The Lore of Vintage Communications Receivers

Rochester Amateur Radio Association By Kevin Carey, WB2QMY

Receiver photos courtesy of Universal Radio, Inc. www.dxing.com

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What We’ll Cover       

Communications Receivers of the 1945-1980 era 1.6 to 30 MHz frequency range Primarily tube-types, Made in USA Reasons for the current interest Locating a vintage rig Simple repairs & restoration tips Soup-ups for your classic rig

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How Far Back Can We Go? Who owns or uses a rig older than: 1980, 1960, 1940, 1930?

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What’s Old is New Again Why the new interest?      

Vintage rigs don’t “age-out” like other electronics Early rigs had “attitude” Today’s radios can leave us unfulfilled Relive earlier times (first station, more innocent world, etc.) Newer listeners want to know what it was like, and also save $$. Challenge—they don’t always work right away (tubes, calibration, capacitors, etc.) 4

Who’d Have Thought? Not quite a swimsuit calendar, but…

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Finding Old Iron In-person sales   

Do your research! (dxing.com, rigpix.com, eham.net, Google, specialty books on your make) Word of mouth (radio clubs, friends, on the air) Swap meets & Hamfests  Good deals to be had, often a large selection  Ask if sellers have any vintage gear they didn’t bring  “hands-on” environment  Negotiation almost expected! (Is manual present?, any

deficiencies noted, is it getting late in the day?)  Last resort—leave a card with seller 6

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Finding Old Iron Classified Ads (Print & Online)  QST—Specific

listings for Antique/Vintage/Classic gear  www.arrl.org Classified “Radios On-Line” section (Antique/Vintage, and Receivers)  AWA Journal (formerly Old Timer’s Bulletin)  Electric Radio Magazine  Antique Radio Classified 8

Must-haves for the Serious Collector

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The “Bluebook” of Vintage Receivers

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The eBay Revolution! Find your treasure @ www.ebay.com       

Nemesis to hamfests, or a boon to collectors? Has driven prices higher in many cases Huge volume of vintage gear now sold this way! Worldwide market for both buyers & sellers Give it a try…registration is free, easy Reasonably safe medium (Feedback scores, verified identities). Walk-in services in some cities—They’ll can do the work for you! 11

The eBay Revolution!  Search

tool—just enter keyword(s) for the item(s) you’re looking for  You can converse with sellers via e-mail  Place a maximum bid for an item, and the system bids on your behalf, as necessary.  Convenient payment options (credit card via PayPal, check, money order)  Study the tutorials, become a “pro” user! 12

A “Model” eBay Auction

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Description & Photo Section

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Close-Up Photo of Dial

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Internal View

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Manual Included!

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Payment & Shipping Details

Place your max. bid here

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Caveats to Online Auctions 

   

Auctions designed to get the highest possible price for an item. Don’t expect “super” deals unless there is low demand for an item. Shipping costs & concerns: Will they pack it right?, must you be home for delivery? Is a picture really worth a thousand words? (performance issues, cigarette stench, paint finish) You must ask questions to be sure! If not satisfied with answers, don’t bid. There are other fish in the sea! 19

Strategies 

    

Decide the maximum you’re willing to pay, and bid that amount (Remember shipping costs—boatanchors can be heavy!) “Reserve not met” message “Buy Now” option—If you positively must have that radio! Removes competition. An odd bid may help due to bid increments (i.e., $153.57 instead of $150.00) How long is the auction? Early activity often drives the price up. “Watch” the auction to track its status

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Strategies (Cont’d)  Check

feedback score of seller. How many sales, how many negative, pos. & neutral?  Always pay promptly—simply click “Pay Now” button when you win  Leave prompt, honest feedback

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Vintage Radio Dealers  Military/industrial

surplus (Fair Radio Sales, Toronto Surplus, etc.)  Radio Recyclers, RadioFinder  Usually not the cheapest way to go, but items are fairly represented  May include a limited warranty  Don’t rule out “parts” sets, even before you find your dream rig. 22

It’s on Your Bench Now What?  Visual

checks—No power yet!  Gathering information on your set  SAFETY!  First power-up  “On-the-air” evaluation

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Visual Checks  Don’t

just do something, stand there!  Learn all you can about the set (manuals, reviews, service records, web searches, etc.)  Do the controls move freely?  Debris inside? signs of previous troubles? (charring, electrical smell?)  How’s the line cord look?  Is the set properly fused? (if not, why not?) 24

SAFETY FIRST!     

