Classic Radios                  

What makes a radio a "Classic" anyway?

Over the last several years, I have renewed my interest in all things retro with respect to the CB radio hobby. Mainly this resurgence in interest has come about as a consequence of my increased activity on the CB band once again, and being able to relive the experience along with others who were also lucky enough to be around during the "heyday" in the 1970's.  I have also been introduced to some really great people, as a result of doing this website, who have also related their own personal CB radio experiences, which reaffirmed my theory that my own experiences were not all that unique.  Of course, there's a big difference between simply getting together and talking about the "good ol' days", and actually collecting, restoring, and operating those memorable vintage rigs.  In years past, finding a specific vintage radio could be an exercise in frustration.  Back then, you were limited to your typical local hamfests and fleamarkets where you would most likely find some oldie but goodie sitting on someone's table.  This was fine if you were looking for just any old radio, and you didn't care if the guy hacked it up trying to put it on 10 meters or something.  But if you had a specific make and model radio in mind, your chances were hit or miss.  Once in a while, you might get lucky and find a real gem, but you had to be persistent.  You might also get lucky at a local garage or estate sale, but your chances are even slimmer.  I suspect that the stories of guys finding near mint Cobra 2000's, or Tram D201's for $25 at a yard sale or flea market are more legend than reality. But I'm sure it does happen once in a blue moon.  But now that we're in the electronic information age, there's a new medium which can make finding that special rig all that much closer to reality.  Of course, I'm talking about E-Bay, Craig's List, Facebook Marketplace, and other on-line classifieds here.  It's a bit ironic that it takes something which is made possible by the technology of the high tech computer age, to enable us to return to the nostalgia of reliving our younger days on outdated analog radio.  E-Bay is probably the biggest marketplace for these old classics, and you can be sure that what you want will eventually find its way on there, if it was somewhat popular.  The downside to E-Bay though, is that since the market reach is worldwide, you will be competing with many other similarly minded people, which will drive the price up (sometimes ridiculously), which might be enough of a turn off to force you back to the hamfest/yard sale route.  Once again, it all depends on the brand of radio and how popular (and desirable) it once was.  Radios like the Browning Golden Eagle and the Tram D201 were expensive when new, and are still commanding top dollar from collectors today.  Some of the other popular makes, such as Lafayette, Stoner, CPI, and others draw the collectors as well.  On the other hand, if you are only looking for a basic 23 channel Midland, Realistic, or Kraco AM mobile, you might find one for a quick $2 (Along with $20 in shipping charges). And this leads us to the real subject of this article, which tries to answer the question: "What makes a particular radio a classic?"

Like the old saying, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and what makes a specific radio model a "classic", is typically based on how popular the rig was, how unique it was, and how rare it is now.  Along with those criteria, there is also a liberal amount of personal subjective opinion driving those desires as well.  Special circumstances, like your very first base radio, the first rig you ever talked on, the radio that the local "Big gun" operators swore by etc., can wield some powerful influences.  Like with classic cars, there are some "givens" along with a lot of wiggle room for your own personal opinion to influence. There's probably no dispute that a 1965 Mustang, or a 1967 Camaro are true classic cars.  But you might get a little debate on whether a 1970 Ford Maverick is, but I'm sure there are people out there who desire one for personal reasons (First car they ever owned, got "lucky" in, or whatever).  The same holds true for radios. The aforementioned Tram's and Browning's are the "givens". No one will dispute their claim to fame.  But as for the rest of the bunch, the Royce's, Cobra's, Midland's, SBE's, Realistic's, Lafayettes, etc., it all depends on their personal appeal.  Another influencing factor is the sheer age of the radio.  Almost any semi-popular tube rig from the 1960's can be considered a classic simply due to its age alone, the fact that they use tubes, and that many were made in America.  Some of the more popular tube rigs are the many Lafayettes, the Cobra CAM88, Uticas, Johnson Messengers, Polycoms, and several others.  But not only tube rigs are considered "classic".  Many people consider anything with 23 channels to be "classic" to some degree.  Although the 1970's solid state 23 channel rigs included many more "Mavericks" than "Mustangs" in that regard.   There are also those who consider some of the first generation 40 channel radios to be classic (I.E. Cobra 2000) as well.  But I suspect this may have more to do with their modification capabilities, than with the traditional collector's nostalgic value. 

Like most people, I have my personal opinion of which rigs are the most desirable (And you can take my opinion for what it's worth).  I find that base rigs are more desirable than mobile rigs, simply because there were fewer of them and they tended to have more "bells and whistles".  Radios which include SSB are also usually more desirable.  Of course, for me, the radios which mean the most are the ones which bring back specific memories. There are the first radios that I have either personally owned, or are the ones that my friends and mentors owned in the local area.  Finally, there are the "dream rigs", those radios which I stared at in the dog-eared catalogs (Like my 1973 Lafayette, 1974 Radio Shack, and Henshaw's catalogs), and imagined what it would've been like if $500 suddenly appeared in my hand (And it might as well have been a million $ to me back then) and I could afford to buy one.  Back then, the closest I ever came to those "dream rigs" were the pictures in the catalog.  But now (and for a fraction of their original price), I can usually obtain the rig itself, albeit 40+ years later, and relive the dream.   Hopefully though, the reality of actually owning the rig, doesn't destroy the image of the dream......   

Royce 640 (More knobs, switches, and meters than most other rigs. Also a sharp looking case.  I picked one of these up for $10 from E-Bay).

Midland 13-885 (My very first SSB base radio. And I still have it).

Realistic TRC-47 (A bare bones, but affordable, SSB rig. It was my first taste of SSB, even if it was short-lived). Update! I grabbed up one of these from E-Bay

Pearce-Simpson Simba (Another deluxe base rig, with all the bells and whistles). Update! I now have one of these, in very clean condition. 

Realistic "Navaho Pro" TRC-40.  One of the first base radios I ever talked on. Update! I acquired one of these from a a local fleamarket.

So now that you've found your classic rig, now what? Well, if you are REALLY lucky, you can plug it in and it will fire up and work ok, and you can jump right in and enjoy running it (Or you can remind yourself why you also have a newer, more modern rig), on classic radio night. Typically though, the radio will need some degree of attention to bring it back to its former glory, depending on how old it is, where it's been stored, and how well it's been treated.  Remember, these radios, for the most part, are at least 40 years old, so some things are going to age and deteriorate.  Newer, solid state radios will likely fair better, since they are newer, but there are a few things to look for in any case:

Resistors: Usually, small signal resistors used in solid state radios do not change value much from aging. However, higher power resistors used in tube, and some solid state, rigs can and do change value over time due to the consequences of dropping a fair amount of current and running hot year after year. When this happens, it can reduce the gain of the affected circuits resulting in weaker receive sensitivity, audio, or RF output power. If swapping tubes does not cure a weak stage, start looking at voltages and replace any resistor that is out of tolerance.

Smoking: Not to disparage those who feel the need to smoke, but smoking not only kills people, it wrecks electronics as well. Radios exposed to smoke over time, will develop a film of tar on the circuit boards which can become conductive, and can play havoc with oscillator and other circuits, not to mention that it dulls and stains the exterior finish (and it smells bad). If you have a radio that's been exposed to long term smoke, you may want to give it a thorough cleaning, both inside and out, to remove all traces of contamination.  For the inside circuit boards, you can use either isopropyl alcohol, a flux cleaner, or a product called "Krudkutter".  Just make sure it's the type that evaporates completely, leaves no residue behind, and doesn't mar or dissolve plastics..

Tubes: Unlike semiconductors, tubes weaken with use and age, and any 45+ year old radio with original tubes will likely need a few replacements.  Unfortunately, American-made tubes are a thing of the past, have become harder to find, and much more expensive as a result. There is a ton of information on the web dealing with this subject, including this tube substitution site that may help you find a suitable replacement. There are also those guys who always seem to be peddling tubes at hamfests.  Look for new old stock (NOS) if possible, as a used tube may be weak as well. There are also Russian and Chinese-made substitutes which may or may not be an exact replacement. Use with caution, as you may suffer a performance penalty with foreign tubes.

Alignment: As I mentioned before, part values shift with age so many of the tuned RF circuits may no longer be working at optimal efficiency. The whole radio should be given a complete tune up, so that the receiver, transmitter, and channel frequencies are put back into spec.  It is also important to ensure that the transmitter is not outputting any spurious emissions which may cause RFI to your neighbors.  You want to enjoy your classic,  you don't want it to become a source of anguish.  Of course, to do a proper alignment requires quality test equipment, a good set of alignment tools and, preferably, the factory alignment procedure.  If you don't have all of these, you might want to enlist the help of a good radio shop to do it for you.  Try to find a shop which specializes or at least understands the in's and out's of the care and feeding of vintage radios.