My first battery-powered radio — a ten-transistor Realtone — came from my Aunt Ina when I was about seven. I used to think I was ten, but the songs from 1973 would be wrong: I distinctly remember hearing “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” by Creedence Clearwater Revival being played as a current hit on KGBS (now KTNQ, 1020 AM) while listening to that radio. That would put it around 1970.
Regardless, it was one of many I would own over the years. Unfortunately, I destroyed it in a fit of uneducated experimentation … I thought I could get better reception by adding a longer antenna, so I cut the internal ferrite bar antenna out, and it never worked again … it didn’t help that I had no clue how to solder at the time.
Recently, while looking through eBay, I found one. I am not sure it is exact, as I can’t remember if mine was black or white — they came in both. But it’s the same design with the same cool “slide-rule” tuning dial.
Unfortunately, this one doesn’t work, at least not yet. I definitely need to change the battery connector, as the wires are broken somewhere along the negative side, so without a jumper wire it doesn’t turn on. But even with power, it will play nothing more than static.
So I’m adding this to my project bench along with a few other radios, including various transistor and “all-American five” tube — and similar — models. The bench is getting full; I better start really working on these before my wife Jean gets even more annoyed.
Wish List
One radio I would like to add to the bench is somewhat of a mystery from about 1967, I believe. Known as “The Astronaut” by Realistic, it is a four-band portable transistor radio listed as a Radio Shack model 12-1377 in one of their catalogs. My dad originally bought it new, and like the Realtone mentioned above, it was eventually broken by me … in this case when I sprayed something into the FM tuning capacitor as I tried to “improve it.”
What makes it even harder to find than its general scarcity — I don’t think it was available long — is the fact that from all of my research, there is no model number on the radio itself. So even if offered, it may not show up in searches. But it was cool … AM (listed as BC for Broadcast), FM, Marine and Aircraft bands. And from my memory, it had pretty good sound. Maybe someday…
Heart and Soul
One of the great things about our growing number of local low-powered community FM stations is the ability to find programming you can’t find elsewhere. Case in point: the new “Heart and Soul Oldies” show on Long Beach’s KLBP (99.1 FM and at klbp.org).
The show is hosted by Mike Anthony, who once played oldies as a DJ at The Hop in Lakewood and Bill Medley’s club in Fountain Valley. A longtime fan of the old KRLA (now KWVE, 1110 AM), Anthony counts as his influences the many KRLA DJs from the “Heart and Soul” era of the station: Wolfman Jack, Art Laboe, Dick ”Huggy Boy” Hugg and The “Burner“ Humble Harve Miller.
Just like KRLA did, Anthony plays hits from the 1950s through the ‘70s. Hear it for yourself Saturday mornings from 10 to noon … and get more information at HeartAndSoulOldies.com.
HD Changes
Saul Levine’s Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters company is making some changes to the digital HD lineup of streams available at 105.1 FM. You need an HD-capable radio to hear them, but many such radios are available, especially among newer cars.
The HD1 will, as required by law and common sense, be a digital simulcast of Go Country 105. But beginning March 31, there will be two classical music stations available, with the HD2 being more modern and current classical music and the HD3 being what Levine describes as “more baroque and old-school Mozart and Bach.” The HD3 will also feature some Grand Opera and other features, which Levine hopes will make it feel more local and specialized than the HD2. “We want to offer a solid choice for listeners,” he explained.
So what happens with the HD4? As of now, the plan is to keep LA Oldies on the air, moving it back to its old HD4 home. This means that the Go Country Gold simulcast currently heard on HD4 will be no longer be an HD stream, and the format will stand alone on 1260 AM as far as broadcast radio goes. Of course, you can also hear the country oldies on various apps, which are superior in many ways to HD streams. What I have found is that 1260 covers well … with the right radio.
Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist covering radio in Southern California. Email [email protected]
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