Leading Edge Technology ... in 1925
I admit it: I can never own enough radios.
TVs? Only need two; a big one for the family, and a small one in the parents’ bedroom.
VCRs? Well, I had three, but gave one away. Telephones? Got too many of them as it is.
But radios? Hmm; let’s see. There’s the restored 1927 Grebe Synchrophase AM radio -– one of the old all-battery ones -- the 1950s Nordmende console, and a 1948 GE whose wood grain top doesn’t look quite right, because I sanded the veneer just a little too aggressively. Oh yes, and a 1959 Zenith Transoceanic: a black leatherette-covered box which is a tube-based ‘portable’. Granted, at 5-6 pounds and with a case the size of a microwave, it’s not pocket-sized. Still, the Zenith’s manual does show a pith-helmeted adventurer on a camel toting his Transoceanic, so that’s good enough for me.
Then there’s the NOAA weather alert radio: whenever Environment Canada issues a weather warning, this unit sets off a siren to let you know. Of course, this radio scares the cats so much that I don’t dare turn it on, but still, I feel better knowing that it’s there.
There’s also the mock boombox AM/FM radio we bought for $10 in Old Orchard Beach, a few summers ago. It has all the reception capabilities of a fish with a wire shoved in its mouth; that is to say, none. However, I did eventually get it to work, once I wrapped some stereo earbuds around its aerial.
Okay; so much for the utility room. In the family room, there’s the stereo tuner with the built-in AM/FM radio. Upstairs, there’s my trusty Panasonic RF-2200 shortwave radio, my windup InfoMate survival radio – it comes with solar panels too, so you don’t have to use batteries; however, the case melts if you leave it in the sun too long – and a cranky old GE radio that makes fuzzy sounds every time you walk past it.
Of course, I can’t forget all the clock radios on the second floor, the Sangean AM/FM/VHF portable radio in my coat pocket, and – last but not least – the Sinclair Z1 earbud AM-only radio. Obtained after 9/11, this little unit rides inside a plastic capsule attached to my keychain. Now, where I go, I have access to news at all times.
The bottom line: I believe that one can never own too many radios. That’s why I’m launching this column, as a venue for trying out new and neat radios. The stranger, the better!
I’ll cover these sets in my upcoming columns. In the meantime, here’s two really excellent radio sites I’ve found on the web.
Simply Radios www.simplyradios.com: This site is pure eye candy! Even though this company doesn’t sell globally, it has great radios. Besides, once you’ve found them here, you can look for them on a site that sells to your region.
Grebe Synchrophase: www.synchrophase.com: this site is an amazing historical resource for Synchrophase owners!
AMradios.com www.amradios.com: this site specializes in replica radios; some of which I hope to test in the future. There selection is amazing; they even have phonograph needles.
Until next time, this is the Radio Addict, signing off.
Image courtesy of: www.synchrophase.com