I didn't want to bring up the forum polarizer again, but I do kind of want to explain some of my opinions so that maybe some of you will realize that they aren't due to just obsessive compulsive perfectionism or something.

To be brief, because I could go into great detail on this, there is a whole experience to owning an antique radio, and it can get ruined by even the smallest details. I'm not sure if it's memories of my grandparents, or childhood, or I don't know what. I do know that my grandparents painted a rather rosy picture of the past. There are some VERY good things from the past that are being lost, and there are also some reasons why I'd never want to live back then. However, there are these little things like the romanticised images I painted in my head of old cabins and such, that we looked at and went to when I was a kid. Naturally I focussed more on the electrical aspect. They had old outlets and switches with the most amazing and different designs. The rest of the experience was interesting, too, of course, such as being up in the woods with only nature and quiet, and the smells of trees and such. However, I was typically drawn to electro-mechanical things, such as outlets, switches, toilets, and sinks. It absolutely tears me apart when I see a beautiful old untouched house suddenly have all of its windows, fixtures, and such, ripped out. Disgusting!

...Back to my story....
Then there's the old gymnasium at the Milwaukee Archdiocese that was practically untouched when we used to go to it. It had (and probably still has) a bowling alley in the basement that we'd use. The gymnasium was all wood, with a fully exposed wooden ceiling, and hanging lights with the typical green metal shade. All of the toilets, drinking fountains, you name it, were unchanged since 1929. The place had the most awesome red globe exit signs that had this deep red transparent glow to them. Then there was the upstairs office with the old wooden door with the glass window, and this smell of wood and oldness when you opened the door, and the cool wooden desk inside. It was AWESOME! There were these 1920s intercom phones that still worked! Later in life I found one in a junk heap and restored it. Now it works in my parents' basement, and always reminds me of the gymnasium. I have seen some changes (such as new doors) to the exterior of the building, and I am afraid that other things like those awesome exit signs got changed in an effort to 'modernize,' even if modernization wasn't really necessary.

I can't tell you the experience of walking into that gymnasium. It isn't scarry or haunting or any of the stupid things that others say. It's just the feeling of pure awesomeness.

Another electrical experience was with the Star-Rite fan that my grandfather gave me. It ran in his basement all of my life. My grandparents never had air conditioning, and so they'd go to the basement in the hot summer. There'd be the old fan buzzing away. I was fascinated by the mechanical wonder. My grandparents wouldn't let me go near it, though. Later, when I was in my mid-teens, my grandfather gave it to me, covered in years of dirt and oldness. I cleaned and rewired it with a new cloth cord, and polished the blades. It's amazing, and I still use it every summer. There's something thrilling about it.

My grandfather and I would light light bulbs and all sorts of stuff on his workbench, and he had old radio plugs and switches and knobs with cool designs. He taught me that you could connect 120 volt wires without insulating them, and the electricity wouldn't jump out and bite you. He taught me how to respect and responsibly use electricity. ...Tales of the farmer who told him that he could have a model T if he could just get it working (coils). How to properly crank it over without breaking your wrist. ..Stuff like that...

That's why I have to have all original looking components in my radios and cloth cords and original plugs and all. Not having this takes away from the entire experience of opening up this mysteriously amazing and beautiful piece of history. In any case, all of those beautiful colorful logos and designs are more attractive, anyway.
Since most of you probably lived through it first hand, it probably isn't any wonder to you, but it's a hell of a wonder to me, and to people my age who are lucky enough to be exposed to it in the right way.
T.

