It was quite a thrill to actually have that unit in my own hands when I lifted it off the Magnavox at the owners home. I may never own one but I can always remember the time I came so close to true quality...... :nutz: :nutz: :nutz: :nutz:

THat Magnavox has a remote?????

Yep....It's an RF remote that will turn it on and off, run the volume up and down , start the search tuning, and reject the records. The remote receiver is that vertical chassis between the two amps. I'm still looking for a hand unit for it, something tells me it may be a long wait...

Every antique tube radio I own has been restored, but the majority are located throughout the house for display use only since there are no nearby outlets to plug them in. I have 3 that are constantly used, so from time to time I'll rotate the unused radios from the 3 usable locations I have. Wish I had a humungous in-wall shelving system to display them all and select any one to listen to...I need a bigger house!

As I mentioned my personal reply, Jeffhs, I'll have to check that model on the Zenith. I'll have it with me at work soon! I hope it receives something in this big building (I have a lot of windows so maybe I'll be OK).

I know what you mean. I live in a one-bedroom apartment, with most of the AC outlets in places where I can't put my radios and use them at the same time. My Zenith K731 is atop the refrigerator in the apartment itself; the nearest outlet the cord will reach is about three feet away, near the kitchen sink, but I don't want to leave it plugged in there because of the potential shock hazard (though I do plug the radio into that outlet to test it every few days or so). There is an outlet behind the fridge, but I can't reach it, so that's out as well. One open outlet in the apartment I could use is behind my desk, but, wouldn't you know it, there is no room for any of my radios (except my AC/battery R-70 portable) on the desk. I also have two open outlets behind my end tables, one of which is near my TV set, the other behind the other table near my front door, but the tables themselves are too small to accomodate any of my radios other than the R-70. I grew up in a house with more AC outlets (and more room for radios) than you could shake a stick at, but unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to leave there in 1998 and move to an apartment (the one I live in today). Therefore, many of my vintage radios are either packed in boxes, stashed away under my bed (that's where my 1980 Zenith H480W AM/FM stereo clock radio and my Sony MR-9700W AM/FM stereo portable are) or in drawers in my dresser (where my Aiwa AR-115 AM/FM portable and Sony TFM-7720W portable are stashed). The only ones that get any amount of use right now are the Royal 1000-1 and the R-70. I do try to run the H-511 every now and again to keep the 3-section power supply filter cap formed, but most of the time it sits in my bedroom unused.

Oh well. Such are the drawbacks of being a vintage radio collector living in an apartment, but I'm not complaining. If the truth be known, I would not want to own a home, but that's a story for another thread, more properly located in AK's Off Topic forum.

The radio I was referring to earlier is a Zenith K731. It has a very nice tone. My observations about distortion were at not very high levels, but with a poor signal. I'm on vacation this next week but when I return to the office on the 27th I'll take it with me because today I got a new piece of furniture in my office where it will go. I hope it works well in that setting.

Like so many other collectors, I run out of places to put stuff. I already outfitted a small conference room near my office at work with speakers and an amp (this in a 900 person office) and I've not only continually upgraded my office speakers, if you are my friend, you get upgrades too. I just can't leave that nice stuff sitting in yard sales and such.

But the radios ... only things like Transoceanics are very marketable (I sold one for quite a bit a while back).

So far, I've managed to replace most of my transistor radios with vintage tube sets, save for the radio in my truck and my alarm clock. I recently purchased a new GE Superadio III for my office (I own my own business) but gave it to my office manager after replacing it with a Zenith T2542. In the shop area, I've long used an old, plastic C725E that plays at nearly full volume all day, and has for about 13 years. Never replaced a tube or had any problems with it! In fact, when I found the old Zenith I didn't know what it was and didn't care. It was cheap and worked. Now, I look at it sometimes and wonder how long it'll go. Don't mess with success?

