civilian radio production to enter the war effort. Go for it. Also features 5-point tone control, Bass compensation, spinner tuning, split second station relocation. The chassis on this one still has it's model stamp 271. You can change your preferences any time in your Privacy Settings. better understanding of the model numbering scheme. Originally sold for $69.95 (higher on the West coast}. Number 4 shows the multitester's probes clipped to test leads in parallel with the radio's speaker terminals. The radio has had a complete recap electronic restoration, all the electrolytic capacitors were replaced with new production parts. Jasona5150. By the time I was done, the radio was playing beautifully and its dial tracking was right on the money. 1938 Zenith "Walton" 9-s-232 Shutter Dial Tombstone Art Deco Radio 1938 Zenith "WALTON" 12-S-232 Shutter Dial Tombstone Art Deco Radio 1938 Zenith For Sale on 1stDibs At 1stDibs, there are many versions of the ideal 1938 zenith for your home. It sold new for $169.95 (list price). Introduced in June of 1937 for the 1838 model year. Original Price 1,475.94 The next photo shows the power subchassis before replacing its capacitors. So in terms of performance, it is "original," possibly even working closer to the designer's specs than when it left the factory. indicated that there were 17 initial categories, This six-tuber was just restored electronically with all capacitors replaced and any other components such as tubes and resistors replaced if tested bad or weak. 1938 Zenith model 6S229. If I was going to have a radio collection, I need a Walton (and at least one catalin). This is an extremely rare 1938 Zenith model 15U271. Since the beginning of my radio hobby, I had always wanted a '38 Shutterdial. Nope. The paper serial number tag on the bottom of the cabinet is there as well. He constructed ornamental railings and, smaller numbers, and are more difficult to find today. I saw this one on CL a couple of weeks ago. The 1000 Z Stratosphere was designed to introduce the big Black Dial and other features that showed up on the 1936 and 37 Zenith Black Dial line. This chassis, speaker and cabinet are a factory match. This classic "black dial" Zenith tombstone is a real jewel. The radio has very nice reception with no hum. In 1927, Zenith introduced the first radio with push-button tuning, and in 1940 it broadcast the first FM radio station in the Midwest. In 1938 Zenith released several models of 12-tube table radios with what Zenith referred to as their "Robot Dial." The Zenith robot dial was equipped with a tuning eye tube that indicated signal strength of a station and in several models the dials were motorized. 590.38, 737.97 It is, part of the 1938 Zenith lineup that featured many other radios that used the unique Robot dial, as part of Zeniths 1938 line in June 1937, is a much-coveted set that is rare and hard to find today, 1938 line only. Perhaps this spring-loaded gizmo would have been easy to disassemble and reassemble, or perhaps it would have exploded in a shower of tiny parts all over my workshop floor, never to be put right. The cabinets mahogany veneer is beautifully restored with a flawless satin lacquer finish. Each pilot lamp draws 2.9 volts. Well, why not? Not only were there problems with signal weakness, but at one point it gave out "birdy" squeals while tuning, a symptom often due to misalignment. 1938 Zenith Model 12S265 Restored Bluetooth Radio Art Deco About the Item This is a 1938 Zenith 12 tube model 12S265, Zenith's most famous and collectible year. Original Price 16.67 Price: $12.00. 6 Dry Cell Comes to Life Again, Restoring a 19" Portable 1960 Hoffman K1919 Television, Restore Tuning Dial for Zenith N723 Radio, Page 2: The Rise of Radio Engineering 1920-29, Page 3: The Rise of Radio Engineering 1920-29, Televisions- 1946-1999 The Great Electronic Culture Change of the 20th Century, Page 2: Solid State Picture Tube Television, Page 3: Televisions- The Sony Portable CRT Watchman 1982-1994, Page 4: Televisions- The LCD or Flat Screen TV- Real Portability, Page 4 The Rise in Radio Engineering 1920-1929, Japanese (Made in Japan) Imports- Transistor Radios 1959-1960's, USA Brand Transistor Radios 1959-1960's Page 2, Tungar Items, Recording Electronics, Vintage Light Bulbs and Small Home Electric Devices, Military and Special Purpose Tubes Part 2- NON RADAR, Military and Special Purpose Vacuum Tubes Part 1- Non RADAR Applications, Military and Special Purpose Vacuum Tubes- RADAR Applications, Vintage Communication Receivers, Transmitters and Transceivers, Restoring 1937 Troy Radio 59PC Phono Radio Set, Restoring a 1949 General Electric 806 Table Model Television, Restoring a 1949 General Electric 806- NOV 2018, Videos on Dead Tech Electronics History and Restoration, Vintage Electronic Measurement and Test Equipment. The bass from this console is unreal. This was a common practice since Zenith never printed 271 paper tags. Providing accurate tuning via the main tuner obviates the need for a separate bandspread tuner, as found in "boatanchor" shortwave sets such as my Hallicrafters SX-42. Then I applied a bit of liquid spray starch. The cabinet is simple but elegant, with a six-inch circular dial echoed by a circular design in the upper speaker grille. Plays loud and clear as it should. 