our local hardware store use to be a car dealership and this radio was introduced to the town of Union WV in 1926. I attached a pic of a copy of the original newspaper article letting the public know there will be a new technology in town.
Its now a basket case and they think im the guy to fix it. I dono guys,,,, what say you?
i assume this pre-dates caps? tickler cap tech was used?
(This post was last modified: 09-10-2021, 10:51 AM by jcassity.)
The remains should be carefully cleaned and then put on display. In my opinion, nothing further than a careful cleaning should be done to it since it is basically beyond repair anyway.
Oh, and it is what is left of a Westinghouse RC (type RA tuner and DA detector-amplifier).
The R.A side, the one with the tuning cap and variocoupler , might be restorable, the D.A side is trashed. Anything is restorable but it would involve either tracking down the needed parts individually, once they are identified, or picking up a parts unit to make a good set out of the two. These R.C units are not particularly rare, at least the Springfield built ones, in a single box, are not, I don't think I am exaggerating when I say it would be cheaper to buy a complete unit then restore what you have there, but it's sentimentality that would be the driving factor here. Westinghouse introduced these sets in 1923, greatly overestimated the market and overproduced these things to the point where they were on the market for years, long after they were rendered obsolete by newer designs. By 1926 buying one would be like buying a Commodore VIC 20 in the late 80s, if they actually did pay $216 for it by then they were robbed blind as just about anything else on the market could run circles around it. Such was the state of the consumer radio market up until the mid 1920s.
Regards
Arran
(This post was last modified: 09-05-2021, 02:46 AM by Arran.)
I did not remember, and would have guessed 1922 as the date of introduction of the RC. As it turns out, it was introduced in 1921 so it's 100 years old now. In any event, it was out of date/obsolete by the time Mr. Boon bought one in 1926.
If the hardware store really wants a working RC, they should purchase a good, restorable unit as Arran suggested - but keep the remains of the original one for display purposes only.
Several years ago, I found an RC at a flea market. I almost bought it, but the $100 price tag stopped me. Now, I'll have to wait a few more years until my oldest radios (Atwater Kent 20 Big Box and Super-Zenith VIII) turn 100.
According to Wenaas, the RA and DA were commercially introduced in December 1920 as was the combination RC (RA and DA in one box). [1] But a RA-DA can be seen in photographs of KDKA's first broadcast which was on November 2, 1920. [2]
Wenaas wrote:
Quote:According to historian George Clark, the first RC receiver was sold to W.L. Chubb, a Westinghouse employee, for use at a gathering to hear the election returns transmitted on the first KDKA broadcast on November 2, 1920.
[3]
Wenaas also lists an introductory date of July 1921 for the Aeriola Jr., a crystal set, and December 1921 for the Aeriola Sr. [4]
[1] Wenaas, Eric P. Radiola: The Golden Age of RCA, p. 76.
[2] Ibid., pp. 72-73.
[3] Ibid., p. 76.
[4] Ibid.
a close up on each name plate reveals a numerical construction that to the eye seems to be an obvious date.
it reads........
12 - 14 - 21
it is found just up and slightly offset to the left of the area allocated for the serial number.
basically this date is found right above the number "2" in the serial number.
both nameplates have this same date. on the other nameplate the factory rivet is passing through the month numerical value.
(This post was last modified: 09-05-2021, 03:25 PM by jcassity.)
According to the Wenaas book, this RA is the fourth of five versions of this unit, so it would have been made after 12-14-1921. (It pictures all five nameplate versions.) Note also the "A" stamped just to the right of "STYLE 307189".
i talked along time with terry (here on this board) yesterday about this and everything being said here all combined tells me that "getting the radio to work" as the store wants is possible.
right now they dont know what they dont know so i will explain all that to him.
What you all did not know is that the store wants this radio to be a daily driver.... !
I am going to propose to them that i graft inside the set a modern AM/FM radio.
I will have to do a lot of custom work to make the knobs useful such as the tuner we have now,, on the back side i would custom mount a tuning cap extracted from a modern radio. you get the idea.
if they dont want this option im not going to move forward. To be honest i felt like this set would be a good unit for me to learn from and discipline my self to learn about really early sets if for no other reason than i would have "some" experience with them. I am not attracted in any way to the set,, it does nothing for me personally. I dont like the look, and from what i now understand, i would'nt like the sound either. I do love the history of this technology though and thats the part that drew me in.
thoughts?
(This post was last modified: 09-05-2021, 05:12 PM by jcassity.)
