RUSS' OLD RADIOS
  • HOME
  • FOR SALE
    • CURRENTLY AVAILABLE
    • DO IT YOURSELF SPECIALS
    • EXCEPTIONAL DEALS
    • WITH MP3 PORTS
  • RESTORATION
  • BLOG
  • BEFORE/AFTER
  • CONTACT US
  • UNIQUE RADIOS
  • 1920'S Superheterodyne

Old Radios: A Day in the Life of Russ' Old Radio Repair- You're Invited!

4/13/2014

3 Comments

 
PictureA rare sighting- Russ shopping.
3:30 in the morning comes early- but, such is the life of the crack (of dawn) dedicated Russ' Old Radio Repair team, bleary-eyed Russ and Sue. Although some people may believe “Orygone” consists of only one town, there are actually two, PORTLAND and (wait for it) MEDFORD!  Quick geography lesson; Portland is at the top of the state , Medford the bottom. This provides a much needed balance--to keep the state from slipping off into the Pacific Ocean--and a political one.

As it happens, we do not dwell in the northern city, PORTLAND. We live near the state's southern city, MEDFORD. Unfortunately, since most of residents live at the northern end, many events occur there.   It's not unusual for us to raise and shine (but barely dazzle) early in the am,  to attend events or beat out ambitious Craig's Listers for radios. Such was the case yesterday when we attended, The Northwest Vintage Radio Society (NWVRS) show in Aurora, Oregon - a suburb of PORTLAND. 

Picture
Met the cutest little dog, a Maltese that weighed in at three-and-a-half pounds. His "Mom" cuddled him close to her chest. If she moved, he'd re-arrange himself, crossing the small legs that dangled beneath him. When "Mama" handed him over for a hug, he felt like a feather. I'm accustomed to hefting Fuzzy and Woolley; they challenge the vet's scale at over twenty pounds each! 

Picture
Does this ring a 'bell" with anyone? If you're interested, it's most likely going up for sale. The Old Radio Museum already has two Jacksons.
The NWVRS event is always is interesting. It's like a Almond Joy versus Mounds, "Sometimes you get a good radio, sometimes you don't." The fun is in the pursuit. On this particular occasion--thanks to an unplanned for half-an-hour gas stop due to a broken credit card machine--we arrived late. Just like with garage or estate sales, it's best to get there early 'cause the good stuff tends to sprout wings and fly. But, we got the Jackson Bell, and Russ found some thingamajigs and  several whatchamacallits. If the day ended here, we would have been happy- but it didn't.

Well, then what happened?

I'll tell you.  We hit a "sometimes you don't".  We decided to continue north to the City of Portland. A guy advertised on Craig's List he had five radios.  He e-mailed.  "Yes, I still have all five of them...The radios are in very nice shape. I don't think you'll be disappointed." We drove the sixty-mile round trip--out of our way--to take a look. There were five wood, breadbox radios; the cabinets looked to be in fair shape. Russ opened the lid of the first one. "Humm." He tried the second, then third, fourth and fifth. "That's interesting, all the globe tubes have been replaced by non-original tubes. Every single one." What an amazing  coincidence! "Think we'll pass- thanks."

Lunch, then next stop. We met a fellow at an I-5  (the major north-south freeway that connects the two "Orygone" towns) off-ramp. A nice, honest guy with a Vintage Howard radio. We chatted with him for awhile, thanked him for his time, but decided the radio would be more work than it was worth.

We proceeded southward, calling another party about a RCA Victor R-52, however we were unable to reach him.

"I've got an idea," Russ said. "Remember the guy we bought the movie-dial, tall-boy console from 'bout three years ago?" Russ had fixed it up, but we had to sell it. The Old Radio Museum bulged at the beams.

"No." I can remember what I had last night for dinner. Russ has a wonderful memory. I use it often.
Picture
1930 Radiola 80 Tall-Boy Console

"He said if we ever decided to sell it, to please let him know. Let's stop by his house, since it's on the way home."

