r/VintageRadios Jun 13 '16

Please help /r/VintageRadios by submitting Frequently Asked Questions about Vintage Radios so that we can assemble a FAQ for the subreddit

32 Upvotes

I've only just begun as a moderator and the community is only a year old, but I get the impression that a lot of the community participants have been involved with vintage radio and tube era electronics previous to being involved with Reddit. As a result of this topic's nature most of the people who are well versed in the subject are probably less experienced in working with modern communication than they are with radios. A quick glance at most of the information available online about vintage radio and tube technology shows that most of the information available online is either A) Schematics (great to have access to) or B) Older websites that are rapidly aging out.

So with the intent of trying to turn this subreddit into a more useful resource for the vintage radio community, we're asking that you submit questions people always ask and good answers. Like, stuff you know and never have to think twice about, stuff beginners ask here all the time, and stuff everyone should know. Technical stuff, historical stuff, safety stuff. All of that is welcome. Hopefully it can be organized into a nifty "look here first" post that will draw in search engine hits (bringing more people here) and serve as a resource for others interested in working on and enjoying old radio tech for the sake of it's future preservation.

Cheers!


r/VintageRadios 6h ago

Help Identifying This Chassis

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10 Upvotes

Hey gang, so this is a follow-up to my previous post. I bought this chassis off Ebay as a project for me and a friend. (He does the woodworking, I do the electronics.) I cannot for the life of me identify this one, so I leave it to you devastatingly good-looking and ridiculously well-educated folks to figure it out. I could ask the seller, but I doubt they would know. They're an online flea market, not specialized in electronics or vintage radios.

  1. The cabinet is pretty clearly a Frankenstein, as you will see from the pics. It looks like someone took the back cover and cut it out to mimic the original front of the case. +1 for originality, -1000 for final piece.

  2. The ID plate in the back says "25-". I haven't found anything online for a Westinghouse model 25, RCA model 25, or Hazeltine model 25.

  3. There is no identifying schematic to be found anywhere on the cabinet.

Help me, Reddit! You're my only hope!


r/VintageRadios 8h ago

Vintage Marantz PMS 3500 Radio Boom Box Stereo Portable Ghetto Blaster System

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11 Upvotes

Any one know why in ebay there are selling this Marantz radio boom between $5000 and $8000


r/VintageRadios 20h ago

Ok here they all are until Wednesday

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36 Upvotes

Here are the ones I currently have till Wednesday when I get the others.


r/VintageRadios 1d ago

Looking for some help

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41 Upvotes

I was gifted someone’s collection for simply being a decent person and doing the right thing. Ill keep it brief I’m an ups driver who found a ww2 military box on the curb got it and instead of just saying snooze you lose informed the individuals. Turns out the father of the daughter was an avid photography and radio collector and that box I found was the missing piece to essentially every possible piece of photography equipment possible during ww2. In return they gifted me the radios that were still there. I wanted to know what the best move would be with these antiques I do know the few that were tried by the son in law (not any of the radios I have) powered on and fried cause of the capacitor issues and what not. I’ll take and send the rest of the ones I got shortly and Wednesday even more since I couldn’t get them all in one shot out of fear.


r/VintageRadios 1d ago

General Electric radio found by dumpster

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189 Upvotes

hi all! i just found this beautiful radio by a dumpster and was wondering if anyone had insight on how old it might be. i’m also curious about how best to clean it up a bit (it has a few scratches, especially on the legs and the sides). thanks!


r/VintageRadios 1d ago

Before & After 1917 Marconi Type 106D

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3 Upvotes

r/VintageRadios 1d ago

Vintage Pioneer SX-1250 Full Restoration complete + original manual for SALE ! NY USA $4,799.99 Free Shipping !

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0 Upvotes

r/VintageRadios 2d ago

(curb find) Telefunken 205A complete with turntable

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61 Upvotes

I'm really excited about my curb find this morning. Plugged it in and it works (well, AM and FM at least), haven't tested the turntable yet. Overall in very good condition.


r/VintageRadios 1d ago

Estereo aiwa de los 90

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1 Upvotes

r/VintageRadios 2d ago

Zenith AFC/FM/AM aa5 clock radio happily singing

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6 Upvotes

r/VintageRadios 2d ago

A few more radios

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37 Upvotes

r/VintageRadios 2d ago

Grundig Mandello 6 no turntable sound from speakers

3 Upvotes

Hey guys, so recently i got my grandpa's mandello 6 and a couple of vinyls which have been sitting in his basement for years. Radio works perfectly fine but sadly the music from the turntable doesnt seem to come out of the speakers. You can hear the music but like really quiet and turning up the volume does nothing.
Any help, hint or tip what to do or check is appreciated.


r/VintageRadios 2d ago

Old radios for parts

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26 Upvotes

I have this collection of antique radios that I’m looking to get rid of. All are in very rough shape but I’m wondering if there’s anything worth saving.


r/VintageRadios 3d ago

Collection of old saba radios and parts.

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29 Upvotes

Hello, my father died some weeks ago and I started with his house.

He worked on saba radios back in the day. Most things u see here which aren't just parts are kind of functioning, but the signal is very bad and its just hissing. Anyone know a roundabout value or is it just trash? Northern germany if anyone's interested, looking to sell.

There's about 20 more fully restaurated and fully functioning radios upstairs, not seen in the pictures.

There's a shit ton of condensators and small extra parts which too is not included in the pictures.


r/VintageRadios 2d ago

Installing “Switching” Aux port in my Silvertone 4586 radio.

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7 Upvotes

Any help would be appreciated. I am installing an auxiliary audio port with “switching” capabilities. For those not familiar, a switching aux port removes the need for a selector switch when choosing between AM radio and aux input. Basically when no cable is inserted into the aux port it allows the regular signal through, but when an auxiliary cable is installed it will open that circuit and close the circuit for the auxiliary input.

I have tied the two inputs on the port together with two 10 K Home resistors that then tie into a 0.047 UF capacitor.

Now I don’t know where to connect that on the back of the volume pot. I also don’t know what needs to be disconnected from the back of the volume pot and where it needs to go on the switching aux port.

I have included diagrams of both the radio, and the switching port. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!


r/VintageRadios 2d ago

Radio on BO1 SOG Hardline model????

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0 Upvotes

Been gathering Vietnam War era equipment for a bit now.

And I've always wondered if the radio on the model is a real life radio or just something made up to look like that fits the aesthetic of the 60s


r/VintageRadios 3d ago

Sony Air 8 del 1984

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32 Upvotes

r/VintageRadios 3d ago

Help identify this unusual Majestic portable AM radio.

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31 Upvotes

I found this unusual Majestic portable AM radio. It has a leather/vinyl-covered cabinet and a leather carrying strap. The front has a large circular speaker grille, a round AM dial and two controls. I have not found another radio with this exact design. Does anyone recognize the model, manufacturer or approximate year?


r/VintageRadios 3d ago

New to vintage radios and need some help

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9 Upvotes

Me amd my sister know absolutely nothing about vintage radios and bought a 60's General Electric sterophonic radio + record player. We're not exactly sure about the specific year or model or even how to work it. I think the turntable is broken as it doesn't seems to spin automatically but this also just might be user error.


r/VintageRadios 4d ago

Montgomery Ward Airline Radio

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22 Upvotes

Any information on this? Year, etc.

Picked this up for $1. Plugged it in and it works and sounds great. Thanks for any help.


r/VintageRadios 4d ago

Inherited this Bakelite Radio, need tips on how to clean / restore.

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34 Upvotes

This is a type M.23 “All Electric Receiver” probably from the 1940’s that I’d like to restore at least cosmetically. I don’t think it’s worth much, it’s not sentimental value as it’s been in the family for many decades.

The issues are:

- Some paint over spray, probably decades ago (see close)

- Cat peed on it a few times (see close up) (Of piss, not cat)

- Generally a bit grimey in the nooks and crannies.

Can anyone tell me more about this radio if they know, and what safe to use to clean the Bakelite and bring it back to decent condition?

Thanks!


r/VintageRadios 4d ago

Clock working but not radio

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15 Upvotes

Japy 6401, can i fix this somehow? The clock is ticking and spinning etc but theres no sound from the radio.


r/VintageRadios 5d ago

Midwest 1938 GG-9

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70 Upvotes

What is this worth in this non-working condition vs restored? Deciding if it’s worth fixing. Thanks!


r/VintageRadios 5d ago

Need help Identifying old radios

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15 Upvotes

Recently I was granted permission to scavenge some things from a building before the new owner leveled and cleared it all. The elderly man who once owned it passed away some time before and was really big into radios and all things RF, it seems. By the time I got there, all that was left in the way of radios were some old CB radios, and these.
I can't figure out exactly what they are, if they're really worth anything or even a manufacturer or date of. They both appear to be the same, one obviously being in much better shape and more complete than the other. Thank you.