New to OLD Radios! - Videokarma.org TV - Video

SixCats! · #1 03-20-2007, 07:21 PM

Hi all,

Forgive me if I make any typo's...I'm feeling lil' pain tonight as I am on my second BIG ASS glass of Wine. Anyway, I recently met a older gentleman who used to work for RCA as a TV Tech. Man, I was soooo very impressed with his collection of Radios. This gentleman has repaired and sold over 1,600vintage tube radios from one little Antique shop here in Maine. Recently, this gentleman repaired a 1946 RCA Tube radio for me and did a FANTASTIC job.
I thought the repair price of $45.00 for very reasonable! I am told that this RCA radio is somewhat more rare than other RCA models. The only part that really SUCKS is that I live soooo far in the STICKS of Maine, it's difficult to pull in AM. Anyway, this will not stop me from buying a really NEAT
ZENITH Tube radio from his collection. At this point, I don't recall the model...I just like the COOL style of this Zenith. I am SERIOUSLY trying to find a WHITE CROSLEY D-25CE! I almost FLIPPED OUT when I saw a picture of this Radio in a newpaper story on this gentleman. I recall from my childhood that my Dad had a WHITE CROSLEY D-25CE on his Bedroom nightstand. This gentleman is currently trying to find me a WHITE CROSLEY D-25CE as he travels the country attending Radio trade shows. This gentleman happens to own a beautiful CROSELY D-25CE in sort of a (rare) pea Green color. I really want to buy a WHITE model so that I can give it to my Mom and Dad. I figure it would BLOW MY DAD's mind! He is almost 77 years old. I sure hope I can find the CROSELY before too long! Anyway, thank you for reading my (half in the bag) ramble.

Regards,
SixCats!

Sandy G · #2 03-20-2007, 07:31 PM

You better watch out-Old Tooob radios have a most NASTY habit of gettin' under yr skin, & just like Tater chips, "NOBODY can eat just one...." Take it from someone who knows....<grin>

SixCats! · #3 03-21-2007, 07:10 PM

Hi Sandy,

Yeeea...I kinda figured that out already lol. I already opened my big mouth and said that I would buy the Zenith Radio I mentioned above. Heck, it's a BEAUTIFUL old radio that has been completely gone through and is in perfect working condition. I don't think $50.00 is too bad a price for such a neat Radio. Man, this gentleman also has some BEAUTIFUL older Wood Radios. A reeeal nice TOMB STONE Zenith but, it's not cheap! Also a real neat PHILCO. I will have find out the model numbers in the future and let you know what's what. That being said, before I buy more toys for myself,
I REALLY want that CROSLEY for my Dad. Oooh, any suggestions as to what models are desirable in collecting Radios ? I mean lol, I'm sure there are HUNDREDS of models that fill this question but, could you suggest a few. Ooooh, Sandy I was shown a bunch of pictures of a BEAUTIFUL ZENITH STRATOSPHERE this guy rebuilt. I mean...EVERY piece gone through! Even the speaker (baskets ?) were hard chromed along (with the amps). Stunning!

Regards,
SixCats!

Sandy G · #4 03-21-2007, 08:08 PM

A Stratosphere is like the "Ultimate"-along w/a 1936 Sparton Bluebird, & an E.H. Scott Quaranta. There are a few Catalins up there, too, but the Cats are generally pretty pedestrian sets outside of their fancy clothes, as was the Bluebird. A Strat or a Quaranta- They were both pretty much at the limits of what was possible in radio & music reproduction technology for the mid-late '30s. Quarantas were supposedly made in 40, 48, & 60 tube versions, & could cost $10K a piece, at a time when a Ford would be hard-pressed to top $800-1000. You are rather unlikely to encounter either a Quaranta or a Strat out "in the wild", I would imagine. About what vintage is that Crosley you're wanting ? Powel Crosley, Jr. made millions off his Crosley Shelvador refrigerator design-& then got into the cheapy radio market. When his radio customers complained they couldn't hear anything on their sets, he put up WLW in his home base of Cincinnati w/about a jillion watts to give 'em something to listen to. He then set his sights on Detroit-He decided to bring out a small, light car-which he did in 1939, a 2 cyl runabout. After the war, he re-introduced his car, this time it had a 4-cyl motor. In the early postwar years, ANYTHING that was new & ran sold, & Crosley did pretty good up til about 1949-50, by which time Detroit had got back on their feet, & Crosley was out of the car business by '52. Crosley cars are pretty rare today, they were NOT treated w/great amounts of love 'n' respect when new, & most got junked fairly early. Their 4 cyl engine design was, at first, a block made up of welded sheet metal, copper braised, & they did not hold up well. Later, the engine block was a proper cast iron design, they were more reliable, but Crosley's rep was already spoilt, & a 2 0r 3 yr old Ford or Chevy was a better deal than a new Crosley, anyway. Crosley was a big man, yet the cars were quite tiny & narrow, fairly comical looking. Boy, I got way off-topic here, didn't I ? Sorry...

