Need advice on vintage tabletop AM/FM radio

[dj_AmTraX]

I want to get a nice condition vintage tube AM/FM radio. I like a wood cabinet. But I don't even know what to look for or which brand is good. Please help.

[Randy Bassham]

IMHO Zenith AM-FM sets of the late 40's through the mid 60's are head and shoulders above the competition. My favorite is the Zenith 825, 835, and 845 series. These sets have large speakers, AFC, and loudness compensation and can still be bought reasonably.

[ekimetsok]

RCA made some good ones too. Since they're not as popular, nor produced in mammouth numbers like the forementioned Zenith, you can find these priced reasonably at antique radio meets. I have an RCA 6RF9 I picked up at Kutztown a couple of years ago for $10 that kicks ass.

(Not mine, but here's what it looks like):
http://radioatticarchives.com/radio.php?radio=2565

[Jeffhs]

I agree with Randy as to the excellent sound quality of the C845, K731 and other high-end Zenith radios of the late 1950s through the sixties. I have a C845 and an MJ1035 and am favorably impressed with the sound from the 8-inch main speaker/5-inch tweeter in these sets. When Zenith ceased production of these two radios (not to mention the rest of the 800 series), it was the end of an era we will never see the likes of again.

The MJ1035 with stereo FM by Zenith was also one of their better AM/FM radios, with a true tone control, loudness compensation, two-way speaker system, the whole ball of wax in the audio stages. (It has been stated here that the stock speakers in the MJ1035 could have been better than they are; I wonder every now and then if anyone has ever tried replacing the radio's original speakers with high-fidelity speakers.) It was introduced in 1961, the year the FCC authorized stereo multiplex FM standards in the United States, and works well (for monophonic FM) in strong to moderate signal areas. It's not so good with stereo, however, more than about 15 miles or so from the stations, but that's because the MJ1035 was one of Zenith's first attempts at stereo FM in a table radio. I think, however, that if a better antenna than the line-cord antenna were used, the reception, even in far suburban areas, would be much improved.

Don't expect much in the way of fringe-area reception from the MJ1035, however, as the RF amp in this radio is half of a 17JK8 (not a dedicated stage as is the MJ1035's AM RF amp, which is a 12BA6). Even though the MJ1035 has two IF stages on AM and FM, it cannot work miracles with very weak signals; as a matter of fact, the instruction manual for the MJ1035 states, in its short description of the vagaries of FM reception (which are also covered in a small pamphlet which was included with every new Zenith FM radio from the '50s to at least the mid-sixties) that one should not expect to hear anything other than their area's local stations, as the nature of FM radio is such that the signals travel in straight lines from the transmitting antenna and, as such, are limited to line-of-sight range ("the immediate horizon" is the term used in the manual, but the meaning is the same).

The MJ1035 shows up every now and then on eBay, but not nearly as often as the K731 or any Zenith radio in the 800 series (C835R, C845, etc.--the K731 and C845 do appear quite often; I see at least one of each on eBay almost every day). Note, however, that when the MJ1035 does appear on eBay or Craigslist, it is sometimes missing the external (left channel) speaker.

You won't be disappointed with any of the Zenith radios I mentioned here; they are all excellent radios that will run rings around any of today's cheap plastic one-chip gutless-wonders coming off the lines in Korea and elsewhere in the Orient. Where those sets fizzle out miserably (don't expect to hear much on these little things from any real distance, as the signal circuits in them are probably little better than a glorified crystal set), any of the Zeniths from the 40s through the early sixties will outperform them many times over.

[zenithfan1]

Originally Posted by Randy Bassham

IMHO Zenith AM-FM sets of the late 40's through the mid 60's are head and shoulders above the competition. My favorite is the Zenith 825, 835, and 845 series. These sets have large speakers, AFC, and loudness compensation and can still be bought reasonably.

Totally agree, you can't go wrong with any of these. I have a few myself and am very happy with the performance. My favorite is the 845, I have two, one for my collection in mint condition and another that I use ALOT but is also in very good condition. Both have phono input.

[Tom Bavis]

I used a CD player on the phono inputs on my MJ-1035 , but then I discovered that it's NON-ISOLATED from the power line. There is a 40+ year-old capacitor between me and 120VAC... and I don't feel THAT lucky...

[Old1625]

I tend to favor the Zenith brand for AM/FM table radios.

Originally Posted by Tom Bavis

I used a CD player on the phono inputs on my MJ-1035 , but then I discovered that it's NON-ISOLATED from the power line. There is a 40+ year-old capacitor between me and 120VAC... and I don't feel THAT lucky...

I got around that problem for a few bucks spent at a job lot store. A little FM transmitter did the trick--voilà! Hillbilly Hi-Fi....

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by Tom Bavis

I used a CD player on the phono inputs on my MJ-1035 , but then I discovered that it's NON-ISOLATED from the power line. There is a 40+ year-old capacitor between me and 120VAC... and I don't feel THAT lucky...

I would replace that isolation capacitor ASAP, before using the phonograph inputs again. The MJ1035 was first introduced by Zenith in 1961 and remained in their product line until 1965, so depending on which model you have (MJ1035, MJ1035-1, MJ1035-W1) that capacitor is anywhere from 43 to 47 years old. I wouldn't trust it, as by now it is almost certainly defective.

What happened to your CD player when you hooked it up to your MJ1035? I would think it would work, albeit with a lot of hum, as the phono inputs may not have been isolated that well from the AC line when the radio was new (there is probably next to no isolation today if the original cap is still in the circuit). The designers of the MJ1035 probably did not even consider that 40-some years after this set was made, people might want to try to connect anything other than a phono turntable to those inputs, so the isolation capacitor was probably just enough to meet safety standards in effect at the time.

[myrgatroyd]

Hi,

if your budget is not as small as the education budget for `59, a look to other countries could be a chance for you... google for Loewe Opta Tempo, Philips Philetta, Grundigs, Schaub Lorenz, Telefunken.
They made pretty, good sounding little radios.

Yours
Alex

[myrgatroyd]

@ Tom: Why not change it? 110 Volts spreading out of every metalic part of your radio doesn´t sound comfortable.
I saw a walkman going up in flames, linked to a ´55 console. Never did such a nonsense again.

Yours
Alex

[dj_AmTraX]

Since I have little to no knowledge on tube radios, where can I buy good restored tube radios?

[dj_AmTraX]

What is the difference between zenith MJ1035 & MJ1035-1?

PM sent.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by dj_AmTraX

What is the difference between zenith MJ1035 & MJ1035-1?

I'm not sure, but I think the MJ1035-1 may have moved the phono/radio input selector to the front panel as a separate position on the bandswitch; the original MJ1035 had this selector on the back of the radio, near the phono inputs.

[Renslipevol]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

I'm not sure, but I think the MJ1035-1 may have moved the phono/radio input selector to the front panel as a separate position on the bandswitch; the original MJ1035 had this selector on the back of the radio, near the phono inputs.

Ahh yes. You are correct. I've seen others with the inputs on the bottom right side of the chassis. The one I have it is in the upper left with the switch at the same spot as the inputs.

[Bruce221]

Zenith 40s-50s are fine rigs-motorola-late 40s-50s-crosly-fadda-and of course Philco-all of these can be fixed and give hours of dx ing am at night-sw listining on manny due to ww11-and modern talk radio.