Radiola 80 scored

[bandersen]

I just picked up this 1931 RCA Radiola 80 radio last night. It was the Philco globe 45 that caught my eye. I'm happy to say that it and the Silvertone 45 next to it test good. Not like new, but certainly good.

It's really heavy but luckily I had a friend to held carry it down two flights of stairs.

It has a few nicks and dings, but nothing serious. The worst damage is the speaker grille where it's cracked and some bits are missing. Maybe I can make a mold and cast some new sections

Also, one knob is missing. From what I an see from the back, the speaker is in excellent condition.

These sets use tar block capacitors that seem to hold up OK. It was missing a 24 and another 24 was dead. I replaced those and gave it a try with a dim bulb.

The dial cord is broken but I was able to reach in and rotate the tuning cap. With the volume up all the way I was able to tune in a couple stations

Does anyone know what that "Antenex" doohicky is on the back ?