The Mississippi Historical Radio and Broadcasting Society
News Letter
Our regular monthly meeting will be held Sunday 2 PM, August 16, 1992 at 2412 C St. Meridian, MS.
Much has happened since the last news letter - your editor has been through a very hectic period - and no volunteers were found to put one out in the mean time.
Several of us went to the Alabama Historical Radio Society show at Birmingham back in May. As promised, it was quite a bit larger than our show. It was unfortunate, though that the Alabama State Tax Commission came in and (in my humble opinion) used some very heavey-handed tactics in demanding sales tax be collected and turned in. Few of us mind paying our fair share, but the pall that their actions threw over the atmosphere of the show caused many attendees to leave in anger / protest / etc.
Enough on the bad part. The good far outweighed the bad. Several people from this area won door prizes; many fine old radios changed hands - and the ALHRS had an extremely interesting display of radios as usual.
The excitement has stirred interest in another show here sometime this fall. We'll have to discuss this at our meetings.
Books:
The new Bunis book is out - $17.95 Now covering some 7400+ models, and 540 all-new color photographs - the Second edition covers 2400 more models than the original - and has updated prices.
Also now available is the paperback edition of "The Portable Radio in American Life". Containing over 450 illustrations and photos, this book cover the history - and impact - of portable radio on this country and culture. The Hardbound version at $45.00 was a bit pricey for most of us. This version at $24.95 is almost affordable.
I've mentioned prices of items in various segments of our hobby were unstable, with some headed up (notably tubes, signage, etc.) and others headed down (catalins, cathedrals, etc.). This trend (wild price fluctuations) is becoming even more pronounced as the economy goes through fits of starts - stalls - spits - and heaves. Consoles, which were hot last summer, are luke warm this year. Crystal sets, which seldom garners much interest (with exception of the super-rare item) are suddenly some of the hottest items out there. Tubes - for the more common types: it just depends on where and when. But the rarer ones have just dried up - at any price!... (I think I remember mentioning something about getting off the pot on tubes several months ago...). All in all this is a time to be VERY cautious about the price you pay for ANY item!... Things are very strange in RadioLand!
Doing my bit at crystal ball gazing this month - I think I see some big bucks developing in the Literature / Stock Certificate areas... Catalins - after suffering a minor general decline over the past several months seem to be making a solid comeback in values. Still some bargains are lurking out there. One of our members recently spent a few dollars on a catalin only to get it home and find it listed in the Bunis book at around $250. So keep looking!
It has been suggested that a directory of membership be published and made available to all members - much like a church directory etc. I have mixed emotions about this. While I agree with the idea that it would be nice to have everyone's address and phone number in one handy place - I also know that some members are somewhat guarded about privacy. I feel that if people want you to have their address, phone, etc. then they will give it to you. You are free to assemble a list of your own, but for the time being, the MHRBS will not publish such a list.
A list we will publish from time to time is a "where to" list. This will contain vendors, services, etc. that may be of interest to all.
General Supplies:
Antique Electronic Supply
6221 S. Maple Avenue
Tempe, AZ 85283 (602) 820-5411
Kranz Radio
100 Osage Ave.
Somerdale NJ 08083 (609) 783-0400
Antique Audio
5555 N Lamar, Suite H-105
Austin, TX 78751 (512) 467-0304
Periodicals:
Antique Radio Classified (monthly)
$27 2nd Class $40 1st Class
A.R.C P.O. Box 2, Carlisle, MA 01741
(508)371-0512
The Horn Speaker (quarterly)
$12.50 yearly
P. O. Box 1193 Mabank, TX 75147
Wireless Trader (twice a month)
$16.95 (24 issues)
Trader Publications
4290 Bells Ferry Rd., Suite 106-36A
Kennesaw, GA 30144
The Mississippi Historical Radio and Broadcasting Society Newsletter is published monthly by:
The Mississippi Historical Radio and Broadcasting Society
2412 C Street
Meridian, MS 39301
601 693-5958
© 1992, The Mississippi Historical Radio and Broadcasting Society.
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