"Okay." We did. He wasn't home, so Russ left a note and his card.

The message blinked when we arrived home. Sure enough. "Consider it sold."

Russ not only has an memory--at times I wish he didn't have--but also incredible luck. We also received an e-mail, " What is funny is that I am in the process of turning the back half of that RV Garage into a pool room.  Your note coincides with my needing cool stuff for that space and it will be a great thing to have in there." 

Such a nice fellow. How appropriate the radio would be returned to it's owner--renovated with an MP3 player adaption. "Bet it will be the only Radiola 80 to ever play MP3's," Russ noted. Bet it will. ;)

Below is a photo of the old radio's original home.
Picture
So there you have it. A day in the life of Russ' Old Radio Repair. Enjoyed sharing it with you; hope you enjoyed it too!
Till next time...

Regards,

Sue
pholog's blog

3 Comments

The Origin of Russ' Old Radio Repair         Part II of II                                                       Old Radios: From Here to Where?

2/20/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Shoot, I don't know... but, I do know it will be an exciting adventure.
Picture
There are so many places to explore, people to meet, things to do...
Picture
...and because you never know what you might find---when life is a treasure hunt.

So here we are. We worked hard to get to this point, We realize we've been fortunate; we want to give something back. Here's what Russ' Old Radio Repair offers.



                    RUSS' OLD RADIO REPAIR               
  • We provide a service that makes people happy. We fix their old radios.
  • We repair and renovate old radios, then sell them to those who want one.
  • We help preserve a part of America's electronic history.
  • Our business is environmentally-friendly. We reuse, recycle and re-purpose old radios.
  • We restore beautiful works of art.
  • Our business educates the public about early radios with displays and lectures.
  • We maintain a radio museum for posterity.
  • We help stimulate the economy.
  • We have a shop cat, Fuzzy--the ATV cat. He's usually available for petting.
Picture
Till next time,

Regards,

Sue
phlog's blog
If you like our list--please like our FB page.      https://www.facebook.com/russoldradiorepair
0 Comments

The Origin of Russ' Old Radio Repair         Part I of II                                                     Old Radios:Second Act-for them...and us 

2/20/2014

0 Comments

 
Exciting, educational, enriching, enthralling, extemporaneous and extraordinary, Eek!  What could we do to ensure the items on our "It Would Be Nice" list got checked off?
What did we want do following our early retirement? I wasn't sure, but I knew I wanted us to do it together.

I began contemplating the possibilities three years ago, when USA Today  requested people send in their "second acts."  Since people are living longer today-- thirty, forty or more years after retiring-- an opportunity exists to re-invent yourself. Your freedom is returned; it's a  once-in-a-lifetime-chance  to realize your dream. I submitted ours; much to my surprise, it was one of those selected. One of these days, I thought.
"For our next act."   (see #11)    http://mediagallery.usatoday.com/S141444

One of these days--is now. Russ retired from Verizon; his last day will  be April 4th--four days before my (unspecified th) birthday.  We have embarked upon our dream; we have began our exuberant (didn't think I had another e? ;)  journey. Russ' Old Radio Repair LLC has now come to fruition; I can't remember when I had so much fun...except when I got chosen for a Wheel of Fortune tryout last spring. 
Picture
Marty & Sue, Wheel Of Fortune Tryouts-- Medford, Oregon - Spring 2013
Unbelievable how rich our lives have been. If I could make one suggestion--it would be--always follow your dream. What you're looking for, might be waiting at the end of the rainbow. Don't be afraid to seek it.

   "I remembered that the real world was wide, and that a varied field of hopes and fears,

of sensations and excitements, awaited those who had courage to go forth into its expanse..."
                                                                                --CHARLOTTE BRONTE, FROM Jane Eyre

Till next time, when in Part II,  I'll explain where we hope to go and wish to contribute.
(Part II is now available on Russ' Old Radio Repair website.)


