[NJARC] Infoage: Museum or Science Center?

[John Ruccolo]

Jim/Ray/Folks,

I think the Washington receiver is the only true one-of-a-kind, "National treasure" item that the museum has. I think we should leave it alone, if possible. I agree that if we can make it work with the barest *minimum* of repairs, that's fine. But don't start unsoldering and replacing components.

Virtually everything else in the museum was mass-produced. If, for example, the AK 84 cathedral is all-original inside, then we should definitely leave it alone. If not, we may as well repair the electronics and demo it.

I am enjoying this discussion -- an excellent rainy-day topic for the reflector. 

Of course, on a day like today, *any* topic is welcome. ;-)


Regards,

John


--- On Sat, 9/6/08, Ray Chase <enrpnr at erols.com> wrote:

> From: Ray Chase <enrpnr at erols.com>
> Subject: Re: [NJARC] Infoage: Museum or Science Center?
> To: antqradio at sbcglobal.net, "New Jersey Antique Radio Club" <njarc at mailman.qth.net>
> Date: Saturday, September 6, 2008, 4:13 PM
> Visit our web site - See http://www.njarc.org
> _______________________________________________
> Good comments, I agree with just about all of it.  We have
> a bunch of 
> vintage TV's on display all their bad original internal
> caps but they 
> command much less interest than the working 1948 model;
> playing 1950's 
> programs to boot.  Somewhere we have a snapshot taken
> during a museum 
> tour of 3 young teenage girls sitting on the floor
> enthralled by 
> watching an early B&W program, a Sid Caesar special I
> think.  BTW, we do 
> have a one-of-a-kind rare artifact in the "Washington
> Receiver" built by 
> Harold Wheeler when he invented and patented the AVC or AGC
> circuit in 
> 1925.  So far we have only conserved this artifact but
> maybe one day we 
> will attempt to operate it.  I guess it would be considered
> permissible 
> to replace a defective plug-in tube with another of proper
> vintage.  
> Probably has no failed caps but at some time we may have to
> decide how 
> far to go with it.
> Ray
> 
> Jim Whartenby wrote:
> 
> >Visit our web site - See http://www.njarc.org
> >_______________________________________________
> >Ruth and I visited InfoAge last month for the first
> time.  We were both very impressed with the exhibits.  It is
> evident that a lot of hard work was done by the usual, but
> all too few, dedicated NJARC members.
> >
> >Well done!
> >
> >Working exhibits are a joy.  Perhaps I am in the
> minority here but I feel that a working exhibit (read radio)
> is, in fact, a living thing.  Since I work at a thoroughbred
> race track, 
> >
> 
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