VOLUME 17            NOVEMBER 2000                NUMBER  11

RADIO MISCELLANEA -- NOVEMBER 2000

From Antique Radio Classified for November 2000
(Copyright 1996-2000 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.

Toward Better Swap Meets
Dear Editor:

Thanks for running my article on swap meet promotion in November 1998 and for your support of my ideas. Elgin did, indeed, adopt most of them, and they had a much better show because of doing so.

I thought it would be useful to remind everyone of my basics for successful swap meets: 1) Promote heavily to the general public; 2) Offer free radio evaluations and restoration advice; 3) Place large roadside signs in key locations the night before the event and be sure to retrieve them promptly afterwards. A-frame signs must be anchored so as not to blow into traffic; 4) Make the dates and hours "public friendly." Indoor shows should be on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. or later. Outdoor shows should start no earlier than Friday morning in order to keep the Saturday strong for the general public and for collectors who can't get off work on Friday; 5) Make the flea market free admission so that all possible buyers can attend. The general public will not pay a full membership to gain admittance. (AWA, solve your parking problem in order to do this!).

--Mark Oppat, Plymouth, MI

Thanks for Musette Information
Dear Editor:

Until I read the article by Wally Worth in the September 2000 A.R.C., I thought I might have the only Musette in existence. We now know that there are at least two.

My Musette appears to be identical to Wally's, except that the power switch is mounted near the top rear of the right side of the cabinet instead of down by the volume control. Also, mine has a tone control mounted on the left side of the cabinet directly across from the volume control. The Rider's schematic shows this tone control circuit.

I knew nothing about the manufacturer of this radio until I read the article. Thank you, Wally, for providing a lot of background information about this rare old radio.

After restoration, my Musette look good and sounds good. It is one of the highlights of my collection.

--Ted Rogers, Syracuse, IN

Goodwill Yields $2 Bargain
Dear Editor:

In a past issue, someone was wondering if there are other radios made with permeability tuning. Well, doggone it, if I didn't find one at the Goodwill Store for $2! It is grey plastic with a white front, sliderule tuning and AM-FM. It was manufactured by Blonder-Tongue, of all people (the name is one reason I bought it). It is a Model R-98b, Serial #6708. The tube complement is as follows: (2) 12BA6, (1) 12AT7, (1) 12AU6, (1) 19T8, and (1) 50C5. Other than its being ugly grey, it doesn't look too bad and works just fine. Just when you think the bargains are all gone, here comes another one. It always pays to ask! Keep up the good work. I would like to see more articles if possible.

--Larry Steeno, Green Bay, WI

The Newsstand Look & Plan
Dear Editor:

I just received the October 2000 issue of A.R.C., and would like to comment on it. It looks great!

I'm happy to see that you recognize the importance of reaching into nontraditional markets by distributing the publication on the newsstand. We need more members of our hobby spreading the word. This is true not only for magazines but also for the various antique radio meetings and flea markets which must become more "public friendly" in order to achieve growth.

--Jon Kummer, Hicksville, NY

On A.R.C.'s TV Coverage
Dear Editor:

As my primary interest is in old television collecting, I am pleased when my specialty gets some coverage in your fine magazine. Unfortunately, I think you need to run your TV information past an editor who is more familiar with TVs. In the September 2000 issue, page 20, you show a photo of an RCA 9T246, state that it was manufactured in 1947, and say it brought "only" $95 at auction. In fact, this is a 1949 model, as indicated by the "9" in the model number, and $95 is actually quite a bit more than the $40 that it is valued in the Durbal and Bubenheimer book. I paid $10 for the one in my collection, a price I consider to be a good deal.

In the October 2000 issue, page 6, you show a Crosley Model 9-408 TV and call it a 9-inch model. In fact, this is a 10-inch model, which appears to be another "clone" of the RCA 630TS design. Crosley probably bought or at least licensed the chassis from RCA. I know that Fada did the same thing for its Models 799 and 899.

Otherwise, keep up the good work and include more televisions!

--Mark E. Thierback, Allentown, PA

We appreciate both the corrections and the fact that you are reading so carefully. We do not have a TV collector on staff, and so, we welcome your input. In general, we find that TVs are less popular among collectors because they are usually large and harder to store. However, they are still a bargain, and perhaps in time, we will begin to receive more articles on the subject. We invite you to be a contributor. (Editor)

B. Turke Suspends Services
Dear Editor:

I wish to inform my customers that, due to illness, I am temporarily discontinuing my MIDCO and B. Turke crystal set services. All orders and catalog requests are being refunded.

I wish to thank all my friends and customers for their well wishes regarding my health. I will get better and again serve the crystal set community, as I have since 1950.

--Berford A. Turke, Boca Raton, FL