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Author Topic: Went Antique Hunting Today, And This Is What I Came Up With. Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 06-29-2003 04:17 PM                     This is what I came up with. It is an old TRF receiver that bears the "Washington" name. First one like this I ever saw. What made it kind of funny to buy is that a very good friend of mine owned it, and was not too eager to sell it. I waved a $100 bill in his face like someone waving it in Jack Benny's face. The owner of the radio succumbed.... Anyway, I don't know how old it is. But for it's age, it is in excellent condition and is a great restoration project. Has anyone seen one of these? I hope I can find some data on it. Here are some pictures. The following is a picture of the front end tuning coil. I wonder what year this thing was made, and what this radio is actually worth. Any ideas? The pictures show the cover, etc. is warped. It isn't. It was that damned camera of mine. [ 06-30-2003, 11:48 PM: Message edited by: Paul G. Thompson ]  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-29-2003 05:05 PM                     Paul, Check out these links. They may be of some assistance to you. I restore old TV's as you know and they have helped me out with that a few times. Mark http://www.allthingsradio.com/ http://classicradiogallery.com/links_coll.html http://www.nostalgiaair.org/NostalgiaAir/Forums/TechForum/Messages/106/M0022106.htm  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 06-29-2003 05:52 PM                        Paul, the radio is called "Washington" because it was manufactured by George Washington`s own company. Every true American patriot should have one. It is worth approximately $25.000, if it has the serial sticker on the back which has Washington`s signature on it, you can easily demand twice that much.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 06-29-2003 06:54 PM                     Of course...silly me is looking at the Altec speakers right behind the radio...Model 310s? Steve PS...for a Washington...you should have only paid a dollar...for a $100...I would have held out for a Franklin!  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 06-29-2003 07:27 PM                     Steve, you can spot an Altec 1 million miles away. And, yes...I did exchange a "Franklin" for a "Washington" Just a follow-up...I received some info just a few minutes ago that the "Washington" brand was somehow associated with Crosley Radio Corporation. This radio was typical of the era from about 1920 to 1930. However, my radio has not yet been positively identified. [ 06-29-2003, 11:34 PM: Message edited by: Paul G. Thompson ]  |  IP: Logged Michael West Film Handler Posts: 67 From: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Registered: Apr 2000 posted 06-30-2003 12:08 AM                        paul wow - radio is really nice i am trying to get into restoring old tube radios, i too have an old one (given to me on me 40th birthday). when i find have the time.  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 06-30-2003 12:21 AM                     Michael, got a picture of yours? Oh, by the way....the ex-owner of my radio has a Western Electric 540-AW speaker. It is damaged, but I saw a link on the internet that someone had a new one, and sold it for $525 bucks! I found one that was restored - for a price of about $325. It looks like a circular hunk of cardboard. Here is a picture of it: The one my friend has was manufactured on January 18, 1921.  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 06-30-2003 05:46 AM                        quote: sold it for $525 bucks That is exactly the sum dts will give you if you trade in a dts-6! But only if you buy an XD-10. You could invest that money in one of those speakers then.  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 06-30-2003 12:24 PM                     This is probably the best info I can find right now. A gentleman that restores radios sent me this: This is a home built superheterodyne. Judging from the Oscillator coupling coil which appears to have been manufactured by Remler, I'd say there is probably 4 Remler IF transformers mounted under the subpanel. The tuning condensers, of course, were manufactured by Remler, but they were standard over the counter parts that were used in many different homebrew sets during the mid 20's. Since it has a name on the front panel, it was probably a Remler kit that was put together by a vendor and sold under the Washington name. Probably in about 1926. The cabinet is one of the nicer types that was sold to home builders. As a general rule, the cabinet maker has their name on it somewhere. I doubt if it was included with the kit, since most were sold without one. Many builders did not buy one, but fortunately yours was preserved in a cabinet.  |  IP: Logged Dick Prather Master Film Handler Posts: 259 From: Portland, OR, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 06-30-2003 03:07 PM                     Paul, I looked in a couple of books I have which list hundreds of models and found nothing using the Washington name. It does look nice though.  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 06-30-2003 03:35 PM                     Found something: Very similar to mine. Info: HI-MU Radio Labs, Los Angeles - HI- MU Many small Los Angeles companies were building and selling radios in the twenties. HI-MU Radio Labs is an unknown company that probably only built a handful of radios. "Built by William Ferringer" is engraved on the front panel but it is unknown what position Ferringer held at HI-MU (maybe he was the only "employee.") This particular HI-MU is serial number 91 but that figure cannot reliably be used as a reference for the quantity actually built. The circuit is unusual in that only four tubes are used in such a physically large radio. An RF Amplifier, a Regenerative Detector and two Audio Amplifiers. The AF Amps use ballast resistors to automatically control filament voltage while the meter can be switched to monitor RF Amp or Detector voltage. Remler tuning condensers are used along with Remler dials. Probably dates from around 1925.  |  IP: Logged Dick Prather Master Film Handler Posts: 259 From: Portland, OR, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 06-30-2003 08:29 PM                     Paul, I read the book "This Island Earth" years ago and part of the story took place in a radio assembly plant in Los Angeles. Their motto was "If It Picks Up KFI, Ship It". Just struck me funny.  |  IP: Logged Chris Markiewicz Expert Film Handler Posts: 209 From: Glenaviegh, County Tipperary, Ireland Registered: Aug 2002 posted 06-30-2003 09:38 PM                     I was given this a number of years ago by a friend who had no room for it... Physically it's in good shape, but it needs work to operate again. Mark, thanks for the antique radio links; I was able to find a schematic and with luck will be able to get this beauty working again. Chris  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 06-30-2003 10:14 PM                     Holy smokes, Chris....that old Atwater-Kent is a real beauty! Be proud of that one. Back in those days, "Quality goes in before the name goes on." Atwater-Kent has been notorius for superior quality and workmanship. That radio will probably fetch a very good price should you decide to "let 'er go" I bought an old Spartan today, too. Gotta pick it up tomorrow..It is a console, Spartan Model No. 127. It was manufactured somewhere between the years of 1931-1937. The cabinet is in almost perfect shape, but I don't know if it works or not. The power cord was quite rottin', so I elected NOT to plug it in. But that's minor...I can fix that. When I get it home, I'll take a picture of it and post it. Also ran into an old Atwater-Kent Model #60 still in the optional floor mounted cabinet. Price is negotable, but it looks like the cabinet needs alot of work. I think I can get it for around 200 bucks. Well, since I went ape shit today on antique hunts, here's something I also picked up. It is a model G500 Zenith Trans-Oceanic. It works! Was playing it a little while ago. Don't know if I got skunked or not, but I donated $130 of my coffee money. Here is a picture. It is a 1948 model, and they were in production for three years. Zenith only built 88,000 of them. They are getting rare. Mine is in very good condition, with no "skinning" to speak of on the case, except for two real small spots. [ 06-30-2003, 11:53 PM: Message edited by: Paul G. Thompson ]  |  IP: Logged Josh Jones Redhat Posts: 1207 From: Plano, TX Registered: Apr 2000 posted 07-01-2003 12:40 AM                        Also notice that crazy neon green plasma disc in all your pictures I have yet to get around to rounding up the parts for my receiver project. I'm getting a new tuning knob and some cloth wire for the innards that have cracked. Beside an alignment, I think that will get it running again. Also in my travels, We put a brand new studio on the air today. Made the cutover during a Minnesota Twins baseball game. We only lost about 4 seconds of audio. Josh  |  IP: Logged

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