Check wiring (inside and out). Insulation may be brittle, disintegrated. “Hot Chassis” concern with AC/DC sets—Test with a VOM against ground. High voltages present—300V or more possible. “One-handed” technique. Beware of hot tubes, sharp metal! See www.stanwatkins.com/safety.htm for more safety tips 25

First Power-Up (Smoke Test)  Use

a variable transformer (“Variac”) to bring the power up slowly, look for excessive current draw.  Look, listen, smell for problems.  Variac seen at RARA Auction, just $10!

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First Power-Up (Cont’d)       

Document all problems you find Are all tubes/pilot lights lit? Noise from speaker? Try tuning in a few local broadcast stations. How close is the dial calibration? “Scratchy” controls/switches? “S” meter working? Try other bands (WWV, CHU signals) 27

Simple Repairs And Restoration Tips  Decide level of restoration you want to  Should it be left original, or restored to

do

showroom condition?  Is it damage, or “honest wear”  Consider a “phased” approach (safe, operational, then cosmetic  Do

it yourself, or professional service?  Do you have the necessary tools? 28

The Restorer’s Toolkit         

Variac (or series light bulb tester) Tuner cleaner (DeoxIT by Caig Laboratories) Canned air Tube Tester (Eico, Hickok, Federal) VOM/VTVM Scope is nice, but not essential Assorted handtools (small screwdrivers, nutdrivers, needle-nose pliers, etc.) Manuals, Parts Catalogs Capacitor Tester (Eico 955, or equiv.) 29

The Restorer’s Toolkit (Cont’d)       

RF/AF Generator (Eico, Hickok, HP, McMurdo Silver, etc.) Alignment tools (non-metallic) Toothbrush Soft brushes for cleaning dials, chassis, etc. Mini attachments for vacuum cleaners (available at discount stores) Soldering/de-soldering equipment “Test speaker” with clip leads 30

The Restorer’s Toolkit (Cont’d)  Needle-tip

lubricator (RS# 64-2301A)  Test antenna (10-15 foot wire w/alligator clip)  Alligator test clips  Component Freeze Spray  Tubes  Fuses 31

Repair/Restoration Tips 

Scratchy controls/switches  Shot of contact cleaner may help (spray in openings, or

along shaft)  If too far worn, replace it 

AC Hum  Common problem in older receivers  Usually caused by disintegrated filter capacitors in p.s.  Test by jumping a known-good unit across existing cap

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Repair/Restoration Tips 

Paper/wax capacitor failures  A notorious problem in older RXs  Can cause distortion, intermittents, and “motorboating”  Happens when capacitor materials dry out, disintegrates  Modern (sealed plastic) replacements are available--

often sold as “kits” for a particular set.  Purists often “re-cap” an entire set as standard policy  Modern capacitors can sometimes be “hidden” inside vintage component casings—tough work though. 33

Repair/Restoration Tips  Tubes  Often an overblown problem—most types still avail.  Substitution guides can be helpful  Solid state replacements available for some tubes  Make a location chart before removing or cleaning

tubes  Tip: Worn lettering may become readable by cooling tube in freezer, then breathing on it.  Clean tube sockets with contact cleaner, rock tube  Tube Testers often seen at hamfests ($35-$100). (Hickok model 6000 said to be best for vintage radio work. Federal TV-2A also excellent.) 34

Repair/Restoration Tips 

Speaker Tears  Easily repaired w/ tissue paper and glue  There are also speaker rebuilding services



Dial Cord Replacement/Service  Get a dial cord diagram, or make one before touching

cord. Dial cord books sometimes found at hamfests  Long tweezers (hemostat type) useful for stringing dial cord around pulleys, shafts, etc.  Many sizes & types of cord available through vintage radio dealers  Slipping cord can be fixed by removing spring at pulley & twisting a few turns. Musician’s Rosin also helpful. 35

Dial Cord & Tube Guidebooks

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Typical Dial Cord Drawing

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Repair/Restoration Tips 

Shorting Tuning Capacitor Plates  Symptoms include audible rubbing, signal drop-out  Use ohm meter to determine trouble area  Outer plates most susceptible to damage  Straighten plates gently with fingernail or jeweler’s

screwdriver 

Line Cords  AES, others offer many types of replacement cords &

plugs  Consider using a plug with fuse holders built in 38

Repair/Restoration Tips  Receiver

Alignment

 Not always necessary—check performance  Do not attempt alignment without manual.

