{"id":51748,"date":"2022-02-04T08:02:41","date_gmt":"2022-02-04T12:02:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=51748"},"modified":"2022-02-04T08:02:41","modified_gmt":"2022-02-04T12:02:41","slug":"guest-post-tinkering-with-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/guest-post-tinkering-with-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Guest Post: “Tinkering with History”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bob Colegrove<\/a>, who shares the following guest post:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Tinkering with History<\/b><\/h1>\n

By Bob Colegrove<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the attractive aspects of radio as a hobby is that it has so many specialties to channel our time.\u00a0 Just for the sake of classification, I would group these into two categories, listening and tinkering.\u00a0 I think the meaning of each category is fairly intuitive.\u00a0 Probably few of us approach our interest in radio in the same way.\u00a0 Most of us have dabbled in more than one listening or tinkering specialty.\u00a0 Perhaps we have been drawn to one particular area of interest, or we may have bounced around from one to another over a period of time.\u00a0 I know the latter has been my case.<\/p>\n

Tinkering might start with a simple curiosity about what makes the radio play, or hum, or buzz, and progress to an obsessive, compulsive disorder in making it play, hum or buzz better.\u00a0 Unfortunately, over the past 30 years or so, the use of proprietary integrated circuits, as well as robotically-installed, surface-mounted components have greatly short-circuited what the average radio tinker can do.\u00a0 For example, I have noticed a lot more interest in antennas over that period, and I think the reason is simple.\u00a0 The antenna is one remaining area where a committed tinker can still cobble up a length of wire and supporting structure and draw some satisfaction.\u00a0 But the complexity and lack of adequate documentation have largely kept newer radio cabinets intact and soldering irons cold.\u00a0 Bill Halligan knew you were going to tinker with his radios, so he told you how they were put together.\u00a0 The fun began when you took your radio out of warranty.\u00a0 If you did get in over your head, there was usually somebody\u2019s cousin not far away who could help you out.\u00a0 The following is a sample of how one resolute tinker managed to overcome the problem of locked-down radios in the modern age.<\/p>\n

A few years ago, my thoughts went back to a particular old transistor radio belonging to my father.\u00a0 Well, technically it was my father\u2019s, but I could use it, and it was certainly a seed for getting us both interested in radio as time progressed.\u00a0 The radio is of no distinction.\u00a0 It cost $20 in 1958 (nearly $200 in today\u2019s money).\u00a0 It was made by General Electric, and is only known today by its model number, P755A.\u00a0 Despite its anonymity, I remember the radio as being uncommonly sensitive and selective considering its simplicity.\u00a0 It matched or exceeded anything we had in the house, all the samples of which were likewise of no distinction.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A Portable Radio<\/b><\/h2>\n

To appreciate portable transistor radios, it is necessary to understand what defined portable in the vacuum tube era.\u00a0 They were big and clunky.\u00a0 They ran off a special set of vacuum tubes which had low-voltage filaments or heaters.\u00a0 Separate batteries ran the filaments, \u201cA,\u201d and high-voltage screen and plate circuits, \u201cB.\u201d\u00a0 They consumed a lot of power, thereby draining the batteries quickly.\u00a0 In short, they were a somewhat compact descendent of early radios, which required no hookup to the power mains.<\/p>\n

Early transistor radios were manufactured on the cusp of transistor technology.\u00a0 The Regency TR-1 was the first commercially manufactured transistor radio in 1954.\u00a0 All the large, established manufacturers, including GE, followed soon after.\u00a0 The P755A is truly a portable radio.\u00a0 First, there is no provision for running it on external power.\u00a0 Instead, a large, now-obsolescent, 9-volt, zinc-manganese dioxide (Zn\/MnO2) battery was used.\u00a0 This single power source had the logistical advantage over A and B batteries, and would keep a P755A running continuously for more than five days \u2013 weeks or months of normal use.<\/p>\n

Second, there was no provision for connecting an external antenna.\u00a0 Signals were picked up with an internal 6 \u00bc\u201d ferrite, tuned loop antenna.\u00a0 Ferrite was also a relatively new application to radios.\u00a0 Its high permeability made it significantly smaller than air-core loop antennas attached to the backs of many tube radios.\u00a0 The radio did come with a single, somewhat obtrusive \u201cearbud.\u201d\u00a0 Volume and tuning knobs were all you got in the way of controls.\u00a0 In summary, the radio was a modestly sized independent package.\u00a0 Let\u2019s call it the tablet computer or smart phone of its day.\u00a0 You surfed the dial to get sports, news, music, and weather, and everyone would soon have one.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The 9-Volt Eveready No. 266 was one of at least three NEDA 1605 standard batteries, and had large contact snaps.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Specialist<\/b><\/h2>\n

Somewhere along the way, the P755A got away from us, but over the years with the coming and going of many better communication receivers in my possession I never forgot it.\u00a0 So, it was a few years back that I happened to come across one on the Internet and recalled how I used ours for AM DX in the late \u201850s and early \u201860s.\u00a0 Further investigation on eBay indicated that, despite the protestations of many of the sellers, P755As and their near cousins were not<\/i> all that rare.<\/p>\n

At that point, my penchant for tinkering was once again aroused, and to date I have collected three P755As and another 15 (yes, fifteen) of its first cousins, P805A, P806A, P807A and P808A, which mainly differ in color.\u00a0 The selection of the P755A, besides being nostalgic, turned out to be quite fortunate.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The radios are easy to work on.\u00a0 They can easily be disassembled and reassembled.\u00a0 There is a single PC board with separate, discreet components.\u00a0 Parts lists and schematics are readily available.<\/li>\n
  2. The radios are cheap.\u00a0 An eBay transaction can often be made for $20 to $30, shipping included.<\/li>\n
  3. The radios are powered by a single common voltage, i.e., 9 Vdc.\u00a0 This is very important as transistor radio designs of the pioneer era often ran on non-standard voltages, and some required two voltages.\u00a0 More on this later.<\/li>\n
  4. The radio is AM only.\u00a0 The design isn\u2019t compromised by switching AM and FM circuits in an out.\u00a0 That\u2019s what I\u2019m interested in \u2013 simplicity.<\/li>\n
  5. Finally, being solid state, they run on very low power, thus presenting less danger to the not so punctilious tinker or the innocent radio.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    It is interesting to note in the case of the P755A and its cousins, that many of the components, including variable capacitor, volume control, and IF and audio output transformers were overly large and could have been found in vacuum tube radios of the time.\u00a0 These components were soon downsized to produce a later generation of \u201cpocket\u201d radios.\u00a0 Thus, the P755A, although entirely solid state, is something of a transitional radio.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a>

    The robust metal frame variable cap used in these radios was typical of virtually all vacuum tube radios of the time.<\/p><\/div>\n

    The circuit board shown below is only missing connection to its variable capacitor, speaker, and battery to come to life.\u00a0 Having discreet components is a great advantage to the tinker.\u00a0 Note the large IF cans, audio transformer, and volume control.\u00a0 The parts layout wasn\u2019t especially neat; it was function over form.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    Germanium Transistors<\/b><\/h2>\n

    A few orders to Mouser and eBay provided most of the necessary bits and pieces to make these units operational.\u00a0 But the downside of working on these radios today is that they are of the germanium transistor era.\u00a0 The industry soon made the transition to silicon as a key element in manufacturing.\u00a0 Germanium transistors, when you can find them now, are old stock and somewhat expensive.\u00a0 Fortunately, I have found only two or three defective transistors.\u00a0 It is possible to substitute silicon for a germanium transistor, but this generally involves trial and error rebiasing to control the gain.\u00a0 One intrepid experimenter I encountered in my travels had successfully managed to repopulate all five original germanium transistors with silicon.\u00a0 He concluded that it was an interesting experiment, but there was, at the end, no noticeable improvement.<\/p>\n

    Electrolytic Capacitors<\/b><\/h2>\n

    One standard practice for most tinkers of old radios is the replacement of electrolytic capacitors, which tend to dry up and fail with age and disuse.\u00a0 Although some tinkers replace all electrolytics as a matter of course, I have always been of the conviction that \u2018if it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it.\u2019\u00a0 However, in the case of these old radios, replacement of all<\/i> electrolytics is a necessity, as they have a very high rate of failure.\u00a0 In many cases, their replacement is all that\u2019s required to restore the radio to operation.\u00a0 My theory is that in the early days of transistors, there was still not yet great demand for low-voltage, high-capacity electrolytic capacitors, and the material science of the day may not have been up to the challenge the changeover was requiring.<\/p>\n

    Repair, Modernization, and Restoration<\/b><\/h2>\n

    I once worked for an Air Force sergeant who was the proud owner of a Ford Model A pickup truck in pristine condition.\u00a0 He told me that, although only a single taillight was required in the 1930s when the truck was new, he had added a second light on the passenger side as a safety feature, and that this was considered by serious antique restorers an acceptable deviation from the original.\u00a0 Repair, modernization, and restoration have long been conundrums for serious tinkers, including radio tinkers.\u00a0 Precisely, where do you stop with your tinkering?<\/p>\n

    The pi\u00e8ce de r\u00e9sistance<\/i>, the holy grail if you will, is a radio restored to the operational and cosmetic point just as it came out of the box.\u00a0 The process of getting it there is filled with a myriad of stumbling blocks and likely more than a few compromises.\u00a0 The ultimate success depends a lot on the radio\u2019s condition when you get it.\u00a0 Is it potentially redeemable, or is it a partially decomposed hulk?\u00a0 Many hopeless cases are quickly \u201cparted out\u201d in the parlance of the hobby.\u00a0 The problem is many of the parts that fail or become damaged are the same from unit to unit, and parted units will not always be useful.<\/p>\n

    My collection of P755As and cousins has arrived in cosmetic conditions varying from very good to poor.\u00a0 Being relatively small and rugged, the circuits have aged well, even in relatively hostile environments, and I have been able to restore all of them to full operation.\u00a0 So, to date there are no parts units.\u00a0 Cabinets were cleaned and polished.\u00a0 In a few cases of well-used, battle-scared units, missing handles and damaged speaker grills have been \u201cfixed\u201d to a point where the radios are simply fully functional, if not very representative of the original product.<\/p>\n

    As an example, the old warrior shown below is a P807A, and was missing its plastic handle.\u00a0 The bright gold foil speaker grill was mangled, the tuning dial was cracked in half, and the cabinet showed signs of heavy use.\u00a0 Obviously, the radio had provided someone with many hours of hard, happy use.\u00a0 I like to imagine it having belonged to a house painter who carried it around from job to job and listened to Elvis and Bill Haley.\u00a0 Perhaps it fell off his scaffolding once or twice.\u00a0 It was finally consigned to a closet decades ago. \u00a0 Eventually, I patched up all the mechanical issues, and brought its circuits into full operation.\u00a0 The P807A sings happily in the choir once again.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    Then there is the case of modernization \u2013 the auxiliary taillight I mentioned above.\u00a0 In the case of the P755A and its cousins, the NEDA No. 1605 standard battery has long since become obsolescent.\u00a0 Forget Eveready, Mallory and Burgess.\u00a0 It is possible to buy a new, aftermarket battery, but at a price half again as much as the original cost of the radio.\u00a0 There are two easy remedies, the first of which is to use a standard PP3 9-volt battery.\u00a0 These are much smaller than the original battery and don\u2019t have as much capacity.\u00a0 The better choice is to install a 6-cell AA battery pack.\u00a0 Being alkaline technology, these will have the same capacity as the original somewhat larger zinc-manganese dioxide (Zn\/MnO2) battery.\u00a0 The AAs with a plastic holder will fit neatly into the original battery compartment.\u00a0 In either case, the larger battery contact snaps must be replaced with a pair of smaller ones.\u00a0 That is one practical concession to modernity.<\/p>\n

    Finally, for radios in hopeless cosmetic condition, the pure and wholesome virtue of restoration can now be abandoned in good conscience and give way to \u201chot rodding.\u201d\u00a0 In the case of the P807A, above, a transfer coil has been added to the ferrite antenna and terminated with a 1\/8-inch phone jack on the cabinet.\u00a0 Then, connection of a suitable loop antenna, and the P807A is ready for the DXing drag strip.\u00a0 Sometimes I feel like Sid from Toy Story<\/i>.<\/p>\n

    A Note on Alignment<\/b><\/h2>\n

    My fascination with radio alignment began many years ago when I found a few loose screws in the bottom of the old family radio console chassis \u2013 my first SW radio.\u00a0 Needless to say, I was quite disappointed when my zealous tightening produced a very insensitive radio.\u00a0 I don\u2019t remember just how I learned that the precise compression of trimmer capacitors was necessary for optimum results, but my education in both theory and practice progressed over the next several years to a point where I became a master at aligning SP-600s which have double-conversion IFs and no fewer than 48 adjustments in the RF section.<\/p>\n

    I told you all that to tell you this.\u00a0 The manufacturer\u2019s alignment instructions for many small radios should not<\/i> be followed if you want to optimize the radio\u2019s performance.\u00a0 For reasons of economy, variable trimmers, padders and inductors used to bring a radio into alignment are more often left off of the All American Fives.\u00a0 Long story short, the difference between the oscillator and antenna circuits is not always the ubiquitous 455 kHz and there may not be a convenient way to change this, most commonly at the low end of the band.\u00a0 Consequently, as you move the dial across the band, there is a progressive lowering of sensitivity. \u00a0 However, by simply adjusting the IF transformers to peak noise response at the low end, a significant improvement can often be achieved.\u00a0 Generally, there is some adjustment possible at the high end, to compensate for the new IF frequency.\u00a0 Repeating the alignment procedure a few times will bring the radio into better-than-new performance.\u00a0 Such was my experience with the P755A.<\/p>\n

    The Wonder is not that They Work Well<\/b><\/h2>\n

    The wonder of the P755A and its cousins is not that they work well, but rather that they work at all.\u00a0 First of all, transistor manufacturing was in its infancy when these radios were made, and as reported, began with the use of germanium as the primary material.\u00a0 Consequently, consistency was not what it would eventually become.\u00a0 Sams Photofact Notes<\/i> for these radios reinforces my point.\u00a0 \u201cTransistor circuit resistance not given (sic<\/i> is not given on the schematic) because of the wide variation in internal transistor resistances.\u201d\u00a0 [Source:\u00a0 Sams Photofact Folder<\/i>, Set 447, Folder 6, Howard W. Sams & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana, June; 1959.]\u00a0 Further, for economy, the tolerance of resistors and capacitors used in these radios was very wide.\u00a0 Variations of 10 to 20 percent in resistors could understandably have a significant impact on the operating range of a transistor.\u00a0 Again from Sams<\/i>, \u201cNominal tolerance on component values makes possible a variation of \u00b115 percent in voltage and resistance readings.\u201d\u00a0 As part of my restoration project, I collected point-by-point voltage and resistance-to-ground measurements on all 18 radios and found this to be the case.\u00a0 Notwithstanding, the radios all work well.\u00a0 Amazing.<\/p>\n

    Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n

    Einstein is attributed as saying, \u201cInsanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.\u201d\u00a0 For my part, achieving the same results was exactly my objective, that is, to rescue a bunch of discarded, dysfunctional, old radios and restore them to operation.\u00a0 To use an old Chrysler Corporation slogan of the period, \u201cSuddenly, it\u2019s 1960.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s been fun.<\/p>\n

    The author is a mongrel tinker, having no pedigree, but giving assurances that no radios were harmed in the conduct of this project.<\/i><\/p>\n

    Postscript<\/b><\/h2>\n

    It is hard for us living in an age of computers and the Internet to appreciate the fact that station information wasn\u2019t always as easy to come by as it is now.\u00a0 Sixty years ago we relied almost entirely on printed media, mainly periodicals.\u00a0 Besides magazines, there were listener\u2019s clubs such as the Newark News Radio Club and the National Radio Club, the latter still very much active today.\u00a0 They published monthly paper bulletins for members.\u00a0 Contributions of station information came from members.\u00a0 Volunteer editors laboriously prepared monthly columns on mimeograph stencils, which were then printed and distributed to members.\u00a0 But the comings and goings of broadcasting stations is a dynamic process, and each issue of these publications became less useful as time progressed.<\/p>\n

    In preparing this article on tinkering, I pulled out my very first medium wave station listing.\u00a0 Pictured below is the tattered, taped, and dog-eared copy of the Jones North American AM-FM-Radio-TV Station Listings<\/i>, Winter 1958 Edition.\u00a0 It was an ever-present companion to our original GE P755A transistor radio.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    Beginning in the summer of 1958, for 50 cents you could get this neat little paperback book providing the call, location, frequency and power of 5,000 stations.\u00a0 Further, in an age before spreadsheets, the book was laboriously cross indexed by location, frequency, and call letters.\u00a0 The book was the passionate work of Vane A. Jones.\u00a0 It was initially compiled from what information he could glean from the FCC, in addition to questionnaires he sent out to stations requesting information.\u00a0 Not all stations responded, and those that did sometimes returned incomplete data.\u00a0 Nevertheless, Jones soldiered on using every resource available to produce what has been reputed by some as the most accurate listing of its time.\u00a0 The ambitious project which began as a quarterly publication was picked up by Howard W. Sams & Co. and continued periodic publication between 1963 and 1984 as the North American Radio-TV Station Guide<\/i> under Mr. Jones\u2019 authorship.<\/p>\n

