Tag Archives: Vintage Radio

Dan’s advice for prospective Sony CRF-320/CRF-330 owners

In response to our Sony CRF-320 post, SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, comments:

“Thanks for posting this item. I’m the moderator of the Yahoo group for SONY 320 and 330s — they are quite common these days on EBay.

The key, however, is condition and many of them are often suffering from one or more problems common to this receiver including: stuck S-meters, faulty LEDs, gears in the main and AM/FM tuning sections that are dried out and cracked, belts in the recorder (in the 330s) that need replacing, and a variety of cosmetic issues.

Prices for 320s range from the high hundreds near $1,000 and slightly higher, and for 330s usually well above $1,000 to near $2,000 for units that are in 9.0 or higher condition. Prospective buyers of these wonderful radios need to ask numerous questions of sellers so as to avoid problems down the line.”

[…]I will add a couple of things — the 320 on Ebay right now that Tom identified has the old style rotary clock, while the main photo is one with the LED clock, which is more desirable on the used market. The seller of this particular 320 is well known on Ebay for his extensive write-ups of equipment, quite informative and useful, and he has the advantage of access to a local electronics shop that actually still does repairs of 320s and 330s.

Keep in mind that, generally speaking, prices for 320s as I said and depending on condition generally are in the $1,000 range and top out in the $1200 -1400 range. CRF-330s usually bring more because of the added tape recorder in the bottom of the unit. Of course, the market and demand determine price, and anyone who is really after one of these classic radios might be willing to pay more for a 320.

Excellent advice, Dan! Thank you for sharing.

Spread the radio love

Guy shares his nostalgia radio wallpaper for download

7 Replies

SWLing Post contributor, Guy Atkins, writes:

I’m writing to let you know of a “nostalgia radio” Windows wallpaper graphic I’ve made available to radio hobbyists. This design is called Hertzian Vision, and I created it three years ago for a few SDR enthusiasts/software authors in Finland. I’d like to offer it to your readers too.

My design was inspired by the SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention in Bellingham, Washington, which opened initially as a showcase for antique radios.

Here is a link to a folder with two sizes of the wallpaper:

https://app.box.com/s/33qzg7ouo3sztzzbnd36ylytt1cp7u3y\

The two high resolution wallpaper files are 1920 x 1200 and 2560 x 1440 pixels.

This is a fantastic graphic you’ve created, Guy–many thanks for sharing it with us!

On a side note, Guy also informed me that the SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention also operates a low power FM station, (KMRE) that features old time and classic radio shows. You can listen to KMRE online via TuneIn Radio or several other sources.

All morning, I’ve been listening to KMRE via my SStran AM transmitter though my BC-348-Q. Great fun!

[Update: if you have difficulty downloading the wallpaper via the link above, you can download them directly from the SWLing Post server by clicking here and here.]

Spread the radio love

The Panasonic RF-2200: an early birthday gift

21 Replies

This week, I purchased a radio that I have lusted after for years: the Panasonic RF-2200.

I justified this eBay purchase because June is my birthday month and…well…do I need anymore justification!?! Just look at this beautiful analog dial:

In truth, I’ve been wanting a benchmark portable medium wave receiver for ages, and I believe there are few better than the venerable RF-2200.

I picked the RF-2200 this morning and I’ve only had it on the air a few minutes. It effortlessly picked up my local benchmark medium wave and FM stations. The audio fidelity is brilliant and the ‘2200 appears to have a very low noise floor. I haven’t had a moment to truly cruise the shortwave bands, but I plan to over the course of this week and shall report back.

Spread the radio love

James’ vintage transistor radio collection

23 Replies

In response to my recent post about the vintage Arvin 68R58 transistor radio, SWLing Post reader, James Patterson, has shared photos of his collection in New Zealand. James has captioned each photo below:

This portable Sanyo was bought at a “Second Hand” shop. It had badly corroded battery connections. I repaired it and it works fine now.

Very early National portable with twin speakers, broadcast [band] and [shortwave. Works very well.

This PYE Caddy was actually made here in New Zealand. I believe the design was from the UK though. It still works very well.

The PYE Caddy without the plastic cover.

Very popular in their day, the RED National Panasonic pocket AM Transistor 6. Works well.

Very early AIWA pocket Transistor 6. Still works well.

The “Murphy 8” Transistor radio. Broadcast band only. Wooden case in fab condition. Works very well.