:I didn't want to bring up the forum polarizer again, but I do kind of want to explain some of my opinions so that maybe some of you will realize that they aren't due to just obsessive compulsive perfectionism or something.
:
:To be brief, because I could go into great detail on this, there is a whole experience to owning an antique radio, and it can get ruined by even the smallest details. I'm not sure if it's memories of my grandparents, or childhood, or I don't know what. I do know that my grandparents painted a rather rosy picture of the past. There are some VERY good things from the past that are being lost, and there are also some reasons why I'd never want to live back then. However, there are these little things like the romanticised images I painted in my head of old cabins and such, that we looked at and went to when I was a kid. Naturally I focussed more on the electrical aspect. They had old outlets and switches with the most amazing and different designs. The rest of the experience was interesting, too, of course, such as being up in the woods with only nature and quiet, and the smells of trees and such. However, I was typically drawn to electro-mechanical things, such as outlets, switches, toilets, and sinks. It absolutely tears me apart when I see a beautiful old untouched house suddenly have all of its windows, fixtures, and such, ripped out. Disgusting!
:
:...Back to my story....
:Then there's the old gymnasium at the Milwaukee Archdiocese that was practically untouched when we used to go to it. It had (and probably still has) a bowling alley in the basement that we'd use. The gymnasium was all wood, with a fully exposed wooden ceiling, and hanging lights with the typical green metal shade. All of the toilets, drinking fountains, you name it, were unchanged since 1929. The place had the most awesome red globe exit signs that had this deep red transparent glow to them. Then there was the upstairs office with the old wooden door with the glass window, and this smell of wood and oldness when you opened the door, and the cool wooden desk inside. It was AWESOME! There were these 1920s intercom phones that still worked! Later in life I found one in a junk heap and restored it. Now it works in my parents' basement, and always reminds me of the gymnasium. I have seen some changes (such as new doors) to the exterior of the building, and I am afraid that other things like those awesome exit signs got changed in an effort to 'modernize,' even if modernization wasn't really necessary.
:
:I can't tell you the experience of walking into that gymnasium. It isn't scarry or haunting or any of the stupid things that others say. It's just the feeling of pure awesomeness.
:
:Another electrical experience was with the Star-Rite fan that my grandfather gave me. It ran in his basement all of my life. My grandparents never had air conditioning, and so they'd go to the basement in the hot summer. There'd be the old fan buzzing away. I was fascinated by the mechanical wonder. My grandparents wouldn't let me go near it, though. Later, when I was in my mid-teens, my grandfather gave it to me, covered in years of dirt and oldness. I cleaned and rewired it with a new cloth cord, and polished the blades. It's amazing, and I still use it every summer. There's something thrilling about it.
:
:My grandfather and I would light light bulbs and all sorts of stuff on his workbench, and he had old radio plugs and switches and knobs with cool designs. He taught me that you could connect 120 volt wires without insulating them, and the electricity wouldn't jump out and bite you. He taught me how to respect and responsibly use electricity. ...Tales of the farmer who told him that he could have a model T if he could just get it working (coils). How to properly crank it over without breaking your wrist. ..Stuff like that...
:
:That's why I have to have all original looking components in my radios and cloth cords and original plugs and all. Not having this takes away from the entire experience of opening up this mysteriously amazing and beautiful piece of history. In any case, all of those beautiful colorful logos and designs are more attractive, anyway.
: Since most of you probably lived through it first hand, it probably isn't any wonder to you, but it's a hell of a wonder to me, and to people my age who are lucky enough to be exposed to it in the right way.
:T.

