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The theatre pipe organ played a vital role in the production of programs during Radio's "Golden Age." For a listing of all known pipe organs and organists in North American, UK and Australian radio stations, click here....
My own broadcasting studio organ where we can recreate old radio broadcasts
"BACK IN THE OLD DAYS"
This is the school in New Orleans where I studied electronics. The photo was taken in the mid 1960's during the time I attended.
A photo of my ham shack from about 1962 when I was a Junior in high school. Equipment included a Hallicrafters SX-140 receiver and a Knight-Kit T-60 phone/cw transmitter from Allied Radio in Chicago. Morse Code was copied using my 1935 Underwood "Noiseless" manual typewriter. I was able to work 20 countries, on 40 meter CW with this rig. Below, climbing my 60 foot Rohm antenna tower circa 1979. Below, my original QSL cards printed by World Radio Laboratories.
"AND HERE WE ARE SOME 40 YEARS LATER"
This is my present day ham shack in the basement of my home in Virginia. I am
currently running a Yaesu FP-757HD AM/SSB/CW transceiver into a Cushcraft 160-10 Meter all band vertical antenna.
These photos are of my main display room where the bulk of my collection is housed.
Here are some individual detailed photos of the items in my WIRELESS EQUIPMENT COLLECTION.
Vintage Victor (Berliner) phonograph and trademark "Nipper" dog
Classic example of Atwater-Kent Model 84 "cathedral" radio from the height of the Great Depression.
An authentic DeForest Audion Tube. This is the "prize piece" of my collection.
Chanlyst was the standard of every well equipped radio service business
Coca-Cola promotional radio from 1930's. Distributed by Point-Of-Sale Company
Model 440 Radio by the Colin B. Kennedy Company of St.Louis, MO.
1925 Crosley Tryrdyn receiver
Atwater Kent model 185
National Type G Communications Receiver
An early cradle phone by Western-Electric
Grebe MU-1 Syncro-phase receiver
Impedance bridge Model 650 by General Radio Corporation
RCA Cone type speaker
Western Electric audio amplifier
Westinghouse Aeriola receiver
Some of my telegraph keys and ceramic insulators from the "CW" era,
Freed-Eisemann NR5 Neutrodyne receiver with Magnovox horn
Atwater-Kent battery radio Model
My 1947 Hallicrafters TV. This set was almost identical to one that we had in our home back in the late 1940's. It was one of the first TVs sold in New Orleans. The entire family, as well as neighbors and friends, gathered around to watch the inagural broadcast of WDSU-TV which was broadcast from New Orleans Municipal Auditorium, and which starred Don McNeill, host of the nationally broadcast "Breakfast Club" program. Below is a sixty-year-old photo of my mother, sister and I gathered around the seven-inch Hallicrafters set, complete with the optional magnifier that was a popular accessory for these small sets. The radio on which the TV sat, is a Stromberg-Carlson radio-phono of that same era.
View of my vacuum tube collection which spans 1906 through 1960.
A classic example of early tube receiver, this Radiola III was built by RCA
An Atwater-Kent E-3 cone speaker from the early 1920's.
Horn speakers
Rotary spark gap and inductor were the heart of a pre-tube era CW transmitter
An early RCA cone speaker shown with 1918 crystal set.
Large transmitting tube from a commercial AM station
Early Kellogg "candle stick" phone shown with horn speaker
This Atwater-Kent Model 9C "breadboard" radiio dates to early 1920's Speaker is by Dicto-Grand.
Ornate "strung" antenna for early AM band radio
One of my early "phone" transmitters, the Johnson Viking Ranger
A Type "M" horn
speaker; just one of several Atwater Kent horn speakers in the collection
Echophone EC3 receiver. Echophone later evolved into the Hallicrafters Co.
Edison Amberol phonograph
Atwater-Kent Model 35 early battery receiver
Homebrew early battery set from around 1916
This is my Knight-Kit "Ocean Hopper" three-tube receiver from Allied Radio, Chicago, IL. I was in the
seventh grade when my grandfather bought me this kit as a birthday present. After assembling
the primative kit receiver, and stringing a "long-wire" antenna on my mother's clothes poles out in the yard, I spent many happy evenings listening to programs such as "The Amos N' Andy Music Hall", "The Hour Of Decision" with
Billy Graham, and the Jan Garber Orchestra broadcasts from the Blue Room
of the old Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans over station WWL.
It was still the late 1950's and on Sunday evenings, CBS
Radio was still running network broadcasts of "Suspense", "Yours Truly, Johnny
Dollar", and "The Jack Benny Program". In that same era, NBC Radio had
already disontinued their live programs during the week, and they had switched to their "Monitor" weekend
format. By 1959, television had officially replaced radio as America's entertainment
medium. I am fortunate that I had the opportunity to live in the era of live radio broadcasts for the first twelve or so
years of my life, and it gave me an appreciation for the talent that was
needed to keep America's families entertained and informed for the preceeding
thirty years. By 1960, network broadcasting of radio entertainment and
drama programs totally ceased, and radio became solely a service for news and recorded music.
In my own little realm, as 1960 rolled around, I was entering High School, and my radio hobby interests
had shifted from DXing AM radio, to obtaining a Ham Radio license so that I could talk to my friends who
were also getting licensed as "Hams" through our high school's Amateur Radio Club. I continued with a serious
interest in electronics and science through most of my teen years, but my radio hobbies had begun to take a back seat to more serious
persuits such as my studies, and new found interests in the way of
expanding friendships, fast cars, and girls. .
Hallicrafters "Sky Buddy" was one of the first in a line of high end communications receivers made by the Hallicrafters Company of Chicago, IL.
National NC-2 communications receiver with speaker.
Hallicrafters S-38B receiver
The Globe Scout, by World Radio Laboratories, was a much sought after "phone" transmitter.
A portion of my vintage microphone collection
Meissner Deluxe Signal Shifter (VFO)
Philco Farm Radio
Hallicrafters Sky Champion all band receiver.
Hallicrafters HT-110 marine radio-telephone
Stewart-Warner cathedral radio
Crosley 1931 "Playboy" Depression era cathedral receiver
Philco 38-60B 1938 receiver
An early Spark transmitter using a Tesla type induction transformer
Charlie McCarthy with vintage RCA mike and Majestic Charlie McCarthy novelty collector's radio
Bendix 1949 Catalin radio. This set was very popular in the post-war era.
1941 National NC-44 short wave communications receiver
Priess receiver with "ether collector" antenna
1950's 20 watt Novice CW transmitter
National SW-3 early communications receiver
Miscellaneous crystal sets, WW-1 field comm set, and collector's items.
RCA BN-2A remote broadcast console
The National NC-300 was another top-of-the-line receiver in its day
50,000 Watt RCA transmitter from WWL-AM Kenner transmitter site ca:1937
(My father was part of the LP&L crew that provided electrical service this transmitter)
(My father was part of the LP&L crew that provided electrical service this transmitter)
WSMB-AM New Orleans transmitter building on Behrman Highway, Algiers, LA.