Our favored G730R plays in the bedroom. Out of all my radios, Zenith or otherwise, it is my favorite. There is something about its sound, its look... even its smell, that just makes me feel good. In the living room sits my Zenith console -again- purchased long before Zenith became my favorite. Beside my home computer rests a K731 that sits on a custom made table, crafted to fit and support it perfectly. On the bottom shelf is a (burgundy) K725 that is in perfect condition, except for a weak output tube, I think. No time to pull it apart again. I should admit I have a Kloss Model One that I cannot make myself part with...it may be modern, but it has the soul of a 'real' radio. It sounds amazing and has amazing recption, but I usually listen to the K731 or both at the same time. A really solid mix! The rest of my collection mostly sits unused, mixing very pretty, dark wood cabinets with a few polished bakelite models. 90% are Zenith. We are blessed with many excellent AM and FM stations here in south/central Arizona; oldies to jazz and easy listening.

So, with 15 or so vintage sets scattered about, I collect AND use. When we have company, most ask about them with sincere interest. Today, the air conditioning and heating guys are installing a new unit, and when I went home for lunch they had the K731 cranking on KOOl-FM (94.5). "I hope turning this on was OK?" one asked me. I told him that's what it was there for! Looking is great, but I want to hear them play. That's the best part.

I put that Zenith K731 into regular use like I said I would and I am very happy. The sound is sweet. I don't listen at very high levels so I can't speak for that, but it does not insult my hi-fi sensibilities like most junk (computerstuff, sub woofers, crap!). I pick up two good college stations (along with all the commercial stuff) very nicely. Just what I was after. It doesn't fit the office decor all that well but I'll just have to work on that.

That comment about the SMELL. That's so true! I love that smell - is it tubes burning dust??

Where's the entertainment gone for AM????
 

Unfortunately where I live, most AM music stations are gone. There's no variety anymore for AM radio anymore, only talk shows and news progams with ONLY one music station left. Recentlty decided to stop collecting old radios since there's no need for 20 radios for such a limited medium. :worried: :worried:

Don't give up on radio...
 

:scratch2:
So why not focus on AM/FM radios or SW?

When it's past midnight, the kids are asleep, the wind is howling the trees are rustling and your better half lies peacefully asleep like an angel...it's time one turns on the clock radio....(a sweet end of an era PHILCO with AM & FM will do nicely*)

Let the tubes warm up. Turn it to AM first twist the tuning dial and hear the scrawk of static and hum of various pitches warm up your ears and get you in the mood for radio. As you pass the various talk radio shows, religious channels and Spanish music stations you turn the switch gingerly over past FM and to AFC. Ahhh...the whole array of music opens up to you. The sweet trumpet of a jazz solo, the sixties elevator music, blues rhythyms, contemporary music, 70s-90s music, soft rock and hard rock played so crisply you can actually understand the lyrics for the first time!

As the tubes get hot, you can start to smell the plastic/bakelite case heat up. You're not worried becasue those cases were blended with asbestos and are unlikely to do more than get pretty hot. You recall how you taped a thin sheet of metal insulation to the top of other radios to evenly disperse the tube heat and will do the same to this one when you have the time. You turn the dial to a soft station and turn off the main radio power, but turn on the sleep timer. 5 minutes? No, the wind will keep you awake at least another 10. Two clicks of the lever to the right and you have ten more minutes to enjoy sweet tube sound. You savor it. For a moment you can feel it - a oneness with all the radio listeners since the earliest hand built sets to the fewer but just as devoted tube afficionados from today. You have cds, who doesn't? But your ears and spirit cries for the rich tube sound and your heart, even though devoted eternally to the angelic creature lying beside you, has saved a little space just for tube radios and tube listening.

:)

That's a nice description of things TryHiFi. Although I'm still working on my restoration and repair skills, the bottom line is enjoyment factor. I too am worried about station availability and quality, but the local FM band seems to be holding its own here.

I was collecting at a high rate there for awhile, but now have one or two sets on my radar (including that Royal 1/3/7000 TO set Jeffhs!). I'd love to find a vintage console but like vintagecollect mentioned, how much entertainment value will it provide? That's a concern, as the one decent music station fades away at sundown; exactly when I do the majority of my listening. AM/FM/SW table radios certainly offer the best value!

Interesting thread. There was discussion here about the early FM band. Actually the 42-50MHz band was the last pre-war band used. Armstrong's early tests in the mid 1930's were at 35MHz. The first band used for commercial sale in 1938-1939 was 39-45Mhz. I actually listen to this set occasionally as I can pick up the sub-harmonics of some of today's FM stations.