::I didn't want to bring up the forum polarizer again, but I do kind of want to explain some of my opinions so that maybe some of you will realize that they aren't due to just obsessive compulsive perfectionism or something.
::
::To be brief, because I could go into great detail on this, there is a whole experience to owning an antique radio, and it can get ruined by even the smallest details. I'm not sure if it's memories of my grandparents, or childhood, or I don't know what. I do know that my grandparents painted a rather rosy picture of the past. There are some VERY good things from the past that are being lost, and there are also some reasons why I'd never want to live back then. However, there are these little things like the romanticised images I painted in my head of old cabins and such, that we looked at and went to when I was a kid. Naturally I focussed more on the electrical aspect. They had old outlets and switches with the most amazing and different designs. The rest of the experience was interesting, too, of course, such as being up in the woods with only nature and quiet, and the smells of trees and such. However, I was typically drawn to electro-mechanical things, such as outlets, switches, toilets, and sinks. It absolutely tears me apart when I see a beautiful old untouched house suddenly have all of its windows, fixtures, and such, ripped out. Disgusting!
::
::...Back to my story....
::Then there's the old gymnasium at the Milwaukee Archdiocese that was practically untouched when we used to go to it. It had (and probably still has) a bowling alley in the basement that we'd use. The gymnasium was all wood, with a fully exposed wooden ceiling, and hanging lights with the typical green metal shade. All of the toilets, drinking fountains, you name it, were unchanged since 1929. The place had the most awesome red globe exit signs that had this deep red transparent glow to them. Then there was the upstairs office with the old wooden door with the glass window, and this smell of wood and oldness when you opened the door, and the cool wooden desk inside. It was AWESOME! There were these 1920s intercom phones that still worked! Later in life I found one in a junk heap and restored it. Now it works in my parents' basement, and always reminds me of the gymnasium. I have seen some changes (such as new doors) to the exterior of the building, and I am afraid that other things like those awesome exit signs got changed in an effort to 'modernize,' even if modernization wasn't really necessary.
::
::I can't tell you the experience of walking into that gymnasium. It isn't scarry or haunting or any of the stupid things that others say. It's just the feeling of pure awesomeness.
::
::Another electrical experience was with the Star-Rite fan that my grandfather gave me. It ran in his basement all of my life. My grandparents never had air conditioning, and so they'd go to the basement in the hot summer. There'd be the old fan buzzing away. I was fascinated by the mechanical wonder. My grandparents wouldn't let me go near it, though. Later, when I was in my mid-teens, my grandfather gave it to me, covered in years of dirt and oldness. I cleaned and rewired it with a new cloth cord, and polished the blades. It's amazing, and I still use it every summer. There's something thrilling about it.
::
::My grandfather and I would light light bulbs and all sorts of stuff on his workbench, and he had old radio plugs and switches and knobs with cool designs. He taught me that you could connect 120 volt wires without insulating them, and the electricity wouldn't jump out and bite you. He taught me how to respect and responsibly use electricity. ...Tales of the farmer who told him that he could have a model T if he could just get it working (coils). How to properly crank it over without breaking your wrist. ..Stuff like that...
::
::That's why I have to have all original looking components in my radios and cloth cords and original plugs and all. Not having this takes away from the entire experience of opening up this mysteriously amazing and beautiful piece of history. In any case, all of those beautiful colorful logos and designs are more attractive, anyway.
:: Since most of you probably lived through it first hand, it probably isn't any wonder to you, but it's a hell of a wonder to me, and to people my age who are lucky enough to be exposed to it in the right way.
::T. Very interesting Tom. You remind me of my early childhood when we listen to the Grand Ole Opry on a Meck farm radio that used that big battery. We we limited to not much playing it due to running battery down

