03 Rec.antiques.radio+phono: Exclusions
Description
This article is from the Antique Radios And Phonographs FAQ, by Hank van Cleef vancleef@netcom with numerous contributions by others.
03 Rec.antiques.radio+phono: Exclusions
Amateur radio equipment discussion will be directed to the existing amateur
radio newsgroups and to the boatanchors list. This is only done because
those groups present an established forum for people with an interest in
classic amateur radio equipment. Those classic amateur radio collectors who
also share an interest in early standard-broadcast equipment will fully
appreciate the desire to separate the two interests. Their valuable
expertise will, however, be most welcome in all forums.
Since the summer of 1993, there has been an ongoing discussion among
those interested in antique radios and phonographs (and other related
equipment and materials) about the possibility of forming this
newsgroup. That small core of enthusiasts has rapidly grown in
number, and now includes representatives of museums, technical
specialists, collectors, and novices with an inquisitiveness about
sound reproducing and receiving equipment of the past. With
enthusiasm for the preservation and enjoyment of these superb
expressions of human inventiveness steadily increasing, the time has
come to establish a forum through which knowledge of their history,
restoration, and use can be shared by experts and newcomers alike.
This proposal represents the essence of what an Internet newsgroup can
accomplish--it can produce a collective source of knowledge from which
useful information can be drawn for years into the future.
Bill Robie, August, 1994
In general, this means:
1. This newsgroup has the name "antique" in it, and primarily addresses
home entertainment equipment. It is not a "catch-all" group for
discussing things not covered by other groups.
2. Items of particular interest to readers in this group:
a. Acoustic phonographs of all types.
b. Early electronic phonographs, primarily for playing 78 RPM
disks.
c. Radios of the 1920-50's period. Of particular interest are
Atwater Kent, Philco, and Zenith sets, although all radios by earlier
manufacturers are of interest to the group.
3. While much of the discussion the group is about radios and phonos of
US manufacture, we welcome discussion of non-US radios and phonos from
the same period sold primarily to a domestic market.
4. There are a great many opinions about what is "antique" and what
isn't. The focus of the discussion that led to creation of this
newsgroup was on phonograph and radio technology of the 1890-1950 era.
The group does include some discussion of:
a. Monaural vacuum tube "high fidelity" equipment.
b. Early hybrid and transistor home entertainment designs.
c. Early black and white televisions, and a few color sets.
However, post-1950's technology generally diverges from the focus of
this newsgroup. We generally regard 1960 as a cutoff date for
appropriateness in this group.
d. Instrumentation suitable for use in design, repair, and
calibration of antique home entertainment items. This includes
laboratory-grade equipment as well as service shop equipment.
e. Discussions about technological history, recording and
broadcasting practices, etc., have been interesting areas of discussion
in the group.
5. While not originally sold as "home entertainment" equipment, there
is an interest in jukeboxes, early musical devices such as the Hammond
organ, and movie theater audio, particuarly items manufactured before
WW II.
6. We welcome participation by "hams," and include some discussion of
old tube-type communications receivers, particularly from the '30's and
'40's in this group. Amateur radio issues in general are already covered
by the rec.radio.amateur.* groups.
(March '96). The "boatanchor" mail list, which was previously mentioned
here, is, according to the list administrator, a paid subscription list
as of March 15, 1996.
7. Casual buy, sell, swap, and trade, of old radios and phonos, parts,
are within the charter. Please keep in mind that this is a discussion
group, with many non-collectors who have one or two items that they
enjoy. This is not a place to hawk your wares. If you have an old radio
or phono or two, or want to buy a specific make and model of something,
then post here. Do not post blanket "WTB (wanted to buy) notices for
any and all old radios, old transistor radios, phono records, candlestick
phones, etc. Also, do not post anonymously (AOL, Prodigy, and Compuserve
users take particular note, as these systems do not give posters a clear
identity). Give a geographic location.
Before posting a buy/sell/swap item here, consider posting to one of the
newsgroups set up for that purpose. Rec.antiques.marketplace is the
principal group for antique trading, and is regularly read by readers of
this group who want to buy and sell. Rec.radio.swap is a general group
for electronic items of all types. Rec.audio.marketplace,
sci.electronics.marketplace are also good groups to use, particularly
for post-WW II items. Consider using a regional marketplace or forsale
newsgroup, particularly if you are talking about something you do not
want to ship. Remember that this group is worldwide.
Dealers of parts, supplies, and services for home entertainment items
are listed in sections 3 and 5 of this FAQ.
8. Binary postings. Please do not post binary files (picture files,
uuencoded data, mime attachments, etc.) to this newsgroup. This is a
Usenet convention, not a charter issue. A number of system
administrators run software that detect and cancel binary postings in
non-binary newsgroups. If you want to post a binary file, find a group
with "binaries" in the name, post there, and post a pointer to it here.
Keep in mind that binary groups are not available on many systems,
because of the traffic volume involved, and are poorly propagated.
Some of the things that don't seem to fit well with this group are:
1. Stereo from the 60's and later, particularly things with bookshelf
speakers. The rec.audio.* newsgroups are the place to discuss these.
2. Computers. Usenet has hundreds of newsgroups devoted to computers,
including old ones.
3. Tape recorders other than vacuum tube reel-to-reel units.
4. Video recorders.
5. Guitar amplifiers.
6. Amateur radio equipment except for older general coverage
receivers that sold to non-hams as home entertainment SWL
(shortwave listening) sets.
7. Phonograph records---trading should be done in the
rec.music.collecting newsgroups.
8. Off-charter and commercial buy and sell postings. This includes
"wanted to buy, old radios" postings from individuals, and any
buy/swap/trade postings from anonymous accounts where name or location
are not given. Repetitive postings are also unwelcome to most of the
readers.
The above are general guidelines, not hard-and-fast rules. If you
receive a response posting or E-mail indicating that your post was off
topic, it will generally point to a more appropriate group. This group
has been historically free of flames. There are some very honest
differences of opinion about many topics, and some of the discussions
are lively. The focus of this group is on positive things. Ad hominum
attacks, flame wars, along with attempts to use the group for commercial
purposes, are not welcome here. Your questions, and your experiences
with old radios and phonos are the lifeblood of the group. Work to make
this group a happy and positive place.
A note on safety: Virtually everything we discuss in this newsgroups
can present safety hazards of one sort or another. In particular are
the energy stored in phonograph springs and the voltages and currents in
electronics equipment. In addition, processes such as soldering
components can cause fires and serious burns if improperly done.
While the subject of safety hazards and safe operation, troubleshooting,
and repair practices is a topic of discussion on the newsgroup, such
discussions are generally far from comprehensive. Additionally, many of
the processes discussed presume knowledge of safe practices, and do not
go into detail about possible hazards. Safety is your responsibility.
While we may discuss techniques and practices that work well for us, and
that we can use safely, we are not prepared to give supervised
instruction or to audit people's safety practices. If you are unsure of
your ability to work in a safe manner, seek out local assistance and
supervision.
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