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Category Archives: Radios and Tubes
Esteemed Bose® Model 901 Active Equalizer – Serial #230 Repair
Cross-posted from Rain City Audio: I had the distinct pleasure of working on one of the earliest Bose® Model 901 Active Equalizers from Series I’s first production run. Serial #230, in fact! It’s made entirely by hand and shows traces … Continue reading
Posted in Audio, Bose, Hi-Fi, Radios and Tubes, Stereo, Vintage
Tagged Active Equalizer, Bose, Bose 901, Bose Active Equalizer, Bose Equalizer, restoration, series I
2 Comments
Modern Hand Made Vacuum Tubes
Enterprising French amateur Claude Paillard , F2FO, creates beautiful modern vacuum tubes by hand in his shop. These would be effective as an 01A replacement or similar in an early radio. It’s a real work of art. Check it out!
1956 Grundig 8080 German Hi-Fi Console Repair
Cross-posted from Rain City Audio: German radios like this one are a lot more difficult to work on than most American and Canadian radios, and they’re a lot less common, but they do turn up once in a while. This … Continue reading
Posted in Hi-Fi, Projects, Radios and Tubes, Vintage
Tagged console, EL84, german, germany, grundig 8080, hifi, phonograph, record player, stereo
2 Comments
Wherever you go – you’re headed for FUN with Motorola Portables
No matter where you’re going, you’re headed for more Fun with a Motorola Portable! They play anywhere – on their own batteries or on house current. You’ll like the dependable performance that comes from the ruggedly built chassis and shock-resistant … Continue reading
NordeMende Globetraveler 7/601 Rebuild
This repair is cross-posted from Rain City Audio: This rare and valuable example of late 1960s German engineering came through my shop recently, the NordeMende Globetraveler 7/601. Marketed as the Globetrotter in Europe, RCA already marketed a radio called the … Continue reading
1958 Zenith HF1284 (Chassis 12Z20) Hi-Fi Console Repair
This 1958 Zenith Hi-Fi came into my shop for a full overhaul including an electrical repair, dial re-stringing, and some work on the turntable. These vintage hi-fi consoles are some of the best sounding pieces of vintage gear around, and this one’s no exception with a pair of 12″ woofers and a pair of electrostatic tweeters. Read more for details!
Posted in Hi-Fi, Radios and Tubes, Vintage
Tagged 12Z20, antique radio, HF1284, hi-fi console, tube hi-fi, tube radio, vintage, vintage radio, zenith
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1930s Vintage Detrola 335 Radio Repair
Repairing this Detrola 335 was a major detective project with only a partial schematic after it was hacked on was a major project, but this radio cleaned up nicely and came back to life after tracking down all the faults, including replaced components, undocumented modifications, and a failed thermal switch. After adding an eye tube per the owner’s request, this fantastic art deco style tabletop radio is going to play beautiful music for many years to come. Click through for many more photos and schematic snips of the repair process!
1936 FADA 270T Vintage Table Radio Repair
This FADA 270T radio which came through the shop lately was a beautiful, very high end radio back in 1936. It has a huge airplane dial with dual-speed tuning and a magic eye indicator, and a beautifully organized under-chassis layout. Repair was pretty straightforward with a few surprises at the very end, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed. Click through to read more – there’s dozens of detailed, colorful photos of antique resistors and the magic tuning eye.
1959 Zenith C845M High Fidelity AM/FM Radio
This radio repair is cross-posted from Rain City Audio
This classic 1959 Zenith C845M radio came into the shop for a full repair after sitting unused for some time. It has the classic late ’50s styling, and a dual speaker high-fidelity design.
It’s an 8-tube radio with a 35C5 output tube good for maybe 3W of maximum output, but it has great sound quality.
Inside, it’ Continue reading
RETROVOLTAGE 
Parts of a Vintage Radio – Middle Tube Era
Photos with parts diagrams of a vintage tube radio – the Crosley 10-139, from about the middle of the tube era. Click each photo for full size.