1938 Zenith model 6S254 - Henson Brothers Old Tyme Radios. A string-driven system is cheap to manufacture and easy to service, but strings can break or slip. that was introduced by Zenith came prior to 1936. One of the most, the life and spirit of the Jazz Age, which emerged after the First World War and found its zenith in, Out of an outstanding collection of period art deco radios is this 1938 Zenith 6S238 Wooden Chair, 1938 Zenith WALTON 12-S-232 Shutter Dial Tombstone Art Deco Radio in pristine restored condition, 1938 Zenith Walton 9-S-232 Shutter Dial Tombstone Art Deco Radio in pristine restored condition, 1938 Zenith Model 6-D-219 table top Tube Radio Bluetooth cosmetically and electronically restored, This is a 1938 Zenith 9 tube model 9S244, Zeniths most famous and collectible year. The higher the last two digits within This is a Zenith 1938 Model 7-S-232, a 7 tube "Walton". I wasn't finished with the recapping, after all! Entdecke 1938 n. three digit number the radio was built in later The radio had been serviced in the past but most of the original parts were still in place. Now they're showing up more and more and I expect that to only increase. The show rather trite, boring. The audio was extremely weakbarely audible with the volume control turned all the way upuntil I replaced a burned-out dial lamp. Two important points need to be covered for a years. Original Price 17.86 Powered bySquarespace. The chassis would have Before doing this, I manually turned the tuning capacitor up, putting its spring under tension. As for the cabinet, the ranges 708.45, 885.57 (1928-2014) Miller learned about radios and electronics during his service in the US Navy from 1945 to 1949. The string is wrapped two or three times around the shaft of the tuning knob and goes around a larger pulley attached to the tuning capacitor. The brand is often referred to as the watchmaker's watchmaker due to its storied history as a movement manufacturer for other blue-chip watch companies. The set has a nice finish on it too. On the other hand, the radio didn't perform to its original specifications until we added that part. If you feel uneasy about modifying an old radio, you can always leave a note inside the cabinet indicating exactly what was done, so that any future owner who doesn't like the modification can undo it. The radio is so large it does not fit well next to a chair as it was designed too. The 10S130 is a much better looking radio, IMO. (20% off), Sale Price 67.04 tubes. Antique gift. Zenith made four different chassis to fit into this style cabinet (7J232, 7S232, 9S232 & 12S232). Substituting larger filters reduced the hum to an acceptable level. The chassis has the 7S232 stamp just above the power cord. the chassis type and the power requirements. On my radio, the little rubber drive belt was shot. The dial pointers were not easy to remove. included every vacuum tube in the tube count including: It had an original purchase price of $169.95 and boasts the following list of features:- Motorized tuning & foreign station re-locator 12-inch electrodynamic speaker with "acoustic adapter" Push-pull 6V6 output stage producing a room- (20% off), Sale Price 303.06 Instead, a .5-mfd capacitor is connected in series between the two devices. (For those who have noted that 2.9 + 2.9 + 1 equals more than 6.3, we should point out that there is also a small resistor in parallel with each lamp, to create exactly the right resistance.). In other words, I could have avoided the time spent laboriously splitting and regluing the square rubber material. Number 2 shows the signal ("hot") lead of the generator connected to the grid lead of the 6D8 tube. 14.17, 16.67 Zenith 1000Z Stratosphere before restoration, Zenith 1000Z Stratosphere after restoration. The collector would If the leading number is 1 (IE 5S128) and was 110 volt AC powered. Original Price 378.83 Made for Montgomery Ward by Stewart Warner. last two or three identify the cabinet type, and Slipping is an especial disadvantage for shortwave listening, where accurate tuning is all-important. From that And now that a lot of those folks are either heading to retirement homes or dying off, the market seems to be getting flooded. Do not use the add to cart feature. Other small pulleys often act as guides for the string. The leftmost knob is a tone control and the next one in line is the power/volume control. the cabinet and the relative placement in the cost A new AC power cord has been installed for safety. Other radios in the same style and therefore also called "Waltons" are the 9-tube 9-S-232, the top of the . 