Tag Archives: restoration

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

Posted on January 16, 2015 by jwk

A neighbor 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 service after the years. Very unfortunately, however, the original … Continue reading →

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

Harman/Kardon Control Amplifier A-401 Restoration

Posted on November 19, 2014 by jwk

This little Harman/Kardon Control Amplifier, model A-401, just came through the shop for a full overhaul. It was in a pretty sorry state to begin with – one channel distorted, one barely gasping for air, and a world of scratchy … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Electronics, Hi-Fi, Projects, Stereo, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

EICO Stereophonic Integrated Amplifier HF-81 Repair

Posted on November 7, 2014 by jwk

From the late ’50s, I had this nice example of an EICO HF-81 amplifier come through my shop. These are nice little stereo amplifiers with a built-in phono pre-amp and RIAA equalization and feature about 14W of power output per … Continue reading →

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1931 Westinghouse WR-8 Columaire Antique Radio Repair

Posted on April 14, 2014 by jwk

I recently got to work on another beautifully reconditioned Westinghouse WR-8 Columaire radio all the way from Bellingham. It was originally in for service with the SPARK Museum, but the repair technician reportedly suffered some health complications and was unable to … Continue reading →

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1946 Zenith 6-D-029 Consoltone Antique Radio Repair

Posted on April 7, 2014 by jwk

This was 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 war. A variety of … Continue reading →

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1940 Philco 40-185XF Antique Radio Restoration

Posted on April 2, 2014 by jwk

I had the privilege of working on a very well preserved Philco 40-185XF recently. These are top performing pre-war sets featuring 8 tubes, an RF amplifier front-end and push-pull audio output into a 12″ speaker. Definitely worth fixing up! This … Continue reading →

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1938 Zenith 5-S-220 eBay Tune-Up Special

Posted on March 26, 2014 by jwk

I’ve had the opportunity to work on several very nice Zenith radios lately and this one is especially interesting. It’s the Zenith 5-S-220 Cube. This is the first time I’ve seen one of these in person, they’re somewhat uncommon. Electrically, it’s a … Continue reading →

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Craigslist and eBay Antique Radios – Be Careful!

Posted on March 19, 2014 by jwk

It’s not uncommon to run across antique or vintage radios on Craigslist, eBay and other sales site which are advertised as “working”, “repaired” or “restored”. Many times these are in fact professionally reconditioned items – just like you read about … Continue reading →

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

1945 Westinghouse Little Jewel “Refrigerator” H-126 Radio Repair

Posted on February 18, 2014 by jwk

A local client brought me a radio which was in the family for many years, a cute little “fridge radio” made by Westinghouse from 1945-1947. The same year Westinghouse released this new model of home refrigerator, they also released this Little … Continue reading →

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1962 Zenith MK2670 Classic Tube Hi-Fi Console Stereo Repaired

Posted on February 15, 2014 by jwk

A version of this article appears in the October 2014 issue of Nuts and Volts magazine. I recently got to work on something a little bit different – a tube hi-fi stereo console! This particular one, a 1962 Zenith MK2670, was a very high-end … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Projects, Radios and Tubes, Stereo, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments