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 "The Red Collection" is a pair of furniture consignment stores in Greensboro,
North Carolina, where we have bought many items over the past two decades.
Nearly all have been vintage wooden furniture in need of restoration - some a
little, and some a lot. Whilst perusing a few months ago, I spied this
Silvertone Model R81 AM / Shortwave console radio, of 1940 vintage. Silvertone
is a line of electronics produced for Sears, Roebuck & Co., for many decades in
the last century. Both the wooden cabinet and the electronics chassis are in
reasonable condition, and will probably take about the same amount of effort to
restore as my 1941
Crosley 03CB AM/ Shortwave console radio. Amazingly, the full set of radio station call
sign labels for installing on the pushbutton fronts were included. So was the
user manual with schematic and parts list, the original sales floor tag, and a
Radio Time Table and Log.
A unique feature of this Silvertone R81 console radio is the "RADIONET" Loop
Aerial antenna contained within an oval cylinder inside the cabinet which can be
rotated "to the position that gives clearest reception and greatest freedom from
noise." There is also a shortwave antenna behind a cardboard panel on the left
side of the cabinet.
The original price was $160, and then each month an article goes unsold, the
price drops by 10%. After a number of months items go into a clearance area with
price being negotiable. After about four months the radio was still there. I got
it for $35! Patience was definitely a virtue in this case. It will be a while
before I have time to begin the restoration, but for now I'll polish it up a bit
and put it on display in the house. Photos and descriptions will be posted here
as they become available.
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Note the "R81" is missing from the "Model No."
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Rotatable "'RADIONET' Loop Aerial" antenna in blue oval cylinder.
Rotatable "'RADIONET' Loop Aerial" antenna on the right.
 
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B&K Dyna-Quik Model 650 Vacuum Tube and Transistor Tester
As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are a few
thousand words for you:
The next series of photos will be with everything back together.
Nove
Coming very soon: Photos of the electronics chassis restoration process.
August 3, 2013 Update: Read about my experience
electroplating copper back
onto some of the mounting hardware.
This 1941* Crosley floor console radio model 03CB was given to me as a Christmas
present in 1983 by my wife, Melanie. It
Related Pages:
- Crosley 03CB Floor Console Radio by
Adam Guha - 1941 Crosley
03CB Floor Console Radio Restoration Project -
Tesslor R-601S Vacuum Tube Radio Teardown -
Tesslor R-601S Retro Vacuum Tube AM/FM Radio w/Bluetooth 3.0 Modification
- Crosley 03CA Floor Console Radio for Sale
- 1941 Crosley Model 03CB Radio Photos (Tim
O.) - Radio &
Electronics Restoration Projects -
Vintage Ads
with Science / Technology Themes -
Vintage Magazine Ads
from Duke University's Ad*Access Website -
Vintage Radio Control
Systems
Posted May 3, 2023
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