Help Finding a WWII ERA or before radio

[cmjordan77]

Hi,
I am trying to build myself a WWII Office/bedroom.
I need a good WWII Era radio.
I need to try and find one that works, and one that is in that era or before.
Can someone please help me with what good manufacturer's to look out for, models, and how to tell what is 1945 or before?

Thank you to all!
If anyone has one at a decent price, please let me know.

Also, if anyone has any WWII Office stuff, please let me know too.

Thank you again
Chad

 

[LizzieMaine]

Well, no civilian radios were made between 1943 and 1945 due to the war, so in practicality what you're looking for would be 1942 or earlier. For an office setting, probably you're thinking of a small table model of the sort popular from 1935-42 -- these are still quite easy to find and reasonably affordable. RCA Victor, Philco, Crosley and Emerson all made nice wood-cabinet table sets during this era, and they're fairly simple in circuitry and easy to repair. If you want to go fancier, and have a big bankroll, the colorful bakelite and catalin radios are out there as well -- but they tend to be*very* expensive and are no better performers than the ordinary wooden sets.

Once you've looked at enough radios you'll be able to distinguish prewar and postwar styling at a glance -- the prewar sets have a more "thirties" look, and will sometimes feature shortwave bands as well as the standard broadcast band, where the postwar models tend to have a more spare "fifties-like" styling and will rarely feature shortwave. Any set with the 88-108 mc FM band is postwar. Prewar sets nearly always use standard-size or metal tubes, where postwar models often feature miniature tubes.

It's a good idea to have any radio properly serviced before using it -- especially a small table radio. The circuit of most of these sets is such that it's very easy to get a lethal shock if you're not careful. It's also a good idea to have all paper capacitors in the set replaced before using it -- otherwise, one could short out at any time, possibly destroying other components, and possibly causing a fire.

You might also take a look at the "My Vintage Radio Collection" thread in the Display Case for further hints on what's available!

 

[Flivver]

You might also consider looking for what is known as a communications receiver from the immediate pre-war era. These are receivers that would have been used by ham radio operators or avid short wave listeners.

They are generally table models in metal cabinets with either a built-in or separate loudspeaker. They are usually painted in a grey or black crackle finish and have a rather military look.

Brands to look for would include Hallicrafters, Hammarlund and National. Of these, the sets made by Hallicrafters tend to be the most common and reasonably priced.

A good inexpensive communications receiver would be the Hallicrafters S-20 Sky Champion. Their top-of-the-line in 1941 was the SX-28 Super Skyrider...a beautiful receiver that even boasts high fidelity audio.

This is a good site with Hallicrafters history/photos:

+http://www.qsl.net/la5ki/links.htm

And, after you've found the right radio, please heed LizzieMaine's advice on proper servicing before you use it.

 

[dhermann1]

Radio Attic

Here's a link to a good source. It's sort of a clearing house for hobbyists to sell their restored sets. I've gotten a good radio from one of these vendors.
www.radioattic.com
Just page through the offerings of all these guys, and you'll start to get a feel for what's available, and what reasonable prices are.

 

[dhermann1]

And by the way, if you want to listen to vintage WW II radio shows on that vintage radio, you can get a gizmo called the AMT3000 AM transmitter, made by SSTran. I've mentioned it here countless times, and several Loungers own one. You hook it up to any input device (CD player, internet radio, etc.) and it transmits an AM signal just a few hundred feet. Tune your radio to that frequency, and bingo you can hear "Ladies and gentleman, Pearl Harbor has been bombed", just as if were 1941 again.