[sam]

hey guys
i was going to buy this guy did not say what is but i figure can`t go wrong at 45.00
http://cnj.craigslist.org/atq/3852847556.html
any feed back on what to look for as i am a nb but i like the odd stuff
thanks sam 8)

[codefox1]

Can't go too wrong for $45, (=dinner and a beer for for 2 at a noisy chain eatery) provided you can pick it up and get it safely home. I'd not plug it in again until you figure out what you have and how best to make it saft to use. Take a bunch of closeup pictures of dials, back, any stickers or labels, and come back here. Then we can get you started.

[BrendaAnnD]

What you have there is a nice higher-end RCA. It's an 816K. Good catch. I've coveted one of those for years.. but no way I'll get one till I come home, if ever. Congrats!

http://www.radioatticarchives.com/radio.htm?radio=2726

http://www.nostalgiaair.org/PagesByModel...015155.pdf

[TA Forbes]

Nice set! Definitely worth the price!

[Arran]

It's a fairly complex radio but it should be a good performer once restored. I guess this example didn't stray too far from home, RCA Victor's main manufacturing plant was in Camden.
Regards
Arran

[jerryhawthorne]

I would drive there from Arizona for that radio at that price. Go for it. And Brenda, get home soon!
Jerry

[Tim Tress]

That was at the top of RCA's line in 1938. It has motor-driven pushbutton tuning, AFC, and push-pull 6L6 outputs. I had the chassis of one when I was a teenager, hooked up to a VM tape recorder to record oldies from WBT in Charlotte, NC.

[Tom Hamilton]

Hi,

Actually, that RCA is an 813K, one step down from an 816K. The giveaway for the 813K is that the speaker "fins" are slightly different and the bottom "feet", for lack of a better word, are black. The 816K fins are rounded on the ends while the 813K fins are not. The 816K feet are not black.

Do a Google search for 816K or 813K to see some restoration efforts. There's a lot going on underneath the chassis, but, on the good side, there's lots of room to work.

The 8= 1938, the 13= 13 tubes, the K= console.

That said, the 813K is considered by many to be a really good radio and well worth restoring. If you're new to the hobby and restoring radios I would recommend grabbing this radio and hanging on to it and restoring it later after your skills grow.

I would also recommend checking out Phil's Old Radios at www.antiqueradio.org. Check out The Beginner's Section. On You Tube, I would also check out the radio restoration videos of joernone. His videos are geared specifically toward newbie's such as yourself. He'll start out with a real mess and make it into something wonderful!

Good luck, welcome to the hobby and welcome to the forum!

Tom