:::I didn't want to bring up the forum polarizer again, but I do kind of want to explain some of my opinions so that maybe some of you will realize that they aren't due to just obsessive compulsive perfectionism or something.
:::
:::To be brief, because I could go into great detail on this, there is a whole experience to owning an antique radio, and it can get ruined by even the smallest details. I'm not sure if it's memories of my grandparents, or childhood, or I don't know what. I do know that my grandparents painted a rather rosy picture of the past. There are some VERY good things from the past that are being lost, and there are also some reasons why I'd never want to live back then. However, there are these little things like the romanticised images I painted in my head of old cabins and such, that we looked at and went to when I was a kid. Naturally I focussed more on the electrical aspect. They had old outlets and switches with the most amazing and different designs. The rest of the experience was interesting, too, of course, such as being up in the woods with only nature and quiet, and the smells of trees and such. However, I was typically drawn to electro-mechanical things, such as outlets, switches, toilets, and sinks. It absolutely tears me apart when I see a beautiful old untouched house suddenly have all of its windows, fixtures, and such, ripped out. Disgusting!
:::
:::...Back to my story....
:::Then there's the old gymnasium at the Milwaukee Archdiocese that was practically untouched when we used to go to it. It had (and probably still has) a bowling alley in the basement that we'd use. The gymnasium was all wood, with a fully exposed wooden ceiling, and hanging lights with the typical green metal shade. All of the toilets, drinking fountains, you name it, were unchanged since 1929. The place had the most awesome red globe exit signs that had this deep red transparent glow to them. Then there was the upstairs office with the old wooden door with the glass window, and this smell of wood and oldness when you opened the door, and the cool wooden desk inside. It was AWESOME! There were these 1920s intercom phones that still worked! Later in life I found one in a junk heap and restored it. Now it works in my parents' basement, and always reminds me of the gymnasium. I have seen some changes (such as new doors) to the exterior of the building, and I am afraid that other things like those awesome exit signs got changed in an effort to 'modernize,' even if modernization wasn't really necessary.
:::
:::I can't tell you the experience of walking into that gymnasium. It isn't scarry or haunting or any of the stupid things that others say. It's just the feeling of pure awesomeness.
:::
:::Another electrical experience was with the Star-Rite fan that my grandfather gave me. It ran in his basement all of my life. My grandparents never had air conditioning, and so they'd go to the basement in the hot summer. There'd be the old fan buzzing away. I was fascinated by the mechanical wonder. My grandparents wouldn't let me go near it, though. Later, when I was in my mid-teens, my grandfather gave it to me, covered in years of dirt and oldness. I cleaned and rewired it with a new cloth cord, and polished the blades. It's amazing, and I still use it every summer. There's something thrilling about it.
:::
:::My grandfather and I would light light bulbs and all sorts of stuff on his workbench, and he had old radio plugs and switches and knobs with cool designs. He taught me that you could connect 120 volt wires without insulating them, and the electricity wouldn't jump out and bite you. He taught me how to respect and responsibly use electricity. ...Tales of the farmer who told him that he could have a model T if he could just get it working (coils). How to properly crank it over without breaking your wrist. ..Stuff like that...
:::
:::That's why I have to have all original looking components in my radios and cloth cords and original plugs and all. Not having this takes away from the entire experience of opening up this mysteriously amazing and beautiful piece of history. In any case, all of those beautiful colorful logos and designs are more attractive, anyway.
::: Since most of you probably lived through it first hand, it probably isn't any wonder to you, but it's a hell of a wonder to me, and to people my age who are lucky enough to be exposed to it in the right way.
:::T. Very interesting Tom. You remind me of my early childhood when we listen to the Grand Ole Opry on a Meck farm radio that used that big battery. We we limited to not much playing it due to running battery down.

You've triggered all sorts of memories - but the one that came immediately to mind was when my company was contracted to put a dc remote for a 2-way radio in a small hydro generating station - when I walked in the door I'll never forget seeing the gleaming hardwood floors and the two belt driven generators - putting out a half kilowatt each I think - that had been continuously running since 1894 - with a man making hourly checks 24 hrs a day - of the myriad of meters large and small - and the unforgettable low whirring sound of those generators.- and the roar of the waterfall outside - I did a brief search for pictures of that room - came up empty - but found this instead - http://www.bracebridgeexaminer.com/muskokanews/article/107530

I guess everything must come to an end - I wonder what will happen to the old generators when they are removed - too bad.

