AirKing Model 4604 - 1946 model
"Paquette - 791-1565"


This is the "before" photo from the guy who abandoned it on eBay.

Some radios are just too easy. I don't generally deal with post-War radios but this one wasn't finding a home easily and probably would have been gassed by its owner. This eBay $6.50 + shipping acquisition came looking halfway decent and working reasonably well. It wouldn't do to come across the Sparkbench without a restoration, so it got one, now it works and looks like a class act imposter for an otherwise commonplace radio. Not many radio buffs would waste solder and varnish on fixing up something so commonplace, but this one's special.

Its an AM/Shortwave model that has a built in loop antenna, side-mounted, that looks kinda funky. 6X5-Rectifier, two 6SK7s, a 6SQ7, a 6SA7, and 6V6 output. Ho-hum!!!! And it works perfectly. Replacing the old resistors and caps was more like soldering practice since it didn't really need much attention. But its only 52 yrs. old so it wasn't past its prime. Cleaned up good, chassis shines like new. Shortwave performs well right on up to 17-18 Mcs. Radios were well into being a production item in 1946.

The old cabinet needed some re-gluing and that mess of a grill had to be re-done. One neat feature is that the wooden knobs are embossed "Tuning", "Volume", etc. Original seller indicated that only the pilot lamps lit up, not the tubes. That turned out to be simply an intermittent short in the lead to the dial lamps.

If you follow the Sparkbench, I've said that every radio has its story. This one had a love-sick owner who felt the urge to carve his girlfriends name and phone number into the side. (eBay seller didn't mention this added option) So if any one knows "Paquette" at 791-1565, tell her that she has been immortalized...she can't be sanded out. I see some WestSide Story image of some lovesick tough hood in a cheap one-bulb room carving her name in the side with his switchblade.


                                        

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