VOLUME 14            AUGUST 1997                NUMBER  8

RADIO MISCELLANEA -- August 1997

From Antique Radio Classified for August 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.

Philco "Lamp" ID
Dear Editor:

By now you must have stacks of mail on the Philco "lamp" in the July 1997 Photo Review. As Ron Ramirez can attest, this is not, and never was, a lamp. Someone butchered a good microphone and made a lamp out ot it. I have an original magazine ad for it, and I also own two.

--John Okolowicz, Ambler, PA

Worldwide Ad Response
Dear Editor:

A.R.C. is terrific! I've been a subscriber and classified advertiser for quite a few years. The results have been great. But my ad in the July issue tops them all. I advertised a Silver-Marshall Shield Grid Six Model 630SG for sale. No big deal. But, in two days I had calls from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, France and Australia! That's worldwide coverage and speaks well for our hobby and especially for A.R.C. Keep up the good work!

--Ralph Michelson, Brighton, MI

"Circuit Oddity" Followup
Dear Editor:

I read with interest Ray Bintliff's article "A Circuit Oddity Explained" (August 1996), and his answer may be right in some circuits, as was Chet Gehman's in his original article. I have seen IF transformers with additional windings in several sets, each seeming to be used for different purposes. Research led me to the following technical data from the Meissner Manufacturing Co.: "This transformer is actually a modification of the double-tuned IF transformer. In this transformer, the passband is varied by changing the coupling between primary and secondary. It is usually accomplished by means of a third winding consisting of a relatively few turns of wire wound under, over, or adjacent to one of the main windings. This winding produces the extra coupling required to produce a broad selectivity curve. Using this arrangement, a very high percent change in coupling can be accomplished with practically no change in the self-resonant frequency of the circuit."

The article goes on to say that when used for this purpose, this winding is not connected to the opposite winding, but is loosely wound, and one end is brought out of the transformer and is either connected to the screen grid or is switched in and out of circuit.

I feel that Chet was right when he thought that the purpose of the winding was to broaden the IF bandpass. Not being an engineer, I wouldn't know how to verify this.

--Michael E. Franzen, Los Angeles, CA

Web Sightings
Dear Editor:

Wow! I'm playing with my new computer and decided to do some web crawling. Your web site is fabulous! It's up-to-date, and the graphics are astounding.

Not to worry... I'll still keep my subscription!

--Jim Falls, Eureka, CA

Idaho Tubebank
Dear Editor:

I am the trustee for the Idaho Amateur Radio Tubebank, a nonprofit function of the Idaho Society of Radio Amateurs, Magic Valley Chapter. Any excess monies from this project help to keep two area repeaters on the air.

Currently we have about 2,500 assorted receiving and transmitting tubes available for noncommercial use. Individuals wanting to restore old radio/TV equipment are welcome to send an SASE for a current listing. The only charge is $3 for shipping and handling. Some tubes are used (but tested), and many are new. Sorry, but we can't put a guarantee with them.

--L.B. Bunch, Twin Falls, ID

Shipping in U.S. & Overseas
Dear Editor:

On-line computer users can get a shipping figure from UPS on the Internet at http://www.ups.com/ which provides the rate for a package of known weight between any two zip codes. Lots of other useful information is available as well regarding shipments of packages. Check it out.

--Stan Lopes, Concord, CA

Dear Editor:

In response to C.J. Poulos' "Overseas Mailing Inquiry" in the July 1997 Radio Miscellanea, I find that it is really simple to ship overseas. The most economical way is via International Parcel Post through the U.S. Postal Service. You simply pack the merchandise, weigh it, and call the post office for a quote for either surface mail or airmail.

Don't be too concerned about expense since the buyer pays the shipping costs. I have sent items to Hong Kong where the shipper wanted airmail, and the shipping came to two times the price of the merchandise.

You can also insure the shipment with the post office, just as with domestic mailing.

--Ellsworth O. Johnson, Spokane, WA

Dear Editor:

Shipping small packages overseas lighter than 20 to 40 pounds is best done through the U.S. Postal Service which rarely charges much over $3 a pound. Some small items can go for as little as about $7 by Global Priority Mail (available from large U.S. cities to 27 countries).

Insurance and proof of delivery are also available to some countries. Postal money orders are one of the cheapest and most secure ways to send money both domestically and internationally.

The post office is usually the cheapest domestic shipper with several classes and speeds of shipping. No service has shipping more secure than registered mail for those very few items that cannot be replaced. The Hope diamond was once shipped by Registered Mail!

--Donald Bisbee, Columbus, OH