Steve

::::I didn't want to bring up the forum polarizer again, but I do kind of want to explain some of my opinions so that maybe some of you will realize that they aren't due to just obsessive compulsive perfectionism or something.
::::
::::To be brief, because I could go into great detail on this, there is a whole experience to owning an antique radio, and it can get ruined by even the smallest details. I'm not sure if it's memories of my grandparents, or childhood, or I don't know what. I do know that my grandparents painted a rather rosy picture of the past. There are some VERY good things from the past that are being lost, and there are also some reasons why I'd never want to live back then. However, there are these little things like the romanticised images I painted in my head of old cabins and such, that we looked at and went to when I was a kid. Naturally I focussed more on the electrical aspect. They had old outlets and switches with the most amazing and different designs. The rest of the experience was interesting, too, of course, such as being up in the woods with only nature and quiet, and the smells of trees and such. However, I was typically drawn to electro-mechanical things, such as outlets, switches, toilets, and sinks. It absolutely tears me apart when I see a beautiful old untouched house suddenly have all of its windows, fixtures, and such, ripped out. Disgusting!
::::
::::...Back to my story....
::::Then there's the old gymnasium at the Milwaukee Archdiocese that was practically untouched when we used to go to it. It had (and probably still has) a bowling alley in the basement that we'd use. The gymnasium was all wood, with a fully exposed wooden ceiling, and hanging lights with the typical green metal shade. All of the toilets, drinking fountains, you name it, were unchanged since 1929. The place had the most awesome red globe exit signs that had this deep red transparent glow to them. Then there was the upstairs office with the old wooden door with the glass window, and this smell of wood and oldness when you opened the door, and the cool wooden desk inside. It was AWESOME! There were these 1920s intercom phones that still worked! Later in life I found one in a junk heap and restored it. Now it works in my parents' basement, and always reminds me of the gymnasium. I have seen some changes (such as new doors) to the exterior of the building, and I am afraid that other things like those awesome exit signs got changed in an effort to 'modernize,' even if modernization wasn't really necessary.
::::
::::I can't tell you the experience of walking into that gymnasium. It isn't scarry or haunting or any of the stupid things that others say. It's just the feeling of pure awesomeness.
::::
::::Another electrical experience was with the Star-Rite fan that my grandfather gave me. It ran in his basement all of my life. My grandparents never had air conditioning, and so they'd go to the basement in the hot summer. There'd be the old fan buzzing away. I was fascinated by the mechanical wonder. My grandparents wouldn't let me go near it, though. Later, when I was in my mid-teens, my grandfather gave it to me, covered in years of dirt and oldness. I cleaned and rewired it with a new cloth cord, and polished the blades. It's amazing, and I still use it every summer. There's something thrilling about it.
::::
::::My grandfather and I would light light bulbs and all sorts of stuff on his workbench, and he had old radio plugs and switches and knobs with cool designs. He taught me that you could connect 120 volt wires without insulating them, and the electricity wouldn't jump out and bite you. He taught me how to respect and responsibly use electricity. ...Tales of the farmer who told him that he could have a model T if he could just get it working (coils). How to properly crank it over without breaking your wrist. ..Stuff like that...
::::
::::That's why I have to have all original looking components in my radios and cloth cords and original plugs and all. Not having this takes away from the entire experience of opening up this mysteriously amazing and beautiful piece of history. In any case, all of those beautiful colorful logos and designs are more attractive, anyway.
:::: Since most of you probably lived through it first hand, it probably isn't any wonder to you, but it's a hell of a wonder to me, and to people my age who are lucky enough to be exposed to it in the right way.
::::T. Very interesting Tom. You remind me of my early childhood when we listen to the Grand Ole Opry on a Meck farm radio that used that big battery. We we limited to not much playing it due to running battery down.
:
:
:You've triggered all sorts of memories - but the one that came immediately to mind was when my company was contracted to put a dc remote for a 2-way radio in a small hydro generating station - when I walked in the door I'll never forget seeing the gleaming hardwood floors and the two belt driven generators - putting out a half kilowatt each I think - that had been continuously running since 1894 - with a man making hourly checks 24 hrs a day - of the myriad of meters large and small - and the unforgettable low whirring sound of those generators.- and the roar of the waterfall outside - I did a brief search for pictures of that room - came up empty - but found this instead - http://www.bracebridgeexaminer.com/muskokanews/article/107530
:
:I guess everything must come to an end - I wonder what will happen to the old generators when they are removed - too bad.
:
:
:Steve

Ha HA - just read my own post - "half kilowatt" - that wouldn't impress anybody would it - couldn't even power a hairdryer - I meant half megawatt.

Steve

Interesting. Sounds like they're going to try to keep the building original or something. Old motors and generators are always better, though. There was a bit more thought put into their looks, as well as their function.

I used to work at Select Sound Service in downtown Milwaukee, and they had this huge motor-generator in the dark basement that was used to convert AC to DC for the elevator. They replaced it with a solid state rectifier in the 1950s, upstairs, but the motor could still be run should the rectifier ever fail, and it was awesome to see running!

