OK, who stares at their newly restored set?

[Kevin Hoyland]

Hello.
Yes i do it all the time.
Regardss Kev.

[Boom]

Yes, just the light from a radio in a dark room, some 1920s jazz and a pint. Extremely therapeutic.

I can sit there for hours like this wiping a duster across the cabinet polishing it away to nothing.

[womer_uk]

I certainly do stare at mine !, and have all my sets I've done on regularly.

(though I only have four done, with two to do)

Nice to have the living room ones on, (I have one which you can see from whichever chair you're sitting in) with just a 15w pygmy on, or just the light from the lamps from the radios themselves.

I usually feed old radio programmes from the 60s and 70s either from a gram connection, via a CD MP3 player, or a cheap FM modulator (all my RX's are late 50s early 60s large German sets)

Got the last three hours of Radio Luxembourg 208 on ATM, which closed down on 30th Dec 1991, which was a history of the station, interviewing all the old announcers etc.

I also put through complete programmes of Radio Caroline from the days after the MOA, and all those dreadful Major Minor payola singles.

People do half look at the radios when the old news broadcasts air on them.

I also have one in the bedroom, A big Graetz Melodia 501 from 1957 which I listen to before I drop off with the lights off, listening to France Bleue on 846 or Radio 5 Nostalgia 747 (which plays 40's to 70's music non stop from 2300 - 0500)

Many times I've been woken up by the Dutch National Anthem at bang on 5 O'Clock !!.

[gavinhall]

From my present position in my living room I can see an Ekco A22 on the window sill, Dansette RG31 in the corner on legs (I love these two), a Dansette 222 in red to match the RG31 and a Pam FM/AM transistor set on the coffee table. I look at them every day and enjoy the experience somewhat. On the go at the moment is a wartime utility set, Marconi 264a and the Bush SSW33. One of these will make it into the living room as a temporary display but the utility set has a reserved space in the dining room. The Bush may end up in the kitchen to replace a Ferguson 50's set although it will need an aerial. I love to see them lit up along with a 60's one arm bandit which looks fantastic with all it's colours.

Sorry, rambling again.

[Phil G4SPZ]

Originally Posted by Boom

Yes, just the light from a radio in a dark room, some 1920s jazz and a pint. Extremely therapeutic.

Ah yes. Wonderful, simple pleasures. The only thing missing is the smell of warm dust. We cleaned all the dust out when we restored the radio, didn't we?!

[crackle]

I tend to gaze at them and imagine the sets being used when they were probably the main source of entertainment in the home. I also think of the news they may have given during the war etc.
I marvel at the technology and the sound quality of the day and love to show them to my 19 year old son.
Mike

[Big Band Heaven]

Yes, and I thought it was just me. Here are some pics of a set I have been staring at a lot recently. Its restored but still has an intermittant fault which I hope to find someone to help me with. This is an american radiola 28 from 1927. The 7 mirror finish tubes in this set are UX199s. The radio set feeds into an amplifier in the main radiogram and plays through a 6" cone speaker. The whole radio is in a swivelling drawer which is stored in the vertical position but when in use must be horizontal - according to the operating instructions.

The tuning is through two independantly moving drums, there is filament voltage control, volume control and also a jack for headphones.

2012 is going to be the year I get this project finished