radio tower.
Official website of the Northland Antique Radio Club (NARC).

HOME


EVENTS


LINKS


INFORMATION


MEMBERS


NEWSLETTER


HISTORY


SHIRTS FOR SALE


CONTACT NARC

The Northland Antique Radio Club


Mark Your Calendar!


February 11, 2024 - NARC Workshop and Outdoor Mini-Swap Meet
May 17-18, 2024 - NARC Radio Daze 2024

See Calendar of Events for details of NARC's upcoming and past events.

Antique Radio Forum's Upcoming Radio Meet List



UPCOMING EVENTS


Workshop and Outdoor Swap Meet

Sunday, February 11, 2024, at 12 Noon
Comfort Inn Plymouth
3000 Harbor Lane, in Plymouth, Minnesota

It's time for another vintage radio workshop! This year's Northland Antique Radio Club radio workshop and outdoor swap meet will be held at the same location as last year, in the ballroom at the Comfort Inn at 3000 Harbor Lane, in Plymouth, Minnesota.

A small swap meet will be held in the hotel parking lot prior to the workshop, weather permitting. There is no official start time, but the parking lot is usually busy by 10 a.m. There is no registration required or fees to pay to sell at this swap meet. Just bring whatever radio items you want to sell and some cash in case you find something you want to buy!

The hotel ballroom will become available at 11 a.m. and the workshop will start at 12 noon.
Gary Ball is organizing the workshop and has an interesting variety of presentations lined up for us, including the following:

Don Hauff - Collecting TVs
Jim Reynolds - Internet Radio
Larry Tell - Meter replacement with LCD meters
JP Houchins - Philco beam of light record changers

As usual, there will be a Show & Tell following the workshop and maybe some prizes for the best as determined by the crowd. It would be interesting to see what some of you found at the recent John Staubus sales!

See you there!




RECENT EVENTS


NARC FALL INDOOR SWAP MEET


Saturday October 28, 2023

(Open to the public 9:00 am to Noon)


Hopkins High School

2400 Lindbergh Drive
(marked on street signs as Royals Drive)
Minnetonka, Minnesota


Hopkins High School
Mark your calendar!
The Northland Antique Radio Club's 36th annual Indoor Fall Swap Meet will be held on Saturday, October 28, 2023, in the Hopkins High School lunch room in Minnetonka, Minnesota. This is a fun event that you won't want to miss!

8 A.M. Seller Setup - $10 table fee
9 A.M. Opens to Buyers

Admission is FREE for NARC members and only a dollar for non-members. You can become a club member, or renew your $15 yearly membership, at the meet.

The event will run similarly as in recent years.
If you want to sell at the swap meet, you MUST be a NARC member. There is no pre-registration. All table rentals, admission tickets and membership renewals will be handled at the meet. The school provides all the seller tables and sellers rent them for $10 each on a first come, first served basis.

Entrance to the school is through the main front doors (towards the left in the photo). From there, take the first hallway to the right, go past the first lunch room (with round tables) and proceed to the second lunchroom (with rectangular tables). Our access to the room begins at 8 A.M. and members who will be selling will be admitted as soon after that as the registration table is ready, allowing them time to haul their merchandise in and set it up on their table before the doors open to buyers at 9:00 A.M.

Note: Sellers will have to carry their items to the swap meet area, so bring a hand truck or small cart if you have anything heavy.
The school does not supply any rolling carts.
The school requests that you please use extra care not to mark the floors with your hand cart and please bring a protective covering for the table.

The club will not be providing any food, snacks, or drinks, per school rules.

By 9:00 AM, when the buying public is allowed in, there is usually a good crowd waiting and things get busy fast. You can expect to find typically 30-35 tables full (plus overflow onto the floor) of vintage radios, televisions, phonographs, speakers, test equipment, audio gear, literature, tubes, parts and other radio-related items.

A photo from last year's Fall Swap Meet:

2022 NARC Fall Swap Meet

Note that the silent auction is being discontinued and will not be held this year. Silent auction participation in recent years has been low and not doing it will free up a few more tables for swap meet sellers.

