Category Archives: Commentary

Antique Radios in “Babylon 5”

Posted on July 20, 2011 by jwk

In Season 2, Episode 7 of television program “Babylon 5” (1994-1998), you can see a few antique radios in the space station’s Earth History Exhibit. With the help of some other radio hobbyists, I’ve identified the interesting ones. On the … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Photos, Television, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Ruined Antique Radio Photo Roundup Redux

Posted on July 8, 2011 by jwk

I thought I’d start the weekend off with some more photos of butchered antique radios for your viewing misery pleasure. This is the second-round photo roundup. Check out the first set of ruined antiques here! An aspiring artist thought this 1940s … Continue reading →

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Questionable Resto-Mods for Antique Radios

Posted on June 3, 2011 by jwk

Normally, I write about how to fix an antique radio. Today, though, I’m writing about all the creative and interesting ways people have found to destroy them – and there are quite a few ways, from gutting a radio cabinet … Continue reading →

Posted in Collections, Commentary, Photos, Radios and Tubes | Tagged , , , , , , | 21 Comments

EICO 221 VTVM Dial Scale

Posted on April 7, 2011 by jwk

In a fit of clumsiness, I sent my EICO 221 VTVM flying off my bench and it struck the ground pretty hard. Not bad for its first major accident since 1959. Everything survived…except the sensitive meter movement, which snapped a … Continue reading →

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

Showcase: Homemade 1930s-Style AM Radio Transmitter

Posted on April 5, 2011 by jwk

Radio hobbyist Jon the Grimm built this beautiful “homebrew” AM transmitter using tube technology, in the style of an original 1930s radio transmitter. Operating under Part 15 regulations, his transmitter has achieved a short range – perfect for feeding modern … Continue reading →

Posted in Collections, Commentary, Radios and Tubes | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Burned Up Aiphone

Posted on March 10, 2011 by jwk

This is what happens when you connect the high level output of an audio amplifier, to an input designed to be hooked up to an MP3 player or other line level audio source. This Aiphone PA amplifier was incorrectly installed … Continue reading →

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Seeking Information: 1941 Stromberg-Carlson 520 Radio

Posted on February 16, 2011 by jwk

If anyone reading this has information about a Stromberg-Carlson 520-PG from 1941, I would appreciate if you contacted me. I’ve been trying to find a photo of one that someone else owns, or even a picture of one in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Radios and Tubes, Vintage | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Antique Radio in “Firefly” Episode 2

Posted on February 7, 2011 by jwk

I was watching Firefly the other day, and noticed something interesting. Firefly is set in the year 2517 centered around a small smuggling ship named Serenity manned by a crew of mercenaries, former freedom fighters, a pair of escaped convicts, … Continue reading →

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Cost Engineering in 2011

Posted on January 18, 2011 by jwk

Cost engineering to pick the exact right time of failure has gotten considerably more precise since then. The warranty on the array controller in my enterprise backup server expired on Jan. 2, 2011 – just over two weeks ago. Today, … Continue reading →

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Cost Engineering in the 1930s

Posted on January 15, 2011 by jwk

It looks like cost engineering was already happening back in the 1930s: In the foreground, the destroyed original power transformer from the 1939 Zenith 7-S-363 radio; the rear, an equivalently rated replacement built in October 2010 by Edcor Transformer. In order … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Radios and Tubes, Vintage | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments