Bringing back History

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

Watch for Updates Twice a Week

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.

colcolt

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 11, 2012
856
0
About a week ago I made mention of having too many irons in the fire. Recently having returned to an old hobby from some 20 or so years ago, I decided to get this 85 year old radio playing again and am in the process of doing just that. After a couple days reading the schematic and testing the components I only found two resistors and one capacitor that was open. All three RF transformers were good as wee the AF transformers.
I bought a speaker for it that's suppose to be good but I need a battery eliminator since the weird battery voltages required to operate the radio are not available anymore. Once that gets here and I've replaced the bad components this baby should return to its previous glory.
Not that anyone's interested in this sort of thing but thought I'd share some pics. It's not exactly your iphone size but is indeed your Grandfather's radio! It's an Atwater Kent Model 30 and I have a Model 46 to work on after this one!
ScreenHunter_01Oct012021.jpg

_DEF4618a-1.jpg

_DEF4617a.jpg

_DEF4611a.jpg

This is the speaker
_DEF4635a.jpg

This is my next project(Model 46 with transformer instead of battery power)
AWKentM46.jpg

...and it's speaker

AWKF2Speaker.jpg


 

ghost

Lifer
May 17, 2012
2,001
4
Awesome!
My best friend is into repairing old radios, when I get around to repainting my rec room I'll be adding an old radio or two for the decor. My la-z-boy will stay, but I want to de-Ikea at least one room in the house...

 

colcolt

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 11, 2012
856
0
Well, it keeps me off the street and my mind occupied. Something us "seniors" need to keep going or end up with your brain mush.

 

colcolt

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 11, 2012
856
0
Me, too, captain. I hate to see good old radios like these be consigned to an attic or worse yet, the barn to rust. Atwater Kent was too good a radio to suffer such a fate.
This is the inside of the Model 46. You can see the large transformer-quite different from a battery operated radio and it weighs a ton...well about 45 pounds!! I think I got another hernia carrying it in after delivery.
_DEF4633a.jpg


 

ace57

Lifer
Jun 21, 2011
2,145
1
That is so neat. I like seeing the old things come back to life.

What do you do with them? Sell, trade, or keep them? :?:

 

colcolt

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 11, 2012
856
0
Back in the mid '80's I had at one time 26 old restored radios from 1930-1952. They took up so much room I ended up selling some and giving the other away except about six I still have. They were large back then and most pretty heavy.
These two Atwater Kent's I'm working on will be keepers. I've had RCA's, Zenith's, Philco's and Crosley radios before but no Atwater Kent. I have no one to give them to when I croak so, I'll just enjoy them now and not worry about who gets them. :)

 

twangthang

Can't Leave
Sep 15, 2012
358
44
Beautiful radios. I have a love of old instrument amplifiers, but they are mostly just boxes covered in tolex or tweed.

Those radios are really works of art.

 

colcolt

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 11, 2012
856
0
People bought radios back then to compliment their other furniture. The consoles were quite large, played superb(I had one) and were beautiful and hand made...in America!!
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.stonevintageradio.com/images/163.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.stonevintageradio.com/description.php?II%3D163&h=700&w=444&sz=49&tbnid=iOvaUUfOoVG1JM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=57&zoom=1&usg=__z42SHN2wk9nkX1cULueJmL86QJ0=&docid=GCbj9ZqlhrPmxM&sa=X&ei=57-CUMvjBoWE8ATnnoHoCg&ved=0CD4Q9QEwAg&dur=49
Tube amplifiers? Feast your eyes on these.
http://www.stonevintageradio.com/items.php?CA=14&UID=20121020081635

 

twangthang

Can't Leave
Sep 15, 2012
358
44
Wow that site has so many great amps and radios... Looks like will have something to read, look and drool at while have my afternoon pipe!

When I was a kid I was first introduced to DC by playing with neighbors old bakelite radio. I got a bad shock and have been fascinated ever since 8O

Now I am working around 750 DC third rail on trains... I still sweat a little bit every time I open the back of a component

 

juvat270

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 1, 2011
557
1
I love those old radios. I've spent hours on Ebay looking at them. Just something about the way they sound and that art deco look!

 

colcolt

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 11, 2012
856
0
twangthang-Anytime I work on a transformer type radio I use an isolation transformer. If I touch the metal chassis, which most all of them had back in the day, I won't get shocked. It isolated you from possible current leakage and is a safety feature. I'd plug that amp into an isolation transformer for safety's sake.
I got bit when working on a 1930 Philco(see pic) while testing the transformer secondary voltage because I had one of the probes on the plate of the rectifier tube and my pinky touched chassis ground. It was more than 120 as I could feel it all the way to my armpit. I tested where I had just touched to transformer secondary and it was 750VDC!! An isolation transformer would have prevented that.
Art Deco? Check this rarity out.
http://www.stonevintageradio.com/description.php?II=818&UID=20121020081635
1930 Philco
_DEF4610.jpg


 

lankfordjl

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 29, 2011
611
2
Texas
That is wonderful! I've been interested in purchasing a vintage radio; from time to time I look on the net for one sale. I know very little about them, but I feel the radio is something that should be preserved.

 

colcolt

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 11, 2012
856
0
Scroll down and check these out. Many are already restored but make sure there's a return if you're not satisfied. I got my two Atwater Kent's on ebay.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/Radios-/931/i.html
If you like pre-1930 radios there's a smorgasbord here...
http://www.ebay.com/sch/Pre1930-/38033/i.html

 

colcolt

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 11, 2012
856
0
This one is totally restored. Nothing to do but buy a speaker and a battery eliminator circuit since this model originally was powered by three batteries(A, B, C). They don't get any better if you can fork over the coins.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beautiful-Restored-Antique-Atwater-Kent-Model-33-Battery-Radio-/330810488278?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d05d775d6

 

photoman13

Lifer
Mar 30, 2012
2,825
2
Colcolt, I love the look of that first radio! Have you ever considered selling restored radios? Also do you ever look at the antique shops for radios?

 

colcolt

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 11, 2012
856
0
When I first started piddling with old radios that's where I got most of them...antique shops or flea markets. No ebay back then to my knowledge. I'm not good enough or have the time to sell, I just mostly fix for myself. It's a time consuming project.

 
Status
Not open for further replies.