htm.

Tracer Technologies is located at 3600 Board Rd., York, PA 17402. Toll free telephone: 888 8TRACER. Fax: 717-764-9254.

"Radio Backs" When?

From the Internet Newsgroup: When did radios start having backs? I have many without, and some of those have no indication of ever having had one. Can anyone estimate a date?

--Buck Frobisher, farside114@hotmail.com

In my long but limited experience, radios, at least table sets, started having fibre or cardboard backs when loop antennas came back into vogue, and the back was needed to support the loop. I'd say mid-1930s for these. The notion of fitting a back just to keep people from poking around in there came later, but was long overdue on AC/DC sets. Not until the mid-1950s or so did you get the backs with the interlocking socketed cord riveted to the back what you serviced with a "cheater cord." Some fine old console and highboy sets of the late 1920s also had backs, some even on hinges, but that was rare. And some mid-1930s high-end Philco consoles had backs to improve the sound.

--Mike Knudsen, knudsenmj@aol.com.Oscar

Thanks for RCA Info
Dear Editor:

Many thanks for your very prompt response to my inquiry about my old RCA Victor radio, a cherished item, but mysterious to me in terms of its history. And thank you for the exhaustive referrals to sources of information.

Wishing you every success,

--Mark Miller, Los Angeles, CA

This is another example of the behind-the-scenes service A.R.C. offers to the radio community. (Editor)