We need to be totally out of the school by 1:00 P.M. and expect the meet will probably start winding down around noon, giving sellers an hour to pack up.

This is a great chance to sell those radios you no longer want, find a new one for your collection or to restore this winter, and to mingle with fellow club members. See you there!


Copyright 2024. All rights reserved.
The Northland Antique Radio Club

NARC Annual Meeting and Swap!


Sunday September 10, 2023
at the Comfort Inn Plymouth
3000 Harbor Lane, Plymouth, Minnesota

2023 logo

Be sure to mark your calendar for the Northland Antique Radio Club's 2023 annual meeting on Sunday September 10 at the Comfort Inn Plymouth at 3000 Harbor Lane, in Plymouth, Minnesota. This is the same place where it was held last year and where Radio Daze has been held for many years.

We've moved this meeting up earlier in the month this year to spread our events out a little bit since the Fall Indoor Swap Meet has moved from early November to late October. The meeting will start at noon in the ballroom, and there will also be a radio swap meet outside in the parking lot from around 10-11:30 am, preceding the meeting. This is typically a small swap, with 10 to 15 vendors, but it is FREE to sell and no registration is required! This is your chance to clear out some of those old radios, parts, and related items at no cost to you. Just put a price on them and display them from your trunk, or maybe bring a table along to display them on. Just please don't pound any stakes into the asphalt if you like to have an awning over your table.

Themeeting will begin inside the ballroom promptly at 12 noon with topics including a review of how things went over the last year, the Radio Daze event, a brief financial report, and 2023 club officer election results.

Finally, please bring along a radio that you've recently found and let us see it! We do this at every annual meeting and it's always fun to see what's been found at flea markets, auctions, estate sales, garage sales, or wherever. This is always an enjoyable event with good participation.

Remember this event is FREE for all current and renewing members!


NARC Picnic!


Sunday July 23, 2023
11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Tony Schmidt Regional Park
Arden Hills, Minnesota

picnic shelter

Members and their families are all invited to come to the 2023 Northland Antique Radio Club summer picnic! This event will be held at the same location as in the past few years, rain or shine, in a large shelter with more than enough room for everyone.

The shelter is ours starting at 11:00 am, and we'll probably start eating around noon. It will be a potluck, so bring food to share, plus whatever you want to drink. There are electrical outlets if needed, two charcoal grills, and a water fountain. The club will provide paper plates, napkins, and plastic silverware, as usual!

collectibles This will be a great opportunity to get to know some of the other members. After we finish eating, we'll have a show-and-tell, so if you have something you'd like to show the group, please bring it along! It doesn't even need to be radio related. Some of the most interesting things have been what others have collected that are NOT radios! It's always interesting to see what shows up and to see what our radio friends have that maybe we didn't know about.

Click the photo to the left to see this 1937 Wright-DeCoster model 4000 Multi-Test Speaker that was shown at last year's picnic. It can be set up to replace most vintage speakers for test purposes.

Tony Schmidt Regional Park is located at 3500 Lake Johanna Boulevard in Arden Hills, Minnesota, right across the road from the Lake Johanna boat launch and just a short walk from the beach on Lake Johanna. An easy way to get there from I-694 is to go south on Snelling Avenue, then west on County Road E, then right on the road directly across from the entrance to the boat launch. Our shelter is the first one you will see, directly ahead, and it has its own parking lot to the right of the road. It is a short walk up a tar path, past restrooms and a playground area, to the very scenic shelter we have reserved.

NOTE: Park rules prohibit selling things, so please don't bring anything to sell.

See you there!


RADIO DAZE 2023


Friday-Saturday May 19-20, 2023

Comfort Inn Plymouth
3000 Harbor Lane, Plymouth, MN

2023 logo

Radio Daze is coming! What better way to find some old radios and see old friends than to come to Radio Daze, the Northland Antique Radio Club's main event of the year. This will be NARC's 36th year hosting this event and we expect a good crowd plus an abundance of radios and related things to be offered for sale.

As usual, an auction of vintage radio equipment will be held Friday evening, and the swap meet, radio contest, and program will be on Saturday, all at the Comfort Inn, located at 3000 Harbor Lane, near the intersection of highways 55 and 494 in Plymouth, Minnesota.

