No worries. I agree with some sets being left in an As-is state.

So, this is back to common capacitors and resistors being oh so special? I do not know where that got started, but it is good for,a laugh. As others have also suggested, the "precious" old parts may be placed in a bag or otherwise stored inside the radio. Even 100 years from.now, those old capacitors and resistors will be nothing special. There were too many made and there is too much information (advertising, photos, etc.) available. It seems that the radios with the speakers removed are more likely to be junked, as the parts are more likely to remain disassociated. Of course, these are not rare models, and each hobbyist may do what is fun, but any implication that the cast majority of people in this hobby (and business for a few) who do not keep the old capacitors and resistors are doing something wrong needs to stop. There may also be some sort of regional fad, as I do not know of anySCone in California who keeps the old parts.

I don't think anyone here is talking about saving old parts. It's about saving some radios in the untouched condition for aesthetic reasons and not for the value of it's parts.

Its not about individual components its about preserving the complete construction including the techniques and parts of entire radio sets. There is nothing wrong with recapping sets but in some cases it shouldn't be done. I have run across otherwise NOS radios for example. They should be left as is .. working or not. You should at least get the topic straight before unleashing your snarky attitude.

Steve

Hi, I just looked up on ebay what this Echo thing is all about- pretty cool. I am not good with all these new tech gadgets. But maybe someday I will get one. I would like to try a 3.5 mm jack install on one of my old radios, but I don't have a schematic diagram for that. I believe anything that keeps these old radios seen is a good thing- otherwise they will get put in the dumpster.

Joe

Here's the mental Schematic: If your input device has a jack for earbuds? You cut off the ear buds and combine L and R channels for a mono output to your mono radio, using 2 about 1K resistors, ends joined to form a Y.

The live side of the input is connected to the volume control, very simple. The outer sleeve of the earbud jack connects to the B- terminal or the chassis of the radio.
Then you mute the radio signal somehow or install the switch at the radio (RF) input to the volume control.

Search the top of the page here for 'Auxiliary input'.

A shielded cable works well, and one good cord is to find a good quality coax RCA extension cord for speakers, and cut off a length with the female RCA socket. The cable just hangs out from under the chassis if there is no hole for a jack.

[/quote]True enough. A functioning radio gets TLC, or at least safe storage. A dead radio in poor storage is on the downhill path to the dumpster.

I guess I was kind of naive and pulled a Sheldon missing the satire of the post. Of course this is sort of thing one expected back in the un-moderarted news group days. It's a little disappointing to have it show up in this forum.

It's just his opinion, everyone has one. I wouldn't let it bother me, life is too short. I was just at a radio meet in NH and most radios didn't sell, the market is way down as the number of collectors dwindles. So non permanent mods that get people to display old radios is a good thing, IMHO.

+1 I use the AMT3000 low power Tx, fed at AUX level from a CD player, a "modern" (semi-vintage now!) FM tuner, or a laptop.
I also used this method recently for a low power, "distributed" mic PA system at a multi-room reception... one AM radio in each room. Worked fine, also people liked the radios!
Cheers,
Roger

Here is my Zenith farm radio and the battery it runs off of. Yes, I need a new battery.

It was mentioned above but remember that FM is short-range only.
WWL AM near New Orleans provided the only broadcast information after hurricanes wiped out the local Alabama and Mississippi stations and main AC power.
The little battery radio still worked and WWL was there.
Whether it is the New Madrid Fault or the San Andreas Fault that lets go first, when the big power towers crossing the fault go down it will be the battery AM radio to provide the information we need.
Lets see ten 9-volt batteries in series will run a 5-tuber for five minutes every hour for how many hours?

I, too have an unrestored original radio; a NIB Sonora portable. Although I am an experienced tech and restorer, that one is staying in the box.

I can understand the desire to keep a radio " as-is". But to be honest, the value of the radio won't be affected whether its been electrically restored or not.

Its gotten to the point where we at the museum can't sell radios unless they come with some sort of auxiliary input device. Adding one can be done in a way that is non-invasive and easily reversible. I've been adding bluetooth modules to old radios for several years and the cost is low, as in $5-$10.

Personally, I'd think there is more risk of losing parts separated from the radio versus keeping it all intact. And IMHO, there's something nice about being able to use the set's original electronics and speaker to listen to music. Its to me, just not the same to stick a modern speaker in an old cabinet.

But assuming you didn't know exactly what speaker was in a -restored by someone else- table set, do you think you could tell any difference in audio between a new or original 4 or 5 inch speaker? I don't think I could.

Several of us like to keep all or some of our radios in the as found and unrestored condition. We may clean them up but won’t touch them with a soldering iron. The purpose of the post was simply show how I kept a few radios in the unrestored condition but still have them light up and play.

At one time restoring a radio to playing condition would have increased its value and lessen the chance of it ending up in a dumpster. With the declining content of the broadcast band and particularly the shortwave band I’m not sure this is true anymore. In the future it may be the unrestored radio that is less likely to end up in the dumpster.

I do enjoy restoring some radios to a playing condition but most of them I leave as found.

Not the point for me (and I am an avid "sound improver" via audio NFB, 1N34A diodes, etc.) It's about the provenance (if that's the word) of knowing that this actual radio received, for example, the news report of the Pearl Harbor attack and other great events.
Cheers,
Roger

"needs to stop" Not going to happen.

I was about to post a question if anyone "Cheated" on old radios by placing a small modern radio inside a vintage tube unit. I am thinking of doing that a radio waiting for restoration, like my Hallicrafters s-19R. The 19R is a mess, speaker completely destroyed, audio output transformer open, plus some has hacked the underside, chassis rust makes it needing total teardown for cleaning. It will get the restoration someday, but meanwhile a little cheat makes it interesting to visitors.. Especially if it a clear FM station. Of course as soon as a vistor turns a dial the game is up.

Years ago, a friend brought me a Bakelite Admiral radio from a trash heap. Rusted chassis, vitals missing. I gutted it, mounted the knobs on the front and hung an 8" speaker in it. When he dropped by, I had it playing FM, blew his mind.