Category Archives: Commentary

I love my chassis stand.

Posted on January 13, 2012 by jwk

It’s the winter here in Seattle and it gets cold outside occasionally. Cold enough that I can’t vent my soldering fumes out an open window like I normally do most of the year, but I don’t want them in my … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Photos, Projects | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Unboxing my Sharp PC-4501 classic Personal Computer

Posted on January 9, 2012 by jwk

It’s 1987 and I’ve been needing a new laptop. After a careful process of comparison shopping I settled on my Sharp PC-4501 from Montgomery Ward. Let’s open it up and take a look! For only $699.99, it’s a state of … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Electronics, Hardware, Photos, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Going Digital [Radio Manuals]

Posted on October 13, 2011 by jwk

My digital copies of Rider’s Perpetual Troubleshooter manuals arrived! In the back are the six hardbound volumes I own, out of a set of 24 total. In front, DVDs I purchased from eBay seller KE3GK for about the price of one … Continue reading →

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

October Projects

Posted on October 3, 2011 by jwk

September was a good month for projects. I accomplished all the things I set out to do and more: I’ve finished the Hornyphon radio for my customer Repaired and began using the Hallicrafters Got the broken ViewSonic monitor going again … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Electronics, Internet, Projects, Radios and Tubes, Software | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Project Idea: 1920s Style Seashell Horn Speaker

Posted on September 29, 2011 by jwk

Browsing around the Antique Radio forums, I ran into inspiration for a new project I intend to work on. My project plate is pretty full in October, but I’ll probably get to it before the end of the year. The … Continue reading →

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Friday Brain Dump [Random Thoughts]

Posted on September 9, 2011 by jwk

A recent random assortment of ideas: It’s easy to get media content from a computer to a television, but it’s difficult to get any kind of external media back into a computer. I have a fairly involved computer setup at … Continue reading →

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Satellite TV in 1981

Posted on August 28, 2011 by jwk

I used to be a satellite hobbyist, with a few large motorized dishes that pointed at various FTA satellites receiving free music and international TV channels. It’s always been my ambition to have one of these large dishes in my … Continue reading →

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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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How to Ruin an Antique Radio [Photo Roundup]

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