Author Archives: retrovoltage

Collector or Bargain-Hunter? There are Craigslist deals out there.

Posted on December 12, 2015 by retrovoltage

If you’re like me and have a liking for vintage electronics, you’ll know that they turn up in a lot of places. Craigslist tends to be a pretty good spot for radios and even piles of tubes from time to … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Test Equipment, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Make Christmas Special This Year with Allied Radio!

Posted on December 9, 2015 by retrovoltage
Posted in Collections, Commentary, Vintage | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Enjoying the View

Posted on December 5, 2015 by retrovoltage

I don’t know about you, but I think a huge satellite dish like that that would be a pretty cool, retrofuturistic yard decoration in addition to being interesting for a lot of other applications.

Posted in Collections, Projects | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

What do we have here?

Posted on December 1, 2015 by retrovoltage

I was reading about how to build a capacitor checker from the December 1959 issue of Popular Electronics and stumbled across something that looked very familiar. I know that shape. Nearly identical to a Bose® 901 Series I/II cabinet, and even … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Bose, Collections, Commentary, DIY, Electronics, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bose® 402E Active Equalizer #102853 Repaired

Posted on November 30, 2015 by retrovoltage

The first Bose® 402E Active Equalizer, for the Panaray speaker system, just came through the shop. It’s a small speaker array system, designed around similar drivers in the 901, and uses an Active Equalizer for the same effect. They’re designed … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Bose, Electronics, Projects | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Retrofitting Light Fixtures with New, High Efficiency LED Bulbs

Posted on November 27, 2015 by retrovoltage

I posted a while back about LED filament bulbs that use the new silicon-on-glass manufacturing process to produce Edison bulbs with thin strips of LEDs. Perfect for where you want that vintage styling of an incandescent bulb without all the … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Gadgets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Service Shortcuts – November 1932

Posted on November 24, 2015 by retrovoltage

Radio Retailing brings you some helpful service shortcuts: Tube Numbering That Means Something The RMA is seriously considering a new three-character system of marking radio receiving tubes which may shortly come into general use in place of the present meaningless … Continue reading →

Posted in Collections, Vintage | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Are Kids the Future of Ham Radio?

Posted on November 22, 2015 by retrovoltage

Bob K0NR has an alternate take on how to keep ham radio alive as many of its practitioners age up: For whatever reason, it seems that most people find themselves in a situation as an adult that causes them to say … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Ham Radio | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Harman-Kardon Festival D-1000 Tube Receiver Repair

Posted on November 17, 2015 by retrovoltage

All vintage gear has a story to tell, but something really rare and interesting recently came across the bench: the Harman-Kardon Festival D-1000. While it looks somewhat unassuming, a fairly straightforward 15-tube receiver with push-pull 6L6GC outputs and an AM … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Electronics, Hi-Fi, Vintage | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Harman-Kardon Citation 11 Pre-Amp Overhaul

Posted on November 11, 2015 by retrovoltage

A neighbor brought me his brother’s Citation 11 for a full overhaul. After a few decades of faithful stereo reproduction, then a number of years in storage, it was time for an overhaul to get it working good as new again! Of … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Electronics, Projects, Stereo, Vintage | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments