Pics from my Antique & Vintage Radio Show

[Bob E.]

I finally had a few minutes to re-size my photos of some of the "stars" of my Antique & Vintage Radio Show that was held at my store in Santa Clara on Feb. 21. It isn't everything that was there, it was pretty hectic most of the day! I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to the California Historical Radio Society for bringing out a few choice (and rare!) old-timers, and to Ben Koning for bringing his Echophone TRF rig (that was made locally, in Sunnyvale, CA) and his DVD's that chronicle this forgotten aspect of Silicon Valley in the "Pre-Silicon" days.

Pic. 1 - Right in the center is my dad's 1924 Atwater Kent Model 20, playing through a Model L horn speaker. I had only gotten it running the night before! Behind is an unrestored RCA Radiola 17 (1927) and speaker, and in the foreground are a couple of crystal sets and a lump of Galena.

Pic. 2 - Next to the Atwater Kent was my friend's Freshman Masterpiece (1925, I believe). Unfortunately, we were not able to get it working in time, but it was trying!

Pic. 3 - Most of the items brought by the CHRS, some locally (San Jose, Oakland, and San Francisco) made radios from the 20's.

Pic. 4 - Most of my Hallicrafters! The ones on the table (except for the S-27 at far right) were working at some point during the day. Top shelf: S-38B, S-39 "Sky Ranger", S-38 with S-38E sitting on top. Second shelf: SX-111, Speaker, S-129. Third shelf: S-40B, SX-99 (hidden behind back row on table). Table, back row: S-85, S-40, S-72L portable. Table, front row: S-38B, S-53A, S-27 (ex-Navy 1943).

Pic. 5 - Three Zenith Transoceanics belonging to my friend. L - R, 8G005, H500 (playing on battery!) and Y600 in brown leather.

Pic. 6 - Some more of my friend's radios, I don't remember all of them! There is a Philco Cathedral (it started emitting smoke around noon, and was shut off), an Admiral TV with Bakelite cabinet, a green Crosley, etc.

Pic. 7 - A 1939 Philco with "Mystery Control", a very early wireless remote control! That's the remote sitting on the upper corner...you dial it like a telephone. It has a battery and one tube to transmit pulsed radio waves to the console, which will step up or down to pre-set stations. Magic in 1939!

Just above and behind is a cute little "lady's" radio, a Philco "Overnighter". It's an AM Radio and cosmetics travel case with mirror inside the lid! Battery or AC operation, from about 1956.

Pic. 8 - A couple of my console radios, an RCA with motorized tuning, and a Philco from 1938 with slanted front panel ("No Squat, No Stoop, No Squint") and "Cone-centric" tuning, with some cone-shaped pegs that could be moved around behind the dial for pre-setting station locations.

I didn't even get pictures of the Harman Kardon table, my friend brought lots of her copper-faced beauties, including an A-100, Harman Kardon's first product. I also had a table with phonographs including an RCA 45EY-3 45-player, a Meissner recording phono-radio portable combo, some 1937 Magnavox 78-players, and other stuff I'm starting to forget already! It was a busy day, but lots of fun!

--Bob