Atwater Kent

Model 36 (Early)

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In late 1927 the Atwater Kent Company had to rush into production an AC powered radio to compete with the Radiola 17 that used the new AC tubes developed by RCA. Atwater Kent achieved this by using components already in production. The RB Battery Eliminator was combined with the Model 33 (both were modified) and the result was the Model 36. Only a few sets were produced before the set was redesigned. The new set had a different front panel and the wiring harness card was mounted inside the power supply cabinet. By 1928 Atwater Kent introduced the Model 37 metal set and no longer produced the Model 36. The early Model 36 is quite rare and I was forced to restore a set that was in rather bad shape in order to add this set to my collection.  

Restoration of the AK 36 (early)

The restoration of this AK 36 is covered in Six files, the power supply, radio chassis, front panel, cabinet, power cable, and on/off plug. The power supply had bad and missing paint and a bad transformer. The radio chassis had bad components and was really filthy. The front panel was scratched and had missing paint. The cabinet needed refinishing. The power cable was brittle and had an open wire and the cable card was detached. The on/off plug was missing and the wiring for the plug was broken off in the cable. Over all, restoring this set was a real challenge. That is why I documented the restoration.