The brochure contains the schedule and details of the Radio Daze events. Registration is required to attend all indoor events, the Hospitality Room, and to sell items in the parking lot. Registration is encouraged, but not required, for anyone just attending the auction or buying at the swap meet. You can save $4.00 by returning the pre-registration form along with payment before May 12th. Also, if you plan to sell at the swap meet, it is easier to pay for your space using this form than to do it at the registration table. After you arrive, please pick up your name badge and other materials at the registration table in the hotel's main ballroom.

If you want to stay at the hotel, they are giving us a special reduced $99 per night (plus tax) room rate for either Double or King rooms Thursday through Saturday night. This is the same nightly rate as last year! You must make your reservation by May 5th and tell them that you are coming for the Radio Daze radio show. The Comfort Inn's reservation phone number is (763) 559-1222.

Radio Daze will start off with a large auction of vintage radio equipment at 7:00 p.m. on Friday May 19 in the Comfort Inn's main ballroom. This is an entertaining auction and there will be a good variety of radios available (197 were auctioned last year). If you want to sell your radio(s) at the auction, check them (maximum of 10 lots) in between 2:00 and 6:00 p.m. on Friday. You can download or print an Auction Entry Form if you want to fill it out before arriving.The auction preview is 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. This auction is always well attended and is an inexpensive way to sell your vintage radios. There are no buyer or seller percentage fees. The only charge to sell is a flat $5 per item entry fee, plus an additional $2 if you want the item to have a reserve price. Auction details are in the Radio Daze 2023 brochure.

The swap meet begins shortly after dawn on Saturday morning in the hotel parking lot. Selling spaces should be paid for using the pre-registration form, or you can pay in the hotel's main ballroom when the registration desk opens at 8 a.m. The hospitality room will be open at 7:00 am with coffee, soda, water, rolls, cookies, and snacks! Please note that parking lot sales are not allowed prior to Saturday.

Please bring something from your collection to enter in the radio contest! Contest categories are described in the Radio Daze 2023 brochure. Item check in for the contest will be from 11:00 to 11:45 a.m., with viewing from 1:00 pm to 2:00 p.m., and you can pick your entry up any time after 2:00 p.m.

Nearby options for lunch include Lucky's 13 Pub within the hotel and other restaurants nearby, including Perkins, Arby's, Burger King, Wendy's, Davanni's Pizza, Chick-fil-A, and others.

The Saturday program begins at 2:00 p.m. and includes contest awards, door prizes, and a performance by the Twin Cities legendary crooner, Vic Volare and members of his Volare Lounge Orchestra. They have been entertaining at Twin Cities area venues for many years and NARC is excited to have them for our entertainment at Radio Daze 2023!

Unfortunately, the Pavek Museum is not offering free admission to Radio Daze attendees this year. If you intend to visit the museum, please contact them to confirm their hours of operation and ticket cost.

The auction, the swap meet, the contest and program, and seeing our radio collecting friends again, keeps us coming back. Please mark May 19 and 20, 2023 on your calendar today!


Sunday February 12, 2023


NARC Workshop Review

Last year we reported that it was wonderful to be back at the Pavek Museum again for a NARC workshop after the two year Covid-19 break, never imagining that it was our final workshop at the museum and was also the last (and the 34th) workshop expertly organized by Steve Raymer. But, I am glad to report now that the February 12, 2023 workshop at the Comfort Inn in Plymouth was very enjoyable and really wasn't all that different from past workshops.

Most of us are very familiar with the Comfort Inn, so the venue was familiar and it worked out very well. The swap meet was held in the same area of the parking lot as during Radio Daze, and a good number of sellers were set up, probably due to nice weather that day. Everyone seemed to be enjoying it, including the same members that I mentioned last year who again traveled from Wisconsin and South Dakota to this event! I saw quite a few things change hands, with the best deal probably being a large quantity of used tubes that someone was giving away.

