Vintage tube and transister AM/FM radios

[Sir Henry]

I picked up a new (old) radio last week. Its a larger floor cabinet AM/FM plus turntable from the fifties or late forties. It was in a thrift shop and when plugged in just made a hum but my experience with tubes said it was because of all the fluorescent lights and electric motors nearby and the fact it didn't have an antenna. I paid $35 for it and replaced the speaker fabric and spent a few hours polishing the wood.

Well I was right and I was wrong. It did have an internal antenna for both AM and FM. The AM is of the coil design and does and excellent job while the FM is a cheap but effective T-shape. But the good part is it works perfect with tungsten lighting. Even the record player works.

It didn't occur to me to open the doors so you could see the dials.

My previous best tube radio is this table model from the forties.

In the kitchen and living room. Both are post-war and up to the mid-fifties.

I have a transistor radio in most other rooms in the house. Right now the Wildcard playoffs are going on and I have them all turned on as I write this. All of these are from the seventies and eighties.

[Les]

Great radios!

I used to love listening to the plays on our old valve radio when I was just a lad, and trying to get as many short wave stations as possible. They definitely have a much better sound than can be obtained via semiconductors, IMHO.

[daytime dave]

Those are great radios Gene. I really like your latest addition. My father has a free standing model that is tubed. It didn't work. Way back when the local drugstore stocked tubes, I bought some that looked like the same ones in his. It worked fine.

Your collection of radios is very unique and interesting.

[jstraw]

Sir Henry your radios are very interesting. I really enjoyed the pictures. They bring back memories of my grandparent's farm home radios when I was...a bit younger.

[Sir Henry]

Here are pictures of the cabinet doors open. The floor model is made by Silvertone and sold by Montgomery Ward.

[RanchRoper]

Great stuff. My dad had a Clairtone that was dark mahogany with fabric covers in each end. It was quite long. The top lid lifted and inside was a turntable, AM - FM dials, and a large slot for albums. I remember my first listen of Let It Be album on it. Sunday mornings my dad would play Benny Goodman or the Dorsey brothers on it. Thanks SH, good memories.

[RetiredSeabee]

Cool old stuff. Thanks for the memories. I remember seeing the older models in my Grandparents homes.

[CT_Shooter]

Back in 1963, as a 12 year old just returned from Boy Scout Camp where I discovered Top 40 radio, I went to sleep each night with pop music playing from a table top tube radio with the volume turned all the way down and with me way down under the covers (so my parents wouldn't know) and my ear tight up against that hot little speaker. I can still feel that warm and happy glow whenever I hear Surfin' USA by the Beach Boys. 1963 was an awakening that ironically helped me to sleep!

[Sir Henry]

Back in 1963, as a 12 year old just returned from Boy Scout Camp where I discovered Top 40 radio, I went to sleep each night with pop music playing from a table top tube radio with the volume turned all the way down and with me way down under the covers (so my parents wouldn't know) and my ear tight up against that hot little speaker. I can still feel that warm and happy glow whenever I hear Surfin' USA by the Beach Boys. 1963 was an awakening that ironically helped me to sleep!

Funny you should mention that. In 1963 I lived on a farm and that summer I slept outside in the woodshed and it had an old standup floor radio. I would also fall asleep with the radio on but with the volume anywhere I wanted it.