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The Fifth National Radio and Phono Fest

By Kevin Poulter and Richard Begbie.

In a departure from the usual vintage radio fault-finding and restoration this issue, we are featuring a huge vintage radio and phono event with a great display, an unbelievable range for sale, and free workshops. This can be a great opportunity to start or expand your collection, see the best collectables and learn restoration techniques. There is no bigger event in Australia for these collectables.

Vintage Radio is so popular, the national event is staged every two years or so in the nation’s capital. Titled The National Radio and Phono Fest, huge crowds of HRSA (Historical Radio Society of Australia) members, affiliated groups and an enthusiastic public flock to Canberra in Spring to relish the displays.

RadioFest began in late 2000 when Richard Begbie, a newer member of the HRSA attended their meeting in Sydney and considered - with a network of similar groups around the country, there might be room for something bigger - a national event. So the first National Radio and Phono Fest was organised for September 2001. A church hall was hired, but it soon became apparent that wouldn’t do. An adjoining hall was taken over and by the time the RadioFest doors opened to the public, both halls were jammed with gear for sale. Stallholders and visitors from as far away as Japan were equally enthusiastic about the day, and everyone - with the possible exception of the stunned organiser - declared it must happen again.

Its appeal has much to do with Canberra’s glorious spring, plus other attractions like the War Memorial, Film and Sound Archive, National Museum and the beginning of the capital’s annual Floriade Festival, a magnet for garden and flower lovers around the country. A real bonus, as long-suffering wives with little interest in dusty valve technology can enjoy alternative activities.

RadioFest offers much more than the usual swap meet. Beyond the large trading halls, there are workshops by experts on technical, mechanical and restoration matters. Plus a dinner on the Saturday night offers a convivial atmosphere for radio men often reluctant to leave the back shed. Wives and partners join in on this event too plus speakers have brought insight, humour and “live” history to each dinner.

As the show needed upsizing to a grand size, it was moved to University House in the grounds of the ANU and continued to expand. The dinner became a highlight for many, while others eagerly stocked up on rare vintage parts, early phonographs, intriguing radios which tell the story of broadcast radio from the beginning and stunning bakelites, seen regularly on television collector’s programs. Films are made of workshops and distributed around the country.

This year it’s on again, and crowd sizes have dictated another change in venue. Moreover, the HRSA has officially taken over the event, and sponsorship by Silicon Chip magazine has provided yet wider coverage for what promises to be a bumper Fest. An added feature this year will be a display of some of the finest in early radio collectables, and especially of unique items in Australian radio history. The wide-ranging display promises to add a fascinating dimension to RadioFest 2010.

Brian Lackie, ex-radio tech and long-time early radio and mechanical music enthusiast reflects “I was lucky enough to attend the first RadioFest in 2001. After that, I wouldn’t miss the event for quids, as they are getting bigger and better.” Another collector, Lou Albert, a respected expert on the earliest Australian radio gear also quipped “My only complaint about the Radio and Phono Fest is the spelling. It should be called the Radio and Phono Feast.”

Richard Begbie found the national event was a huge logistical effort, so he welcomed Australia’s largest Radio Society’s involvement in the organising “I am delighted that the HRSA has taken over this event. The Society is its natural home and it’s the kind of thing they’ll do well. And besides – there’ll be more people to do the work!” Mike Osborne, president of the HRSA agrees. “I’ve watched the Canberra Fest grow from its beginnings and have personally enjoyed every aspect of its development. It’s a great step forward for the Society to be taking responsibility for a National event.”

The Kamberra Wine Centre, (yes the spelling is correct) Federal Highway, Watson ACT is a terrific venue, with good access from the Federal and Barton Highways. Visit HRSA’s website www.hrsa.asn.au and click on ‘RadioFest’ for the location map.
So how do you secure a place at this outstanding event? Sunday entry is $5 each or $10 a family, (stallholders exempt). Don’t miss the big vintage radio raffle too.

If you have something to sell, stall tables are fast running out with one size left – 6 foot X 2 foot 6 inch tables at $25 each. Stall tables are available to HRSA members and affiliated groups only, however there is still time to join the HRSA, for $35/per year, including the Radio Waves magazine.
Stall bookings: Richard Elliott on (02) 4846 1096 or email on lambdas@optusnet.com.au
The dinner function is $40 or $75 per couple. The bar opens from 6.15pm. For bookings, contact John Carr on (02) 6226 3230 or Richard Elliott on (02) 4846 1096 or email on lambdas@optusnet.com.au

The Programme
Bumper market from 9am Sunday – parts, radios, ephemera.
Some genuinely unique historic items in multiple displays.
Professionally presented workshops:
The History & Mystery of the Valve
J.G. Balsillie – the forgotten Australian Radio Pioneer
Timber cabinets – when and how to restore
The HRSA Annual General Meeting (members only) on the Sunday night of the Fest, with members from all over Australia.

Accommodation options range from camping grounds to five star. For details, including distance from venue, contact Richard Elliott.

Other queries - Richard Begbie: (02) 6238 2246 rb@bordernet.com.au





       
The world's most collectable radio?

A Sparton Nocturne circa 1936 cobalt blue
mirrored circular face with circular dial and
brushed chrome detail metal plate to reverse
reading 'SPARTON/ MADE IN U.S.A, sold in
Melbourne in March 2010 for $38,400

Click on the blue radio for the full story.

HRSA - the club for Radio collectors

The HRSA, or Historical Radio Society of Australia, meets and provides mutual assistance for radio collectors interested in vintage radios and televisions - all things related to wireless, including military receivers and early tape recorders.