2023 Workshop Mini Swap Meet

2023 Workshop Mini Swap Meet

Everyone was inside by noon when the workshop started in the hotel's main ballroom. Bill Fanum had his sound system set up and they also used the new digital projector that the club recently purchased. Phillip Drexler introduced Jim Thompson who provided a brief Radio Daze update and mentioned that the Pavek Museum is not participating in Radio Daze this year and will be charging their usual admission fee.

A number of attendees brought radios to show.
Gary Ball had a difficult-to-find 1970's Zenith 'Circle of Sound' transistor radio, model B416W, in the original box that he picked up on eBay.

There was an Airline transistor radio in working condition that was found at an antique shop. It was an outstanding find since it was actually the early 1956 Raytheon transistor radio rebadged with the Airline name to sell at Montgomery Wards.

2023 Workshop Airline Radio

Someone brought his Grundig Satellite 500 multi-band portable programmable radio from the early 1990s and had questions about the lithium battery in it. This battery powers the radios memory while the radio is turned off, so if the battery is dead the memory will clear, but the original battery is discontinued and the replacement requires a modification to the radio's charging circuit.

Another collector brought in a Belmont bakelite radio with great styling that he paid $5 for at a flea market near Pine River. Someone had covered it with lime green paint and after he stripped that off it was dull brown. After considering a number of options, he polished it with a paste type of brown shoe polish and it now it is a beautiful shiny deep brown radio that looks great.

2023 Workshop Belmont Radio

The group of presenters that Gary Ball organized for the workshop provided a very interesting variety of topics and made good use of the club's new projector.



2023 Workshop Mini Swap Meet

First, Gary showed quite a few slides and spoke about some unique early transistor radios, including the Regency TR-1 that was introduced in November 1954 just in time for the holiday season, the first General Electric transistor set that came out in January 1955, the Zenith Royal 500, the rare Regency XR-2 with three batteries that came out in 1956 and the model XR-2A that followed in 1958 with two batteries, the Bulova 670 from 1959, the Toshiba TR-193, better known as the Toshiba Lace radio, that appeared in 1958, the Zenith Royal 20 Micro radio offered from 1966 to 1968, the Viscount 1130, and the Global GFM-93. He also told us about the many unique sets offered by Panasonic, including the model R-111, the Panapet ball and chain radio, the Toot-a-Loop, a Mug radio, the RF7D tiny AM/FM set, and the Mr. Thin radio.

Larry Tell provided an update to his last year's presentation about the surface-mount solid-state 01-A tube he had been working on. He found that it didn't pass the transconductance test in a Hickok tube tester, so he has re-designed it. The new version passes and he has also made a WD-11 version of it that can operate from a 1.5 volt cell. The challenge with the WD-11 is making bases with three small pins and one large pin. Larry demonstrated the solid-state 01A tubes operating in his Plant's Long Distance 3-Dial TRF set that was made here in the Twin Cities during the 1920s. The AM signal to the radio antenna came from an AM Modulator that he also recently designed.

Phillip Drexler gave an interesting presentation about setting up a turntable for best performance and the hows and whys of aligning a phonograph cartridge. He used the alignment procedure for a Dual 1219 turntable as an example and explained that there are two points along the arc that the stylus tip follows as the tonearm pivots, where the stylus can be perfectly tangential to the record groove if the cartridge is properly aligned. So adjusting the cartridge to be as perfectly aligned as possible at both of those points will allow it to sound its best throughout the record and also prevent unnecessary wear to both the recording and the stylus. Phillip suggested using a Stereo Test Record to verify the alignment is correct.

Matt Hyman demonstrated how lighter fluid does an excellent job of removing labels from boxes. He said that Ronsonal lighter fluid seems to work the best and leave no residue. You just pour some fluid on the label, let it soak in, and pull the label off. If it doesn't come off easily, add more fluid until it comes off. It also removes clear tape.

2023 Workshop Mini Swap Meet

2023 Workshop Mini Swap Meet

Bill Fanum explained how carbon microphones work and was prepared to test any that were brought to the workshop. He had with him a carbon microphone tester that Steve Raymer had recently finished building. There were six vintage carbon microphones available to test, but unfortunately none of them actually worked!

Thanks to everyone who helped with this event!