Often very complex (hi/lo end of scale, etc.)  Observe all pre-settings and warm-up times  Stripped coil form threads? String wrapped around slug may fix it, or small rubber band alongside threads. 39

Repair/Restoration Tips 

Cosmetic Attention  Proceed at your own risk! Every case is unique.  Use mild cleaners only—test in a hidden spot  Front panel, knobs can be removed for cleaning  Non-ammonia Windex , Murphy Oil Soap often used,

along with very soft cloth, or brush  Dishwasher technique for front panels (use caution)  Toothbrush or Q-tip may help in hard-to-reach areas  NEVER wash dial scales! Use very soft brush to clean dust off—nothing more—printing may be erased!  Canned air/vacuum tools 40

Repair/Restoration Tips 

Cosmetic Attention (Cont’d)  Touch-up paints available for many models. Can be

applied with a toothpick for minor chips. (Make sure surface is horizontal)  Replacement front panels & dial glass available for some models  Novus #1, #2 for plastic knobs and some trim  Old English scratch cover (for wood cabinets)  Pledge furniture polish brings out luster on front panels, cabinets, crinkle finishes

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Using Vintage Receivers  Have reasonable expectations.  “Sunday Drive” philosophy  In 1955, there were: less crowded bands, fewer

interference sources, fewer modes to deal with  Some

higher end units can still hold their own today (Collins, National, the 3 H’s)  Most will have better audio…all will help warm your shack! 42

Soup-Ups  

Avoid physical modification of your rig. No drilling! Many external items available to improve performance  Audio Filter—for peaking desired signals & notching

heterodynes. (MFJ 751B, 722 good choices, others available)  Crystal Calibrator—Easily homebrewed, simple design online at: www.rason.org/Projects/calibrat.htm  External Digital Frequency Readout—Simple connection to VFO, direct reading. Check offerings by “Almost All Digital Electronics” 43

Soup-Ups (Cont’d) 

High-Pass Filters to eliminate BCB QRM  Check offerings by Par Electronics, others



Preselectors, Preamplifiers  May boost sluggish performance, esp. on higher

frequencies (above 20 MHz)  Check offerings by MFJ, others 

Audio Matching Transformers  Helps match 600-ohm output impedance on older rigs

to common 8-ohm impedance for today’s speakers.  RS #32-1031B “Line Transformer” a good choice. Greatly improves audio quality on R-390/A 44

We Have Local Resources!  Antique

Wireless Association (AWA)  Glenwood Sales (RARA Advertiser)  Goldcrest Electronics (Rochester)  Radio Daze (Victor)

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Vintage Radio References Books The ARRL Handbook Preferably from an era matching your receiver. Commonly available at hamfests, swapmeets, eBay Available new from American Radio Relay League, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111 or online at: www.arrl.org. Modern Radio Servicing by Alfred A. Ghirardi, 1935 and later editions. May be available online from ABE books (www.abebooks.com) or similar vintage booksellers. Receiver Troubleshooting and Repair, Alfred A. Ghirardi, sixth printing 1955. May be available online from ABE books (www.abebooks.com) or similar vintage booksellers. Shortwave Receivers Past and Present, Fred Osterman, Universal Radio Research, 6830 Americana Parkway, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068. www.universal-radio.com Antique Radios, Restoration and Price Guide, David and Betty Johnson, 1982, Wallace-Homestead Book Company, 201 King of Prussia Road, Radnor, PA 19089. May also be available online from ABE books (www.abebooks.com) or similar vintage booksellers. Ham Equipment Price Guide, Dave Goodman, KG6JTB. 1219 W. Saint George Dr., San Dimas, CA 91773 www.kg6jtb.freewebspace.com 46

Vintage Radio References Books (Cont’d) How to Repair Old-Time Radios, Clayton Hallmark, Tab Books, Blue Ridge Summit, PA ISBN 0-8306-7342-3. May also be available online from ABE books (www.abebooks.com) or similar vintage booksellers. Elements of Radio, Abraham Marcus and William Marcus, 1948 & later editions, Prentice-Hall, Inc. May be available online from ABE books (www.abebooks.com) or similar vintage booksellers. The Zenith Trans-Oceanic—The Royalty of Radios, 1995, By John Bryant and Harold Cones, Schiffer Publishing, 4880 Lower Valley Rd., Atglen, PA 19310 www.schifferbooks.com

Equipment Manuals W7FG Vintage Manuals (highly recommended source) 402731 West 2155 Drive, Bartlesville, Oklahoma 74006. Tel. 918-333-3754, Order Line: 800-807-6146 www.w7fg.com/ (Owned by local ham, Jeff Ach, W2FU) The Boat Anchor Manual Archive (BAMA), Online manuals that may be downloaded electronically, huge selection. http://bama.sbc.edu/ Fair Radio Sales (military surplus manuals), 2395 St. Johns Rd., P.O. Box 1105, Lima, OH 4580247 1105, Tel. 419-227-6573. www.fairradio.com

Vintage Radio References Equipment Manuals (Cont’d) The Manual Man, 27 Walling St., Sayreville, NJ 08872-1818, Tel. 908-238-8964

Cardwell Condenser Corporation (Hammarlund manuals) 80 East Montauk Highway, Lindenhurst, NY11757. Tel. 516-957-7200 Surplus Sales of Nebraska (primarily Collins manuals), 1218 Nicholas Street, Omaha, NE 68102-4221. Tel. 402-346-4750, 800-244-4567 Howard W. Sams & Company, P.O. Box 7092, Indianapolis, IN 46207-7092. Tel. 800-428SAMS A.G. Tannenbaum, P.O. Box 386, Ambler, PA 19002. Tel. 215-657-0106. www.agtannenbaum.com

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Vintage Radio References Tubes, Parts & Restoration Supplies Antique Electronic Supply, 6221 South Maple Ave., Tempe, AZ 85283. Tel. 602-820-5411 www.tubesandmore.com (Highly recommended resource—everything for the vintage radio enthusiast) Webtubes.com (online resource for early radio books and related publications) www.webtubes.com Play Things of Past, catalog requests to: Gary B. Schneider, 9511 Sunrise Blvd., #J23, Cleveland, OH 44133. Tel. 216-582-3904 (large selection of vintage parts) Electron Tube Enterprises, 11 Linden Ln, Box 8311, Essex, VT 05451. Tel. 802-879-7764 Almost All Digital Electronics, 1412 Elm St., S.E. Auburn, WA 98092. Tel. 253-351-9316 (Digital Frequency Readouts for vintage receivers) www.aade.com Radio Adventures Company, RD 4 Box 240, Franklin, PA 16323 Tel. 814-437-5355 (Digital Frequency Readouts for vintage receivers, other items of interest to hams) R & R Designs Classic Radio Paints, 202 Midvale Drive Marshall, WI 53559 Tel. 1-608-6554857 (Touch-up paint for vintage gear, Hammarlund clocks, HQ-129X front panels, various other parts & radio connectors) Frontier Capacitor, P.O. Box 218, 403 S. McIntosh St., Lehr, North Dakota 58460 Tel. 701-378-2341

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Vintage Radio References Tubes, Parts & Restoration Supplies (Cont’d) Surplus Sales of Nebraska, 1502 Jones St., Omaha, NE 68102 Tel. 402-346-4750 www.surplussales.com George H. Fathauer & Assoc., LLC, Early Radio & Collector Tubes, 688 W. First St., Suite 4, Tempe, AZ 85281 e-mail: [email protected] Fair Radio Sales, 2395 St. Johns Rd., P.O. Box 1105, Lima, OH 45802-1105, Tel. 419-2276573. www.fairradio.com W.J. Ford Surplus, 4 Wellington St., P.O. Box 606, Smith Falls, ON K7A 4T6 Canada Tel. 613-283-5195 www.testequipmentcanada.com Radio Daze Vintage Radio & Electronics, 7620 Omnitech Place, Victor, NY 14564 (Showroom near Rochester, NY, as well as online ordering. Impressive, growing selection of, parts, tubes & restoration supplies) MFJ Enterprises, 300 Industrial Park Road, Starkville, MS 39759 Tel. 662-323-5869 www.mfjenterprises.com (Receiving accessories, other ham/SWL items) Universal Radio, Inc., 6830 Americana Parkway, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068. www.universal-radio.com (Interesting selection of books on radio history & collecting) 50

Vintage Radio References Tubes, Parts & Restoration Supplies (Cont’d) Just Radios, Dave & Babylyn Cantelon, 42 Clematis Road, North York, ON Canada M2J 4X2 www.justradios.com (capacitor kits for tube radios) Toronto Surplus and Scientific www.torontosurplus.com