    There\u2019s lots more.\u00a0 For those who haven\u2019t visited it yet, I recommend the World Radio History website, https:\/\/worldradiohistory.com\/Radio_Log_Master_Page.htm<\/a>.\u00a0 I would caution you however that it is addictive, and you can spend hours poking around the archives.\u00a0 There you will find an extensive trove of old books and publications, including the Jones Guide<\/i>, White\u2019s Radio Log<\/i>, and past editions of the National Radio Club\u2019s AM Radio Log<\/i>, to mention a few.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bob Colegrove, who shares the following guest post: Tinkering with History By Bob Colegrove One of the attractive aspects of radio as a hobby is that it has so many specialties to channel our time.\u00a0 Just for the sake of classification, I would group these into two categories, listening […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[373,3194,627,433,3,305,288,7566,139,26,4796],"tags":[464,7988,9647,9648,4342,9646,4547,4132,681],"class_list":["post-51748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-am","category-guest-posts","category-how-to","category-mediumwave","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-radio-history","category-radio-memories","category-radio-modifications","category-radios","category-vintage-radio","tag-antique-radio","tag-bob-colegrove","tag-general-electric-p755a","tag-general-electric-p807a","tag-guest-posts","tag-p755a","tag-radio-repair","tag-radio-restoration","tag-vintage-radio"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-dsE","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":51812,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/guest-post-control-of-electromagnetic-radiation-conelrad\/","url_meta":{"origin":51748,"position":0},"title":"Guest Post: Control of Electromagnetic Radiation (CONELRAD)","author":"Thomas","date":"February 8, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0Bob Colegrove, who shares the following guest post: Control of Electromagnetic Radiation (CONELRAD) As recalled by Bob Colegrove In his comment on my recent posting, Tinkering with History, Mario noted the dial on the featured radio, the General Electric P755A, sported two small triangles, one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Fig-1-e1644317508418.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Fig-1-e1644317508418.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Fig-1-e1644317508418.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Fig-1-e1644317508418.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Fig-1-e1644317508418.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":49864,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/bob-colegrove-on-the-joys-and-challenges-of-tuning-analog-radios\/","url_meta":{"origin":51748,"position":1},"title":"Bob Colegrove on “The Joys and Challenges of Tuning Analog Radios”","author":"Thomas","date":"August 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bob Colegrove, who recently shared this excellent article and has kindly allowed me to share it here in the the Post. Bob prefaced it by saying, \"Being a retired technical writer, I started the attached article some time ago for my own amusement, but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bob-Colegrove-Book-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bob-Colegrove-Book-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bob-Colegrove-Book-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bob-Colegrove-Book-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50861,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/11\/guest-post-remembering-the-radio-shack-trfs\/","url_meta":{"origin":51748,"position":2},"title":"Guest Post: Remembering the Radio Shack TRFs","author":"Thomas","date":"November 14, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0contributor,\u00a0Bob Colegrove, for the following guest post: Remembering the Radio Shack TRFs As recalled by Bob Colegrove There has always been an interest in DXing on the cheap.\u00a0 At the same time, most of us don\u2019t want to sacrifice any more capability than necessary.\u00a0 In the late\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/656A-Dial.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/656A-Dial.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/656A-Dial.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/656A-Dial.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39419,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/09\/guest-post-the-national-association-of-armchair-adventurers-naaa\/","url_meta":{"origin":51748,"position":3},"title":"Guest Post: The National Association of Armchair Adventurers (NAAA)","author":"Thomas","date":"September 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bob Colegrove, who shares the following guest post: National Association of Armchair Adventurers (NAAA) as recalled by Bob Colegrove Those of you who were into SWLing in the late \u201850s or early \u201860s may remember the NAAA.\u00a0 It was an engaging promotional effort by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Radio-Dial-1024x679.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Radio-Dial-1024x679.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Radio-Dial-1024x679.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61040,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/11\/channel-6-fm-radio-stations\/","url_meta":{"origin":51748,"position":4},"title":"Channel 6 FM Radio Stations","author":"Thomas","date":"November 10, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0contributor,\u00a0Bob Colegrove, who shares the following guest post: Channel 6 Radio Stations By Bob Colegrove Even after all these years, I still find occasional surprises while playing 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of Radios”","author":"Thomas","date":"April 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bob Colegrove, who shares the following: A Rack of Radios by Bob Colegrove You simply cannot have enough radios \u2013 a principle I learned a long time ago.\u00a0 The difficulty occurs when it comes to storing them and yet having them at the ready\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Accessories"","block_context":{"text":"Accessories","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/accessories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image1-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image1-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image1-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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