2022 NARC Fall Swap Meet Recap

The new location at Hopkins High School proved to be the perfect place for the October 22, 2022 Fall indoor swap meet! The area (one of the lunchrooms) had plenty of space, it was relatively easy for the sellers to move their items from their cars to the area, and there were plenty of windows so the lighting was good. A huge thanks to Phillip Drexler for all the work he did searching for a new location and then working with the Hopkins High School people to reserve the room for us. Phillip has already spoken with them about using their facilities again in 2023.



2022 Fall Swap at Hopkins High School


The previous two Indoor Fall Swap Meet events were cancelled due to Covid-19, so this was the first since 2019 and there was a good crowd of eager buyers and sellers. Nearly all the tables sold out to sellers and they generally reported that sales were good. I saw many nice radios from all eras, some good early battery sets, ham radios, transistor radios, some good audio equipment, tables full of radio parts and literature, many fully restored radios and also many that needed restoring. There was something for everyone!

2022 NARC Fall Swap Meet

A huge thanks also goes to Jeff for taking photos and to Mary for handling the registration table, signing up four new members, and collecting dues from many others who renewed their memberships for the next year. The total number of paid memberships for the 2022-23 club year is now up to 188.

As usual, this was a great occasion for socializing and it looked like everyone was having a good time. The meet wrapped up shortly after the door prize drawing at noon, and by 1 pm the room was empty.


NARC 2022 Annual Meeting Recap

September 18, 2022 was a beautiful day for the NARC Annual Meeting swap meet at the Comfort Inn in Plymouth, Minnesota, and although attendance was down compared to previous years, quite a few items changed hands at bargain prices.

2022 Annual Meeting

The meeting started off in the hotel with NARC President Phillip Drexler explaining and answering questions about the club's unfortunate and unexpected changed relationship with the Pavek Museum. The museum's mission statement has changed somewhat and there are now rental fees for holding our events there that are higher than what NARC can afford. Another problem is that the museum will no longer allow swap meets in their parking lot. So, suddenly we had to find a new location for the September annual meeting! Jim Thompson negotiated with the Comfort Inn in Plymouth, Minnesota, where we have held Radio Daze for many years, and they were happy to rent their ballroom to us for the meeting at a reasonable cost, and as noted elsewhere in this newsletter, they are also our annual radio workshop event's new location.

Next, Jim Thompson reported that everything went well with the 2022 RadioDaze event this year. We had a great program, contest, auction, and swap meet, all with no issues. Next year's meet has been scheduled with the hotel for May 19-20, 2023 and room rates are locked in at $99 per night. Greg Farmer provided election results, with all who ran for an office being elected for the upcoming club year, including Bill Fanum as the new vice-president, replacing Alan Jesperson who had held that office for many years. Greg also provided a brief financial update and reported that membership at the end of the current year was down about 40 since last year.

The meeting wrapped up with a nice Show & Tell with quite a few members showing interesting items from their collections and with prizes awarded to the six favorites. Some of these were an unusual Victor Lumiere pleated paper cone speaker in excellent condition, a 1957 Zenith Royal 750 with a gold grill, a U.S. Radio & Television model 24 cathedral radio, a 1957 Chevy retro radio, an AM/FM radio in a cooler case, an ATR DC/AC inverter that was purchased at Ax-Man Surplus, that converts 32 VDC to 110 VAC and that was manufactured by the American Television & Radio Company in St. Paul Minnesota, an Erla AC/DC radio with a wood cabinet, and a box full of transistor radios that were all the same but had different brand names on them.


2022 Picnic Recap

It was a perfect day for the July 31st NARC picnic at the Tony Schmidt Regional Park picnic shelter near Lake Johanna in Arden Hills, Minnesota. The potluck lunch offered a great assortment of food and it was fun to see and visit with the collectors again.

As we all finished eating, Phillip updated us about changes with the Pavek Museum policies and also the search for a new facility where we can hold the annual Fall indoor swap meet.

