Tag Archives: antique radio

1938 General Electric G-56 Repair

Posted on December 27, 2016 by jwk

From the Rain City Audio Repair Blog: Rain City Audio recently had the occasion to work on a 1938 GE radio, the model G-56. Since these are rather large floor model radios, the owner removed the chassis and speaker from … Continue reading →

Posted in Projects, Radio | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Antique Radio Shop near Kunming, Yunan, China

Posted on February 22, 2016 by jwk

My friends over at Crimson Lotus Tea sent me this photo of an antique radio shop near Kunming, Yunan in China they ran into during a recent trip. They’re stacked to the ceiling in the shadows. Looks like a fun … Continue reading →

Posted in Collections, Photos | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

1937 Zenith 5-S-126 Tune-Up

Posted on October 30, 2015 by jwk

From the Rain City Audio Repair Blog: This very nice Zenith 5-S-126 came through the shop a little while ago. It was originally purchased by a local collector from eBay already restored and playing, and served well for a couple … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Bose, Projects | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Philco 39-45 Retrofit to 40-201 Cabinet Vintage Radio Repair

Posted on January 16, 2015 by jwk

Cross-posted from the Rain City Audio Repair Blog: A local customer approached me with his family’s Philco 40-201 vintage radio to be restored back to working condition. It had sat for several decades, very well preserved, but ultimately needed some … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Radios and Tubes, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Parts of a Vintage Radio – Middle Tube Era

Posted on September 8, 2014 by jwk

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.  

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

1958 Zenith HF1284 (Chassis 12Z20) Hi-Fi Console Repair

Posted on September 5, 2014 by jwk

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!

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1930s Vintage Detrola 335 Radio Repair

Posted on August 18, 2014 by jwk

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!

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Posted in Radios and Tubes, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

1936 FADA 270T Vintage Table Radio Repair

Posted on August 8, 2014 by jwk

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.

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1959 Zenith C845M High Fidelity AM/FM Radio

Posted on August 4, 2014 by jwk

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.

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It’s an 8-tube radio with a 35C5 output tube good for maybe 3W of maximum output, but it has great sound quality.

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Inside, it’ Continue reading →

Posted in Hi-Fi, Radios and Tubes, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

1937 Westinghouse WR 226 Vintage Radio Repair

Posted on July 27, 2014 by jwk

This 1937 Westinghouse radio was the second highest in their tabletop line-up for ’37 and featured 7 tubes and a large, eye-catching dial for easy tuning. After a full overhaul including capacitors, resistors, an eye tube socket rebuild, new power cord, dial cord re-string, line input addition, and a full alignment it sounds great and pulls in stations across the dial. This model had the alignment trimmers all on the underside which was annoying, but peaked up nicely nonetheless. Read more for photos of the rebuild!

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