This is the rear view of the “Murphy Transistor 8.” I gave it a new battery holder.

This is a “Murphy Transistor 7+” Im not sure what the “+” means because it does have only 7 transistors. Very good performer for its age. Wooden case is identical to the previous Murphy 8.

This is the rear view of the “Murphy Transistor 7 plus.” All very original, and works fine.

This National Panasonic DR 28 is not part of my early AM Transistor radio collection. It is, however, part of my shortwave radio collection.

Many thanks, James, for sharing photos from your collection! You certainly have some gems in there. I was not at all familiar with the New Zealand-made PYE Caddy, in fact. I’m curious if other radios were made in New Zealand in the past.

I bet you and I might agree that the Panasonic DR-28 (a.k.a. RF-2800 in North America) hardly feels “vintage,” but at 37 years old it certainly qualifies by most standards–hard to believe. The RF-2800 pops up on eBay quite often and has certainly held its value well. (Click here to search.)

Seeing the DR-28/RF-2800, in fact, is making me lust even more after the venerable Panasonic RF-2200! Alas…so many radios!

Spread the radio love

Hamvention find: the Arvin 68R58 AM transistor radio

8 Replies

Though I believe I spent more money at the Dayton Hamvention this year than I have in all previous years, I only purchased one radio: the Arvin 68R58 eight-transistor.

I spent a whopping $5 on the little Arvin in the Hamvention fleamarket. To be fair, the seller sold it for this modest price because he was not sure if the radio worked. But when I unsnapped the back leather cover, peered inside, and found the works remarkably clean, I suspected it might…

No original power supply was included, of course, and I was a bit concerned when I saw the somewhat out-of-character plastic battery holder. In the filtered fleamarket light, it appeared to me as if it required proprietary batteries–the holder appeared too small for C cells, and too large for AAs. There was no indication of the type of batteries it used, but since the spec read “6 volts,” I knew I could build a small AA battery holder, if need be.

So, at $5 (I bargained him down from $10, based on the doubt of operation) it was a very low risk purchase, and a potentially a fun project.

Back at home, I popped open the battery holder and looked inside…And I discovered the Arvin did, indeed, take four C cells. Simple enough! After inserting fresh batteries, I turned on the radio via the tone pot, and instantly heard beautiful, rich audio.

What I thought would be a project radio ended up being fully functional, and was, moreover, in tip-top shape.

So far, I’ve been very impressed with the Arvin’s AM sensitivity and audio fidelity. No doubt the generous ferrite rod antenna is doing the trick on medium wave.

Last night, as I tuned through the AM broadcast band, I was able to null out unwanted stations and noise amazingly well. There is something to be said of transistor radios from this era–let’s just say, they’re classics.

The Arvin has a simple set of controls: tone, tuning, and volume. There are no filter selections, of course, but I can tell that it’s quite wide; perhaps 8 or 9 kHz.

All in all, I’m very pleased with my little purchase, and the Arvin has become my new (vintage) bedside radio. Last night, I tuned in one of my favorite AM stations on 740 kHz, CFZM in Toronto, Canada. CFZM (a.k.a. “Zoomer Radio”) is not only a benchmark, but a right of passage for any worthy AM radio in my household. The Arvin passed the Zoomer test with colors flying.

And, yes, it even soothed me to sleep.

Now I only need to properly clean and restore the Arvin’s leather chassis and perhaps build a 6V-regulated linear power supply.

Next time you pass by a 1960s/70s vintage transistor, grab it! I’m certainly happy I did.

Now, I think I’ll turn on the Arvin, sip some dark beans, and put up my feet in the Pawley’s Island hammock…Cheers! Summer’s on the way.

Want one of your own? A quick search reveals that the Arvin 68R58 can be found on eBay for quite reasonable prices. Click here to search eBay for an Arvin.

Spread the radio love

Zenith R520A/URR Transoceanic Radio on eBay

2 Replies

Since I’m a complete sucker for Signal Corps radios, my buddy David Korchin (K2WNW), thought it would be a great idea to tempt me with this recent listing on eBay: a rare Zenith R520A/URR.

Let’s be fair. It’s gorgeous.

And I would like to know the full story behind this radio.

Fortunately, the reserve is $1200 US–high enough that I know I need not bid.

For Zenith folks, though, this would make a handsome addition to their collection.

Click here to view on eBay. I’ve also pasted the full description below.

Very curious if this radio will make its reserve price.