The Westinghouse RC is a very early, very primitive radio which, in stock form, would be entirely unsuitable as a modern "daily driver". Its operation would be finicky (to say the least), its range of receivable frequencies limited (meaning it would not receive the entire modern AM band).
A working, properly restored RC is suitable only as a modern curiosity. You know, as in "Wow, cool, I was able to listen to a 100 year old radio!"
I suspect your hardware store owner is expecting FM reception which did not exist in 1920-1926, and in fact did not become a commercial reality until 1939-40, and then was on a band which is now obsolete (42 to 50 mc).
And even though this RC is a wreck, I would not modify it but carefully clean it up and display it as is.
Could it be restored? Probably, with a lot of work, replacement parts from another RC parts set, new wood, etc., etc. Is it worth it? No. There are plenty of RC sets still in existence.
If I owned an RC in good condition, it would probably be a "shelf queen". In my opinion...there are radios which you restore (the usable radios of 1928 and later which can be plugged into the AC wall socket), and the older, "primitive" models which are probably best left alone and appreciated for what they are, and what they once were (1923 and earlier).
In terms of daily drivers from the 1920s, something akin to a Radiola 17, or this being a Philco Phorum a Philco 411. Another possibility for a daily driver would be a mid 1920s three dialer, with a proper power supply, possibly with 6C4s subbing for the 01As. I was trying to remember the production dates of the Westinghouse R.C units, I guessed about 1923 because I could not remember, they may have even been in production as late as then, however as Ron says they are not the most practical sets to use, the frequency coverage is severely limited, though better then the few contemporaries from the same period, like the early Crosleys with the book condensers. I remember someone who had one about 30 years ago, it worked all right, but this was also in an area with several 50 kw radio stations within a 50 mile radius.
Regards
Arran
One of which is the loading coil on the rear of the tuner section.
The loading coil was to enhance long wave reception for whatever it was required to receive signals in the long wave band. It may have been used early on and that the radio was a leftover from the early 20's when long wave was much more popular, of which would have been "some" broadcast but for time signals for setting clock, watch, etc.
The loading coil is rather rare. In fact FWIK (not much) it has a value equivalent to the entire radio. That is in watching past eBay bidding
The RC evolved, it originally was used with FWIK AP tubes, very rare, soon replaced with the 1 amp tubes v-201 and the v-200 detector.. A conversion was offered even later to use 201a 1/4 amp tubes.
I also agree, it would be a difficult radio for a "modern" person to operate, be subject to all the noises of any AM radio, but not impossible. Lay persons can often benefit from "re-naming" controls like "regenration" to "Amplification", etc.
With all the missing parts and wood work, I would suggest two avenues.
- Patch the cabinet, find the missing rheostat. install a FM radio.
- Find a similar RC with all the bits. Swap out all that is needed, likely replace the transformers too. A modern power supply and a RCA FH or UZ-1325 horn would do well. Sound rather tinny though, or the Radiola 100 cone, better sounding still RCA...
Instruct someone how to operate it. Using ux-201a tubes all around the radio would still make a reasonable daily driver. Do explain that it won't play like a modern receiver, but can squeak, squawk and howl as it did in the '20's and that it requires an antenna and ground as stated in the newspaper article.
-Suggest a commercial power supply such as the ARBE-III, an advantage is that the ARBE-III can be sent back for repair if need be.
Finance some of the repair from the sale of the loading coil and left over bits...
I have two RC's, one is from an original owner, has the usual 20's radio faults of tube island suspension problem and open (original) audio transformers. I will in time restore this one...
The other has passed through several collectors hands and has replacement audio transformers. The cabinet does look overworked and is not as crisp as the other RC.
I can move on the shop worn RC if your interested. Before I do I have to be sure that there is nothing needed between the two RC's that I could not be replace at a later date. I would be interested in the loading coil...
Because RC's went through many iterations, possibly some compromises may have to be made to bring your Hardware Store radio together. What I am saying it may not be reasonably possible to restore it to be a museum piece because of such changes as Bakelite dials vs blackened brass dials, etc.
The 201a vacuum tube was the daily driver of those years, there is still many, many around and can be commonly found for anywhere from $5 to $20. They can be rejuvenated to greatly extend their life...
You can PM me if your interested in this RC...
Um, I do agree the early "Switchboard style" radios are not very appealing, but I like them for just that reason, the "Laboratory Look"
Regard,
Chas
Pliny the younger
“nihil novum nihil varium nihil quod non semel spectasse sufficiat”
(This post was last modified: 09-06-2021, 01:34 PM by Chas.)
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