Museums Antique Wireless Assn. Museum, 2 South Avenue, Bloomfield, NY 14469 www.antiquewireless.org (Website has selections from the AWA Journal, classified ads, business card ads, photo tour of the museum, excellent links on radio history, AWA membership info, and much more—a must visit!) Museum of Radio & Technology, Inc., 1640 Florence Ave., Huntington, WV 25701 http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~postr/MRT/index.htm Hammond Museum of Radio, Hammond Mfg., 595 Southgate Drive, Guelph, ON Canada (Excellent representation of communications gear, Founded by Fred Hammond, VE3HC www.kwarc.on.ca/hammond New England Wireless and Steam Museum, 1300 Frenchtown Road, East Greenwich, RI 02818 USA Telephone: 401-885-0545 http://users.ids.net/~newsm/ John Dilks’ (K2TQN) Mobile Radio Museum. Museum information online at: www.eht.com/oldradio/museum/

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Vintage Radio References Periodicals AWA Journal, Available with membership in the AWA, Dues: $20/yr., P.O. Box 421, Bloomfield, New York 14469 www.antiquewireless.org Electric Radio, P.O. Box 242, Bailey, CO 80421-0242 Tel. 720-942-0171 $1 for sample copy. [email protected] Antique Radio Classified, P.O. Box 802-N14, Carlisle, MA 01741 $39.49/yr. (6-month trial $19.95 www.antiqueradio.com Monitoring Times Magazine, (Radio Restorations column) 7540 Highway 64 West, Brasstown, NC 28902-0098 Tel. 828-837-2216 www.monitoringtimes.com QST Magazine, (Old Radio column), American Radio Relay League, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111. QST available with ARRL Membership, Dues: $39/yr. www.arrl.org

Internet & Online Resources Sci.electronics.repair FAQ—Huge collection of tips for troubleshooting electronic gear www.repairfaq.org Boatanchor FAQ—Nice collection of writings on getting started, where to find parts, etc. www.virhistory.com/ham/rrab.faq.htm 52

Vintage Radio Resources Internet & Online Resources (Cont’d) Boatanchors News Group—Discussion group for vintage ham/swl gear. Rec.radio.amateur.boatanchors National Radio Restoration Hints www.io.com/~nielw/Hint.htm The Heathkit Shop—Information & parts for Heathkit restoration www.theheathkitshop.com RTO Electronics—Heath restoration and repair service www.rtoham.com Total Electronics—Heath Repair, Plus Paint & Silkscreen services for many models www.angelfire.com/nc/totalelectronics Martek Radio, LLC—Vintage amateur and shortwave radio repair & alignment. 240 Hiram Allen Rd., Blythewood, SC 29016 Tel. 803-786-4607 e-mail: [email protected] Miltronix—Repair & restoration of R-390 series receivers and some other “R” series receivers. Rick Mish, 36 E. Manhatten Blvd., Toledo, OH 43608 Tel. 419-255-6220 www.dxing.com/r390/mish.htm

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Vintage Radio Resources Internet & Online Resources (Cont’d) Glen Zook—Collins, Heath & other repairs/restorations/parts http://home.comcast.net/~zcomco/ Boatanchor Classifieds www.dealamerica.com/deal/cgi-bin/ads/bcads.cgi Bry’s Price Guide—Survey of asking prices for vintage/classic radios www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hall/8701/ham/boneyard.htm John Kendall’s Vintage Electronics—Online selection of swl/ham/broadcast gear www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/ My Vintage Radios—Equipment repair & restoration service, silkscreening www.myvintageradios.com The Hammarlund Historian—History of the Hammarlund Co., information resources and pictures www.hammarlund.info/ W.J Ford Surplus Enterprises—Receivers, transmitters, test gear, components www.testequipmentcanada.com/

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Vintage Radio Resources Internet & Online Resources (Cont’d) DXing.com—Excellent resource pages with pictures and specs of many models www.dxing.com/rx/tindex.htm Boatanchor Pix—Photos and information about many vintage models http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~postr/bapix/ E-ham.com—Wide-ranging discussion board with an area for vintage/classic gear. User’s opinions, quirks of certain models, tips www.eham.com

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What We’ve Covered…  Boatanchors

are fun to work on and use!  Where to find them, including eBay  Initial checkout, safety  Tools you’ll need  Common problems & restoration tips  Add-ons for boosting performance  References where you can learn more 56

Thanks for attending!

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Other Questions:

[email protected] OR: [email protected]

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