[PT57]

You're right Groundhog74. It does look better with the three photo finish panels removed. I just aquired my 42-380 this past weeked and that feature is my least favorite on the cabinet. But since mine is in decent shape, I will forgo any refinishing projects in the near future. Perhaps a little touching up to conceal some minor scratches and scuffs are in order though. The dial escutcheon is cracked and warped and must be replaced though. The knobs and pushbuttons seem to be fine.

It's the innards that need the most attention. This is my first antique radio and I must admit, I don't know jack about these things. But this forum is giving me a crash course on the subject. Tuning must be done by manually turning the tuning wheel from the inside due to a broken string. Reception is poor, but hum and crackle is minimal. There's a small tear in the speaker, but it's only about an inch long.

I know someone from a local chat forum who says he's experienced in repairing tube devices. I may take him up on his offer to bring this radio up to good working order. I have also seen restored antique radios on ebay where the person rigged it up with connections for an FM tuner or even an iPod. That may be a cool idea since AM radio in my area is limited to religious programing, Spanish, and talk radio. I want to pump music through this thing, preferably vintage swing from the 30s and 40s. I also wonder if I could replace the existing single speaker with a modern two or three way system. A sub woofer, midrange and tweeter configuration. I'm clearly not real concerned about keeping it 100% authentic. I'm probably going to H**l now for saying that!