T.

:Interesting. Sounds like they're going to try to keep the building original or something. Old motors and generators are always better, though. There was a bit more thought put into their looks, as well as their function.
:
:I used to work at Select Sound Service in downtown Milwaukee, and they had this huge motor-generator in the dark basement that was used to convert AC to DC for the elevator. They replaced it with a solid state rectifier in the 1950s, upstairs, but the motor could still be run should the rectifier ever fail, and it was awesome to see running!
:
:T.

Hey Tom. I am with you all the way. Your story brought back all those memories from my childhood. I also am from the Milwaukee area. My father had a radio & TV service and sales business in the 1950s that operated out of our house. We had a radio in every room of the house. My grandfather in his 90s lived with us and would often be found sitting next to the Philco console in the evening while my grandmother watched the big TV console with the little 12" round screen. Now that I am 63 and semi retired I have a renewed interest in old radios. My father died when I was 17 so I try to remember some of the technical things from when I helped him fix an old radio or TV. Reading posts on this forum helps spark some of those memories and I am slowly increasing my electronics ability. Thanks to all you radio veterans.
Bob

::Interesting. Sounds like they're going to try to keep the building original or something. Old motors and generators are always better, though. There was a bit more thought put into their looks, as well as their function.
::
::I used to work at Select Sound Service in downtown Milwaukee, and they had this huge motor-generator in the dark basement that was used to convert AC to DC for the elevator. They replaced it with a solid state rectifier in the 1950s, upstairs, but the motor could still be run should the rectifier ever fail, and it was awesome to see running!
::
::T.
:
: Hey Tom. I am with you all the way. Your story brought back all those memories from my childhood. I also am from the Milwaukee area. My father had a radio & TV service and sales business in the 1950s that operated out of our house. We had a radio in every room of the house. My grandfather in his 90s lived with us and would often be found sitting next to the Philco console in the evening while my grandmother watched the big TV console with the little 12" round screen. Now that I am 63 and semi retired I have a renewed interest in old radios. My father died when I was 17 so I try to remember some of the technical things from when I helped him fix an old radio or TV. Reading posts on this forum helps spark some of those memories and I am slowly increasing my electronics ability. Thanks to all you radio veterans.
:Bob

When i worked for AT&T we had generators for 24, 48, and 130 Volts. They slowly replaced them with solid state, but kept the gens for emergency use. We ran them about once a month, and it was really intersesting to hear the way the office sounded in the "old days."
Lewis
:

:::Interesting. Sounds like they're going to try to keep the building original or something. Old motors and generators are always better, though. There was a bit more thought put into their looks, as well as their function.
:::
:::I used to work at Select Sound Service in downtown Milwaukee, and they had this huge motor-generator in the dark basement that was used to convert AC to DC for the elevator. They replaced it with a solid state rectifier in the 1950s, upstairs, but the motor could still be run should the rectifier ever fail, and it was awesome to see running!
:::
:::T.
::
:: Hey Tom. I am with you all the way. Your story brought back all those memories from my childhood. I also am from the Milwaukee area. My father had a radio & TV service and sales business in the 1950s that operated out of our house. We had a radio in every room of the house. My grandfather in his 90s lived with us and would often be found sitting next to the Philco console in the evening while my grandmother watched the big TV console with the little 12" round screen. Now that I am 63 and semi retired I have a renewed interest in old radios. My father died when I was 17 so I try to remember some of the technical things from when I helped him fix an old radio or TV. Reading posts on this forum helps spark some of those memories and I am slowly increasing my electronics ability. Thanks to all you radio veterans.
::Bob
:
:
:When i worked for AT&T we had generators for 24, 48, and 130 Volts. They slowly replaced them with solid state, but kept the gens for emergency use. We ran them about once a month, and it was really intersesting to hear the way the office sounded in the "old days."
:Lewis
::

Heavens! there is NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING, like the sound of a step-by-step dial plant during busy hours. nothing sadder that the last clunk when the stepper is cut over to ESS, either. I won't even begin to mention the sound of a large Panel Office...

::::Interesting. Sounds like they're going to try to keep the building original or something. Old motors and generators are always better, though. There was a bit more thought put into their looks, as well as their function.
::::
::::I used to work at Select Sound Service in downtown Milwaukee, and they had this huge motor-generator in the dark basement that was used to convert AC to DC for the elevator. They replaced it with a solid state rectifier in the 1950s, upstairs, but the motor could still be run should the rectifier ever fail, and it was awesome to see running!
::::
::::T.
:::
::: Hey Tom. I am with you all the way. Your story brought back all those memories from my childhood. I also am from the Milwaukee area. My father had a radio & TV service and sales business in the 1950s that operated out of our house. We had a radio in every room of the house. My grandfather in his 90s lived with us and would often be found sitting next to the Philco console in the evening while my grandmother watched the big TV console with the little 12" round screen. Now that I am 63 and semi retired I have a renewed interest in old radios. My father died when I was 17 so I try to remember some of the technical things from when I helped him fix an old radio or TV. Reading posts on this forum helps spark some of those memories and I am slowly increasing my electronics ability. Thanks to all you radio veterans.
:::Bob
::
::
::When i worked for AT&T we had generators for 24, 48, and 130 Volts. They slowly replaced them with solid state, but kept the gens for emergency use. We ran them about once a month, and it was really intersesting to hear the way the office sounded in the "old days."
::Lewis
:::
:
:Heavens! there is NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING, like the sound of a step-by-step dial plant during busy hours. nothing sadder that the last clunk when the stepper is cut over to ESS, either. I won't even begin to mention the sound of a large Panel Office...

It used to amaze me that the little contacts in a telephone dial could make one of those big Strowger switches make so much noise. With the panel and the crossbar, the sender did all the work, but with a step office it was ka-bangalangalangalanga. Then someone dialed the next digit. Ker bangalang all over, We had three ten thousand line offices on our third floor, the noise was beyond belief. When I had to work nights, I would go down to the third flloor sometimes and listen to a call be made. You would hear the line finder, then the first selector, second selector, third selector and thenn the connector would get the last two turns of the dial, the last two digits were dialed and out of hundreds of thousands of relays, somebody was connected to his darlinng girl.
Lewis

"To be brief, because I could go into great detail on this, there is a whole experience to owning an antique radio, and it can get ruined by even the smallest details".

This is fine for you. Just remember that others may not be as interested in trying to exactly replicate the past. They are having fun and getting borderline obsessive about "even the smallest details" isn't fun for most. The radios belong to the owners. They can fix them any way they like. This is a hobby. It isn't important.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/restore

Hi Thomas,
Your essay reminds me of the time as a kid I opened an Airline 62-99 for the first time.
Inside I was amazed to find out how decorated the components were. Why, I wondered would a company spend art decroating a 3uF, 300 volt capacitor. It was like they were celebrating this wonderful thing, a 3 uF 300 volt capacitor.
At the age of 14, however, I didn't think this way. The 3 uF 300 volt capacitor wasn't wonderful. It was dried out and dead. I replaced it and threw it in the trash. I then replaced all the other dead capacitors. The radio worked!
Thirty years later I opened it up to fix it because it didn't work any more. The sense of amazement wasn't there. The now dead capacitors were drab. I then thought that throwing away those wonderful little works of art had been a mistake.
Of course I got it to work again, but it wasn't the same.

Best Regards,

Bill

Thomas... You go right on and luxuriate yourself in that reverie..
Thinking of how things were in the past helps us to understand how we go here.
It helps ground us a bit... and helps things make more sense when we understand how it all came about.

After all it IS the very name of this site... no?
nosâ‹…talâ‹…gia
  1. a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time: a nostalgia for his college days.
2. something that elicits or displays nostalgia.

Well, I did mention in my essay that there were plenty of reasons why I wouldn't like to live back then.

T.

