VOLUME 14            DECEMBER 1997                NUMBER  12

RADIO MISCELLANEA -- December 1997

From Antique Radio Classified for December 1997
(Copyright 1996-7 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.

Ryan Arrives Early!
A.R.C. announces the arrival of Ryan Nelson Friedrichs on October 29, at 10:30 A.M. Much to our surprise, Ryan decided not to wait for his scheduled date of November 17 and left us without Lisa, our office manager, sooner than we had hoped. In fact, we didn't even get to have the much anticipated "retirement to motherhood" luncheon. Ryan now will be able to attend that rescheduled event with his parents who are recovering from the shock of his hasty arrival. As forecast in our November "Staff Profile," Lisa and Eric -- and now Ryan -- never cease to amaze. (Editor)

Ft. Monmouth Radio Ghosts
Dear Editor:

What a neat magazine you have! I work at the U.S. Army Communications Command (CECOM), Ft. Monmouth, N. J., where the U.S. Army Signal School was located until 1975. A lot of military radios are advertised in A.R.C., and I began to think that a good number of A.R.C. subscribers probably were here at one time or another. I'm sure the ghosts of many old radios haunt the grounds and buildings here at Ft. Monmouth.

The New Jersey Shore also has a great deal of radio/communication history. At Camp Edwards, a satellite area of Ft. Monmouth, there is a small tower and plaque where Marconi tested his wireless. And at the Twin Lights in Highlands, N. J., there is a stone marker where Marconi used the wireless for its first "big time" public demonstration.

--Mark Hendrickson, Oceanport, NJ

Marconi's Daughters Die
Dear Editor:

I have talked with Francesco Marconi Paresce and learned of the death of his mother, Degna Marconi Paresce, at age 90. She was the older of two daughters by Marconi's first marriage, and will be remembered for her biography, My Father, Marconi. Her sister Gioia Marconi Braga, who spoke about her father at the 1995 AWA Conference banquet, passed away a year ago at age 80.

I visited with Mrs. Paresce when I attended the Marconi Centenary celebration in Chelmsford, England, last summer. While I was there, the Essex/Chelmsford Chronicle of July 25, 1997, wrote about my museum in Bedford N. H. and about my early interest in Marconi. Now 81, I remember my father taking me at age five to meet Marconi on his visit to America in 1922. My father had made a career in wireless communications both in Italy and the U. S. -- a link that perhaps led to my career with General Electric, and with my lifelong interest in establishing a Marconi Museum.

--Ray Minichiello, The Guglielmo Marconi Foundation, U.S.A., Inc., 18 North Amherst Rd., Bedford, NH 03110

More on AC Line Capacitors
Dear Editor:

Referring to Radio Miscellanea in the October 1997 A.R.C., AC line capacitors are also available from Digi-Key Corporation, 701 Brooks Ave., South, Thief River Falls, MN 56701-0677. (800) 344-4539. AC line capacitors are made by Panasonic, and are approved by safety agencies around the world, including UL, CSA, VDE, etc., for use up to 250 volts AC. They are available both in disc ceramic form for smaller values, and in square-cased metalized film form for larger values. Both types have conventional wire leads. AC line safety rated capacitors are recommended for this application, as they are more reliable than standard capacitors in this mode of operation.

--Donald Borowski, Spokane, WA

Clock Radio Motor Source
Dear Editor:

Robert Wheaton's article "Clock Radio Repair" (A.R.C. October 1997) gave a splendid discussion on rejuvenating Telechron synchronous motors for those workhorses of the '50s and '60s. Most manufacturers used the Telechron motor movement in field coil assembly. I have identified two types -- B and S assemblies, and H, B, and S type rotors.

Before I read the article, I went on a search for replacement motors and, to my surprise, came up with a source: TimeSavers, Box 1270, Scottsdale, AZ 85267. (800) 552-1520. E-mail: clocks @timesavers.com. Before you order, you must remove the old synchronous motor and identify the part number and rpm; this number begins with "M" and is followed by four digits.

--Paul R. Hyman, Johnstown, PA

On Radiofest'97
Dear Editor:

I enjoyed meeting you in Elgin at Radiofest XVI. The weather was perfect, the programs insightful, and the friendships eternal.

--Lois Rasmusson, Joliet, IL

In the Marketplace
A.E.S.'s 1998 Catalog

Antique Electronic Supply, a leading supplier of most new-old-stock and currently manufactured vacuum tubes, has released its 1998 catalog. The catalog has been expanded to 60 pages with lots of new and exciting tubes, parts, supplies, and books. Call (602) 820-5411 or fax (800) 706-6789 for a free copy. You may also visit the company's new web site at WWW.TUBESANDMORE.COM to place orders, browse the catalog, see items not in the catalog, and find answers to frequently asked questions.