Tag Archives: old radio

1936 Zenith 5-S-29 Electrical Restoration and Alignment

Posted on June 20, 2014 by jwk

This 1936 Zenith 5-S-29 was in the shop for a complete overhaul with all new resistors and capacitors, a new dial lamp socket, tube testing and alignment. After all that service, it looks and sounds fantastic and is going to last for a long time to come in a local collection.

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Check it out at Rain City Audio Continue reading →

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1937 Detrola 139E Vintage Radio Repair

Posted on May 30, 2014 by jwk

I just finished a new project over at Rain City Audio – 1937 Detrola 139E Vintage Radio Repair

This Detrola 139E chassis was on my bench recently while the cabinet was being refinished. It’s a striking 1937 radio with an art deco stationized dial with a very large tuning area, and even though it only has 5 radio tubes, it’s a great performer. I replaced the rectifier tube and rebuilt the electronics of the radio followed by testing and an alignment; now it’s very selective and will be a safe and reliable appliance for someone’s home.

Check it out at http://www.raincityaudio.us/blog/1937-detrola-139e-vintage-radio-repair! Continue reading →

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1939 Airline 93WG-1001 by Montgomery Ward’s Radio Repair

Posted on April 29, 2014 by jwk

I just finished a new project over at Rain City Audio – 1939 Airline 93WG-1001 by Montgomery Ward’s Radio Repair

I recently got to work on this fantastic radio from 1939, the Montgomery Ward’s Airline 93WG-1001. Made by Wells-Gardner for Montgomery Ward, this 10-tube radio featured a tuned RF amplifier stage, push-pull 6V6 output and a very interesting drum dial.

This radio had been serviced at one…

Check it out at http://www.raincityaudio.us/blog/1939-airline-93wg-1001-by-montgomery-wards-radio-repair! Continue reading →

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1946 Zenith 6-D-029 Consoltone Antique Radio Repair

Posted on April 7, 2014 by jwk

A local client just brought in a very interesting Zenith tabletop radio from just after WW2, the 1946 Zenith 6-D-029 Consoltone mantle radio. This is one of the iconic “boomerang” dials Zenith produced for a couple of years after the … Continue reading →

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1948 Motorola 99-FM21 Console Radio Back to Life

Posted on December 23, 2013 by jwk

I recently had the chance to work on this beautiful Motorola 99-FM21 from 1948, currently owned by the granddaughter of its original owner. It’s been in the family since its purchase new in 1948 and was lovingly cared for the … Continue reading →

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Overloaded 1931 Transformer [Fried Electronics]

Posted on June 7, 2013 by jwk

I’m working on a 1930/31 Westinghouse WR-8 Columnaire clock-radio which had a bad transformer. The filter capacitors failed and shorted the high-voltage secondary, burning it open and causing a lot of heat and melting.   The replacement is a General … Continue reading →

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Depression-Era Radio: 1934 Grunow 460 Tombstone

Posted on January 24, 2013 by jwk

I’ve had this Grunow 460 sitting in my queue pending for a little while and it’s finally on it’s way home looking great! There was a fun extra bit of detective work to identify and solve the issues that came … Continue reading →

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1937 Grunow 588 Radio Repair

Posted on March 3, 2012 by jwk

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

Posted on January 17, 2012 by jwk

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 →

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1942 GE LF-116 Radio Repair Part 2 – Tool Prep

Posted on October 9, 2011 by jwk

Part of a continuing series on restoring this radio:  Part 1 – History and First Looks Part 2 – Tool Prep Part 3 – Capacitor Can Rebuild Part 4 – Capacitors and Socket Replacement  Part 5 – Finished! I’m continuing … Continue reading →

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