[stand watie]

CaptainOgre,

I know that this is "off topic" & has zilch to do with weapons but given that you mentioned your tube amp, I really like the WARM sound of my ANTIQUE shortwave/communication receiver's sound better than any of my newer rigs.
(Those German designers KNEW "what they were about", when they did this design in the late '40s-mid '50s.)

It's a 1950s GRUNDIG "console model" (that i bought in "great cosmetic condition" but non-functional at a garage sale about 15 years ago for 10 bucks.), with 10 bands, including standard AM & FM broadcast.
It's sole problem is that some of the tubes/capacitors/etc (or even their "modern replacements" from the 1970s) are difficult or impossible to find in the USA.
Another ham operator has been sending parts to me from the Ukraine, where they are still available new.

Also, i have a (then) "high end" 1966 JVC stereo "squirreled-away", which i bought new when i was a sophamore in college. - It has numerous "problems" after 4 decades of use/abuse/being shipped all over the globe
and
my "internet ham buddy" has a "laundry list" of it's needed parts that he's looking for so that i can restore it to "as new".

yours, sw

 

[Captain Ogre]

Hmmm... Grundig, eh? Interesting... you might hit me with a list of needed tubes, i "might" be able to help you out a bit with that. You might take a look at some Sprague capacitors as replacements. You might pay a tad more for 'em, but in the long run, they'll pay for themselves...

 

[stand watie]

Captain,

My UKR buddy can gather up NEW Grundig-clone parts from Russia for CHEAP.
(Some of the tubes are $$$$$$$$$$$ as New old stock, here in the USA but dirt cheap brand-spanking new in Ukraine, partially because of the exchange rate.)

THANKS for the offer! - Will let you know if I need anything that he cannot get.

yours, sw

 

[Captain Ogre]

No prob. I have quite a few "vintage-used" tubes laying about... They're untested, and I don't have any way to test 'em. However, there's a big bunch of them... if you need a few, just holler. BTW, what model is that radio?

 

[stand watie]

CaptainOgre,

It's an EUROPA INTERNATIONE (similar to the Majestic model 2820,but with more shorwave bands.) - offhand, i cannot remember the model number & it's currently in the storage building downtown, as i'm "betwixt & between" aparments.- i think it's a 2930M, but i'm not sure.

yours, sw

 

[Captain Ogre]

If you ever get to pull that out of storage, you might check the codes on the pots. They will tell you what year (within a year) that radio was built. And, as far as tubes go, functionally, all of the general "cross-reference" tubes will still make this a viable radio, whether you want to listen to the shortwave stuff or even the FM area. And, if I were you, I'd go find an honest-to-god tube tester, if you still have the tubes. I'm willing to bet that those tubes aren't bad, just old- BUT, you might swap out the rectifier tube anyway, and that's still fairly reasonable in price.

From what I've seen on some research, that particular radio was built between 1945 and 1954. For that era, tubes were pretty much common, regardless of where the tubes come from (Russia, China, U.S., Germany.) Bear in mind, Germany was in the middle of rebuilding itself after the war, so tubes weren't necessarily being made there- hence, there was a LOT of outsourcing going on. Grundig was one of those companies that rebuilt itself to fill a need of media reception, and it paid off rapidly after the war.

I'll check out the research some more, and pass on some more tidbits about that radio. The cool thing is, those old radios NEVER died, they just got outdated from technological advancement. I say this because I have an old Firestone radio that is a beautiful piece of furniture, is packed full of features (for 1957), and still works- QUITE well! (SW broadcasts from Tokyo- in a basement apartment- at 9:30 in the morning! Now THAT's some serious radio skip!)

 

[stand watie]

Captain Ogre,

THANKS.

It just so happens that i have the dated sales receipt (it was INSIDE the case) & is dated in 10/56, so that fits quite well. - SADLY, it ONLY says how much the buyer "paid down" on the console radio in PESOS, but not the full price! = [email protected]#$%^!
(I'd like to know what the retail price was then. - when i asked that question on a ham radio "chat site", i was told: "EXPENSIVE, for that time period." but no dollar amount.)

Clint McCulloch (another "experienced OF", like me) runs a TV Repair shop here in town (REMEMBER THOSE???) & he CLAIMS to have tested all of the tubes (and checked-out the rest of the circuits) last year for me. - Clint said that the tubes needed to be replaced, so i made a "laundry list" of what he said was needed & forwarded it to my "ham buddy" in the Ukraine, after he told me how little they cost NEW there.
(i did NOT see him Clint test the circuit/tubes & don't have a tube-tester of my own. - until his untimely passing, i used another ham's test equipment. CONFESSION TIME: I'm FAR from "an expert" on electronics.)

fwiw, my lady wanted me to GUT IT & turn it into "something useful".
(She even said it was a "REAL PRETTY PIECE OF FURNITURE" & could even be made into a liquor cabinet!)

Nonetheless, once i get settled again into my new place (near Sandra's new rehab center), yet another ham operator & I are going through the radio "from soup to nuts" & with us both "cleaning & rehabbing", it shouldn't take us all winter, provided that we don't get too deeply into the SINGLE MALT.
(experienced OF sometimes do that, too. = CHUCKLE.)

yours, sw

 

[Captain Ogre]

It would be cool to see some pics of that. And, if it were me, I'd take pics of EVERYTHING- front, back, sides, top, bottom, overhead of chassis, underside of chassis, connectors, nameplates, stickers, tubes, transformers, controls, capacitors, resistors- EVERYTHING. Not to just share, but they're VERY good reference to any long-distance repair tech, especially the numbers on them. Plus, they're handy to have for insurance purposes...