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VINTAGE RADIO
By JOHN HILL
The inaugural vintage radio swap meet
This month, we begin by taking a look at the
Inaugural Vintage Radio Swap Meet. We then
review a new & interesting book on crystal sets
by Australian author, Bob Young.
Swap meets are common these days
and one of the biggest and longest
running is the Bendigo Swap Meet,
which is held annually in mid-Nov
ember. While the Bendigo Swap Meet
is pre-dominantly a vintage car meeting, the Historical Radio Society of
Australia (HRSA) has a site there each
year and encourages members who
wish to sell their wares to come along.
Dick Howarth is a Bendigo radio
collector who has somewhat more
go than most. He has just organised
Australia's first Vintage Radio Swap
Meet which was held on 23rd October
1994 at the Glenroy Technical School
Assembly Hall in Melbourne.
The meet was not confined to
vintage radio. It was more of a vintage sound affair and included phonographs and some amateur radio
equipment as well, although most of
the items offered were vintage radio
receivers.
Dick is a relative newcomer to ra
dio collecting. He is a fairly impatient
type who wants his repairs done yes
terday, works on his radio cabinets
until 2am, and is prepared to travel
interstate on the off-chance of finding
an interesting old radio. He always
seems to be thinking about vintage
radio and he probably dreams vintage
radio as well.
Anyway, things weren't happening
fast enough for Dick and he felt that
more could be done to promote interest
in vintage radio. A radio swap meet
seemed like a good idea and he set
the wheels in motion some six months
before the actual meeting. Dick always
does what he says he is going to do
and he is prepared to put his money
where his mouth is.
The highly successful Inaugural
Vintage Radio Swap Meet was a good
example of Dick Howarth doing what
he said he would do. What's more,
the meet was well organised, properly
run, and a credit to Dick and his wife
Raeleene, who put as much work into
the day as anyone.
The HRSA were approached and
they added their support to the project.
Some of the Melbourne members arranged a display of vintage equipment
which was neatly laid out on the stage
of the hall. Dick added to the stage display by including some of his console
radios. Only a console with turned legs
will attract Dick's attention and his
radios are really first class. Dick does
his own cabinet refurbishing and few,
if any, could do a better job.
Unwanted items
HRSA President Bruce DeLacy with some of the HRSA receivers on display.
These are, from left: a Dutch Philips multi-band radio, a mid-1930s Radiolette, a
Healing mantel model, a Little Nipper all transistor radio, and the top of a late
1930s Airzone console.
74 Silicon Chip
Unfortunately, driving to Melbourne
is something I loathe and will do just
about anything to avoid. But as Glen
roy is on the right side of Melbourne
for me, I decided to take a site at the
meet to help off-load some of my unwanted bits and pieces, and to support
Dick's venture.
Apart from being a profitable day,
the swap allowed me to catch up with
some old friends and meet a few new
ones. My wife and I took turns at our
site while the other walked around,
looking and talking. I suspect I may
have scored the better deal there, as
I knew a lot more people to talk to.
This site had a large range of early radios, radiograms & phonographs. The STC
console radio (centre) was priced at $645.
Author Bob Young spent more than
12 months on his book “Crystal Sets
‘n’ Such”. The book is a remarkably
informative publication & should
be of interest to most vintage radio
enthusiasts.
Pride of place on this table was taken by a fully-restored Edison "Fireside"
cylindrical phonograph. Immediately behind it are an Airzone mantel radio
& a Celestion loudspeaker. According to some old avertisements, the tone of a
Celestion loudspeaker improved with age!
The difference in prices from site to
site was considerable and one example
was lightning arresters. Mine were
priced at $5 while those at another
site were $15. Neither of us sold any!
Items for sale
As the accompanying photographs
show, there were a lot more items for
sale apart from lightning arresters.
There was an impressive array of
vin
tage equipment and just about
everyone who came to the meet went
away with something they wanted or
could use.
At the end of the day, my trading
table was just about bare. Four 807
valves, two 1950s mantel receivers,
two books, a valve tester and the
lightning arresters were the only things
left. If prices are realistic, just about
any item will sell. In most instances,
people were happy to pay the marked
price.· Only a few haggled for a better
deal.
Looking back on the day, I'm glad I
decided to take a site at the swap meet.
Fortunately, this year's site hold
ers
have first preference for next year and
I have already indicated my intention
to be there.
One different aspect to the swap
meet was the launching of a new book.
As mentioned in my October 1994
column, Bob Young (no, not Remote
Control's Bob Young) has been writing
a book on crystal sets and now it has
finally reached completion.
It was my pleasure to help launch
the book at the swap meet. Of course,
this is a difficult task when one is presented with the book only a couple of
hours beforehand, with no time to read
it. I'm sure that the ink was still wet!
Fortunately, I had previously read
some of the earlier chapters and had a
good idea of the direction Bob's book
was heading.
In my opinion, “Crystal Sets ‘n’
Such” is a brilliant piece of work!
It is in all probability the first really
com
plete work on crystal sets that
has been written and it should be of
interest to any vintage radio enthusiast, whether he is a new recruit or
someone who thinks he knows it all.
There is something in it for just about
everyone. A number of the early chapters are interesting from a historical
viewpoint alone.
Keep it simple
The secret to good technical writing
March 1995 75
is to keep things as elementary as
possible and never assume that your
reader knows everything about the
subject being covered. If this basic
rule is ignored, then the text may be
come quite meaningless to many read
ers and they will soon lose interest
and look for something else to read.
That's not the case with “Crystal Sets
‘n’ Such”. Every concept presented to
the reader is carefully explained in
simple terms, along with the appropriate illustrations, charts, diagrams
and analogies. It is a very informative
book and is directed at those with an
interest in radio and particularly those
who like to dabble around building
their own receivers.
Pick a meter, any meter – there's lots to choose from amongst this collection! As
far as a vintage radio enthusiast is concerned, these's no such thing as a digital
meter.
Just about every site had vintage radios on display. In the front row here,
from left, are two Philips receivers and a Mullard, while in the back row are a
Breville, an Aristone, a "don't know", and a Stromberg-Carlson.
This RCA Model 60 cabinet (circa 1928) was refurbished by Dick Howarth. It
was just about a total wreck before he started and has been restored to "betterthan-new" condition.
76 Silicon Chip
Crystal detectors
The chapter on crystal detectors is
interesting and delves into the many
and varied types that have been used
over the years. A comparison between
the various detectors is very well
dealt with. This comparison is not
done using a headphone performance
test but on an oscilloscope screen.
There are also instructions for setting
up similar tests if you wish to do so
yourself.
This book on crystal sets is a whole
new approach to building these sim
ple receivers and the theories and
practices involved.
“Crystal Sets ‘n’ Such” includes, as
one would expect, a wide range of crystal set circuits. These cover everything
from basic single-coil types to several
three-coil sets which are quite elaborate affairs for a supposedly simple
radio receiver. When a crystal set ends
up with half a dozen or more controls
(which all interact with each other), it
is starting to get fairly complicated - for
a crystal set, that is!
I was particularly pleased to see my
“Classic Crystal Set” (Vintage Radio,
September 1994) amongst the more
complex designs (circuit number 7).
It is a very good performer – not that I
can lay claim to its good design.
The chapter on coil winding is also
well covered. The “Q” factor of a tuned
circuit makes interesting reading
when it is presented simply with explanations and appropriate diagrams.
Although a mathematical formula is
given relating to the Q factor, complex
calculations do not enter into the text
of the book to any great extent. But the
odd formula is there for those who may
require them.
RESURRECTION
RADIO
VALVE EQUIPMENT SPECIALISTS
Repairs – Restoration – Sales
for RADIO & AUDIO Equipment
S
VE
L
VA
These three consoles are from Dick Howarth’s collection. They are, from left, a
1932 AWA 55E, a 1932 Raycophone, and a 1934 Airzone. Dick mostly collects
console receivers with legs.
BOUGHT
SOLD
TRADED
Send SSAE for Catalogue
Visit our Showroom at
242 Chapel Street (PO Box
2029) PRAHRAN, VIC 3181
Tel: (03) 9510 4486; Fax (03) 9529 5639
Silicon Chip Binders
This table carried an old Palec valve tester and what appears to be an early
Stromberg-Carlson communications receiver.
A “Resonant Circuit Component
Value Calculator” is also included in
the book and this could be of some
assistance when coil winding. The
calculator is a chart with three scales:
(1) inductance in microhenries; (2)
frequency in kilohertz; and (3) capacitance in picofarads. By placing a
straight edge through any two known
quantities, the unknown value can be
read off the third scale.
Perhaps the most refreshing aspect
of “Crystal Sets ‘n’ Such” is the way in
which it is written. Bob Young’s sense
of humour really shows through and
his book is a fun thing to read. He has
a way of expressing himself that is, at
times, quite light-hearted, which is one
of the best ways there is of getting a
message across.
“Crystal Sets ‘n’ Such” is a good
book. It covers the subject well, I
enjoyed reading it and I learnt from it
too! It is available from: Mr R. Young,
RMB 1561, Benalla, 3673. Phone (057)
68 2418. Fax (057) 68 2508.’’The cost
is $19.95, including postage.
Yes, the Inaugural Vintage Radio
Swap Meet (including the book
launch) was a great day and was enjoyed by all who attended. I for one
will be there again next year for what
will, no doubt, be an even bigger and
SC
better event.
These beautifully-made binders will
protect your copies of SILICON CHIP.
They are made from a distinctive
2-tone green vinyl & will look great
on your bookshelf.
Price: $A11.95 plus $3 p&p each
(NZ $8 p&p). Send your order to:
Silicon Chip Publications
PO Box 139
Collaroy Beach 2097
Or fax (02) 979 6503; or ring (02)
979 5644 & quote your credit card
number.
March 1995 77
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