VOLUME 13            OCTOBER 1996                NUMBER 10

RADIO MISCELLANEA -- October 1996

From Antique Radio Classified for October 1996
(Copyright 1996 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.

Australian Connection Via A.R.C.
Dear Editor:

My July ad in A.R.C. offering a Philco 95 highboy resulted in two calls from Australia and a visit from and sale to Leonard R.J. Smith of North Bayswater (near Melbourne), Australia. Len and his son Phillip had flown to San Francisco for a 3-week visit to the States. Len found a way to ship that wouldn't cost much. He had the radio shipped to Long Beach, where it was destined to travel in a container along with a collectible automobile. He also purchased a couple of table radios and a horn speaker from me. How's that for a long-range sale? Of passing interest is the fact that Len also collects 1-cylinder power plants, while his son collects hearses! Spending three hours with these gentlemen was most enjoyable. I hope we stay in touch.

--Stan Lopes, Concord, CA

Special Insulation Paper Source
Dear Editor:

I have found a company in Saratoga County, New York -- the Cottrell Paper Company, Inc. -- makers of specialized electrical insulation papers for motors, transformers, and capacitors of all sizes and thicknesses. If anyone needs special paper for coils or transformers in a rewinding project, write to Cottrell at Box 35, 1135 Rock City Rd., Rock City Falls, New York 12863-0035. Phone: (518) 885-1702; Fax: (518) 885-0741. Send for the company brochure for more information about its paper.

--Alton A. BuBois, Queensbury, NY

AK Rubber Drive Wheels Source
Dear Editor:

Here is something for collectors of Atwater Kent radios of the 1930s. As you no doubt know, AK radios in the 1930s had a 2-speed tuning assembly to facilitate tuning of SW and BC. This mechanical arrangement used rubber drive wheels which have not survived these past decades.

Several years ago, I found a company which specializes in rebuilding such parts primarily for phonographs. The company rebuilt the two rubber wheels of my AK and that made the radio usable again. Recently, when faced with three more AK sets with flat tires, I rediscovered this firm, and was delighted to find that it was still in the same business. Now all four of my AK Allwave radios are usable once again.

The original rubber drive wheels must be sent in for rebuilding to: Premium Parts+, P.O. Box 28, Whitewater, WI 53190.

--Charles W. Rhodes, Upper Marlboro, MD

Radios and Dropcloths
Dear Editor:

Query: Did radios replace paint dropcloths or did dropcloths replace radios?

--Del Tysdal, Glyndon, MN

Transistor Network Is Back
Marty and Sue Bunis have announced that, with the help of George Kaczowka, they will again be publishing the Transistor Network, beginning with the October issue.

As many of you know, last spring the Bunises turned the Transistor Network mailing list over to Bob Wood of Pensacola, Florida. Bob found it to be "a labor of love," but too time-consuming. Dave Gibson of Springfield, Illinois, agreed to take over, but, sadly, Dave passed away suddenly during the summer. The Bunises then realized that, unless they took up the challenge again, the TN connection so important to collectors would dissolve.

Because their time is also limited, Marty and Sue will now publish the Transistor Network in a new format. It will contain only classified ads, exclusively about transistor radios.

Subscriptions are $12 per year, prorated from January to December. Since the October issue is the first, if you send a check or money order for $15, you will receive 15 copies of TN, from October 1996 to December 1997.

The Bunises are sincerely dedicated to keeping transistor radio collecting alive and well. Send your renewal and your ads to: Marty and Sue Bunis, Transistor Network, 32 West Main St., Bradford, NH 03221. E-mail: mbunis@old radios.com. (Editor)

Radio Station WGI Correction
Dear Editor:

On page 17 of the April issue, there is a small error about WGI, one of radio's pioneering stations. WGI did not go off the air in the 1930s; in fact, it never made it out of 1925. In late March of that year, WGI, which was experiencing ongoing technical problems, compounded by AMRAD's financial problems, changed its call letters to WARC (American Radio & Research Co.), and by April, it had gone off the air. Perhaps the 1930s date resulted in confusion over the fact that AMRAD itself was sold to Magnavox in the early 1930s.

By the way, another first that WGI had was the first woman engineer and announcer -- Eunice Randall.

--Donna Halper, Boston, MA

Donna Halper is a radio historian on the faculty of Emerson College. She writes that she is pleased that we offer the Shire book titles from England, as they are valuable in her research. (Editor)

Website Leads to A.R.C.
Dear Editor:

I recently requested a sample copy of A.R.C. on your internet website. Thank you very much for promptly sending that issue -- it was great reading, and it is very dog-eared and thumbworn now! I would like to subscribe to A.R.C. and have enclosed a money order for a 6-month subscription. I really enjoy your website -- it is terrific. But, I also want to be able to read all the ads and articles in my own copy of A.R.C.

--Valerie Munn, Denver, CO