VOLUME 14            APRIL 1997                NUMBER  4

RADIO MISCELLANEA -- April 1997

From Antique Radio Classified for April 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.

Classified Ads On The Web?
Dear Editor:

Thank you for working so hard to be fair to all your subscribers. Surely, no one could do more.

I thoroughly enjoy A.R.C. and only wish I could search the ads electronically. Maybe one day that will be feasible on the Web, perhaps accessible on the intended USPS delivery date via a password.

-- Chris Kocsis, Springfield, VA

No plans at present. (Editor)

Seeks W.E.R.S Info
Dear Editor:

I would appreciate information from anyone with personal anecdotes and paraphernalia, including logs, maps, and equipment associated with the "War Emergency Radio Service" (W.E.R.S.) during World War II. I would like to include these data in a forthcoming presentation at the AWA Conference, September 3-7, 1997.

-- Bob Grinder, K7AK. Phone: (602) 948-2743; Fax: (602) 922-3666; E-mail: atreg@asuvm.inre.asu.edu.

Seeks '50s Hi-Fi Cabinets
Dear Editor:

Does anyone still make or market '50s-style hi-fi cabinets or cabinet kits? Such a cabinet would feature space for a large single play turntable, reel-to-reel tape deck, tube preamplifier, tube power amplifier, tube tuner, cassette deck, and CD player. The cabinet would also have space for storing LPs and CDs. It seems to me that Heathkit used to market lowboy equipment cabinets in the '50s and '60s, but I have never seen actual samples.

A lot of the "entertainment center" furniture that is available today has the wrong type of styling, is expensive, or is very cheaply made. Surely somebody out there must be making suitable cabinets for our mostly tube-type hi-fi or stereo gear. Let's hear from you!

-- Doug Fox, St. Charles, IL

Let's hope a prescient manufacturer foresaw the advent of cassette decks and CD players. (Editor)

Trans-Oceanic Paint Question
Dear Editor:

One of the Zenith Trans-Oceanics in my collection is a T-600. Would anyone know if the paint used on the letters "Zenith Wave-Magnet" on the wave-magnet loop antenna is "glow-in-the-dark" paint?

The paint has rubbed off the lettering on the top of the wave-magnet housing on my set, yet the paint on the bottom of the wave-magnet is mint. This bottom lettering paint does not resemble ordinary lacquer or enamel. Perhaps Zenith opted for luminescent paint as an advertising gimmick. These letters do not glow in the dark, but the paint looks weird, and it is so old that I would not be surprised if such paint is no longer luminescent.

-- Robert Perlstein, Old Orchard Beach, ME

More on Thompson Neutrodyne
Dear Editor:

Kudos to the A.R.C. staff for their expertise in "tying on the ribbons" of my Thompson Neutrodyne article (A.R.C., Feb. 1997). Great job!

I received a letter from Gerald Larsen of Elmwood Park, Ill., with favorable comments on the article. By a strange coincidence, he had just purchased a copy of the January 1928 Radio News which contained an ad drumming this Thompson set. The price had been cut to $67.50 from the list of $150 -- "less than cost."

The ad goes on to say: "Reorganization forces sacrifice. Direct from the manufacturer to you. Fully guaranteed. Licensed under Hazeltine and Armstrong patents. Beautiful tone and distance. . . .Circular free or send check for $67.50 and will ship immediately."

-- Roland Jennings, Leavenworth, KS

Sharing Okinawa Radio Info
Dear Editor:

A.R.C. is not only good for buying and selling radios, but also for making contact with other collectors and finding out their life histories, which can sometimes be quite interesting. I am always interested in hearing from World War II vets, expecially those who were at Okinawa.

I was in the 711 battalion, and we had lots of radio equipment, mostly FM, which was something new at that time. The transmitter had 10 push buttons and 80 crystals, giving a frequency range of 20 to 27.9 megs. We changed the crystals about once a week. Our CW was sent with a 100-watt BC-191, and every message was coded. The receiver was a BC-312 with 6 bands.

-- Herb Eltz, Juniata, NE

Seeks Telicon 12-R Info
Dear Editor:

I have owned a Telicon 12-R table model radio since receiving it as a Christmas gift in 1941. It has an AM/SW/Aux switch and a label inside saying it was made by the Telicon Corp., NYC, N. Y. However I cannot find any information on this radio in any reference material I own. Since I was only eight years old at the time I received the radio and my parents are now deceased, I can't find out where or when they bought it. We lived in Minneapolis so they may have bought it at Daytons or at a local appliance store known as "Gustavson & Fuxa."

Was Telicon a house brand name for one of the department stores or chain stores such as Gambels or Coast-To-Coast? Was it a separate corporation such as GE or Zenith? I inherited a Telechron clock manufactured by the Warren Telechron Co., Ashland, Mass., but I don't think the firms are related.

My radio has been restored and works fine. I would appreciate any information about this radio and the Telicon Corp., including advertising, manuals, etc.

-- Wiliam J. Toensing, Nevada City, CA