gadget73 · #5 03-21-2007, 08:20 PM

You'd be surprised with AM, I was sitting here in New Jersey just last night listening to stations in Chicago, Ohio, Nashville, Boston, and even one out in Nebraska. Actually the station in Ohio was WLW. I pulled in a French language station that I think was perhaps out of Montreal, at least thats the only thing that came up when I searched around for the frequency but unfortunately I couldn't get a call sign to be sure. You don't need to be near anything to pull in the waves, especially late at night. This was after midnight when I was tinkering.

Sandy G · #6 03-21-2007, 08:29 PM

Yep. A guy I know of had an R-389 like mine, he lived in Denver, & was able to pull in French MW station carriers a few times in the dead of winter, occasionally w/a few notes of modulation. Transatlantic MW DXing is fairly common on the NE coast, New England, & the Maritime provinces.Trans-Pacific BCB DXing is more rare, but not unheard of on the western coastal states.

electronjohn · #7 03-21-2007, 08:33 PM

SixCats: Glad to see your feline friends allowed you to post! You have found a gem in that elderly gent...$45 is EXTREMELY fair to refurb your radio. Try to hang around him as much as you can...soak up as much of his hard-earned knowledge as possible. And, your location in the boonies of Maine could be a blessing in disguise: lots less electrical interference and fewer AM stations in the area to add to the QRM. Don't be afraid to try to couple some sort of external antenna to a radio if there's no provision for one. Just wrapping 20-25 turns around the case in the same direction as the built-in loop can allow you to boost the available signal strength. Snoop around that auction site we all love and see if you can find a SelectAntenna (sp?) The passive version needs no power and no physical connection to your radio is needed...they're quite effective.

Sandy G · #8 03-21-2007, 08:44 PM

Maine is kinda Ground Zero for trans-Atlantic DX catches. Another thing to look for, is a KIWA MW Loop...the "Mac Daddy" of MW antennas. It is a tiltable, steerable, tunable amplified loop. I have one, & the 1st night I got it, I hooked it up to one of the R-390As, & was pulling in WHAS in Louisville-admittedly not a difficult DX catch-but it sounded like local FM.

SixCats! · #9 03-22-2007, 07:28 PM

Hi guys,

Electronjohn, I have no doubt that you are indeed correct about my being VERY lucky having befriend such a knowledge gentleman. I know SQUAT about "Bakelite" (and other) Radios but, this much I do know, to have a PRO like Bob repair my circa 1946 RCA Model 65X2 Tube Radio for a total cost of $45.35 has GOT to be a BARGIN! Bob replaced the following parts :

one 47 lamp
one 33@160V Cap
one 47@ " " "
one 3525 Tube
one 047 630v
one dial cord
one power cord and plug

Replaced above parts, touched up cabinet, fixed knob, clean controls
(and I suspect more!). I will keep an eye open for the antennas.

Regards,
SixCats!

SixCats! · #10 03-22-2007, 07:46 PM

Hi Sandy,

Thanks for the History lesson on Crosley. I had no idea he made Cars!
Sandy, check out this link to see a pix of the CROSLEY D-25-CE.
When I was a kid, my Dad had the same Radio (only in the more common White color). I am hopping to find a working WHITE unit for my Dad and Mom.
I was five years old in 1960 (the Radio is circa 1953). My Dad is around 76 years old. I hope I can find this Radio before too long! I think it would
BLOW HIS MIND!

Sandy, just GOOGLE CROSLEY D-25-CE to find a pix.

Regards,
SixCats! aka Tom Patrick

Sandy G · #11 03-22-2007, 09:38 PM

Sixer-Glad to oblige. Ain't sure, but I think Crosley might have owned the Reds at one time, too. Cincinnati's a neat town, if you ever get the chance to go there. That one you're looking for is one of the Fifties "dashboard" styled sets they made. I have a similar set, made in '53 as well, but it don't have the clock part in it.