WARCI News
Wisconsin Antique Radio Club, Inc.
Summer, At Last!
July 2013
Page 6 — Hunting the BASCO Crystal Radio
By Dale Boyce
N EX T WARCI M EE T :
I NS I DE T H IS I S S U E …
Sunday, July 7; 7:00 – 11:00 AM,
Doors open 7:00AM
3
WARCI Headlines – Club News and Doings
The Terminal / Landmark
5917 S. Howell Avenue, Milwaukee
Near the Airport
4
ARCI Radiofest 2013
6
Hunting the BASCO Crystal Radio
By Dale Boyce
Features:
No Table Fee for WARCI Members, Donation
Auction, 50-50 Raffle , Excellent Free Pizza
WARCI News - July 2013
www.warci.org
20
WARCI July Meet Flyer
Page 1
WA RCI , I N C .
WARCI News
T h e W i s c on s in A nti q u e R a d i o C l u b , I nc .
e x i s t s t o p r e se r v e t h e kn o w l ed g e of
r a d i o , t e l ev i s io n , a n d o t h er r e l a ted
d i s c i p l in e s. W e h av e a s p e c i a l i n te r es t
i n t h e h i s t o ry o f r a d i o i n W is c on s in,
W i sc o ns i n
r ad i o
c o m p a ni e s,
r ad i o
s t a ti o n s, e tc . O u r m e m b e r s’ i n te r e sts
i n c l u d e r a d io , t el e v i s io n , a u d i o, an d
a n t i q ue p h o n o g ra p h s .
Officers and Board
President -
Greg Hunolt
ghunolt@excel.net
920-893-0422 / 920-918-5027
Vice President – Still Open !!
Treasurer –
Bill Engaas
craftyradio@wi.rr.com
262-786-8183 / 414-217-6001
Secretary -
Mike Sadjowitz
michaels@wi.rr.com
262-544-1468 / 262-352-1148
Board -
Jim Menning, Dennis Schrank,
Dale Boyce, Terry Hanney
PR Coordinator - James Michaels
james.michaels@me.com
This newsletter is the official publication of the
Wisconsin Antique Radio Club, Inc. It is published
four times per year, in January, May, July and
September. The WARCI News is free to all paid-up
club members.
The entire contents of this publication are copyright
©2013 Wisconsin Antique Radio Club, Inc. unless
specifically marked otherwise. Generally, all articles
in the WARCI News may be reprinted, provided
specific permission is first obtained from the Editor
(and copyright holder, if not WARCI) and full credit
is given.
Articles or material for the newsletter are most
welcome and should be sent to Greg Hunolt,
ghunolt@excel.net or N5412 State Hwy 57,
Plymouth WI 53073. Include your name, address,
phone, and email. PC format (e.g. MS Word) by email
is preferred. JPEG for images is preferred. Please
contact Greg Hunolt for assistance.
Classified ads up to ¼ page are free to WARCI
members
The cut-off date for all newsletter material is about
the fifteenth of the month preceding publication of
the next newsletter (e.g. August 15, 2013, for the
September , 2013 issue).
WARCI News Editor – Greg Hunolt
WARCI Website
www.warci.org
WARCI Website – Nick Tillich
webmaster@warci.org
WARCI Information
WARCI is incorporated in the State of Wisconsin.
Annual membership dues are $15 for each calendar
year, January – December. (Allowance is now made
for new members joining in July or September.)
Seller’s fee at Swap Meets is $7.00 for members, $10
for non-members. No Fee for Members at the July 7
Swap Meet!
The next Swap Meet will be held on July 7, 2013, at
the Terminal in Milwaukee by the airport.
The swap meet times are 7:00AM – 11:00 AM. Doors
open at 7:00AM for set-up if we need to be inside.
WARCI News - July 2013
The WARCI website features information about
WARCI activities, Wisconsin radio, articles, etc.
Contributions are most welcome! Contact our
webmaster Nick Tillich, at webmaster@warci.org .
Thank you, Nick, for your great work.
Voluntary Member Directory
There is a new feature on the website that lets you
create a listing for yourself in a club member list.
You can describe your interests in radio, etc., and
provide contact information. This capability put in
place by NARC has provided some good contacts for
WARCI members who are also NARC members and
have listed themselves on the NARC site. We
encourage you to list yourself on our site - it is
purely voluntary.
www.warci.org
Page 2
WARCI Headlines
May Meet — A Great Success
The May meet was great; we had a very large
turnout. There were 21 sellers (19 members and 2
non-members), possibly a record for us! Two new
members joined the club. The 50-50 Raffle netted
$50 for the club. Once again, we enjoyed the
excellent pizza cooked and served by Joe Halser and
his staff.
you would turn left instead of right, and once past
the overpass the motel is on your left. The motel has
a large room with easy access.
2013 Meet Schedule
At the Terminal, with excellent Free Pizza
July 7— 50-50 Raffle, Donation Auction
September 22— Third WARCI Oktoberfest Auction
No Table Fees for WARCI
Members at the July Meet!