In keeping with your feelings Thomas:
Tonight my new (Zenith 6s-27 repair) customer ... E-mailed me in response to my initial assessment of his radio's condition and estimate of costs:

He wrote:
"Peter:
I BOUGHT THE UNIT ON E BAY AND IT WAS DESCRIBED AS SUPERB IN ALL WAYS EXCEPT FOR THE TUNING.

WHEN I PULLED IT APART I SAW THAT THEY HAD TIED A PIECE OF STRING AROUND THE SHAFTS TO TUNE. THAT DIDN'T WORK AT ALL. AND THEN I SAW THE [ripped & broken] SPEAKER AND THE DIAL INDICATOR FELL OFF AND I SAID ....THIS NEEDS PROFESSIONAL HELP.

I DON'T KNOW IF I TOLD YOU
.... BUT I GREW UP WITH A ZENITH SIMILAR TO THIS ONE. MY DAD ONE DAY DUMPED IT AND I WAS DEVASTATED.

I STILL HAVE THE BOOK CASE THAT WAS BUILT FOR IT AND WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED, BACK IT WILL GO IN ITS PLACE AND I WILL DREAM ABOUT THOSE DAYS AGAIN.

BOTTOM LINE, ....FROM OUR COMMUNICATION I AM MOST COMFORTABLE TO ALLOW YOU TO DO AS MUCH AS YOU THINK NECESSARY FOR THIS FIND TO LIVE AGAIN.
I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING IT FINISHED.

THANKS AGAIN, Tony"

I told him:
"Fear not Tony... I am on the job. You shall have your dream!"

Hi Peter,
What a treat it will be to restore a radio for an owner like that. You know it will be enjoyed.
When I restore a radio for a customer (it doesn't happen often), I include a leaflet that describes where and when good music can be found on the radio.

Best Regards,

Bill Grimm

:Hi Peter,
: What a treat it will be to restore a radio for an owner like that. You know it will be enjoyed.
: When I restore a radio for a customer (it doesn't happen often), I include a leaflet that describes where and when good music can be found on the radio.
:
:Best Regards,
:
:Bill Grimm
:

GREAT idea Bill... thanks!

Have you ever noticed those beautifully shaped and carved handles of old carpenter's saws? Pick one up and the handle fits the hand perfectly. The balance and beauty of the tool is made for a man to use everyday and last for decades without blistering the hand. A craftsman made his living with his tools and they were made to not only perform the task, but to please his eyes during the long hours of labor. Today's tools are mostly designed by industrial designers, who probably never use the tools they create. Just some random thoughts about those capacitors you mentioned.

Hi Joe,
The theme seems to be celebrating the thing you are making, be it tools or capacitors. They were celebrating the thing as a miracle.
Have you ever noticed how well boxes for replacement tubes were decorated in the 1930's?
I understand that the 1930's was a time of peak artistic creation with Art Deco and Art Nuvo being in style. Our radios from this time period look so good partly because of their being maufactured at a time when art was celebrated and the new technology was admired.
How was that for random thoughts?

Best Regards,

Bill Grimm

How was that for random thoughts?

Pretty good random thoughts Bill!! I'm liking what you're saying.

Well, this certainly isn't an era of peak artistic detail. I'd say that this is the Baroque period of the 21st century, but it really is a carry-over of the end of the 20th.

And actually Baroque music is far more tolerable than to-day's music or tastes.

T.

Watching American Idol is a prime example. Seems writers have run out of good lyrics and melody. People scream the crap into a microphone (always screaming and emoting), and still the fans go nuts. I do believe that good taste has been fried with all of the drugs people use these days.

T.

Thomas, Nice story , I remember My granfather's house in Maine had those deco light fixture's and the cast iron vent's in the ceiling . I understand the purism well. but when I think about thing's like safety ,some things are just more important . My 1973 Triumph motorcycle had a incandecent headlight . needless to say I couldn't see well , NOT GOOD, So I changed it to halogen ( yeah , I know motorcycles aren't really safe anyway) but you get my point. I've looking into my Hammarlund receiver with all that cloth wire and just sigh! I cant understand why anyone would want to use cloth wire on a radio . Yet it is beautiful . Take care