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Old 21st Jan 2008, 4:15 pm   #41
Michael Maurice
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Default Re: Radiograms. Will they ever be wanted?

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I want one of these beasties - must be a goodun with all the gubbins in that one!

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Originally Posted by Brian R Pateman View Post
Me too - even if I have to move all the furniture out of the dining room to fit it into the house!

Regards,

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VERY nice! I want one! ianj
Better try and find a nice big boat then.
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Old 21st Jan 2008, 4:25 pm   #42
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Default Re: Radiograms. Will they ever be wanted?

They were built as an outright challenge to the component industry. There are two 50 watt per channel amplifiers, each providing 15 watts to the treble horns and 35 to the woofers with no crossovers, just tuning the system to make use of the natural rollovers of each driver.

There at least two of these belonging to members of my Yahoo Magnavox group, both in the French Provincial style. I'm holding out for the Ebony Danish Modern myself.

They actually sold pretty well, being introduced during the Camelot years. It and the two unit Imperial, along with the Stromberg Carlsons and Fisher Radio consoles offered performance that equalled compenents without the headaches of setting up and matching that components created.

I've got old sales literature for Stromberg Carlson, I just need to change it to a format this forum supports.

Happy Monday

Brock
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Old 21st Jan 2008, 6:57 pm   #43
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Default Re: Radiograms. Will they ever be wanted?

Hello Brock,

Are they easy to get hold of in the States? Are they worth much?

Over here, you can often get a nice-looking if rather basic pre-war one for virtually nothing on eBay. Posh ones are rarely worth much more than what their valves can be sold for.

Nick.

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Old 21st Jan 2008, 9:59 pm   #44
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Default Re: Radiograms. Will they ever be wanted?

Hi Nick

The problem with the bigger high quality consoles is that the word is out about them. They are being gutted for their electronics. That being said, checking the local classified ads like Craigslist and making the rounds of the estate and garage sales will pay off. By the time things hit Ebay here they have been researched and the sellers have a good idea of what the market will pay. Also, shipping in as large a country as the US is an expensive proposition. Radio jumble sales will also turn up some treasures.

Consoles are just coming into their own. The supply of tabletops is drying up and collectors are looking at consoles now. So it's definitly a market to watch.

www.antiqueradios.com is a good, comprehensive site to start at.

cheers

Brock
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Old 22nd Jan 2008, 12:07 am   #45
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Default Re: Radiograms. Will they ever be wanted?

I like the chineese style cabinet gram . funny how it looks 20 years older than it is is some ways
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Old 22nd Jan 2008, 1:54 pm   #46
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Default Re: Radiograms. Will they ever be wanted?

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I like the chineese style cabinet gram . funny how it looks 20 years older than it is is some ways
Thats part of Capeharts overall philosophy, making changes incrementally so that owners of the 1930's models could easily upgrade to the postwar improvements without tossing out the entire radio.

The introduction of the LP was a whole new ball game and in the end Farnsworth decided it was easier to drop the line than retool the Capehart turnover changer for long playing vinyl and then having to upgrade almost 20 years of past models at a loss.

Here's another capehart, but just the case in a sort of modernist/handcrafted style. The radio was removed for restoration. I'll add some pics of a big Zenith from 1938

enjoy

Brock
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Old 22nd Jan 2008, 3:19 pm   #47
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Default Re: Radiograms. Will they ever be wanted?

I know that Zenith radiograms were sold by Comets in the mid 1970s, but have never seen one--and I dont know if those were of a comparable quality to these............ianj
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Old 22nd Jan 2008, 6:59 pm   #48
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Default Re: Radiograms. Will they ever be wanted?

The quality of these earlier machines is impressive
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Old 22nd Jan 2008, 7:02 pm   #49
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Default Re: Radiograms. Will they ever be wanted?

Those are both absolutely incredible machines, I am envious to say the least!

That Capehart on the left wouldn't look out of place in today's furniture showrooms.

Nick.
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Old 22nd Jan 2008, 7:46 pm   #50
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Default Re: Radiograms. Will they ever be wanted?

The big American consoles of the 40s, 50s and early 60s are amazing things with no real European equivalent. A British radiogram will typically be an AA5 in a big box, maybe with push-pull output or stereo if you're lucky. The American designs have so many valves that it's difficult to imagine what they can all be doing. They often have 3 or 4 rectifiers because of the current drawn.

Even rich people in Britain couldn't afford those monsters when they were new. They would have cost more than a house.

Paul
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Old 22nd Jan 2008, 7:55 pm   #51
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Default Re: Radiograms. Will they ever be wanted?

I suppose the 1930s E.H. Scott "Quaranta" must be the ultimate home entertainment system , Only in America......

Regards, Mick.
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Old 23rd Jan 2008, 9:41 am   #52
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Default Re: Radiograms. Will they ever be wanted?

that is a monster , surely it would stack in a cabinet ? Love to hear the thing going
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Old 23rd Jan 2008, 9:51 am   #53
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Default Re: Radiograms. Will they ever be wanted?

