Found this forum yesterday and it seems like it will be a good fit. I'm 70, retired, and for the last few years have been refurbishing AM solid-state table top radios. Aside from the very basics, I know enough to be dangerous. Have recently been thinking about getting a receiver and have already made my first post on the subject. I predict I'm going to enjoy reading what all of you have to share very much!
An AM and analog fan from NC
- Thread starter epii
- Start date
Welcome aboard Earl. Refurbishing AM table radios is a great corner of the hobby and we dont see enough of it around here, so youll fit right in.
Looks like your receiver question is already pointed the right way, stick around and dont be shy about posting pictures of the radios youve brought back.
May post a few photos in a few days, thanks for the invite.
Can't wait to see them!
Below are six of some thirty-plus radios I've collected in the last few years. None of them are rare or expensive by any means, but each had a design or other feature that appealed to me so I bought them, mostly on eBay. All of them have been recapped and carefully aligned (I'm pretty anal about proper alignment...) and on occasion one would need something like a volume potentiometer or, less commonly, a tuning capacitor.
For most of my life I've enjoyed taking something old - furniture, lamps, the odd small appliance - and restoring it to original form and function. Today AM radios are the latest incarnation of that.
Emerson 31T74
I thought the shape of this cabinet was interesting... most 60's and 70' AM desktops are some version of a rectangle so this one stood out. Though Emerson wasn't exactly a premier brand of radio at the time, this one turned out amazingly well. In terms of reception, tracking, sensitivity and selectivity this is probably the best radio I have. Who knew?
Realistic 12-683
This one cleaned up far better than I thought it would and, with my external antenna attached, is a really good performer.
Realistic 12-679
I got this one solely for the tuning dial. I'm a sucker for polished aluminum.
Zenith F-214W
This Zenith has a distinctive look, with an encased tuning knob exposed on top of the cabinet. Zenith thought enough of it to give it a pedestal so I couldn't pass that up.
Realtone 4001
When this one arrived I didn't hold out much hope as it needed a lot of cleaning and refurbishing, not to mention a small chunck of the cabinet is missing. Despite all that, it's a close second to the Emerson about in the performance department.
Panasonic RE-6280
When I first started collecting I bought some AM/FM units, mostly Sonys and Panasonics. While Sonys are generally regarded as the top brand from this era it turns out that Panasonics are pretty good, too. This one has polished aluminum and aluminum knobs to boot, so a must have. Turned out really nice.
For most of my life I've enjoyed taking something old - furniture, lamps, the odd small appliance - and restoring it to original form and function. Today AM radios are the latest incarnation of that.
Emerson 31T74
I thought the shape of this cabinet was interesting... most 60's and 70' AM desktops are some version of a rectangle so this one stood out. Though Emerson wasn't exactly a premier brand of radio at the time, this one turned out amazingly well. In terms of reception, tracking, sensitivity and selectivity this is probably the best radio I have. Who knew?
Realistic 12-683
This one cleaned up far better than I thought it would and, with my external antenna attached, is a really good performer.
Realistic 12-679
I got this one solely for the tuning dial. I'm a sucker for polished aluminum.
Zenith F-214W
This Zenith has a distinctive look, with an encased tuning knob exposed on top of the cabinet. Zenith thought enough of it to give it a pedestal so I couldn't pass that up.
Realtone 4001
When this one arrived I didn't hold out much hope as it needed a lot of cleaning and refurbishing, not to mention a small chunck of the cabinet is missing. Despite all that, it's a close second to the Emerson about in the performance department.
Panasonic RE-6280
When I first started collecting I bought some AM/FM units, mostly Sonys and Panasonics. While Sonys are generally regarded as the top brand from this era it turns out that Panasonics are pretty good, too. This one has polished aluminum and aluminum knobs to boot, so a must have. Turned out really nice.
Those are beautiful! Where do you keep them and do they all work?
Well thank you, I did my best. I have them all on a shelf in my home office/radio room and they definitely work well. They have new electrolytic capacitors, have been very carefully aligned and are modified to accept an external antenna.
The antenna is 2 ft x 2 ft and it's very simple to make. If you're interested I'll be happy to provide a complete parts list and assembly instructions, though I'm sure you could figure it out from the photos. You'd have to do a bit of hunting for the right capacitor but the rest of it is pretty much off-the-shelf components.
The pill bottle? It contains lead shot and serves as a counterweight to the air gap variable capacitor. Also, the little blocks of wood near the capacitor serve no function, they're just left over from a previous configuration.