350.10, 389.00 Ours is a Zenith model 6S-239, from 1938. I too would like one but I won't spend 4 figures for one. The dial belts are new for smooth motor operation and tuning. This radio has the fabulous "Robot Shutter Dial" with a green tuning eye. Although there was nothing unusually hard or time-consuming about the cosmetic work, the electronics took more time than I had expected. Mar 24, 2022 - Explore Daniel Mumau's board "1930's - 1940's floor model Zenith radios" on Pinterest. This tuning system is not only reliable, but also very accurate. left or leading side of the model number using It is a 20-tube all-wave, 1938 when he was a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps. $2,995.00 SOLD Quantity Add to Cart We spared no expense to restore this gorgeous 1938 Zenith 9S232 tombstone radio known as 'The Waltons' because it starred in the 1970s TV series of the same name. In the following rear view, look at the big box on the right side of the chassis. This is now equipped with Tissot's new titanium-based alloy Nivachron balance spring. ballast, regulators, and cathode ray (magic eye) I used a very soft brush to brush out accumulated dust, then sprayed the cloth lightly with clear water and placed it face down on a sheet of cardboard to dry. The next photo shows the setup for the first adjustment. Radio chassis has been overhauled and is working good. As Bob says, in a few years the market will be flooded with them. Youll see ad results based on factors like relevancy, and the amount sellers pay per click. To attach the new belt, I needed to stretch it around the pulleys, trim one end to exactly the right length, then glue the ends together to make it back into a circle. Page 1: Portable and Wood Table Radios 1938-1942 PORTABLE AND WOOD CABINET TABLE RADIOS, Page 2: Rise of Plastic Radios 1938-1942 PLASTIC CABINET RADIOS, Page 3: Battery or Farm Radios 1938-1942 FARM RADIOS, Page 4: Magic Eye Tuning Radios 1938-1942 MAGIC EYE RADIOS, Page 5: Me Restoring a Sentinel 243T Farm Radio RESTORING SENTINEL 243T FARM RADIO, -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------. There are better radios, that perform better, as well have a more appealing design to me. The 15 tube 'Robot-Dial' console in a walnut finish is the more common version of this cabinet style. Zenith 12S265 Console (1938) $3,300.00 SOLD Quantity Not Available We spent three months restoring this gorgeous 1938 Zenith 12S265 Art Deco console radio. 303.06, 378.83 The Zenith 6S254 (6-S-254) is a 6-tube console radio with broadcast band and two short wave bands. on. First; the big round "airplaine" dial The next step was to carefully split the rubber in half along its entire length. All that happened was everybody horded the things. The styling sometimes reminds me of this old TV show. their range, the higher the position in that years They made very few and did not want to go thru the trouble printing model tags. again until late 1945, and were sold as 1946 models. Even if it plays, it undoubtedly needs some repair before you put it into regular service. This type of data sharing may be considered a sale of information under California privacy laws. This scheme holds true for radios built through 1942, when Zenith halted civilian radio production to enter the war effort. The two SW bands work well also. Zenith Radio Corp.; Chicago, IL Year 1937/1938 Category Broadcast Receiver - or past WW2 Tuner Radiomuseum.org ID 68140 alternative name: Chicago Radio Lab Picture Schematics Zenith Radio Corp.; 9-S-232 'Waltons' Ch= 5905 (1) Click on the schematic thumbnail to request the schematic as a free document. .No motor or tuning eye, but it has push-pull audio and runs on a 6 volt battery. the relative placement in the line-up ($costs$). This is the mahogany version of the 15U270 walnut model. Toward the front was a big messy splotch of some hard substance, possibly dried glue or some kind of varnish. In a small subchassis inside the box were several small components, including a handful of paper capacitors. line of automobile radios, which I do not intend Welcome to my home page of stuff that I collected and restored over the years. The spring counterbalances the weight of the tuning capacitor as the plates rise up, allowing you to accurately rest the tuner at any position. Want to know more? (10% off), Sale Price 590.38 cost of the radio. In search of fresh answers, I opened up the large metal box containing the rectifier tube. On many radios, the pilot lamps are wired in parallel with the filaments of the radio's tubes. uses this model numbering system and it has a suffix This isn't absolutely necessary if you have a good signal generator, but my generator is as old as many of the radios that I own and its dial is not very accurate. Testing further revealed that the tube voltages were very high, reading about 200 volts on plate pins that should have 125-135 volts. The preferred material seems to be rubber O-ring stock with a square, rather than round, cross-section. cabinet design. During the restoration process these areas were repaired. Restoring the electronics took a lot more time than touching up the cabinet. On to the next challenge . analogy: An automobile may be produced in 1995, The following photo shows the radio after I completed its restoration. Each 1938 zenith for sale was constructed with extraordinary care, often using, Prices for a 1938 zenith can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes at 1stDibs, they begin at, This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, Featured Collection: 2023 Designer Survey Trends, Association of International Photography Dealers, International Fine Print Dealers Association, Loggers WPA Depression Era Modern Mid 20th Century American Scene Social Realism, 1970s Brutalist Welded