Category Archives: Vintage

1938 Philco 38-C-12 “Coronation” Radio Repair

Posted on June 19, 2012 by retrovoltage

I’ve had this radio on my bench for a little while, and she’s finally back up and running – and it plays great! It’s a 1938 Philco 38-C-12, special edition to commemorate the crowning of King George IV and Queen … Continue reading →

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How Television Benefits Your Children [Vintage Ad]

Posted on May 17, 2012 by retrovoltage

Motorola, leader in television, shows how TV can mean better behavior at home and better marks in school! Own a Motorola and you know you own the best. Does that clown look terrifying to anyone else?

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Antique Tube Box Art

Posted on March 15, 2012 by retrovoltage

I took a gamble on a box-lot of parts from Craigslist, and it turned out to be an excellent find. One of the things I found was a collection of tubes in their original boxes from 1926. That doesn’t happen … Continue reading →

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1936 Grunow 566 Repair Finished! [Part 2]

Posted on March 10, 2012 by retrovoltage

I started this radio a few days ago in Part 1. I left off with the radio up on the bench ready for service. It had a lot of issues with the power supply – and as I discovered while … Continue reading →

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Next Project: 1936 Grunow 566 Radio Repair [Part 1]

Posted on March 6, 2012 by retrovoltage

I’m off to a good start for my March projects, fixing up the Grunow 588. Next up is my Grunow 566 from the year before, from 1936. I picked this one up from eBay in shockingly good original condition – … Continue reading →

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1937 Grunow 588 Radio Repair

Posted on March 3, 2012 by retrovoltage

I finally had a free day with no major commitments and was able to finally get some work done on my projects – it’s been a productive day. I picked up this nice example of a Grunow 588 “Teledial” radio … Continue reading →

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Antique Car Radio Repair: the 1951 Firestone 4-B-31 “Roamer” Vibrator Radio

Posted on February 5, 2012 by retrovoltage

A local friend is building a rat rod out of 1920s-1950s parts, a custom collection that ultimately will turn into a very fast car powered by a huge V8. He found a vintage car radio to go with it, the … Continue reading →

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Huge and Powerful: The 1937 GE F-135 Repair Complete

Posted on January 27, 2012 by retrovoltage

I’ve finally had the time to finish one of my long-running projects repairing GE’s most powerful radio offering from 1937, the GE F-135. I picked it up from Craigslist back in November but other responsibilities kept me from getting much … Continue reading →

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More Strange Coiled Wires [Mailbag]

Posted on January 24, 2012 by retrovoltage

I had an interesting call the other day with a gentleman about a radio he’s working on, among other topics: That’s a Philco 46-420. They’re nice little bakelite radios with 6 tubes designed to receive the AM broadcast band. He’d come … Continue reading →

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What’s that piece of wire, some kind of gimmick? [Mailbag]

Posted on January 17, 2012 by retrovoltage

I was talking with a fellow antique radio hobbyist on the phone the other day about a repair he was working on. A TrueTone battery radio, he’d taken care of all the important steps – checking out the tubes, replacing … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Mailbag, Photos, Radios and Tubes, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment