Since birth, year of 1953, in Porto Alegre City, Brazil, I have been fascinated by the radio reception phenomenon. I grew up as the son of a Communication Army Officer, near phones and transmitters, receivers and antennas, always available to see and deal with electronic valve equipment.

In the year of 1989, I got from my brother my father’s first radio, a Hallicrafters S-38. At this time I started to dedicate myself to antique radios, a hobby which took me several weekends and sometimes even prevented me from being with my family.

Radios came from so many different ways that some I can’t recall: donations, purchases in antique stores, receivers buried in the floor or thrown in the garbage…. As time goes by actually, the searching turned from quantity to radio quality and rarity.

As I have never attended any electro technical course, I had to get instructions by myself in old manuals and with friends.

This ordered set of tube receivers, nowadays consists today in 164 working and restored radios keeping their fabrication’s originality. They are catalogued pieces that have a past history, dated between the years of 1924 and 1960.

This exhibition is dedicated to my dear kids and to those who see antique items not as a good, but as something which has the value of knowledge and History preservation.

Daltro D’Arisbo

Welcome Daltro.

I think we'd all like to see your collection. Do you have photos of them online that you can provide a link to?

Hi.

My radio site is http://www.museudoradio.com/enindex2.htm.

In my website you will find photos of all my old tube radios.

Regards

Daltro D'Arisbo

G'day Daltro,

You have an impressive collection there. Australian collectors will recognise all the Philips receivers as many of those were also made here.

Our montly electronics magazine, Silicon Chip has a vintage radio column and this month they are featuring Philips radios that were made both in Holland and Australia. The story is that the dies for the bakelite cabinets were made in Holland and shipped around the world to Philips' other factories and then each country where Philips had a factory would make cabinets that were identical but would make and fit a chassis and tuning dial that was unique to only that country.

Some Philips radios have nicknames here. The Philips Matador was known here as the 'Theatrette' because it's speaker grille looks a bit like a theatre's proscenium arch. The Philips BR217U often gets called the 'Minstral' here.

Australia also made Mullard and Philco sets though many of them were unique to this country as they were made by Airzone rather than Philips or Philco. In the last part of the valve era here Mullard receivers were made and rebadged by Philips.

Again, a nice collection of radios.

Many thanks for posting that link. That's a fantastic collection and congratulations on the quality and presentation of your website. The story of Radiola 26 restoration project is very interesting.

Those Brazilian and other radios are very attractive indeed.

One thing stood out for me as almost incredible. Is the Telefunken Ariadne really from 1938/39? If so, its styling is way ahead of its contemporaries:

http://www.museudoradio.com/images/estrangeiros/116-Telefunken.jpg.

Hi.
Yes, it's a Telefunken Ariadne of1938-39.
I was impressed as well with the styling and the artificial wood laminate like modern Formica. Well, the Formica was invented in 1912!
When I bought this radio it was almost destroyed : power transformer burnt and the original tubes were changed to miniwatts tubes...
I work 2 months all weekends to get the original tubes AZ1 ACH1, AL4, AB2, AM2, AF3 and to make the total restaure.
It's working like my collection's "law" : the radios only enter in collection if it's working and in the original shape, then we can make.
Thanks
Daltro D'Arisbo

Hi.
Please, I have one radio with model name Royal.
I don't know the trade .
Anybody can help me about the trade name ?
I thought possible is a AWA. It's seems of some AWA models.

http://www.museudoradio.com/images/estrangeiros/154-ROYAL-1.jpg.

Thanks.

Daltro

What is the tube line-up in that set?

The tubes are 80, 2A7, 2B7, 2A5.

http://www.museudoradio.com/images/estrangeiros/154-ROYAL-3.jpg

http://www.museudoradio.com/images/estrangeiros/154-ROYAL-4.jpg.

Thanks

Daltro D'Arisbo

The only Australian set that I can find with that line-up is the Astor Cassim of 1933, but that was a console not a table set, and I don't have any schematics for 1933 radios.

I cannot find any reference to "Royal" anywhere as a brand name. I suspect it may have been a private label.

The Rola speaker, if original, is a possible clue although Rola originated in the USA.

Perhaps it's a British set?

This radio arrive in America by importation through old firm Casal A. Varella - Montevideo (Uruguay). It no longer exists.
When I bought a set it didn't have a dinamic speaker.
Then I use a no original Rola, Ohio USA.
Thanks.