Atwater Kent

[Sam KS2AM]

Some pics from the 1920's of the Atwater Kent factory from my favorite photo website.

Frank Aiken and Atwater Kent

http://www.shorpy.com/node/3507


Testing

http://www.shorpy.com/node/3895?size=_original

"Drilling and Blasting"

http://www.shorpy.com/node/3872?size=_original




Sam / KS2AM

[Carl WA1KPD]

Thanks.
Those are really interesting
73
Carl /KPD

[K3ZS]

Neat photo, testing the Model 20A, I have one of those.  Going to print the photo to save with the other documents I have for it.

[K3ZS]

To correct myself, it is a Model 20C, i.e.   a compact version of Model 20.

[K3ZS]

For those interested in Atwater Kent radios, W3NLB has redrawn many of the schematics and assembly drawings to modern standards, mostly in PDF format:

 http://www.atwaterkent.info/TechData/akDrawingIndex.html

[Ed/KB1HYS]

Amazing how sharp those photos are.  also the folks who were moving in the background are fuzzed, I wonder how long they subjects had to stand still toget a good photo??

Nice work.  I will be checking out the aviation gallery next!!

[John K5PRO]

I have a 20C in my living room. Bought it at a farm auction in western Illinois in 1983, along with a rocking chair and a fantastic Westinghouse electric fan. I still use that fan, in my bedroom, its called George. Every year i oil the bearings on it, and clean it up and let it run for summer. Try that with a plastic fan made in Far East.

Someone gave me an original advertisement for the AK20C from a magazine, so i have that framed on the wall behind it. Those are some great photos, indeed! Thanks.
John

[Sam KS2AM]

If you're browsing the site don't forget that under each photo there is normally a link to view the photo "Full Size" and on some photos there is an additional link for an even larger photo.

e.g.  "Death Avenue"

http://www.shorpy.com/node/1782?size=_original


http://www.shorpy.com/node/1783?size=_original


and "Extra Fancy"

http://www.shorpy.com/node/2360?size=_original

[The Slab Bacon]

Leigh Basset and Ray Thompson are both members of the Mid Atlantic Antique Radio Club. Between the 2 of them they are considered to be THE experts on A-K stuff. they are both known for their knowledge of and collections of Atwater Kent radios. I personally know both of them. As a matter of fact, Derb used to work with Leigh at "Golden Age Radio" some years back.

Sometimes you just never know what you will find at an estate / garage sale. Some years back another friend of mine bought a bunch of boxes of A-K parts at an estate sale. (I wont post his name here) He asked me to come over and see if I could identify some of the "junk". As we were going through the stuff we almost threw away the best part of the find. In the bottom of 1 or 2 of the boxes were a bunch of loose papers that we almost dumped into his dumpster until we looked at them closely. They were the original engineering notes from one of the engineers from A-K and all hand written on
A-K letterhead stationary!! These were absolutely priceless!! Ray Thompson has been trying to talk him into selling them for years but he wont part with them. IIRC the papers were all signed by their author - Malcolm Muzzy! The person my buddy bought them from was his grand daughter.

Many collectors also dont know where Atwater Kent got his start. It was building ignition systems for tractors and gas engines. Since I also collect old gas engines, I have 2 A-K jump-spark coils and 1 A-K magneto in my collection as well as 7 0r 8 A-K radios.

                                                   The Slab Bacon

[N3DRB The Derb]

shorpy rocks hard. Favorite picture site on the web by far. Shows you how life REALLY was in the 'good' old days.

(A lot of it wasn't very good at all)

[W1RKW]

Great photos.  Also, what I found interesting was the machinery in the factory area and how everything was belt driven off of a common power source.  I wonder what would have happened if an accident occurred.  Would they've shut down an entire line because of an accident on one machine. Probably not in those days. It's only a flesh wound.

[wa2rqy]

Great photos.  Also, what I found interesting was the machinery in the factory area and how everything was belt driven off of a common power source.  I wonder what would have happened if an accident occurred.  Would they've shut down an entire line because of an accident on one machine. Probably not in those days. It's only a flesh wound.

Nah, they had a way of sometimes just pushing the belt off that particular pully with a long stick but most places had a lever to disengage a single down belt.
73.
Rich WA2RQY/4

[N3DRB The Derb]

 I am glad to hear that Leigh is still alive. He knows more about radio than I've ever forgot. Absolute expert radioman. I was a little kid skillwise next to him then and now I'm sure I would make him laugh. He was up in years then, wonder how old he is now? Must be pushing 85 or 90. I think we are thinking of the same guy frank - He smoked a pipe.

I look back and I can say those were the best years I had. I knew my stuff and got to use it every day and actually got paid a (very) small wage to do it. I sometimes wonder if I was the last radio repairman employed as a employee. There could not have been many others after the shop closed down. Ernie's in the city for a few years I guess until he died.

[Vortex Joe - N3IBX]

Sam,
      Thanks for posting the link and photos to this site. Definitely good reading!

Best Regards,
                  Joe Cro N3IBX

[Sam KS2AM]

More Atwater Kent from Shorpy.

http://www.shorpy.com/node/4731?size=_original



Sam / KS2AM