Darryl

I admit I'm a conservative talkshow junky myself but there are times I'd like to get away from all the news and stuff in the world and just put on some tunes on the AM radio. I used to listen to AM music a lot (I listen to the sound of 13Q!) when I was a kid in the 1970's. Pittsburgh used to have a good number of them. We still do have one in the Pittsburgh area that plays music that I like, 770 kc on the dial that I like to listen to until the sun goes down and WABC out of NYC "walks over" it. My grandfather's 1953 Philco 53-656 has an excellent tone and sound quality and even my 1965 Magnavox 8 transistor does well for it's size. I got the later at a garage sale for 3 bucks, can't beat that. Hearing music on AM brings back memories and a warm feeling in my heart.

"The first band used for commercial sale in 1938-1939 was 39-45Mhz. I actually listen to this set occasionally as I can pick up the sub-harmonics of some of today's FM stations."

Looks like the CT-100 of FM-only radio! Can you post the tubes used?

TryHiFi...that was awesome! Perfect description. Im new to radio restoring, but i have an RCA RFD11V that i got from my father (it was his clock radio when he was younger). I re-capped that about 5 years ago and recently replaced the filter caps (about 6 months ago) . Ive been using it as my regular alarm clock since then. Im working on a Zenith AM/FM that ill be using in my shop to listen to my favorite sports talk station (AM) or classic rock (FM).

Hi Pete,
The set is an HM80 and has the following tube lineup:

1) 6K8 Converter
2) 6SK7 IF's
1) 6SJ7 Limiter
1) 6H6 Detector
1) 6SF5 AF Amp
1) 6Y6 Output
1) 5Y3 Rectifier

The cabinet and chassis are from the H73 AM/SW radio of the same year. There was an earlier console model called the GM125, although I have never heard if any of these actaully exist. That would be a nice one to see an actual picture of.

Darryl

I listen to my 42-390 philco all the time. Unfortunately, there are NO AM music stations period around here. At least, none that I can pick up.

So, the only way to listen to this thing, is I use a home made AM transmitter that doesnt perform within 5 feet very well, but it produces a harmonic in the 40mhz range that I can hear very well all the way outside! (mostly because the carrier is distorted to a triangle like pattern. "was a sine wave, but the RF amp stage distorted it to a triangle."). So the harmonic is alot stronger and gets way more distance than the center frequency. But its more distorted, considering the audio is AM. being picked up on the FM band clearly. oh well. it works.

I think thats good I guess? :banana:

Do You Use Your Old Radios?
 

Whenever I listen to the radio at home, it is almost always on a tube set unless I'm using a portable. I listen mostly to AM and shortwave so I don't have many FM tube sets. In fact, I think I now only have one, a mid-fifties Zenith.

Now when I look for a radio for serious use, it has to have AM, Shortwave, and of course, tubes, preferably at least six. I just scored a 1939 RCA T-64 tombstone with AM, Shortwave, a tuning eye, six pushbuttons and that unmistakable tube radio sound. It is my oldest tube set and my first with tuning eye and tombstone cabinet. I have to correct some hack repairs and recap it but it is definitely a quality radio.

I use a 1959 Zenith AM-FM tube radio going thru one of those little 2-way Radio Shack metal cabinet speakers [ ADS ? made ] in my "mini barn". Wonderful full sound, excellent reception.

FM Reception
 

I have found that Zeniths perform much better on FM than RCA - just my personal experience.

I seem to be drawn to my old radios especially during the time frame from thanksgiving to christmas. The closer to christmas the more likely you will find music, especially christmas music. Listened to my 1931 Crosley for several hours last nite on WTAD 930 AM,, one of the oldest radio stations in the USA. Just like my great grandparents did so many years ago. Tonite (christmas eve) we had the console Motorola 75F21 playing the christmas songs, sounded splendid. But I do listen to them all year when I take the time.

I'm about to put a Philco 37-610 tombstone radio into dailey service. I finally finished it and I am impressed at how good a 69 year old radio performs. It is going in the living room so it will get plenty of use and look great too.