There will be no charge for tables for members
setting up to sell at the July meet. This is the happy
result of the financial support WARCI has received
from its members and those who have participated
in the donation auctions. WARCI says thank you!
Veepless in Wisconsin
The Vice-President position remains open. It remains
my view that either the club president or vicepresident should be a Milwaukee area person, since
most of our members live in the overall Milwaukee
area. For example, a Milwaukee area person would
be better able to deal with meeting venue problems
(as Bill Engaas did last year and Dale Boyce for this
year’s January meet and Dennis Schrank has done for
next January’s meet), to reach out to other
Milwaukee radio or related groups, to get to our
meets early enough to help with any questions /
problems that might arise, and occasionally to hold
WARCI board meetings. Travel can at times be a
problem for folks outside of the Milwaukee area.
Donation Auction Rules
We will have an area marked off for donated items.
Once you place an item in that area, it is donated to
the club and becomes the property of the club, and
will be auctioned or disposed of if it does not sell at
the auction. No one may remove a donated item
from the donation area prior to the auction. So,
while we very much appreciate your donations,
please don’t place an item in the donation auction
until you’re sure you want to donate it. Or, if you
see an item of interest in the donation area, don’t
ask the donor to reclaim it—the item no longer
belongs to the donor.
Discovery World of Milwaukee –
“Tesla Lives!” Show
Membership Update
We are now up to 56 paid members for 2013,
approaching our club high of last year. We finished
2012 with 58 paid members, up very nicely from 44
paid members in 2011.
It is now past time for everyone to pay dues for 2013.
January 2014 Meet Venue
The January 2014 meet will be held at the Best
Western motel on Howell Avenue at the interchange
with the Mitchell airport spur. It is just a few blocks
north of the Terminal. Coming in on the airport spur
WARCI News - July 2013
Filling the stage with 20 million volts of roaring,
crackling, sizzling electricity, a continuing live theater show TESLA LIVES! delivers an energetic and
sometimes humorous glimpse into how our modern
world was designed by the godfather of the 21st
century, Nikola Tesla. Through Discovery World's
latest theater production, audiences will meet the
genius who invented the modern world and find the
genius within themselves.
See www.teslalives.com for information.
www.warci.org
Page 3
WARCI News - July 2013
www.warci.org
Page 4
Editor’s Note:
WARCI Welcomes!
The WARCI News is your newsletter.
Your comments and suggestions for the newsletter
are most welcome.
WARCI welcomes Daryk and Lesli Frank of Elgin,
Illinois as new members, thank you! We hope you
will enjoy being WARCI members.
Your contributions of articles or other material
are urgently needed. Your help is needed to make
the WARCI News a success and to ensure that it
covers the full scope of the interests of WARCI
members.
Bob Paquette’s
Microphone Museum
If you’re not seeing articles on topics you are
interested in, write one.
You may submit complete articles, but information
from which an article can be developed is also
welcome.
Don’t agonize over format, etc., as I will have to
adapt your submission to the newsletter anyhow.
Simple text is best. PC format (e.g. MS Word,
separate jpegs by email) is preferred, but hardcopy
text and photos are accepted.
In this issue we have a feature article by member
Dale Boyce on the radio activity of Milwaukee’s
Briggs and Stratton Corporation (BASCO) and Dale’s
multi-year, but successful, quest to acquire a BASCO
Crystal Radio.
We will also cover tube audio and television and
other member interests – but we need your
contributions of articles or information for articles.
Thank you, and see you at the July meet,
- Greg Hunolt, Editor, WARCI News
New Rules for New
Member Dues
WARCI membership runs January to December. But we do get new members joining later
in the year. To accommodate them, the WARCI
Board has agreed to a new policy for membership dues for late joiners. From now on, if a
person joins in July, we'll charge $20 and include the following year. If a person joins in
September, we'll just charge $15 and include
the following year.
WARCI News - July 2013
WARCI member Bob Paquette’s Microphone
Museum features his collection of well over 1,000
different makes and models of microphones as well
as related pieces of equipment. The emphasis is on
historically important microphones made between
1876 and 1950, and early radios, telephones, and
many other communications devices, including an
assortment of military gear. Check out Bob’s
website,
http://www.sssmilwaukee.com/Microphone%
20Museum.html
There is a very nice 8 minute video taken at Bob’s
Museum on You-Tube. You can find it easily by
googling on “tube tests 23” or the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MzBQqiHUX0
Bob always enjoys visitors and will be happy to give
a guided tour to individuals or groups. You can call
Bob at Select Sound (414) 645-1672 to arrange for
your visit. Just ask for Bob Senior. The museum is
located on the second floor of Select Sound, 107 E.
National Avenue in Milwaukee. Enjoy your visit and
allow yourself plenty of time.
www.warci.org
Page 5
Hunting the BASCO Crystal Radio Set:
Briggs & Stratton Corporation (BASCO) in Radio 1922-1937: Part 1
By Dale Boyce
Continuing our series in Wisconsin radio companies and their products, this is the first of two articles on BASCO
radio. This article describes the author's long but successful quest to find a BASCO Crystal Radio. The second article
will focus on the radio components manufactured by BASCO and BASCO's involvement with other radio companies.
Author Dale Boyce, a frequent contributor to the WARCI News, has been collecting old battery radios, crystal
radios, horn speakers, cone speakers, consoles, radio tubes, table-top radios, novelty radios, transistor radios,
literature, advertising signs, test equipment, earphones, telegraph, telephone, medical quackery, spark gap
equipment, static electric equipment, Giesler tubes, microphones, antique light bulbs, Ready Kilowatt items, Nipper
items, and related parts and items for many years. He is a founding member and past president of WARCI and a
member of several other antique radio organizations.
My Quest for a BASCO Crystal Radio
This is and the article to follow are the recollection
of my 25 year journey through radio collecting as it
relates to my discovery of the Crystal Radio and
some of the battery radio products made by the
Briggs & Stratton Corporation (BASCO). Most of the
people with firsthand knowledge of the early 1920’s
radio boom are no longer with us. I have assembled
this information to document what I have found for
use by other radio collectors and historians.
had a set of Briggs and Stratton earphones. He asked
if I was interested. Although they were damaged, I
purchased them. They are rated 2000 ohms. That
was a good day. Figure 1 shows an un-damaged set
of earphones and figure 2 a headphone box.
Learning About BASCO - It All Started with
Headphones
In 1988, I found a copy of the 1984 Floyd Paul “The
Horn Speaker Notebook, Revision D” in an antique
store. This bound “notebook” of approximately 100
pages included a three page list from March 1925
Radio Retailing magazine. The list included loud
speakers, headsets and phonograph units. Briggs &
Stratton was listed as a manufacturer of two types of
headsets. At that time, I had several headphones, but
none made by BASCO. I thought that maybe they
were one of the companies that made a few specialty
radio products. BASCO did not appear in a search of
the Milwaukee City Directory for radio
manufacturers in the 1920’s or in the 1672 page
1924 EMF Electrical Year Book.
Later, I saw a set of BASCO headphones at a radio
swap meet in LaCrosse, WI. It turned out that the
seller had misplaced them. He was happy that I had
found them, but they were NOT FOR SALE! A few
years after that, I found another pair of BASCO
earphones at an Antique shop in southern WI, also
NOT FOR SALE. I bought a radio from a guy at a local
estate sale. After this transaction, the guy told me he
Figure 1 — BASCO Headphones
Figure 2 — BASCO Headphone Box
Hunting continued on Page 7
WARCI News - July 2013
www.warci.org
Page 6
Hunting - continued from Page 6
BASCO in QST - Advertising The Crystal Radio
In 1988, while browsing through an October 1923
issue of QST radio magazine in search of some
information for a vintage radio project, I ran across a
full page BASCO Radio advertisement! (See Figure 3
below). I was amazed! I grew up on a farm in western
3000 ohm Headphones, Vernier Rheostats, Plain
Rheostats, Radio Frequency Transformers, Tube
Sockets, Variable Air Condensers/Capacitors (11, 17,
23 and 43 Plates), Dials and a complete BASCO Crystal
Radio Set! The ad states that “Besides articles shown
and listed here, we also make switches, contact points,
stop posts, binding posts and bezels.”
The advertisement also stated that “After twelve
successful years of building electrical units the Briggs
& Stratton Company have acquired an invaluable
knowledge of electrical design which now expresses
itself in the construction and workmanship of every
unit in the BASCO line of radio equipment.” The 12
years refers to their design and manufacture of
electrical items such as automotive electrical devices
and ignition switches. See Figures 4 and 5 below
showing the BASCO ignition switch. This is similar to
other national companies such as Atwater Kent, and
Wisconsin companies such as W.K. Electric (Kenosha),
Webster (Racine) and Wells Manufacturing (Fond du
Lac) who made automotive electrical devices and
ignition items prior to their manufacture of radio
items. These companies usually utilized their
“automotive products” distribution and service
network to also distribute and service radios.
Figure 3 — BASCO ad, QST, October 1923
Minnesota and was familiar with the Briggs and
Stratton gas engines on lawn mowers and garden
tillers. Except for the headphones, I had no idea that
they made radio equipment. For 15 years I had been
collecting old radios from the 1920’s and had not come
across these items. I had the most comprehensive
radio collector reference books and none of these
BASCO radio items were shown in the books.
The QST ad included images of the 2000 ohm and
Figures 4 & 5 — BASCO Ignition Panel Switch, front and rear.
Hunting - continued on Page 8
WARCI News - July 2013
www.warci.org
Page 7
Hunting - continued from Page 7
In my quest for BASCO Radio items, I have distributed
dozens of copies of the full page QST advertisement.
Searches of other issues of QST and other radio
publications from the 1920’s by me and a radio
collector/historian/friend, Greg Hunolt, have turned
up three advertisements for the BASCO Crystal Radio:
1. 1922 August Radio News, page 342, BASCO Crystal
Radio image plus earphone text, 1/4 page. (See Figure
6 below).
2. 1922 September Radio News, page 540, BASCO
Crystal Radio image plus earphone text, 1/4 page.
3. 1923 October QST, page 105, BASCO Crystal Radio
and radio products, 8 images plus text, 1 page. (See
figure 2 on page 7.)
and other paperwork that was used to make the Type
70300 Crystal Radio and components. I was told that
they did it all in-house, including making the screws,
nuts and bolts. There was a separate document for
Type 70429 which showed the design of the tubular
glass element which enclosed the crystal and cat’s
whisker. I was told that each product had a distinctive
five digit type number or part number. It appears that
the type numbers for BASCO radio items are all in the
70,000 series. Andy contacted people at the Corporate
office and arranged for me to pick up a copy of the
BASCO 75th Anniversary publication (Form No. G8751
10/85). It includes a brief description of some of the
radio products and a photo of the only known BASCO
Crystal Radio. It also includes photos of BASCO
earphones, a rheostat and a Radio Power Unit (battery
eliminator). At that time I was told that Briggs &
Stratton was looking for BASCO radio items, but knew
of only one Crystal Radio set in Iowa and possibly one
set in Arizona. They had two sets of earphones and
knew of a couple of other sets.
Andy also indicated that there had been some
discussion about making reproduction crystal radios
for some occasion. To the best of my knowledge, that
has not happened.
Andy indicated to me that the BASCO Crystal Radio in
Iowa was missing the original tubular glass element
and that the owner fabricated a replacement to be
used in the photo for the 75th Anniversary publication.
In 2007 I spoke with Todd Rupell, Curator, at Briggs &
Stratton and went on my first visit to the Gear Shop
museum and retail store (at the BASCO Corporate
Headquarters at 12301 Wirth Street, Wauwatosa, WI
53222).
Figure 6—BASCO Crystal Receiver Ad, Radio News,
August 1922
BASCO Corporate Assistance
With these bits of information, I contacted Briggs &
Stratton. I thought that there would be lots of
information readily available. I indicated my interest
in the BASCO Crystal Radio and was put in contact
with a technical writer who was familiar with the
radio. On January 24, 1989 I spoke with the Andy
Cochrane. He had access to the archived information
on the Crystal Radio. On January 25, 1989, I met with
Andy at BASCO's Pilgrim Road facility in Menomonee
Falls, WI. I showed him a copy of the QST ad. Andy
showed me the original velum manufacturing drawing
Later in 2008, I spoke with Dennis Larsen, CRM,
Records Management Administrator at Briggs &
Stratton. I arranged to meet with him. He indicated
that the old original manufacturing drawings had
been digitized but since the document index was not
available he was unable to find documents related to
the Type 70300 and 70429 crystal radios or other
radio parts.
Dennis did show me a soft cover leather-bound flipchart book that he said was used by salesmen in the
late 1920’s to help “sell” battery eliminators.
He did show me the Crystal Radio photograph and
radio laboratory photographs that were used in
making “The Legend of Briggs & Stratton” book by
Jeffery L. Rodengen which was published in 1995.
Hunting - continued on Page 9
WARCI News - July 2013
www.warci.org
Page 8
Hunting - continued from Page 8
I showed Dennis the original Radio Power Unit
Assembly Instructions that I have. I also showed him
my BASCO earphones, the QST ad and pictures of my
Radio Power Units.
their radios and radio products directly through
advertisements in radio trade magazines as well as
through Montgomery Ward Co (Airline) and Tri-City
Electric Company (TRESCO).
I met several times with Linda Koch, Administrative
and Retail Associate in charge of the Gear Shop. I have
purchased a few caps, shirts and other Briggs &
Stratton merchandise. They have a nice website from
which retail items can be ordered.
In April 2013, with assistance from radio collector and
publisher, George Fathauer, Jr. at Sonoran Publishing
LLC, I made contact with author, Maurice Sievers.
Maurice is in his 90’s and was able to quickly respond
to my inquiries. He does not have a BASCO Crystal
Radio, but he has information. He agreed to send me a
photocopy of a photocopy of a BASCO Radio
Equipment Catalogue No. 122 from 1922.
Rather than my attempting to repeat corporate
history, you can find out more about the Briggs &
Stratton Corporation history, the array of products and
current activities by going to www.basco.com.
Crystal Clear
Although the radio collecting books by Harold
Greenwood “A Pictorial Album of Wireless and
Radio” (1961) and Morgan McMahon, “Vintage Radio
1887-1929” (1973) contain images of many crystal
radios and radio parts, BASCO radios and parts are
absent.
When the Maurice Sievers’ books, “Crystal Clear
Volume 1 and 2” were published in 1991 and 1995, I
rushed to get a copy of each. I spent many long hours
searching these encyclopedias for the BASCO Crystal
Radio. The index includes some information about the
70300 and 70429 BASCO crystals, but no images.
Unfortunately his source for the “C” - Catalog and “O” Other Information is not further identified. The closest
thing is the image on page 166 in Volume 2 of the 1923
Airline Jr. Crystal Radio. Except for the nameplate, this
crystal radio looks the same as the BASCO Crystal
Radio in the 1922 QST advertisements. (See Figure 7,
below taken from the Montgomery Ward Catalog).
It is my understanding that Briggs and Stratton sold
Museums and Advanced Collectors
I looked for an example of a BASCO Crystal Radio at
radio museums including Antique Wireless
Association (AWA), Pavek Museum/Museum of
Broadcasting, Muchow Museum and the British
Vintage Wireless Museum near London. I asked
museum owners and advanced crystal radio collectors
about it. Bruce Kelley at AWA was not familiar with it.
Joe Pavek had not seen one. Steve Raymer at the
Museum of Broadcasting had not seen one. Dr Raplh
Muchow had not seen one. Gerald Wells had not seen
one. Dick Bury had not seen one. Norm Hertz had not
seen one. Jim Collings had not seen one. Grady and B.A.
Richards did not know of them. Carl Knipfel indicated
that he thought he had one but was never able to show
me a photo of it.
Wanted Ads
I placed wanted ads for BASCO radio items in several
radio publications including Antique Radio Classified
(ARC). I also placed wanted ads in several radio club
publications including: WARCI, Northland, Oklahoma
(OKVRC) and Mid-Atlantic (MAARC).
Figure 7 — Montgomery Ward 1923 Catalog Ad for Airline Jr.
WARCI News - July 2013
www.warci.org
Hunting - continued on Page 10
Page 9
Hunting - continued from Page 9
A Real Example of a BASCO Crystal Radio
I met a radio collector who lives near Sheboygan, WI.
He indicated to me that he knew a guy in Iowa who
owned a BASCO Crystal Radio. He told me that he
learned about fixing old radios from this Iowa fellow.
In early 2008 I located a phone number for the fellow
in Iowa who owned the Crystal Radio. I spoke with a
family member who indicated to me that this
individual had died a few days prior to my call. When I
asked about the BASCO Crystal Radio, the fellow I
spoke with assured me that the BASCO Crystal Radio
had been a prized item in his father’s collection and it
would be kept in their family. This Iowa radio is the
radio pictured in the 1985 Briggs & Stratton Corp 75th
Anniversary publication.
The Antique Radio Classified (ARC) publication
Volume 17, Number 11 from November 2000 shows a
photo of a BASCO Crystal Radio on page 15. It was
exhibited at the AWA Conference in 2000. It is missing
some parts.
In August of 2001, at ARCI Radiofest in Elgin, Illinois, I
met a collector and radio museum owner from
Indiana. He told me that he knew the guy from the east
coast who displayed the BASCO Crystal Radio at the
AWA contest in 2000. He offered to introduce me to
him since this guy was going to be at the Hemmens
Cultural Center in Elgin for the estate auction of the
Ralph W. Muchow Historical Radio Museum collection.
of BASCO earphones. Neither Carl, who was present
with his wife, Carolyn, nor the auctioneer could
explain where the Crystal Radio was to be found.
Imagine my surprise on Saturday morning before the
auction started, when the Crystal Radio was still
absent and the earphones had gone missing! They
were not offered for sale that day. I was disappointed.
At Last Success – Found a BASCO Crystal Radio,
BASCO Part No. 70300.
One day in July of 2010, I got home late after being out
of town on business. I received an email from a guy in
Iowa indicating that he had found a sun-bleached
BASCO Crystal Radio in the window of an Antique
store and he had placed the radio in an EBay auction.
He found my contact info through the Northland
Antique Radio Club. He answered my questions. It was
a long week of checking the auction status and
enlisting the assistance of an expert. The result was a
successful winning bid. A few days later after the
appropriate financial exchanges were completed, the
treasure arrived. Although the top of the wooden
cabinet is warped, the left side is cracked and the back
panel has shrunk, these conditions are appropriate for
its age. It appears to be original. (See figures 8, and
front cover, and figures 9, 10 11, 12 and 13 on the next
page). Although this radio came to me from Iowa, it is
not the radio pictured in the 1985 Briggs & Stratton
Corp publication.
The introduction happened. The owner indicated that
the radio was a birthday present to him from his
family. The radio was not for sale. He was not aware of
the other BASCO radio items. I showed him the 1923
Airline Radio catalog that was in the Muchow Auction.
I pointed out the image of the Airline Jr. Crystal set on
page 13. He agreed that the Airline Jr. looked similar
to his BASCO Crystal Radio.
Mystery at the Knipfel Collection Auction
In 2003, notices in Antique Radio Classified
announcing the Carl Knipfel Radio Collection Auctions
caught my attention. Carl was known to have an
extensive collection of crystal radios. Carl indicated to
me that in addition to several Briggs & Stratton
engines, he thought he had a BASCO Crystal Radio. I
spoke with Carl and with the Auctioneer and asked
which auction would have the BASCO Crystal Radio.
They said it would be the second of two auctions. My
wife and I made plans to go to Ohio to attend the
auction. During the Friday evening auction preview, I
did not see the BASCO Crystal Radio but did see a set
Figure 8 — The BASCO Crystal Radio
Hunting - continued on Page 11
WARCI News - July 2013
www.warci.org
Page 10
Hunting - continued from Page 10
I know of only three other BASCO Crystal Radios, one
on the east coast, one in Iowa and another one that I
was informed was sold on EBay in 2009.
Based on the data in my recently acquired copy of the
1922 BASCO Radio Equipment Catalogue No. 122, (see
below) I can now say that this complete Crystal Radio
is BASCO Part No. 70300.
One major chapter in my BASCO radio search
concluded.
Figure 11 — BASCO Crystal Radio Detector Assembly
Figure 9 — BASCO Crystal Radio Front Panel
Figure 12 — BASCO Crystal Radio, Back of Panel
Behind the Detector
Figure 10 — BASCO Crystal Radio Name Tag
Figure 13 — BASCO Crystal Radio, Back of Panel
Behind the Tuning Dial
Hunting - continued on Page 12
WARCI News - July 2013
www.warci.org
Page 11
Hunting - continued from Page 11
BASCO Radio Equipment Catalogue No. 122,
Supplement No.1 and Supplement No.2.
The front cover of the catalogue appears as figure 15.
Page 2 features the BASCO Crystal Radio, see figure 16.
This catalogue (with the "ue") and supplemental
materials arrived after the third draft of this article
had been prepared, approved and was almost out the
door. Special thanks to Maurice Sievers for sending me
the multi-generational copy. Special thanks also to
WARCI Newsletter Editor, Greg Hunolt, for holding the
printing presses and quickly developing a different
feature for the May 2013 newsletter.
Included with the catalogue was a letter from the
Briggs & Stratton Co. Radio Department to a
gentleman in Iowa. The letter is dated December 7,
1922. It indicates it was sent in response to a request
for the catalog. The letter indicates that the gentleman
had been a customer during the past years (see figure
14). Dealers Discount (price) Sheet (un-numbered)
and Dealer Price Sheet No 2. were also included and
the customer was invited to order the complete line of
BASCO supplies.
Figures 15 (above) and 16 (below) BASCO Catalogue
Figure 14 — December 1922 Letter Conveying the
BASCO Radio Equipment Catalogue
Hunting - continued on Page 13
WARCI News - July 2013
www.warci.org
Page 12
Hunting - continued from Page 12
Note on a Possible BASCO-Borchert-Manegold
Connection
Frank Manegold was a corporate officer at Briggs &
Stratton Corporation in 1910. Borchert-Manegold
Engineering & Mfg. Co. was a Milwaukee company that
made crystal radios. I do not know if this is the same
person, but I speculate that this person may have been
somehow involved in the design or manufacturing of
both the BASCO Crystal Radio and Borchert-Manegold
crystal radios. A look at who initialed the
manufacturing drawing for the BASCO type 70300
might reveal an answer. I know of three BorchertManegold crystal radio examples. One that was in the
Muchow Museum is now in a Wisconsin collection. It
is shown on page 37 of Crystal Clear Volume 2.
Corrections and Additional Information
If you the reader have corrections to anything in this
article or additional information I would like to hear
from you. Please contact me by email at
radioman@wi.rr.com . If you happen to find a BASCO
radio item, please send me an email and photo.
Wisconsin Makers of Crystal Radios:
BASCO - Briggs & Stratton Corp, Milwaukee
Borchert-Manegold Engineering & Mfg., Milwaukee
Note on a BASCO-Arcturus Connection 1937
Clearco Crystal, Milwaukee
According to “The History of Briggs & Stratton
Corporation”, Briggs & Stratton sold their licensing
rights for the Crystal Radio to Arcturus Radio Tube
Company of New Jersey. Arcturus is most well known
for their “Arcturus Blue” radio tubes. By that time
(1937) they had apparently discontinued other BASCO
radio products. I have not yet found Arcturus
information about this acquisition.
Hobby Specialties Co., Milwaukee
Acknowledgements
Sunlite, Milwaukee
I thank the following people for encouragement and
assistance in my BASCO radio quest: Chris Boyce,
Greg Hunolt, Robert Hackley, Glenn Trician, Bob
Paquette, Sr., Maurice Sievers, Mike Hill, Keith Zieser,
Jack Ghere, Karen Hager, Valerie Lingen, George
Freeman, Jim Wilson, Norm Hertz, Steve Raymer, Jim
Collings, Alan Douglas, George Fathauer, Jr., Geoff
Bourne, Bill Allen, Jay Volke, John Terry, Greg Farmer,
Richard Estes, Ron Rienowski, Terry Koller, Richard
Sage, Keith Baker, Mark Zimmer, Gerald Weiss, Grady
and B.A. Richards, the late Ned Boyce, the late Norma
Boyce, the late Frank Kodusek, the late Carl Knipfel,
the late Joe Pavek, the late Dr. Ralph Muchow, the late
Dick Bury, the late Bob Evans, the late Ed Bell and the
late Bruce Kelley.
Webster Electric, Racine
JASCO - Julius Andrae & Sons Electric Co, Milwaukee
Lakeside (Milwaukee Pocket Crystal), Milwaukee
Marinette Electric, Little Tattler, Marinette, WI
Shees, Lake Geneva
Western Coil, Racine
Western Screw & Specialty Co., Racine
Contributed by Dale Boyce
I thank the following present and past employees at
Briggs & Stratton Corporation for being patient with
my inquiries and for providing information: Linda
Koch, Dennis Larsen, Gigi Peterson, Andy Cochrane,
Douglas Kautzer, Don Kolaski and Todd Rupell.
If I have omitted someone, I apologize for it. Please let
me know.
WARCI News - July 2013
www.warci.org
Page 13
WARCI Needs You!
If you would like to become more active in WARCI,
please step up! Organizations like WARCI depend
upon volunteers for their success. Areas where you
can help include:
Contribute newsletter articles or information from
which an article can be written.
Contribute items for the WARCI website and
Facebook page – such as photos of your
Wisconsin-made radios to add to our gallery.
Give us your ideas on how we can make WARCI
better for you!
Above is the cover of Cam Trowbridge’s biography of
Marconi, available from bookstores, Amazon, etc. He
tells the fascinating story of Marconi the businessman who made ‘wireless’ real, amidst infighting, politics, etc. Cam will be speaking on Marconi and signing copies of his book at Radiofest 2013 (see page 4).
He also contributed an article on Marconi and the
Titanic for the January 2012 edition of WARCI News.
Some 2013
Flea Markets!
Cedarburg Maxwell Street Days
July 14
September 1
October 6
Elkhorn Antique Flea Market
June 30
August 11
September 29
WARCI News - July 2013
www.warci.org
Page 14
Scenes from the May 5, 2013 Swap Meet
Welcome to WARCI: Daryk & Lesli Frank
And what do you want for that vintage forklift?
Steve and Glenn on a Fine May Morning
Paul - A Man of Many Parts
Terry is Happy with this Catch!
WARCI News - July 2013
Paula: “Sorry the dog-bone resistors were not what you hoped”
www.warci.org
Page 15
WARCI News - July 2013
www.warci.org
Page 16
WARCI Radio Services
We now have a list of WARCI members who would be willing to provide repair / restoration services, advice or
research for folks who contact WARCI looking for help. If you would like to be added to the list, please let me
(Greg) or one of the Board members know.
Name
Email
Telephone
Service Available
Dwight Church
(none)
414-545-6972
Radio repair – electronics only.
Bill Engaas
craftyradio@earthlink.net
262-786-8183
Speaker Repair.
Ralph Larsen
radioralph@hotmail.com
414-278-7981
Repair, including Television.
Mike Lewis
deepheart@att.net
608-835-7193
Repair, restoration, training.
Ben Bensaid
Ben@badgerconsignment.com
262-581-5453
Repair and restoration.
Greg Hunolt
ghunolt@excel.net
920-893-0422
Research, especially on 1920’s radios.
Badger Consignment
eBay Power-Seller
Turn your collection into profit-making treasures!
Badger Consignment is an eBay consignment dealer
with 12 yrs. experience specializing in high end
antique tube radios and hi-fi tube audio components (i.e. tube amps, preamps,
receivers, tuners, and much more).
If you have items you would like sold or repaired/restored call WARCI member
Ben Bensaid at (262)-581-5453, Ben@badgerconsignment.com or visit our website
WANTED: by Dale Boyce, Email: radioman@wi.rr.com, 414-353-0734 / 414-840-4146
1. Briggs & Stratton Corporation, Milwaukee, WI (BASCO) Radio Equipment from 1922-1937. Catalogs,
Complete or incomplete crystal radios, tube type radios, radio frequency transformers, earphones, tube
sockets, crystal detectors, vernier rheostats, fixed resistors, multi-plate variable condensers, fixed
capacitors, literature, advertising, parts boxes, Battery Eliminators (Radio Power Units types “A”, “B”,
“A+B”), push-button tuners, promotional items, etc. Please check your boxes of radio parts and your
literature files. Also wanted: radios such as Globe Electric, Monroe McKillip and others which utilize
BASCO radio parts.
2. 1920’s tube type radios, amplifiers and radio parts, parts boxes, advertising, promotional items, etc. made
by Allen Bradley Co., Milwaukee, WI.
3. 1920’s Crystal radios, tube type radios, advertising and promotional items made by Sunlite Radio,
Milwaukee, WI.
4. 1920’s Julius Andrae and Sons Co (JASCO) Crystal radios, Radio Catalogs, Radio Equipment and
promotional items made by ANDRAE Electric, Milwaukee, WI.
5. 1920’s Horn and Cone type Radio Speakers made by Milwaukee companies including: G&G Radio Co,
GEMCO, Granolite Art Products, Yahr-Lange, and others.
6. Individual and boxed sets of 1920’s Brightson Blue Radio tubes distributed by Yahr-Lange, Milwaukee, WI.
WARCI News - July 2013
www.warci.org
Page 17
News from the Neighboring Clubs
ARCI
NARC
Antique Radio Club of Illinois
www.antique-radios.org
Northland Antique Radio Club
www.northlandantiqueradioclub.com
Radiofest 2013
August 1, 2, 3 at the Willowbrook Holiday Inn
Willowbrook, IL
See the Radiofest 2013 ad on page 4 and the ARCI
website for information and directions.
WARCI’s own Dale Boyce will be among the
program speakers.
MARC
Michigan Antique Radio Club
NARC held their annual RadioDaze meet in
Minneapolis in May. As always, it was an
enjoyable meet, with the usual great
hospitality shown by all of the NARC folks.
The auction was large (about 175 lots) and
varied, with a number of interesting items. The
flea market was rained on, with some breaks,
which held the turnout of sellers down but
there were some very nice finds to be found.
The meet always provides the opportunity to
visit the Pavek Museum, spiced by their annual
garage sale.
Vintage Electronics
Extravaganza ‘13
“The Golden Age of High Fidelity”
June 27, 28 and 29, 2013
Best Western Plus Lansing
6820 S. Cedar Street, Lansing MI
Thursday PM: Tube Collectors Association
Thursday Evening: “New Scoop from the
Tube World” with Ludwell Sibley
Friday PM: Contest and Auction
Saturday: 7:00 AM start for All-Day Flea
Market, two Speakers
Saturday Evening: Radio Reception
Contact Mark Goodwin,
mrkgoodwin@comcast.net or (734) 3162803 for more in formation.
WARCI News - July 2013
Odd Bits
Send in your odd story about strange doings in
the world of radio collecting, or weird items
from old radio magazines.
www.warci.org
Page 18
Classified Ads
WANTED: All things Hallicrafters! Receivers, transmitters, accessories, television sets, test equipment, signs,
books, etc. Also Silver-Marshall (1933-34) and Echophone.
Stan Broome, 108 East Main Street, Sun Prairie, WI 53590, 608-520-6290.
HELP NEEDED: Would like to contact owners of 1920's battery sets, literature, and equipment made by Globe
Electric Company of Milwaukee, WI, to survey existing model types and variations for development of a
company history. All responses will be kept confidential. Thanks.
Glenn Trischan, P.O. Box 240022, Milwaukee, WI 53224. E-mail: gnets142@att.net.
WANTED: Any set made in Plymouth, WI, by the Plymouth Radio and Phonograph Co., and Arlington, Alkire, or
other sets made by the Wells Manufacturing Co. of Fond du Lac, WI. Also, I am looking for a Kennedy 525 Amplifier! Greg Hunolt, N5412 State Hwy 57, Plymouth, WI 53073, Email ghunolt@excel.net or 920-893-0422.
TRAINING & SERVICE: Michael Lewis -- Radio Restoration Education & Consultation
I'm available to refurbish (90 day guarantee) or fully restore (1 year guarantee) your antique radios. Estimates
can usually be provided in 2-3 weeks from the time you drop off your set at my shop in rural Oregon, WI (a bit
SW of Madison). The cost for an estimate is $25, which can be applied towards a final bill if you hire me to
work on your radio. Full restoration includes testing all tubes, capacitors, and resistors, with replacement as
needed. Power supplies are modified to operate safely at 120 VAC. Chassis are dusted off, variable capacitors
are flushed with residueless cleaner, and switches & pots are treated with contact cleaner. Moving parts are
lubricated. Sets are aligned with digital RF generators, tested for proper operation, and "burned in" to reveal
any intermittent problems.
I have over 30 years' experience in electronically restoring antique radios (I don't restore radio cabinets). For
most of this time I've also taught others how to do radio restoration. I can be hired for 4- or 8-hr. blocks of
bench time. You will have access to DMMs, digital audio and RF generators, capacitor and inductor analyzers,
power supplies, and much other test equipment. I stock 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 5, and 10W resistors. Capacitor stock
includes 75 values of mylars; micas & ceramics; electrolytics from 25 WVDC to 450 WVDC. Tubes are available
to my students, as well as technical literature including Rider, Beitman, and Gernsback manuals, factory
manuals, and Sams Photofacts. Whether you've never soldered before, or regularly restore radios & are stuck
on a "tough dog," chances are I can help.
Michael Lewis, 6070 County Road D, Oregon, WI 53575, Phone: 608-835-7193, Email: deepheart@att.net
WANTED: DeForest Plug-In Butterfly Coils – Terry Hanney, 414-545-6425
WANTED: Sylvania lamps NE-23-N5A1-5AB with starting voltage 60-90 volts, maintaining voltage 59 volts,
current 0.03 mV. Tom Palmer 262-789-7177
FOR SALE: Rayon cloth-covered line cord for the Antique Radio Builder. Colors black or brown, cost is $1.26
per foot for brown, $1.38 per foot for black. Paul Dorobialski, Email: thebulbguy@yahoo.com .
Remember that classified ads up to about ¼ page are free to WARCI members.
The cut-off date for all newsletter material is about the 15th of the month preceding publication of the next
newsletter (e.g. April 15, 2013 for the May 2013 issue). Send ads by email or letter to Greg Hunolt, WARCI
News, at ghunolt@excel.net or N5412 State Hwy 57, Plymouth WI, 53073.
WARCI News - July 2013
www.warci.org
Page 19
July flyer
WARCI News - July 2013
www.warci.org
Page 20