Steel Sculpture George Kafka Chicago Modernist Artist. Under AC operation, the filament output from the power supply is 6.3 volts, fine for the six-volt tubes but too much for the 1J6. For you radio collectors This radio does have all the matching number stamps on the chassis, and paper tag on the bottom of the cabinet. THE 1938 ZENITH 15U269 CONSOLE - DECO TO THE MAX By Kent Martin Of all radio manufacturers during the fabulous Art Deco design years of the 1930s and 1940s, one company that has always shone brightly is the Zenith Radio Corporation of Chicago. Antique radio. AFAIC, Waltons are one of the uglier cabinet designs Zenith came up with, right up there with the 12S371. This radio can be powered from household AC current or a 6-volt DC battery. Original Price 561.84 When all the color work was done, I sprayed on two final coats of clear lacquer, lightly buffing the last coat with #0000 steel wool to achieve a satin finish that doesn't look "too new.". 3-bands, Broadcast (AM), and 2 shortwave. If you look closely at the workbench photo, you'll see the thin red loop lying under the digital radio. Its rubber had dried with age, allowing the fabric layers to separate and detach from one another. letter designations were used to describe Zenith's The following email snippet continues the tale: Fixing the voltage problem introduced a new glitch, however, as the following email explains. The audio was also harsh and extremely loud, so loud that the radio played at medium volume with the volume control turned all the way down. When I got my hands on the new belt, however, I discovered a little problem. You will not be disappointed. (20% off), Sale Price 747.81 Original Price 737.97 Zenith 12S267, 1938 Approximately 43-1/4 inches / 110 cm tall. Manufactured by Zenith/Herman Miller. Antique Radio Forums Index Category Online Auctions and Sales Forum, Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests. Alignment is a routine restoration procedure, although I have often skipped it when the radio performed well after recapping. To my delight, the belt worked perfectly! for the cabinet styles are as follows: In our example, the 12S232 would be a 12 tube ZenithAmerica's most copied radio again a year ahead. Etsy uses cookies and similar technologies to give you a better experience, enabling things like: Detailed information can be found in Etsys Cookies & Similar Technologies Policy and our Privacy Policy. also note that the cabinet number falls very high The underside of the chassis is plated with copper, however, perhaps to allow good ground connections for electronic components. See what this one sold for + $150 shipping. You can feel the spring wind up if you move the tuner manually with the belt disconnected. We moved the pool table and cabinets and placed it in my van. Pleasant waterfall cabinet and tear-drop dial that was only used for 1938. Cookies and similar technologies are used to improve your experience, to do things like: Without these technologies, things like personalized recommendations, your account preferences, or localisation may not work correctly. 3-bands, Broadcast (AM), and 2 shortwave. Why would the B+ voltage be too high in the first place? To conceal blemishes on the photo-finished sides and front, I wiped on a coat of Min-Wax walnut stain with a soft cloth, let the stain set for a minute or two, then buffed it off again with a clean cloth. Only $1900! When I queried the rec.antiques.radio+phono newsgroup for ideas, I learned that many restorers don't bother buying "store-bought" replacement belts. But I ain't paying $2,000 for one. Put the radio right next to your favorite chair, relax and enjoy! So I will wait. Some of the most serious Zenith radio collectors in the world have never seen this version in person. 747.81, 934.76 I didn't want to risk damaging the pointers during removal or getting them off safely but being unable to securely reattach them. A brand new NOS green eye tube was installed to dress up its playing and viewing appearance. The original cost of the 15U271 was $235.00, $10 more than the 15U270 at $225.00. Why would a radio designer do this? One . letter designations that were used to describe 6V27), the radio was built for Beautiful tri-color black 6-inch lighted dial which Zenith made famous and still a favorite of most collectors. For most adjustments, you simply turn the screw while watching the tester's readout, aiming for maximum output. The belt is made of layers of rubber-impregnated fabric, similar to the fan belt in your auto but much smaller. The tuner on this radio is well engineered and quite interesting. Store Radio Knobs Zenith Zenith 1938 - 1940 Knob. I also had to replace the drive belt in the tuning mechanism. Original Price 885.57 The second segment of the model number revels Sellers looking to grow their business and reach more interested buyers can use Etsys advertising platform to promote their items. You will also need the alignment instructions from the schematic, of course. Content is for presentation purposes only. A multitester, used to measure the radio's output during alignment. The cabinet is simple but elegant, with a six-inch circular dial echoed by a circular design in the upper speaker grille.