:music: I use my Truetone D-724 from 1937 daily.it's also a great radio to listen to short-wave broadcasts at night on. My 1962 Delmonico (JVC) hi-fi consolette sees a lot of use as well, since most of my really good music is on vinyl.

With every tube radio or TV whose electronics have been restored, it's a good idea to slide it off the shelf and play it for a while every month or two. Warm everything up to operating temperature, keep the controls lubed up and movable, etc.

These things were designed to be used, not shelved.

I'm not as systematic about this as I should be, but everything that I listen to daily, in the office, family room, and bedroom, is hollow-state.

No music or entertainment on AM-dead medium
 

AM Music stations are a thing in the past for here in Northern CA despite big company sponsors that used to support programming. Just political blog stations now.

:blah:



Only use my 1930 Zenith to listen to news station. AM is a dead and obsolete entertainment medium out here. Sold many a good radio, just can't keep them all to listen to news for 1/2 an hour, sometimes during day. Someone must have their ears glued to listen for this crap, big corporations taking over programming.

:thumbsdn: :tears:

Yeah-I've heard tales of R-390As being on 24/7 for years, until a tube went kerflooey. Turning 'em on & off was harder on 'em than just leaving 'em on-R-390s also used a peculiar kind of multi-position microswitch that would arc & "weld" itself "on" after years of wear-I had one do that. Thankfully, I have Terry DeWick 75 miles down the road...<grin>-Sandy G.

I know exactly what you mean. I live some 35 miles east of Cleveland; most of the city's AM stations are talk or news-talk these days. However, I did find one Canadian music station, AM 740 CHWO in Toronto, so music is not entirely a forgotten format on AM--you just have to know where to look. I am not familiar with what is on radio anywhere in California (never been there or anywhere west of Ohio in my life), so don't know what your AM situation is like except from what you tell us in your post. I would think, however, that there might be one or more music stations in small towns in your part of the state, even if most stations in San Francisco, et al. have switched to talk or news-talk. Don't know what you are using for an antenna on your 1930 Zenith, but if you have a reasonably good outdoor antenna hooked up you should be able to hear smaller stations in northern California or even Oregon. It wouldn't surprise me if Portland has one or more music stations; if you look around your AM dial at night, you might even hear the more powerful stations in Seattle or even north of the border in Vancouver, British Columbia. There are still many good music stations in Canada--CHWO 740 in Toronto, the one I listen to a lot, is one, but I doubt if it will reach the West Coast, as its signal pattern is configured to cover greater Toronto and much of the northeastern United States.

My point is that AM music radio is not dead yet, nor will it be any time soon. If worse comes to worst and you actually cannot find any music stations on your AM dial, look around on the Internet. There is a service called Live365 that plays 24-hour music, any kind of music you like, with no commercials if you subscribe to the paid version ($5.95 per month); there is a free ad-supported version of the same service. Log on to www.live365.com to get more information and the free player you need to listen to their music. Also, if you have digital cable or satellite television service, you almost certainly will have access to several digital music channels. I have both Comcast digital cable and Live365 service, and like them both so well that I have all but abandoned standard radio (which isn't all that great here either, even on FM). The commercial-free nature of digital cable music and Live365 are well worth the monthly subscription fees. The Live365 player is free, and as I said, the basic service is free as well, so you really have nothing to lose.

Oh, yes, I almost forgot. Public radio stations often have very good music; the San Francisco area (and most major metropolitan areas) have at least one NPR affiliate. If your area's local NPR station is on AM or simulcasts AM and FM, you can tune in the AM station on your Zenith and it will very likely sound as good as FM--those old Zeniths have great sound (I have five such radios, one of which has a very good audio system for a table model, so I can vouch for the sound quality of the earlier Zeniths). If you want to hear the local NPR station on FM through your old Zenith AM radio, all you need is an FM-to-AM converter such as was used with car radios in the '60s and '70s. Set your Zenith to the output frequency of the adapter (usually 800-900 kHz or 1400-1500 kHz) and tune in your NPR station on the adapter. Just a thought.

I've noticed that many small towns have good AM stations to listen to, but they are usually very low power. There's one near my cabin broadcasting from Woodville, TX (population 2000) that I enjoy. My cabin is roughly 15 miles south of Woodville, so I can just barely pick it up. They play a good mix of older country songs.

I've encountered many AM stations during my travels on board ship. My favorite is from New Jersey... WMTR 1250. They play the best oldies from the 50's and 60's. It's like stepping back in time.

I use my tube radios every day. I'm partial to Zenith though. I have a nice original AM/FM High Fidelity(c845)that I use in the kitchen, wonderful sound.
http://images.google.com/images?q=tb...enith_H845.jpg

I also have a 600 series Transoceanic shortwave that is just amazing, she pulls in stations from all over the planet (a few satilites too).....
http://www.transoceanic.nostalgiaair...ics/Y600TO.jpg

The small stations in small towns are good, IMO, as long as they are playing music, but all too often these stations are sold and switched to talk or other formats after so many years, especially in this day and age of takeovers by conglomerates. I can give you two examples. One is the local station located some three miles from my hometown. This one is a 500-watt station that used to play all oldies, using a format modeled after CKLW in Detroit in the '60s-'70s. Two years ago, the local station near my hometown dropped that format like a hot potato and replaced it with syndicated talk. The local station five miles or so from where I live now used to be top-40, but about three or four years ago or so it dropped that format and began retransmitting the programming from a classical music station some 50 miles west of here, when the classical station was sold and switched to a frequency right next to a powerful country station in the next town, 35 miles east of here. So, Charlie, I'd enjoy that oldies station in Jersey while it's playing oldies, as the next time your ship passes through the town where the station is located the format may be entirely different. A former program director at the local station near my hometown told me about 25 years ago that the radio business is anything but stable; in fact, he said that a person working in radio today will be lucky if he or she is at the same station six months from now. This was the situation 25 years ago. Given that many small AM stations are switching from live DJs to talk or satellite music programming almost at the drop of a hat these days (a small station some 35 miles from here went to satellite from live programming last year), however, I don't doubt what that program director told me one bit. Also, some small-town stations are going off the air altogether when they find themselves unable to compete with stations in larger cities. A 1kW station about 20 miles south of me went silent about three years ago for just that reason, after having had three formats (the last one being satellite sports talk from the Sporting News Radio Network) since it first signed on in 1969; it was located in Geauga County, Ohio, a rural area some 30-40 miles from Cleveland, and found itself completely unable to compete with the larger stations in the city, especially since the station that went silent was in the impossible situation of being unable to get authorization for either full-time operation at lower night power or to switch frequencies to another (it tried to get authorization to move to 870 kHz from its original 1560) that would allow for full-time operation at either lower night power or full daytime power. The FCC said no, perhaps because of 870's proximity to a local 50kW Cleveland station on 850. The Geauga County station finally threw in the towel the day after Memorial Day three years ago and has not been heard from since.

It's been nearly two years since I've actually been there on the ship, but since finding that station, I still continue to listen on the internet. They play live streaming except when ball games are going on. I really do wish there were more stations like this. Have a listen if you like...

http://www.wmtram.com/

Their streaming audio plays great. I'm listening right now, and I'm using my cel phone to connect to the internet.

I found this station when we were in Bayonne and I had to go ashore to the doctor's office to have a body of foreign matter removed from my eye (yeah that was a real treat). As I was sitting waiting to see the doc, they had and old 70's looking radio playing this station. I was hooked at that point. After that, I'd always listen while we were in port.

While I'm at home, I'll play my old tube sets on a variety of stations from other areas. In the evenings, the "trucker" stations play older country tunes. In the mornings, KROF 960 in Abbeville, LA plays cajun tunes till noon. I also find some country tunes on KWKH 1130 in Shreveport, LA in the evenings.

Our AM stations here in the Beaumont / Port Arthur area are all news, talk, and Christian stations. Years ago, KOLE used to play Big Band, but now it's news and talk. That was the last of our good music to hear on AM.

Austin, where I live has gone all talk, sports, etc. I have to listen to a San Antonio station to get any AM music that I like. In fact, in the last year, the FM radio band selection seems to be getting more limited. They(The FM stations) keep trying to complete with IPODs and satallite radio, forgetting that their local content is what makes them unique.

@Midnight Blues: your "Zenith" radio is an World-wide reciver?

Yes, it has:
2-4mc
4-9mc
16m,19m,25m,31m and am
It has a 5' whip antena and another antena called a wave magnet.
Transoceanic

Yeah, those old Zenith Transoceanics are among some of the most-coveted old sets today. One in good shape is still a decent performer, if you don't mind no FM. They were sorta "luxury" items when new, yet they are not too difficult to find today. I have 2, & enjoy both of 'em.-Sandy G.

My daily driver at home is a Zenith 845, my Stereo is a Magnavox Concert Grand that has 42 tubes, 8 6V6's per channel for outputs, I play these sets quite abit. The stereo was built in 1961 and is all original except for a few tubes and an updated turntable. I play my Directv/XM radio channels through it for hours on end. I gave the head secretary at work a Zenith AM-FM table set for her office about 15 years ago, she's been playing it now for 9 hours a day 5 days a week since then with no repairs at all, it has all the original tubes, caps and selenium rectifier. When conditions are right I fire up the 1938 Zenith 15U269 and listen to WSM Grand Ole Opry for as long as I can stay up. Listen to my old radios??, Yup...That's what they were built for.....

I am also a Zenith fan, having six vintage radios built by the former Zenith Radio Corporation. The oldest of these radios is a Zenith H511(1951); the newest, a Zenith R70 AM/FM transistor portable and a Zenith H480 AM/FM/FM-stereo clock radio (both from 1980). The sets in between are between 1960 and 1963 vintage. My Zenith K-731 is from '63, I also have a Zenith TransOceanic solid-state portable from I would guess 1962, and my newest acquisition is a Zenith C845 from about (again I'm guessing) 1960 or thereabouts. However, every one of these radios work, in some cases not as well as they probably did when they were new, but they still power up and receive stations. I am particularly impressed by the sound of the C845. Fantastic! It even sounds better, IMHO, than my K-731, which I always thought was hi-fi with its electrostatic tweeter and 5x7 main speaker.

Zenith really had a winner times at least ten in the C845. This radio sounds so good it could be the center of a small sound system, as it has stereo speaker inputs and a phono jack. The audio is so powerful I can hear most of the local stations without even turning the volume control up at all--I simply turn it on and most stations are already at normal volume. I hate to think how loud this thing can go; probably could be heard quite a distance away at full volume.

The sensitivity of the C845 is great as well. I live near the south shore of Lake Erie and can hear many Canadian stations as well as if they were locals on this set, and every other AM radio I own. (My personal favorite AM station is a standards station in Toronto, CHWO-AM 740; it comes in like gangbusters here.) I bet my C845 will get stations on FM like crazy from Detroit and southwestern Ontario, Canada (which all my other radios, including the so-so digital tuner in my stereo system, get as well) when the band opens up this summer, as sensitive as I understand it is with that 6BJ6 RF stage. This radio was clearly built for distance reception on AM and FM; they didn't refer to it and other radios they made, from the '20s through about the '60s, as "Long Distance" for nothing. The designation was dropped, however, some time in the '70s, IIRC; my two 1980-vintage Zeniths do not have the slogan anywhere on their cabinets, so I would guess it was dropped by the seventies if not earlier. Was this an early peek at things yet to come at Zenith? It wouldn't surprise me one bit if it was.

Jeff I'm with you, that C845 is a fantastic radio. There are times when I just can't belive how good it sounds. I really do use mine every day and I'm never disapointed.
I had the Transoceanic fired up on Sunday and the 19m band was lit up like a Christmas tree. It seemed as though I pulled in 50 stations.

In my humble opiniion Zenith sure could build a radio.....

I have a C845 that I've been listening to at the office for the past three years. I'm looking for a copy of a SAMS on the C845 since I'd like to get the last of the old paper caps out of it (I think I've pushed my and the Zenith's luck far enough, even though it still plays fine). I tried the one online site that I saw referenced in one of the threads on this forum, but the Deja Vue viewer they use doesn't produce a very readable printout when I tried to get a hardcopy. It would also be nice to get the SAMS so I can see a complete list of all the caps it takes without having to trace through the schematic to find them.

If anyone has one and doesn't mind photocopying theirs for me, I'd be happy to reimburse you for the cost of the copy and mail.



Thanks,
Joe