Description of Zenith R520A/URR:

“Up for auction is a rare Zenith Transoceanic R520A/URR. It comes with the Zenith headphones that plug into the rear of the chassis.

It was restored electronically replacing capacitors, resistors, and tubes that needed to be replaced. All tubes are NOS.

It comes with the Zenith headphones that plug into the rear of the chassis. It also comes with a modern battery holder that has been placed into the green battery box that I painted up to look a little more authentic.

It plays wonderfully on all bands with amazing sensitivity on the shortwave bands. Broadcast band can receive stations as far as 750 miles away. Antenna is straight and extends fully. The wave magnet antenna has the metal post that allows it to be placing into the handle so you can rotate it for best reception.

The chassis is extra clean and has all the tube shields.

This has the original cord with a NOS plug with new fuses incorporated.

Both fuse boxes on the back door have been filed with NOS fuses.

Has the manual that came with it and many specs that I printed out for this radio.

The exterior is very clean and the brass was polished and then sprayed with gloss clear coat so it cannot tarnish in the future. Knob inserts are new solid brass that were polished and sprayed as well. The I.D. Tag is an exact reproduction of an original tag.

All the feet are original and in excellent shape.

The cabinet has all the original military markings and are in excellent condition.

Runs wonderfully on AC or DC. I have always run it on batteries.

I have shipped quite a few of these transoceanics and the average cost for the lower 48 states is around 49.00 shipped via USPS Priority Mail.

My reserve is set at 1200.00. If it doesn’t reach this amount, I will keep the radio in my collection.”

Click here to view this item, along with several detailed photos, on eBay.

Spread the radio love

A Photo Tour of the National Capital Radio and Television Museum

9 Replies

On Tuesday afternoon, I made a pilgrimage the to the National Capital Radio and Television Museum in Bowie, Maryland, USA. The museum is located in a modest and beautiful historic house on the corner of Mt. Oak and Mitchellville Roads in Bowie.

Museum Curator and volunteer, Brian Belanger, kindly gave me a private tour of the museum collections (the museum is closed on Tuesdays).

Many thanks to Brian for taking time out of his day for the tour, and for allowing me to take some photos for the SWLing Post!

The museum has a number of display rooms with radios broadly grouped by style and decade. The first room offers examples of some of the earliest radios produced–including the venerable crystal radio (below).

[Click photos to enlarge.]

Like Brian, numerous volunteers work to keep the collections in working order. This isn’t a place where vintage radios come to die; they actually come to life here.

Even examples of some of their earliest radios are on the air and can be tuned to local and international stations.

This RCA “portable” (below), housed two batteries on either side of the center faceplate. Note the ad on the wall above–a couple enjoy the RCA as they recline on a beach.

Speakers of the day were pretty amazing, too–check out this hand-painted 1927 Air Chrome Double Cone Speaker, below.

The museum also has an extensive collection of studio and off-air recordings that can be played over an AM carrier throughout the building.

By the late 1920s and early 1930s, radio manufactures built gorgeous console radios, features in the living rooms and parlors of many lucky homes.

This E.H. Scott All-Wave 23 console (above and below) sported not only twenty-threee vacuum tubes, but a large, robust internal speaker. Radio collectors consider the All-Wave 23 to be one of the finest performing radios of the vacuum-tube era.

The museum also features the Zenith 12-S-232 tabletop radio with working shuttle dial–a futuristic band-switching mechanical wonder with a stunning dial.

A number of tabletop and portable radios that span the decades have found their homes in this museum. No doubt many SWLing Post readers cut their teeth on these classics!

I love the design of the Garod Model 5A2–wow! And I’m sure many kids of the fifties wished they had an official Hopalong Cassidy AM radio (below).

The museum, of course, also houses a large number of classic televisions.

Radio stations and benefactors have also donated many items used in the industry, both in broadcast and retail.

Brian was also kind enough to take me to the building, next door, where they repair radios and store others for eventual rotation into the collection.

Museum volunteers also teach radio repair and restoration classes.

The number of classic ham radios, home brew receivers and transmitters was simply amazing. Indeed, I felt like a kid in a candy shop!

By the end of the tour, I had decided to become a member of the National Capital Radio and Television Museum. Even though I live a few states away, I like knowing that my membership funds not only help preserve vintage radios and televisions, but also provide me members-only access to many of their scanned archives. Click to view a full list of benefits for a modest $25 membership.