Regards,

Sue
phlog's blog
0 Comments

Blog to Escape the Fog

12/30/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
     We felt like croutons in a bowl of mushroom soup. Our normal home-on-the-range; big, beautiful, blue skies eluded us. We found  ourselves stuck in a winter funk. As the fog lingered on, our spirits--like the bread chunks--sunk.
     "Let's go see Oakley," Russ suggested. Sounded like a good idea to me, Oakley, a fellow radio enthusiast, happened to live near Sacramento.
 I knew we'd be "picking," looking for old radios along the way. The bright promise of a treasure hunt, and a sunny sky, quickly took us out from under the weather.
     We stopped at several small--by California standards--towns along the way. We had the good fortune to find, or purchase from Oakley, all the neat stuff below.
                                                                           
     As often happens, and what makes our trips even more fun, is discovering the unexpected. On this outing we stumbled upon a Lost in Space robot (replica).  He not only looked authentic, he could light up, twist and move his arms (or so we were told.)

"DANGER WILL ROBINSON DANGER."  I had to pose with him. Robot captured my imagination as a child. Only Little Joe on Bonanza came close to being nearly as fascinating to me-but for different reasons.

     After insuring Russ got the shot, we left. As we stepped out of the antique emporium, a warm, seventy degree breeze greeted us. It felt wonderful. "Sure glad I remembered my sunglasses," I said, as I watched Russ try to re-acclimate his eyes to the foreign object in the sky above us. 

     I don't know if it were the weather, or the chance meeting of an icon, but suddenly- the world seemed a much cheerier place.  

Till next time...

Regards,
Sue
phlog's blog

Our Bounty

PictureRola pedestal speaker for battery radio. It is functional but the cone is very soft reducing the volume. The grill cloth is original. This is similar to, or the same as, a model 10 from 1926.
















PictureSupreme 500 test instrument from 1937/38. These were sold with a simple oak veneered box. Notice the leather handle still in great shape.

Picture
Considered a tube tester by most people, this unit is also capable of testing both "electrostatic" and electrolytic caps as well as volt, ohm and db measurements.

Its display is a single movement meter with 2 pointers and multiple scales as well as a large neon bulb.

A rather high voltage is provided by the device for testing ohms in the 2Meg range and higher. A dry cell battery is required for the lower ranges..

It has a special test function for the "new" 6E5 eye tubes.

The tube test function is an emissions tester. It does not have a gas test, but does trigger the neon bulb for shorts of less than 100K.

Picture
After recapping/restuffing the device's capacitors, we evaluated the unit's performance. I had to first test the large neon display.
This (photo) is a pin 1 to 4 short test on an 01A indicating an intact filament.

The meter is used for electrolytic testing. A pass/fail range is indicated by the meter.
For "electrostatic" caps the neon tube lights to indicate leakage. This test seems to be a bit more forgiving of leaky caps than I would prefer.

Picture
The engineers/builders must have ordered custom built components. There are a lot of high tolerance wire wound resistors, Some appear to have been adjusted/cut/trimmed for value. The paper capacitors are also of odd/custom values like .013 mf and .0016 mf. Several have been paralleled to achieve a particular value down to a .0001 mf margin. I can't see how these paper caps could have maintained that accuracy for very long.

0 Comments

    Author

                         Russ Webb

    Picture
    Russ Webb & Fuzzy

    Best Buddy, Radio fixer







    Categories

    All
    All
    Antiques
    Electronics
    Radios
    Repair
    Restoration
    Travels
    Vintage

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2025
    November 2024
    December 2023
    March 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    July 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013

CUSTOM DESIGN BY SUE WEBB  06/2013       Redesigned by Russ Webb     Approved by Fuzzy   Updated:  Pretty much all the time, but I forget to change this date
Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos from valart2008, rafeejewell