Old radios - throw away?

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JHZR2

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One crosley, one Motorola, one ge, one Philco ford, and one unknown. Some turn on and tune, others don't.

Doesn't much matter if they're worth much, rather if there is general interest out there that someone (not necessarily on here) would want them.

Just asking bc they're on the table to get thrown out, so need to know if it's worth holding onto them.

Thanks.
 
I recently bought a side table philco and had an neighbor of my parents rehab it to working order. It's pretty cool. There is some following for older sets. Mine dates to 38/39.

Don't throw them out! If nothing else put them up on Craigslist for free. Maybe someone can salvage some tubes or parts to recycle if they are not worth restoration. For the working one(s), perhaps an elderly neighbor might take one for nostalgia reasons?
 
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It's amazing how good some of those older, single speaker radios sound. We've got a couple late 1970's maybe early 1980's Japanese made Panasonics at work, almost like that lower left one, but with an MDF, veneered cabinet and no clock. For not being stereo, the sound is richer than most "boom boxes".
 
Craigslist or Ebay will attract buyers for all.

Otherwise, before tossing them, go through them and pull the tubes (for those that have them).

Some small signal tubes, particular those in popular audio types (12ax7, 12at7, etc.), can draw VERY good money, even if used. Depends on the era, make and remaining emission levels, though. They just don't make them anymore, every year there are less of them left, and those who use them (tube audio and musicians) seek them out. Output tubes can be even more valuable if they are still strong.

One of my collection:

IMG_1711.jpg
 
I like those old radios.Usually better tuning than new stuff,usually good distance pickup(DX-ing).If any have a shortwave component that is even better.
 
Originally Posted By: urrlord
I like those old radios.Usually better tuning than new stuff,usually good distance pickup(DX-ing).If any have a shortwave component that is even better.


Good point, also the noise floor for
the HF bands on old quality tube sets is way lower than many expensive digital and solid state units made today. Usually it is the PLL unit that creates that problematic noise on today's units.
 
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Originally Posted By: Volvohead
Craigslist or Ebay will attract buyers for all.

Otherwise, before tossing them, go through them and pull the tubes (for those that have them).

Some small signal tubes, particular those in popular audio types (12ax7, 12at7, etc.), can draw VERY good money, even if used. Depends on the era, make and remaining emission levels, though. They just don't make them anymore, every year there are less of them left, and those who use them (tube audio and musicians) seek them out. Output tubes can be even more valuable if they are still strong.

One of my collection:

IMG_1711.jpg



As an old retired electronics tech that photo makes me shiver.
I could spend 1/2 a day doing alignments on those chassis.
The sun shone brighter with the advent of SAW filter, crystal, IC integration (that advent was also the death knell of serviceable circuits .. and my job) .

Old 5 tube radios are cool. Take the chassis out of the cabinets and run them "commando" as a conversation piece.
 
It looks like you have four vanilla all-american fives, and a transistor radio.

Nothing particularly remarkable, I'm afraid to say. If you wanted to take the best tube radio, and overhaul it, it would be worth your time - tube radios sound much better.

Those old radios have a hot chassis as they are ac/dc, and dangerous by today's standards. You should use them with an isolation transformer.

I have many old radios at my office, and people keep bringing me more of them. Last year I had someone bring me 3 (!) PRC-25s with the frames and all the goodies, and an R-174/URR with the power supply (sometimes known as an 'Angry 5').

I keep some of it and find good homes for the rest.
 
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Originally Posted By: urrlord
I like those old radios.Usually better tuning than new stuff,usually good distance pickup(DX-ing).If any have a shortwave component that is even better.


Good point, also the noise floor for
the HF bands on old quality tube sets is way lower than many expensive digital and solid state units made today. Usually it is the PLL unit that creates that problematic noise on today's units.


Until the advent of DSP. Many of the new SDR receivers can get below the traditional noise floor.

But yeah, until recently, it was hard to beat an R-390, even half a decade later.
 
One other thing - on the front two, you can see the CONELRAD tuning marks.

That tells you those two are no older than 1957 ish.

Edit: oops 1953 - 1963, if Wikipedia is correct.
 
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Originally Posted By: Papa Bear


As an old retired electronics tech that photo makes me shiver.
I could spend 1/2 a day doing alignments on those chassis.


Tell me about it.

Most of the guys that used to do this are dead. We're still here.

The worst is if an IF can goes south. Most of them are now made of unobtainium.

The one above is a perfect '62 Fisher 800-B. This one has MPX and the old FM/AM stereo setup. Got old tube audio classics all around the house. They all work like Ike or JFK were still in office. Magical sound. Breaks my heart when the kids toss them to the curb.

Nothing beats the front end on these tubed classics. Unfortunately, the tuners on these are better than the signal that now masquerades as FM in most markets, so they sing along to something else.
 
Originally Posted By: Win
Those old radios have a hot chassis as they are ac/dc, and dangerous by today's standards.


Only the very oldest consumer gear runs a hot chassis by design -- like back to the war. Most post-war sets run a floating ground. When the suppressor cap (often called "death caps" by guitar folks) goes south (the old ones often fail closed), and the non-polarized plug loses the 50/50 lottery on the outlet, THEN you have a hot chassis.

On a museum grade restoration, I'll rebuild the circuit with Y-class replacements, and ink mark the neutral on the original plug. Only an idiot can then create a problem, and only if the new suppressor somehow fails closed (my Y-class replacements are designed to fail open).

Otherwise, the safe way is to replace the cordset with a polarized plug, or better still, a grounded cordset, which totally eliminates the risk.

Most of the American kitchen sets like above from the '50s and '60s are not all that well made, and not worth the restoration unless very unusual or in really good shape. But keep the tubes. The German table radios are another story . . . a Telefunken or Grundig is worth the effort.

And the old ham gear is its own sub-genre altogether.
 
Originally Posted By: sleddriver
Wow...does that pic bring back memories. I still have a small tube-based Motorola B/W TV that still works.


Hang on to it. If from the right time, they are worth $ to certain people.
 
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