Looking for a tube only radio or radio kit

Dan

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Jun 14, 2016, 3:35:20 PM6/14/16

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Looking for a tube only radio or radio kit
AM or FM or AM FM
More than standard broadcast range is desirable.

Adrian Caspersz

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Jun 14, 2016, 4:23:59 PM6/14/16

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Radiation hardened?

--
Adrian C

pf...@aol.com

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Jun 14, 2016, 4:38:01 PM6/14/16

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Things useful to know:

a) where are you?
b) what is your budget?
c) are you in any way handy with tube stuff?
d) is portability an issue? Or will this be a mains-driven radio?
e) is vintage acceptable? Or do you want something "NEW"?

http://www.xtalman.com/kits.html

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/tube-radio-kit

The links take you to a mixed bag of radio kits - but keep in mind that most of them are toys and 'because they can' devices, not meant for serious (or reliable) listening. If you want that, I suggest you look for a decent existing radio within your budget that meets your needs. I keep several Zenith TransOceanic portable tube radios that receive well up into SW (but have no FM) that might fill the bill. They may be had for as little as US$40 in restorable condition, or as much as $1,500 for certain military models in excellent condition - and the range between.

If you want FM as well, you are in a difficult position - you may have to look at some of the very few tabletop tuner devices made by the likes of Zenith, Heath, and a number of Euro makers (Grundig, Telefunken and Philips come to mind as well as many lesser names) that also include FM. Some of these are tabletop radios with speakers, some even stereo. Others are merely multi-band tuners and require separate amplification and speakers. With the Euro radios, keep in mind that they never used one part where three-or-more would do better, so they are complicated, persnickety, and touchy. When they work well, they are excellent. And when they do not, they are a significant PITA to service, if even possible.

Pick your poison.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

Tom Biasi

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Jun 14, 2016, 5:35:42 PM6/14/16

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What does it matter. No transmitters will be on.

pf...@aol.com

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Jun 14, 2016, 6:50:00 PM6/14/16

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At least two will be - assuming our survival. And I know of dozens around the world that would survive - again, assuming they are far enough from Ground 0 that the 'wetware' survives.

Not that a great deal of good would come of it. It *IS* the thought that counts.

Jon Elson

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Jun 14, 2016, 11:32:12 PM6/14/16

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The R-390 is a pretty nice receiver, all frequencies from near zero to 30
MHz. They are snapped up by hams and collectors, so they get quite
expensive. The R-392 has the same range, but is much simpler. It runs off
28 V DC, as both the filament and plate supply.

Jon

Micky

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Jun 15, 2016, 6:00:40 AM6/15/16

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If you live near a city, there is probably an antique radio club in
it. The one in Baltimore has, iirc, monthly meetings and

RADIOACTIVITY 2016 and the TUBE COLLECTOR's ASSOCIATION Annual Meet
06/23/2016 | RadioActivity 2016
Location: Timonium, MD;
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Mid-Atlantic Antique Radio Club
Website: http://www.maarc.org
Swap Meet 8AM, Saturday
Learn More

At RadioActivity there are people selling restored radios with wooden
cabinets and simple tube radios from the 60's. I went one year and I
think I paid $10 for one, hoping it would get a DC station maybe 35
miles away. I can never tell in advance which radios will get it.
Brand name doesn't seem to matter.

RadioActivity 2016

HAMFEST/CONVENTION
06/23/2016

Start Date: 06/23/2016
End Date: 06/25/2016
Location: Holiday Inn
9615 Deereco Road
Timonium, MD
Website: http://www.maarc.org
Sponsor: Mid-Atlantic Antique Radio Club
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Talk-In: None
Public Contact: Bruce , KA3EIE
10 Route 99 Woodstock, MD 21163
Phone: 410-461-
Email: brucell...@netzero.net

bitrex

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Jun 15, 2016, 10:09:16 AM6/15/16

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You can build a single-tube regenerative set that, if designed and
constructed carefully, will have much better performance over the AM and
AM shortwave bands than many commercially available superhets.

Ian Field

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Jun 19, 2016, 4:43:25 PM6/19/16

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"bitrex" <bit...@de.lete.earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:dkd8z.2718$zY1...@fx02.iad...

Any kits available these days will probably be expensive.

There's plenty of simple circuits online and tubes can be salvaged from gear
that turns up at flea markets.

Tom Del Rosso

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Jun 19, 2016, 6:52:41 PM6/19/16

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I tried finding one that used transistors and no all-in-one radio chip,
and turned up nothing.

Bennett Price

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Jun 19, 2016, 8:45:07 PM6/19/16

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Ebay has some AM transistor radio kits, i.e., unbuilt
http://ebay.to/1UiPPFA

as well as a variety of tube radios (AM, AM-FM. & AM-FM-SW), all built

and some AM tube kits http://ebay.to/1UiOXAN

one of which - a 7 tube AM radio - for $9 features:

two in the discharge standard circuit;
Modulated at 465KHz
Plastic shell for the new material, and never go back to feeding.
Each test port circuit Ic levels.
Schematics, assembly drawings, and the other parts list, technical
documents are complete.

Despite the description, it uses transistors, not tubes.

Ralph Mowery

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Jun 19, 2016, 11:35:02 PM6/19/16

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In article <_LednW08hrYRofrK...@giganews.com>,
NOTbj...@cal.berkeley.edu says...

>
>
> >
> Ebay has some AM transistor radio kits, i.e., unbuilt
> http://ebay.to/1UiPPFA
>
> as well as a variety of tube radios (AM, AM-FM. & AM-FM-SW), all built
>
> and some AM tube kits http://ebay.to/1UiOXAN
>
> one of which - a 7 tube AM radio - for $9 features:
>
> two in the discharge standard circuit;
> Modulated at 465KHz
> Plastic shell for the new material, and never go back to feeding.
> Each test port circuit Ic levels.
> Schematics, assembly drawings, and the other parts list, technical
> documents are complete.
>
> Despite the description, it uses transistors, not tubes.

Probably something lost in the translation. Just as in England instead
of tubes they would be called valves.

Could be the instructions are also in Chineese.

Bennett

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Jun 20, 2016, 10:16:45 AM6/20/16

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Parts list and notes on the schematic are in Chinese (though parts
within the schematic are Roman, C1, R5, etc. Transistors are labeled
V1, V2, etc.)

Since the plastic case never needs feeding there is some slight
likelihood of a translation problem. http://ebay.to/28J5Lw7

axolotyl

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Jun 21, 2016, 8:42:53 PM6/21/16

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You got a laugh out of me.

Micky

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Jun 23, 2016, 5:02:02 PM6/23/16

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On Mon, 20 Jun 2016 07:16:28 -0700, Bennett <bjp...@cal.berkeley.edu>
wrote:

I noticed that, but that's good. It means I can go out of town
without worrying who is feeding my case.

Micky

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Jun 23, 2016, 5:07:33 PM6/23/16

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It also says
Power: 3V (5 batteries)

That seems interesting.