Wow!

So someone I don't know emails me asking about this radio. 

Wow. I contact her and she tells me the story. A Lady going to a nursing home and possessions to be sold. This is one of the cleanest chassis for a 1948 radio I have seen. As the obscure FM band would denote, "FM radio was assigned the 42 to 50 MHz band of the spectrum in 1940." 

A nine tube radio/phonograph console. 

Back in the day, this WAS the home media center. 

She found me here. I asked. I hope she enjoys the working radio now used as a TV stand and I wish I could save them all, but room is limited here. 

I am stunned. First that anyone would think I'm an expert on anything. Second, she reached out to me for advice. 

Take care of that radio and enjoy many years of entertainment my new friend! You need any help let me know.

 

Incoming and out going!

This arrived today. A Zenith AM/FM radio. 

 I have done little with it so far. It does play however!


This is leaving! 

Yes the less than popular Model 670A among purists. I get that, the arugument is well made and sound lamenting the cost cutting measures with Winchester then. It's not a Model 70.  However...

This rifle is leaving to go back to its owner. He has had it since it was new. I don't care what the Interwebz pundits say. This rifle is important to me. Not a bad Weaver optic on it either. 

Retro Sunday! The Zenith 882H

On today's trip to the past, we need a couple of things to help get there. First, one of the best books on the subject in my opinion:

 And if at all possible the schematic for the object in question:

Then to the heart of the matter:

One of the first things in restoring old radios is to "recap" it. The old wax and paper capacitors (called condensers back then) are notorious to fail over time. I chose a functional rather than cosmetic approach. Lets face it no one is going to see this without some effort:

Yeah, everywhere there is a "CXX" up there needs to be replaced.

So after recapping, restringing the dial cord and replacing a resistor or two what do you get?

Why one of these!

The "Chippendale" or the Zenith G882H to the gearheads out there. For $279.95 (American) It's all yours! Zenith made these from 1949 to 1952. This one came from a wonderfully eclectic antique store in Johnson City, TN that sadly is no longer there. I bought it in 1991 and restored it in 2002. It is still running the tubes that came with it.

So after consulting the manual

We turn it on!

Sometime later, I will show you how to run an iPod through it.  And since the Retrotechnologist has clued me in for period correct wiring, I guess I will need to replace the power cord (again)! 

We will get to the strange black thing on top of the radio another Sunday!

I have a long week coming up with 4 12 hour days. Blogging will probably be intermittent at best!

Have a great week everyone!

EAS Test

Meh, I have heard this before. I'm not impressed FEMA!

Retro Addendum.. The Firestone Air Chief!

Several people have noted the Firestone Air Chief 4-A-30. One really kicked my butt to get it to work. One offered some good advise.

Some may think it is a sad commentary on my life to be sitting at home on a Saturday night pondering this. I think not.

I do still have some noise coming from it that I need to troubleshoot, but I proudly present new voices from a 64 year old mouth piece:



And once again I can only imagine my grandparents and their children around the definition of the home entertainment center back in the day. And yes it is again WSM in Nashville TN on the same tuned pushbutton.  

Sorry about the lighting, but as it is AM radio coming from a state over, the unit is really sensitive to rheostat dimming and fluorescent ballasts.

The one thing I can say however is that the audio output is impressive. It can easily fill my house with sound. 

The other thing is yes, again it brought a tear to my eye as I never heard it when my grandparents were alive. I wish they could hear it again and I think that the bluegrass and country music still coming from the Grand Ol Opry would feel familiar to them still now.

Retro..Monday? The Firestone Air Chief!

Once again OBE (overcome by events) due to private instruction on Saturday and Bowling Pin match yesterday.

This is a Firestone Air Chief radio, model 4-A-30. This is a very special radio to me because it was my Grandparents and lived here. I remember pushing the buttons and twisting the knobs when I was little. My parents presented it to me as a Christmas gift some years ago. It did not work then nor when I played with it so many years ago. Here is how it looks today:

 

Original finish and grill cloth. It's in pretty good shape cosmetically. Here is the dial face lit up:

 The back:

 

 And the back cover. Sadly, the original service information in this packet was gone:

 

Here is a little service information on the interior of the right side of the cabinet: 

Here is a schematic and the output secetion is unique to me, a push pull arrangement:

I recapped it and it looked like this before I started:

When I powered it up for the first time after repairs, I chose the pushbutton mode. Clear as a bell, manually tuned so long ago the station WSM in Nashville came through loud and clear. I could just imagine my family listening to the Grand Old Opry way back then. It brought a tear to my eye. I am proud to have this Family Heirloom with me.

I need to consult the Retrotechnologist though. After moving it it seems to not want to play well anymore. I have theory in these matters but little practical experience with these radios.




Oh, here is the view from my Grandparents house of the New River. I took it for granted as a child. Not so much anymore.

 

The cotton mill is gone now. A misguided attempt for redevelopment. There are people living there now that don't even know that mill was there, yet the town would not have existed except for its presence.

I hope everyone has a great week! Stay safe!

 

Retro Sunday! The Panasonic R-72

Before I get underway today, several notes. I must acknowledge that D-Day was today. Many other bloggers have remarked on this far better than my limited skills with written word and media ever could.

I will point out however that the USS Laffey DD-724 was there: "On 3 June, she headed for the Normandy beaches escorting tugs, landing craft, and two Dutch gunboats. The group arrived in the assault area, off Utah beach, Baie de la Seine, France, at dawn on D-Day, 6 June 1944. On 6-7 June, Laffey screened to seaward, and on 8-9 June, she successfully bombarded gun emplacements. Leaving the screen temporarily, the ship raced to Plymouth to replenish and returned to the coast of Normandy the next day. On 12 June, Laffey pursued enemy U-boats which had torpedoed the destroyer Nelson. The destroyer broke up their tight formation and prevented further attacks." She is not available for public viewing at this time, but is expected to return to Patriots Point SC next year.

The range I frequent is now open on Sundays and I get to sort brass looking for whatever suits my fancy! So, this is why I am late today and this Retro is a little one.

The Panasonic R-72 or "Toot-a-Loop" was a portable AM radio produced in the 1970's. Its design landed it in the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

So without further ado, here is mine that somehow survived my youth and several moves to sit with some very good company! 

 It still works but there seems to be a problem. When new, it played Top 40 music, now it only plays right wing talk radio, I need to look into that!

I hope everyone has a great week!