1920’s Radio Find

The annual San Antonio Radio Fiesta was a few weeks ago, and I inadvertently purchased a few radios. That wasn’t my intention, but circumstances got the better of me.  — I should explain.

My friend Bill, N5ALO and I went to the hamfest in Schertz, Texas to see what we could find. I had a couple of hundred dollars in my pocket and hoped to find a tube tester or other things that might be useful in restoring the many radios that seem to be accumulating in my shop. It’s not a big hamfest, and attendance was limited by severe weather the night before, so it didn’t take long to scope out the inside vendors. There was a tube tester and an old 20’s-era TRF radio, but I wasn’t feelin’ it.

We hadn’t really looked the tailgate area over, so we headed that direction. Just outside the door, there was another area with a few tables, so we sauntered by — in the interest of completeness. One table displayed two 20’s-era “Tuned Radio Frequency” (TRF) radios. Unlike the inside example, these were in great condition, and seemed to be mostly complete. Very unusual. Radios this old are sometimes seen in flea markets, but are usually pretty “distressed.” More of a decor item than a potential working model. Even better, these seemed to be complete. The price was relatively high — $200 each — but still worth a look. As I studied them, the proprietor spoke up: “You look like someone who can appreciate these radios. My wife doesn’t want them back home. She offered me $100 if I would get rid of them. How does $300 for the pair sound?” Not commenting directly on the offer, I continued chatting with the owner of the radios.

Meanwhile, Bill had been at the next table looking over a 40’s-era shortwave receiver. He seemed to be spending quite bit of time on it, so I went over to see what he’d found. Ahh, a Hallicrafters SX-28 in pretty good shape. An attempt at restoration had been made, and it looked better at a distance than up close, but there was a lot to work with and the Art Deco case with chrome trim was appealing. Taking notice, the same owner spoke up: “If you would like all three, I would take $400.” I needed to think this over. We moved off to the rest of the tailgate, but I didn’t really seen anything of interest. Anyway, my mind was still on the three receivers. Talking it over with Bill, I didn’t really want all three, but the Hallicrafters and one of the TRF receivers would be just right. He pointed out I could buy them and sell one of them on eBay. Good point.

We wandered back to the table with the radios and I asked the owner to hold them for 20 minutes while I got some more cash. He offered to take a check, but I didn’t have one with me. We got into the car and found an ATM. The deal was complete in 30 minutes and we were on our way to lunch.

A closer examination later that day revealed what I had bought: a 1925/26 Freshman Masterpiece. This five-tube  TRF radio looked complete except for missing one tube. A little research revealed it had come in several configurations, some with an internal speaker or an integrated stand. This one had a jack to drive an external speaker instead. The other broadcast receiver, also a TRF type, was the Colonial Radio Model 16. Slightly larger than the Masterpiece, it had six tubes and a meter on the front panel to display filament voltage. Both used multiple batteries for power. Web reviews suggested that both work well when restored and are lots of fun to operate.

The Hallicrafters “Super Skyrider” SX-28 (S/N 136530, produced in 1941) was a bit of good fortune. Widely revered in the collector and ham community, it was announced by Hallicrafters in June of 1940 and produced in various forms throughout the war. Production finally ended around July of 1946 when the 1947 models were introduced. This “pre-war masterpiece” resulted from the analysis of more than 600 requests, including from government engineers. Civilian production was suspended by April of 1942 while heavy-duty and aircraft models were produced until civilian production was resumed after the war.  The radio would have been dressed with a  gray-blue-black front panel and gunmetal gray wrinkle-finish cabinet, although this particular one has been repainted black. The white and red lettering was never added after re-painting. It’s also missing the outer ring and dial lock from the main tuning control. Inside, under the dirt, there is some rust and damage to the original cadmium plating, but it looks complete.

All three are good candidates for restoration. I plan to experiment with DC inverter power supplies for the TRF radios, and bring the Hallicrafters as close to possible to original as I can. External speakers were sold as accessories, and I’ve already got a PM23 speaker on the way. The Hallicrafters/Jensen Bass Reflex speaker (PM12) was also available in 1941. About 30-inches high, it could be used as a stand for the receiver — together making a stylish floor-mounted cabinet radio. The epitome of high-tech in 1941. PM12 speakers are quite rare today since relatively few were made, but a kind soul has published plans for a replica on the Web. There may just be a speaker cabinet project in my future.