With over 1,000 members, and meetings in key areas around Australia, the HRSA is the leader in historic radio.

Regular speakers, films, auctions and workshops provide access to items and assistance, second to none. Members with specific expertise, like bakelite repair, are easily accessed for advice or to send your project to, for the expert to repair.

The quarterly Radio Waves magazine is a superb production, typically 60 pages on quality, heavyweight paper, crammed full of all things radio and a huge range of parts and radios for sale. Every issue has a colour cover, brimming with unrivalled information, circuits, photographs, spare parts for sale and details of all activities across Australia.

The club also has it's own supply of valves, major parts, Specific Radio Booklets and a circuit service, for most mainstream radios made in Australia.

Plus members learn restoration advice, ranging from the electronics to wooden cabinets. Whilst there are some regional clubs within the HRSA umbrella, even members who cannot attend meetings find great value in membership, through the magazine and all the contacts.

They not only have access to the great variety of information in Radiowaves, they can advertise for help with parts or advice and/or telephone a member who is expert in the field.

The yearly membership fee is incredibly good value - just $35.00 a year (within Australia), including the magazine subscription.

Click the link below for details.

Join The Historical Radio Society of Australia


This museum site is not for profit, supporting Australia's Radio history.
The site is regularly updated, so if some buttons are not linked, return soon or email us.
Please email if you have a radio story to tell.


Radiograms

An often asked question: How do I have a Radiogram repaired? I highly recommend you don't run the radiogram or any vintage radio even once, until the repairs are made. As capacitors (and in some instances resistors) deteriorate with age, there's a high risk of one shorting and burning out the power transformer and other irreplaceable parts.

Once that happens, almost no repairer can or will take on the restoration job.

With regard to the turntable, It's most unlikely you will find anyone who specialises in vintage turntable repair. It's very time-consuming and after spending many hours on one, can still be found to be impossible to fix, as some 'rare as hen's teeth' rubber components may need replacement, or the cause of the fault still eludes the repairer. Even if a good repair was completed, the owner would balk at the $400 - $500 repair cost. Plus the owner would expect a lifetime warranty on the repair!

Show the turntable to the radio tech first, in case it is one of the few where a very selective clean and lube with do the job, but there are very few people who have expertise in turntables. If asked for advice, I would say remove the platter to 'briefly' ensure the motor is running, clean all the moving parts above and below the chassis and moving arms with metho or other cleaner (apply on a cotton bud - do not spray near the unit), add a small dab of sewing machine oil to the main moving parts and only a tiny spot to parts that spin (again on a cotton bud) and check if some springs need re-tensioning. Its especially important to ensure only a tiny amount of lubricant is applied to fast moving parts, or it will be thrown onto the rubber drive disc or other drive components, causing slippage.

Then inspect and test the cartridge. Almost certainly the needle needs replacement, though these are scarce and a complete head replacement may be the best option. New 'old stock' cartridge head / needle assemblies are available and some brand new ones too. If you cannot find an exact fit, the head assembly may need Araldite or other glue to fix it. Also the arm tension spring may need re-tensioning, to keep the pressure on the needle and record to an acceptable level, thus highly reducing wear.

Sounds to0 difficult? Some people therefore replace the turntable with a later one, especially the type that were sold as 'stand-alone' in their own cabinet. In that case, you need to be sure the replacement turntable is in good working order. If it is one of the top quality 'stand-alone' types, nearly every one is belt-driven and the rubber drive belt will in most instances, be perished. A search will find one of the few places that sells replacement drive belts in a set of various sizes, so it fits the unit.

What size drive belt do you need?
If the belt is still intact, lay it so it is as near to a circle shape as possible and measure the diameter. Take off a few mm to allow for stretching and that will be the size. Some electronics stores sell a pack of various drive belt sizes, but none have exact spare parts for old turntables. If the original belt is too broken up to measure its diameter, take the largest belt from the replacement set and try it. Then if it does not spin the turntable, keep reducing the size until one does.

Alternatively, new turntables are available at stores, including Dick Smith, though for old radiograms the USB type is not suitable. Further, some never types may need a new series/parallel RC network to make the sound match the input.

Then either get the technician to place sockets on the radiogram so the replacement turntable plugs in, or wire it into the unit. If a replacement turntable is installed in place of the original, its a good idea to keep the original turntable to historically preserve the radiogram as one unit. Also later on, a new buyer would pay more if the original turntable was included.

You can also have input sockets added for iPod or other music source. The warm valve sound will be heard, but it may have considerably more music detail from a modern source, unless the technician can add a RC tone cut network to the connector lead. If a modern music source like iPod or a later turntable is to be connected, ask the technician to check there is no voltage on the inputs, as there are strange wiring techniques used on some radiograms and capacitors may be leaking. My recommendation would be to have a 400 volt / .01 (or higher) capacitor in series with both sides of the audio signal, as insurance.

The technician should especially check the radiogram is not a 'hot chassis' or any other unusual design. I purchased a radiogram that was very retro-look, but found the vertical-mount design meant it had always run very hot. So I added a small computer fan and problem solved. Best of all, I did not have to drill holes, thus reducing its originality, as the rear cover already had vent holes.

The radiogram should also be checked to see the volume on/off switch turns the active side of the mains off (not neutral as is sometimes found) and I recommend the chassis is earthed, if this is approved for that model. Despite an earth often improving radio reception, many came with two core figure 8 mains power cable and no earthed power cord. Speaking of cable, the mains cable and some internal wiring is often perished and need of essential replacement.

Despite the above, if your radiogram is in top condition, it may be a relatively quick job to get it going - only an expert can tell.
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