The AM Forum

I am getting ready to restore a viking 2 and I was wondering if anyone knows where I can get the proper colors for the Viking.
It is truly wonderful to see people still keeping the old radios up and running. The new twist and go radios are fine but I still thing there is nothing that sounds a good as a tube rig.
Robert.

R,

Welcome a board.

Use the site's search feature and type in " Johnson Paint". Lots 'o info.

Again, welcome.

klc

Welcome...When you have completed your painting , please post your experience and details of the paint used, etc...Ithink it is a subject of great interest to the forum.....Thanks

Welcome Robert and I also look forward to a posting of your results.

Viking II's always seem to look a bit worse for wear, I have a pair myself that are definitely blue collar.  Actually one is probably closer to ghetto :) 

But at least the front panel paint doesn't flake off like it does on the Valiant II.  I scanned the front panel on my best one and cleaned up the scan so I am ready to make decals.  But I won't be repainting until the weather is OK for some outside cleaning and drying.  With up to a foot of snow and below zero temperature forecast for midweek that will not be anytime soon!

You must be talking about my rig; the 'closer to ghetto'.

Robert:  Yours already looks better than mine.  Yes, please post an "after" pix.  Always good to see good work.

Is one requirement of ghetto that a World Radio Labs or ARRL decal be applied right on the front panel, back in the 1950's, and then later scratched off with a dull knife or a razor blade?  

Thanks a heap Leo Myerson and whoever it was at ARRL who dreamed up those decals.  And an honorable mention to the guy who came up with the MARS decals... >:(

My Drake 2-C came with an American flag stuck to the front panel.  Certainly much preferable to a N. Korean flag but I prefer no decals at all on my radio gear.

The worst panel I saw was on the parts Valiant that came with the good Valiant that got me started back into vintage radio in 1994.  In big letters, scratched in with a shaky hand, were the words " 'Dangger' high voltage".  Below it was a CB call.  The only phrase that needed to be added was "Danger, previous owner was a moron".

LOL, Iam glad the 101 station was never a cb radio, if it was, it would have been destroyed. Anyway i was going through the bbs and fount that soneone had silk screened the front with all of the proper numbering and lettering. If I would send it in, what would it cost to have the frond done. Now the thing I am going to hate is rearanging the shack for the AM equipment. But It will be fun.
Oh BTW the guy who gave me this equipment also has the telatype that goes with set. What do you do wuth that?

Develop some new mechanical skills :)  If it is an old time mechanical teletype it could be great fun if you like well made mechanical devices.  But it isn't terribly practical today.  It is used for RTTY (radio teletype) communication with similarly equipped stations.  There isn't too much RTTY activity anymore except for a couple of contests since there are so many other digital modes.

In any case, running RTTY with the Viking will require you to have a VFO modified for frequency shift keying and a vintage VFO is not so great for modes that require very little drift.

Thanks for the info on the teletype, I guess I will pick it up just for grins :) I did also pick up a Mon-Key to go with the rest of the equipment. It is all original, even with the resistance line cord. Is there a way I can get rid of the line cord and just go with a regular cord. Need to drop the voltage somehow. Would a resistor in line work?

My pink DX-100 had "CD" stickers on each side, HUGE ones.
Gary