Hands Across the Ether

~ vintage radio collection ~

Introduction

This page provides some background and insight to how I originally became interested in radio, as well as a brief overview of selected radios in the collection. It also includes numerous trivial references, which may become tedious for those readers without some technical interest in the subject.

My primary interest in vintage radios became centered around the European shortwave sets from the circa 1953-1972 era. In the late 1950s to mid 1960s, there was a major technology shift away from vacuum tubes to transistors, but esthetically, I appreciate the designs from both periods. The European table-top sets almost always included shortwave bands as well as the standard broadcast AM and FM bands. The inclusion of shortwave in American radio sets during this period was less common, but there were certain markets (amateur radio, and general shortwave listeners) for whom specialized radios were produced and sold.

The autobiographical section, "Enduring Association with Radio" was included because the radio listening experience changed significantly since the time I first became drawn to the medium. In the first decade of the 21st century, music radio programming was mostly niche-oriented, and generally sounded quite bland. When I realized that the great radio formatting I grew up with during the 1960s and 1970s was gone forever, I decided to document some of what that early listening experience, and the personal connection to radio was like for me.

Contents

Quick Reference Table

Zenith "B511-B" Zenith "G730" Grundig "2066 PX" Grundig "Majestic 7061W/3D" Panasonic "RF 680 D"
Blaupunkt "Frankfurt" General Electric "IC" Ross "2776" Grundig "Satellit International 400" Grundig "Mini World 100 PE"
Realistic "Globester 4" Grundig "2440U" Tivoli "Model One" Grundig "Transistor 1005 Automatic" General Electric "T128H"
Grundig "Classic 960" Telefunken "Bajazzo Sport" Telefunken "Opus 7" Realistic "Patrolman-CB8" SABA "300 Automatic Stereo 11"
Realistic "DX-160" Telefunken "Jubilate de Luxe" Type 5461 W General Electric "Superadio III" Model 7-2887 Blaupunkt "Sultan" Type 20203 Grundig "S350DL"
Zenith "Trans-Oceanic" B600 Realistic "TRC-205" Hallicrafters "S-40" E.F. Johnson "Viking Valiant" (transmitter) Radio Shack "AM/FM Digital Tune Headset Radio" model: 12-932
Hallicrafters "S-120A" Toy Car Novelty Radio General Electric "P977E" Sony "ST-80W" AM/FM stereo tuner  Philco "Tropic" Overseas Model B3101B
Battery Tester (pocket volt meter) Battery Tester (pocket volt meter, 1-3 volt range) Sony "ICF-9550W" AM/FM table-top radio Grundig "Yacht Boy 400" C. Crane "CC Wi-Fi Internet Radio"
"Aqua Guide 705" Radio Direction Finder German radio with Mercedes-Benz Type 220Sb Other Interesting Radios    

Enduring Association with Radio

When I was a youth in the mid 1960s, my maternal grandparents owned a late 1940s to early 1950s RCA Victor radio-phonograph console. The top of the console cabinet was divided into two hinged sections. When the right side of the top was raised, it revealed the AM/FM radio tuner section with dark Bakelite tuning knobs. Under the larger, left hand section, the turntable controls were accessible. The famous RCA logo with the dog (Nipper) listening to "His Master's Voice" was on the inside of the phono cover. I remember spending numerous afternoons and some early evenings sitting on the dining room floor listening to various types of music and admiring the colorful record labels in their collection. I would focus my gaze upon the loudspeaker and the small orange-red pilot lamp at the base of the console as the music drifted up through the rooms of the house. I do have a photograph of this set, but I need to unearth it from the archives.

In our own home, we had a circa 1956 RCA "Orthophonic" (model SHF-8) phonograph. It had a contemporary dark wood cabinet, and was supported by thin, tapered, metal legs which were fashionable in the decorative arts such as interior and furniture design (see photo below). The legs were removable, so it could also be converted to a table-top model. That system was in service until 1972 when we got a Denon AM/FM (stereo) tuner/phonograph. I am not sure what happened to the RCA Orthophonic set. Household favorites played on the RCA system included The Village Stompers (Dixieland Jazz), Louis Armstrong, Oscar Peterson, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, to name only a few. I have since inherited all of those 12 inch vinyl LP ("long playing") gems, and believe they have stood the test of time rather well. The Village Stompers albums are still in excellent condition, and sound great, but I am getting ahead of myself.

RCA "Orthophonic" (model SHF-8) phonograph (no radio)
Photos Courtesy: Susan Manning / December 6, 2006

My original "Hey Jude" 45 RPM from Jay's Record Ranch

I started to realize that I had a growing personal interest in radio, music, and recorded sound in 1968 when I was eight years old. It began to take shape when my mother drove me to "Jay's Record Ranch" (long gone) in Henrietta, NY to buy my first 45 RPM vinyl record. It was the Beatles "Hey Jude" (B side: "Revolution"). The tune was hugely popular at the time, and through tight Top 40 play list rotation during the nine weeks it spent at the number one position in the U.S. charts, it bec