Do you still use tube radios in (almost) everyday use?

[Telecolor 3007]

But what kind of capacitors does that 1928 radio haves?

[madlabs]

Originally Posted by Telecolor 3007

Models?

One is a Gavotte , 1063W I think. The other one I am blanking on the model at the moment. It is a little smaller than the Gavotte and has only the lower part of the FM band. I'll look when I am out in the shop.

EDIT: I just remebered! It is a Jubilate!

man, getting old is a bitch...

[Telecolor 3007]

They are small radios I see. Thought you had bigger ones. Only the low part... like 88-100 M.c.'s (M.Hz.)?
Getting old... well, listeting to a radio that is 55-80 years old is something. And the fact that most thing that can broke on a tube radio can be reapired/replace is something. You don't see it today.

[madlabs]

Yeah, they are the smaller ones. I love the styling though and they sound great. I've had a couple of millennials comment on that. Of course, they are used to tiny, tinny speakers. I still need to get the electrostatic tweeters working on the Gavotte.

A friend has a giant Telefunken he wants to give me but it is a basket case. And huge. So far I have resisted temptation...

[Telecolor 3007]

What did the millenials commented?

[madlabs]

Originally Posted by Telecolor 3007

What did the millenials commented?

Wow! That old radio sounds AMAZING! Plus they think the radios look really cool (they do). Then I put on some vinyl (on my very mediocre stereo) and blow them away!

All they have ever heard is earbuds with an MP3 player or whatever.

[JohnCT]

Originally Posted by Telecolor 3007

But what kind of capacitors does that 1928 radio haves?

It has no electrolytic capacitors at all. Instead, it uses small(ish) paper capacitors and large inductors to bypass the AC power supply (this was one of the first pure AC socket line powered radios sold).

As far as the paper caps go, these caps are not like the ones from the early 30s and beyond: these caps used imported rice paper instead of rag paper. I admittedly don't have a lot of experience with 20s radios, but every cap I've ever checked has tested normally for value and leakage at full rated voltage.

John

[Telecolor 3007]

Problably in the '30's they wanted to make them cheaper.

Originally Posted by madlabs

Wow! That old radio sounds AMAZING! Plus they think the radios look really cool (they do). Then I put on some vinyl (on my very mediocre stereo) and blow them away!

All they have ever heard is earbuds with an MP3 player or whatever.

I thought they sayed bad words.

[JohnCT]

Originally Posted by Telecolor 3007

Problably in the '30's they wanted to make them cheaper.

You got me wondering, so I did some web "research" on rice paper capacitors and found this on another forum, link to follow:

"Some quality paper condensers are still safe to use, most notably the Stromberg Carlson, Westere Electric manufactured units which were used by, among other firms, the Radio Corporation,, but, and is is a most important caveat, the only units which are truly safe are those made with imported fish and rice papers. This material spiked in price after June 17th, 1930, at which time the new Hawley-Smoot act placed a 600% tarriff on insulating papers. Condensers made after the autumn of 1930 are, I'm afraid, not to be trusted. "

It's not my information and I have no idea if it's accurate, but it's certainly interesting enough to post.

https://antiqueradios.com/forums/vie...p?f=6&t=218820

John

[Telecolor 3007]

Oh, I rember that tariff. It was imposed during the Great Depresion to protec the U.S.A. made products. Wonder if other countries used rice paper.

[DavGoodlin]

Originally Posted by Telecolor 3007

Did you picked up Canada stations on M.W. (B.C.)?

YES, BC (MW - AM) band. 740 CFZM in Toronto is a favorite of mine too. 650 WSM in Nashville is also a favorite not as easy to get consistently.

***BUT*** its hard to find music at night on MW, that never stopped us from taking a radio on a camping trip, where no interference can ruin an otherwise open band.

There is no LW (150-350 Mc) in US. I have a few radios with LW for international use (bought in military px?)

SW bands are called KW1, KW2 on some of these sets as well. "UKW" is always FM

[zenith2134]

Zenith K-725 tabletop, tube radio gets used every morning.
My hifi is solid state for now.
Tube televisions see near daily use. Vacuum tube chassis Zenith, RCA, Sears Silvertone, Magnavox, Admiral, RCA, GE.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by zenith2134

Zenith K-725 tabletop, tube radio gets used every morning.
My hifi is solid state for now.
Tube televisions see near daily use. Vacuum tube chassis Zenith, RCA, Sears Silvertone, Magnavox, Admiral, RCA, GE.

I have a Zenith K-731 table model sitting atop my refrigerator. Haven't used it in awhile, but the last time I had it on it sounded and worked great. I also have a Zenith C-845 in my bedroom, atop a chest of drawers, which I haven't used in awhile because I cannot get to the AC outlets in the wall behind the chest (the chest is too heavy for me to move). However, the last time I had the C-845 on, it also worked very well, bringing in stations right and left on AM and FM. It sounded great too, owing to the 2-way speaker system, but I'm not surprised. Those old Zeniths were built to sound great and to last, which is more than I can say for today's gutless-wonder cheap transistor radios with speakers so small it's not funny.

The above speaks volumes for these old Zenith radios. They surely don't make them like that anymore, which is one reason I've held onto my K-731 and C-845 as long as I have; that, and the fact I have liked Zenith radios and TVs for decades.

When I lived in a Cleveland suburb, I had several Zenith televisions, one of which was a 23-inch b&w model K-2739 console with, IIRC, the 16K23 chassis, which worked very well for their ages; unfortunately, when I moved to a small 1-bedroom apartment 21 years ago, I had to give up every one of those sets, but I was able to get the two Zenith radios I mentioned on ebay a few years ago.

[init4fun]

[MIPS]

There is a Heathkit GR-54 that sits above my computer desk. I use it to listen to the local AM station while drinking my coffee in the morning and before I leave for work.