Wow! I'd like to see the circuit diagram of this beastie.

As for restoration, you would either have to start when you were in your teens (or give it to Howard and Ron to do ).

Want one!
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Old 23rd Jan 2008, 12:36 pm   #54
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Default Re: Radiograms. Will they ever be wanted?

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Originally Posted by paulsherwin View Post
The big American consoles of the 40s, 50s and early 60s are amazing things with no real European equivalent. A British radiogram will typically be an AA5 in a big box, maybe with push-pull output or stereo if you're lucky. The American designs have so many valves that it's difficult to imagine what they can all be doing. They often have 3 or 4 rectifiers because of the current drawn.

Even rich people in Britain couldn't afford those monsters when they were new. They would have cost more than a house.

Paul
I'm not totaly sure about that. Most American consoles were pretty prosaic and only the upper ranges by certain brands could be truly considered hi-fi.
In addition I'm here because I'm really impressed with the likes of HVM, Decca, Dynatron, and RGD. The triple unit RGD would surely be the equal of any American system.

Most of all, your big radiograms kept their short and longwave bands while American coldwar paranoia led most makers to drop it and have am broadcast and fm only. At one point some states, Texas for one, required you to register your shortwave reciever!

Brock
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Old 23rd Jan 2008, 1:13 pm   #55
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Default Re: Radiograms. Will they ever be wanted?

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that is a monster , surely it would stack in a cabinet ? Love to hear the thing going

Here's a link to a pic of Norman Braithwaits 48 tube Quaranta, the only known completely intact survivor.

The thing to remember is the Quarantas were not production models, but all out custom statements of what could be achieved. Only 4 were known to have been built. One was actually found, chassis alone, in a radio jumble!

In that aspect, there are far more Capeharts, U-series RCA, 12 and 16 tube Zeniths, and postwar Magnavoxes about.

So, anyplace where I can learn more about HMV and RGD? Any books that might help?

Brock

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Old 23rd Jan 2008, 1:14 pm   #56
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Default Re: Radiograms. Will they ever be wanted?

OOOPS

Link

http://www.antiqueradio.com/bkrev1_02-03.html

B
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Old 23rd Jan 2008, 1:36 pm   #57
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Default Re: Radiograms. Will they ever be wanted?

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I'm not totaly sure about that. Most American consoles were pretty prosaic and only the upper ranges by certain brands could be truly considered hi-fi.
In addition I'm here because I'm really impressed with the likes of HVM, Decca, Dynatron, and RGD. The triple unit RGD would surely be the equal of any American system.
The late 30s and late 40s RGDs are the nearest to the US consoles but the circuitry is pretty restrained by comparison

I'm not suggesting that the massive American consoles were, or sounded, better than the top of the range European equivalents (I've never heard one) but as engineering feats they are unparalleled. The quality of construction of the cabinets is also pretty astounding.

Of course, we are discussing the most elaborate and expensive American consoles here. Few Americans would have been able to afford them either.

It's important to remember that the US was significantly wealthier per head of population than anywhere else in the world throughout the 20th century and remains so today. The level of car ownership in Britain only reached the American levels of the late 20s in the mid 60s

Paul
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Old 23rd Jan 2008, 5:30 pm   #58
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Default Re: Radiograms. Will they ever be wanted?

I pesonally only go for pre-war radiograms, but then I only go for pre-war radios as well. Personally I don't find post-war radiograms anything like as attractive, and they are of no interest to me, but I have a few pre-war models, one of which seems to be a rather rare Faraday from circa 1930/1. Of course the Mastergram has to be my personal favourite, made in 1937 and comprising of a radio, gramophone and television receiver!

So, to summarise, for me, only pre-war radiograms.
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Old 23rd Jan 2008, 8:03 pm   #59
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Default Re: Radiograms. Will they ever be wanted?

After reading about Dynatron and Keates-Hacker along with Marconi/HMV and RGD, I'm of the same opinion. Tho I own a big Magnavox, I'm intrigued by the way pre-war engineers came up with solutions to provide the most fidelity from very limited source material, namely 78 rpm recordings and broadcast radio. Loudness compensation, scratch filters, dynamic range expanders were all developed to make the most of records and am. Especially after David Sarnoff paraded a bunch of his RCA engineers out to pronounce FM radio to be "impossible".

It's wanting to listen to my folks extensive collection of 78's that led me down this path in the first place. Mom has her big Fisher, but like all "modern" hi-fidelity, it's range is too high and you get alot of hiss and noise that normally would go unheard.

So again, any good resources on those pre-war radiograms?

Cheers

Brock
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Old 23rd Jan 2008, 8:11 pm   #60
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Default Re: Radiograms. Will they ever be wanted?

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So again, any good resources on those pre-war radiograms?
Download this interesting little booklet by the late Geoffrey Dixon-Nuttall, which I scanned and Paul put on his superb Yahoo site: http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/MEuJRkC...er%20Radio.pdf

EDIT... Seems this link is now dead. Send me a PM with your e-mail address and I'll forward it to you.
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