Old Radios

here are some pictures from my radio collection. The list here is nowhere complete as I have many more which need to be cataloged and pictured in electronic form. Someday I hope to get that done... Erf, where is that round two-it?


Zenith model 6-D-539
This is a 1941 Zenith table model I picked up at a radio swap meet in Cincinnati. Its all original and is in working condition. I havn't done anything to restore it.

Back of radio barn
This is the back side of my radio barn. as the picture indicates, it was taken March of 2000.

Front of radio barn
This is what my radio barn looks like from the front. The construction of the building began in November 1993 and, after much problems and hassles with the contractor, was handed over to me in April 1994. I proceeded to wire, insulate and finish off the inside with the intentions of making a radio museum. So far, it has become nothing more than a huge warehouse full of radios, chassis tubes and parts.

Front of radio barn again
Another picture of the front. This picture was taken most likely in July of 1994 as I had just installed the two awnings over the doors to help keep rain from entering.

Beginning of my radio collection
This was the start of my collection. The top left radio chassis was given to me by a neighbor of my grandfather in 1979. It is a 1937 Zenith farm radio which needs a cabinet. The radio to the right of it is my grandfather's radio which I aquired August of 1981. It is a 1934 Zenith model 705. The large console is a 1942 Crosley Pre-War FM radio model 22-CA which was given to me by a friend of my mothers in September of 1981.

1942 Capehart
This picture shows what the interior of my radio barn looked like in August of 1994. I had just picked up the radio in front of me which is a Capehart Pre-War FM radio Panamuse model 21M-2fm. The unusual looking stack of radios to the right are four 1926 Zeniths stacked up. The bottom one with legs is a Super Zenith model 8 and the next two are model 7s. The one on top is a model 27 which is missing its cabinet. The 27 was Zenith's first radio to run on household AC power. The others run on batteries.

Yet another view of the barn
This picture was taken around Memorial day in 1994 and shows the barn without the awnings over the doors.

View along the north wall
This picture probably was taken in 1997 not long after I finished the shelf. The first four radios on the large shelf are 1936 Sparton models.

1935 Sparton
This radio is a recent aquisition purcased June 2004 from a close friend.

The back of the 1935 Sparton
Here is what the 1935 Sparton looks like inside. Unfortunatly, the speaker is not the original and will have to be replaced.

1937 Sparton
This is a 15 tube Sparton I bought at a radio swap meet in Elgin Illinois back in August 1992. This year was unique as Sparton used mirrored dials in their radios.

Late 1940 Stromberg Carlson
This Prewar FM radio was made just after the FCC finalized the FM band at 42-50 MHZ. The GE radio mentioned above was made earlier and tunes 37-44 MHZ.

A view of my workbench in the barn
Yes, it is a mess...I believe this picture was taken in 1998.

A few radios in my bedroom
This picture was taken in my bedroom long before the radio barn was ever built. Probably back in 1987. The two consoles are still in my collection, but the other 3 radios which are cutoff are no longer in my collection.

1933 Zenith
This radio is commonly called a cathedral style because of its rounded top. Its a model 210 Zenith. I bought it back in April 1989 at the Springfield, OH antique fleamarket.

1933 Zenith
This radio is a 12 tube 1933 Zenith. The 1933 line for Zenith is my favourite line as they had so many varied and unusual sets. Zenith was experimenting to find their niche in the radio market.

1932 Zenith
This radio was purchased from the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn Michigan when they had a radio auction back in October 1995. Its one of Zeniths first Superheterodyne models.

Another 1933 Zenith
This is one of my favourite radios! It is a 1933 Zenith model 619 and uses their best chassis and speaker system for 1933! It has 12 tubes and two 12 inch Jensen speakers. I had been looking for this radio or another with the same chassis/speakers for many years and finally found this one in December of 1996.


My oldest Zenith radio