08-09-2024, 10:44 PM
Hi Bruce,
Glad that you are reading books from 1933. As a kid, my friends used to scrounge at the town landfill. Found some amazing things (and some rather disgusting things too). One of the things that disappeared was a small wood 4 tube mantle (or is it mantel) radio, likely the oldest radio I ever found till I found a 1928 or 29 RCA Radiola 62. Couldn't carry the highboy chassis on my bicycle, so I took just the chassis. Can't remember the brand of the 4 tube mantel radio, but they were very popular during the early depression. I could not figure it out because it did not have a diode detector (the only type that that I understood because it was the only one covered in my US Navy Basic Electronics textbook, ca 1953, published by Rider). Lost the radio before I got a copy of the RCA Receiving Tube Manual which explained not only diode detectors, but grid leak detectors (the first tube detectors in post WW1 consumer radios) and biased detectors (the type used in the Radiola 60, 80, R7, R28, etc. Of course the internet and sites such as this one are a wealth of info, both documented and human. God Bless you and RadioRoslyn (Terry) for carrying on an 8 hour overnight marathon. We are all a little too old for that. The design of this radio was very unique in my book. The 80 Jr, your 84 and the later 37-84 offered superheterodyne performance in a very inexpensive radio.this was done by using an older, inexpensive "autodyne" mixer (1st detector) circuit, an IF transformer bt no IF Amp, the regenerative grid leak detector and only one stage of audio, the output tube. The radio works as well as one having a mixer, IF amp, diode detector, audio amp and audio output tube.
terms of keeping the set original, red through the library. There should be an article on how to clean out and "stuff" these blocks so they look original The large can electrolytics can be hollowed out and modern caps loaded inside the can.
Hope this all helps.
Glad that you are reading books from 1933. As a kid, my friends used to scrounge at the town landfill. Found some amazing things (and some rather disgusting things too). One of the things that disappeared was a small wood 4 tube mantle (or is it mantel) radio, likely the oldest radio I ever found till I found a 1928 or 29 RCA Radiola 62. Couldn't carry the highboy chassis on my bicycle, so I took just the chassis. Can't remember the brand of the 4 tube mantel radio, but they were very popular during the early depression. I could not figure it out because it did not have a diode detector (the only type that that I understood because it was the only one covered in my US Navy Basic Electronics textbook, ca 1953, published by Rider). Lost the radio before I got a copy of the RCA Receiving Tube Manual which explained not only diode detectors, but grid leak detectors (the first tube detectors in post WW1 consumer radios) and biased detectors (the type used in the Radiola 60, 80, R7, R28, etc. Of course the internet and sites such as this one are a wealth of info, both documented and human. God Bless you and RadioRoslyn (Terry) for carrying on an 8 hour overnight marathon. We are all a little too old for that. The design of this radio was very unique in my book. The 80 Jr, your 84 and the later 37-84 offered superheterodyne performance in a very inexpensive radio.this was done by using an older, inexpensive "autodyne" mixer (1st detector) circuit, an IF transformer bt no IF Amp, the regenerative grid leak detector and only one stage of audio, the output tube. The radio works as well as one having a mixer, IF amp, diode detector, audio amp and audio output tube.
terms of keeping the set original, red through the library. There should be an article on how to clean out and "stuff" these blocks so they look original The large can electrolytics can be hollowed out and modern caps loaded inside the can.
Hope this all helps.
"Do Justly, love Mercy and walk humbly with your God"- Micah 6:8
Best Regards,
MrFixr55