We had an interesting show-and-tell session where attendees brought a good variety of things to show, including a very nice Zenith Royal 500, two very early pieces of Hickok test equipment, a cute little Emerson portable radio, a vintage Wright-DeCoster 4000 Multi-Test Speaker that was made in St. Paul, a nice 6-volt Zenith tombstone radio that could operate from an automotive battery charger, a 1965(?) Ford Thunderbird transistor radio made by Philco that was a Ford dealer promotional item, and we also saw how a very unusual Harding & Bazeley Spherical Weight clock works.
items at  Picnic
Zenith at  Picnic Harding & Bazeley Spherical Weight clock at  Picnic
Here is a 7-tube Setchell Carlson radio with no model number on it. Does anyone have a schematic diagram for it?

Setchell Carlson radio front Setchell Carlson radio rear

The picnic was very enjoyable and will be held again next year, hopefully at this same location.


Radio Daze 2022 Report

Friday afternoon, May 20, 2022, the large conference room at the Comfort Inn in Plymouth Minnesota was a very busy place. People were bringing in their radios to consign to the auction and the auction team was handling event registration, bidding numbers, and making sure everything for the auction was properly logged in, while others were helping place radios in the proper areas around the room. By 7:00 pm, the room was filled with bidders, the tables along the walls were filled with radios and other related items, plus another 30 radios donated to the club were in the overflow room. There were 92 registered bidders and 196 items to sell.

2022 RadioDaze Auction

Frank Rasada was the auctioneer and was assisted by 8 others who all helped as spotters and with moving and describing the items during the auction. Bill Fanum supplied and ran his fantastic sound system both for the auction and for the Saturday program, These people all did a great job making this the smooth-running auction that we all enjoy every year.

2022 RadioDaze Auction
2022 RadioDaze Auction

Some of the nicer items in the auction were a 1923 Tuska 225 battery set, a Tri-City W-2 one-tube set, a Zenith T-600 Transoceanic with box, a Hammarlund HQ-145-A with speaker, a Philco 70 cathedral, an Army Morale radio R-100, a Crosley 158 cathedral, a Stromberg Carlson 240H, a Howe crystal set with box, a Magnavox AC2 amplifier, a Thompson horn speaker, a vintage radio repair sign, a General Electric A53 tombstone, a Soundcraftsman MA5002 amplifier, a Radiola 60 with 103 speaker, a Westinghouse Aeriola Sr., a Marantz 4230 receiver, a Philco 38 cathedral, a Philco 91 cathedral, an Atwater Kent H horn speaker, a Fisher 400 receiver, an Eico ST70 amp, a Philco 16B, a Philco 90 cathedral, a 1942 Zenith 5G2617, a General Electric F-63, a Westinghouse H-125, a Zenith chairside 5R236, a 1932 Philco 112X, a Detrola Super PeeWee, an Atwater Kent 944, a Crosley 66YC, a Radiola 17 with speaker, a Wards Airline WG24, a Crosley 10-135 dashboard radio, a Crosley Super Regen battery set with speaker, a Crosley Fiver, and an Altec 755C speaker.

2022 RadioDaze Swap Meet


The weather was nice for the Saturday morning swap meet in the hotel parking lot and many nice items changed hands.
DeForest D-10

Inside, the Hospitality crew provided a nice selection of coffee, pop, water, donuts, muffins, and snacks in the Hospitality room. Registration and seller spaces were both up slightly over last year, 7 new members joined the club, and over $200 in donations were collected for the Pavek Museum.

We congratulate and thank Steve Danielson for entering his outstanding DeForest D-10 radio with a large assortment of accessories in the radio contest. Steve was very surprised as his name was announced and that his radio won both the Best of Show and People's Choice contest awards.

The highlight of the afternoon program was an entertaining performance by The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society of two radio mystery plays, followed by the door prize drawing.

Next year's Radio Daze event is already scheduled for May 2023, again at the Comfort Inn Plymouth. Put it on your calendar today!


NARC MEMBERS!

Check out NARC's online list of members having email addresses or websites. This list now contains about 70 members and their interests!
RADIO DAZE CONTEST PICTURES
2001
2002
2004
2005
2007
2012
ribbons
Top

Last Updated Thursday, 25-Jan-2024 23:50:49 CST
Copyright 2024. All rights reserved.
The Northland Antique Radio Club
Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional