 |
Lafayette KT-135 EXPLOR-AIR radio
kit |
 |
|
|
|
|
MORE KT-135
EXPLOR-AIR
KITS! |
|
|
More KT-135s. Because once you've
assembled one, you can't stop looking at how other people
did theirs.
Notice the bottom left knob is missing the aluminum insert.
These are nearly impossible to find.
You have to buy another KT-135 just for the knob, then you
have a $100 knob and another radio that needs the same
knob. |
|
|
|
Second Prize Winner! |
|
|
|
|
First Prize Winner! |
|
|
|
|
This came from ebay. It sold for $90
with shipping on Aug 26, 2018. The seller got it
at a yard sale, so the builder is now unknown. |
|
|
Whoever built this one did an excellent
job.
The soldering is so good the new filter caps were spliced in
so as not to disturb the connections. |
|
|
|
|
Another First Prize winner!
Yes, two winners. This one has the post-1967 knobs and is
actually from 1969. From ebay, October 2021. |
|
|
Expertly assembled.
Too bad about the
electrical tape, but this was sold with the original
capacitor included, which can be re-stuffed and reinserted. |
|
|
Notice there is a bushing where the
capacitor shaft goes through the front panel on the right. A
nice improvement. |
|
|
Very interesting manual
cover! Included was the original filter cap, which
can be restuffed. The person who won this auction
didn't pay for it! It was relisted and someone used
the "buy it now" option and grabbed it for $200.
|
|
|
|
|
|
"This is beautiful! What is that?
Velvet?" |
|
|
|
Very nice. Very clean. With the maroon
velvet background, this is KT-135 porn. |
|
|
|
|
Check out the manual. Black with a white
border. It seems to be an older manual, but the front panel
of the radio and the knobs (what are left of them) are the newer version.
|
|
|
|
|
The orange wire from the filter
capacitor shouldn't be on that tube socket, because the
original capacitor is still in the circuit.
You can barely see it, to the left of the arrow, under the
resistor. |
|
|
|
Old style front panel, new style knobs, old
style manual. Very interesting! |
|
|
|
Very nice front panel. What happened to the
finishing washers in the corners? |
|
|
|
|
A nice one from 1972, but lacking the
corner finishing washers. This went up on ebay in February
of 2019. |
|
|
Here's the underside. A big metal filter
capacitor has been wedged between the coil for Band B and
the chassis, held in by the bracket from the original
capacitor. Not to worry, a piece of paper has also
been wedged in to prevent all sort of short circuit
mayhem, since the outside of the can is now
connected to the AC line. I wonder if anyone noticed that
even though the can is insulated from the chassis with a
piece of paper, the bracket holding it in place is bolted
right to said chassis.
The AC cord is bent at an impossible angle. How is it
staying that way? It also appears
there was a small fire in the volume control, top right.
The seller stated it was in "amazing working condition." It
sold for $169 + $16.92 shipping. |
|
|
|
"Amazing,
working" volume control.
Melted wires, and rust where the
plating had been burnt off - in a bright orange flash
and a loud report. |
|
|
MY EYES!! Aaaargh!! |
|
|
|
|
All the disk capacitors in this early
model are red! The filter capacitor has been replaced with
one made by "Sprague."
Whoever replaced it didn't bother with the DOZEN bad solder
joints that made this radio unusable. |
|
|
|
|
Here's the front of the radio that has
the red disk capacitors. Very interesting pointer knobs. |
|
|
|
Those wide dial pointers are very
disturbing. |
|
|
The set with the wide dial pointers has
a speaker grille that extends past the speaker. |
|
|
|
|
This one has something in common with
the one above. What do you think it is? |
|
|
|
|
This one sold for $152.50 plus $30 on
ebay in November of 2021. It has something in common with
the two above. |
|
|
Notice the "collar" on the
small knobs. These knobs
are from a Knight Space Spanner. That's 12 Space Spanner knobs
on the three KT-135s above! Where do people get
Space Spanner knobs? When I needed one I couldn't find one to save
my life. |
|
|
|
Here's a Knight Space Spanner.
What do you think about the knobs? |
|
|
|
This is a nice one, except for the screws
holding it into the case. |
|
|
|
Here's one from 1968 with Lafayette
tubes. |
|
|
|
From ebay. Let's see a picture of the front,
please. Oh wait. There isn't one. Where is the strain relief
on the AC cord? |
|
|
The capacitor on the left is floating in
the air! What happened to the terminal post?
See the chewed up tops on the coils? That's what happens
when you don't have a cabinet.
|
|
Not sure what is going on here.
There is an extra capacitor on the left. An antique
"Solaris" cap on the right is connected to something or
other. |
|
|
|
Another nice one, except for the
Regeneration control knob. |
|
Here's the back. Are the speaker wires
touching that capacitor? I am losing
sleep over it. |
|
|
It's an optical illusion. What a relief! |
|
|
|
Very nice front panel and knobs. The screws holding the
front panel to the cabinet are rusting.
Older front panel, newer knobs. What lurks inside? The
cabinet looks to be in good shape. |
|
|
|
How is it that the front panel of
this radio is completely undamaged but the plastic pointers
on the two large knobs are missing? |
|
Filter caps replaced, job well done.
There is a red wire, once part of the original filter
capacitors, connected to the B+.
You can see the end of it near the AC cord. When it
comes into contact with the chassis, it will be GOOD for the radio.
|
|
|
How did this happen? Did somebody just
forget to remove the wire? |
|
|
|
|
Found at the Kutztown PA Radio Show on
May 7, 2021.
The seller wanted $100.00.
I didn't know what the cabinet was covered with. Click on the
photo for a full sized version. |
|
|
The covering seems to be made of painted
fabric. It actually looks kind of cool. It turns out this
was a factory job and the cabinet actually came this
way. Now I regret not
buying it. |
|
|
|
|
|
Very nice front panel! This one sold on
ebay for $295 + $13.30 in October of 2020. There were 22
bids.
Three of the four lower knobs are replacements. |
|
|
Very nice cabinet. The strain relief for
the AC cord and the antenna binding post are both broken,
but these are easily replaced. |
|
|
|
|
From ebay, May 2022. Seller stated
"Needs paint." |
|
|
|
|
Bob Romanko (AK4BR) from
Earlysville, VA, won this very well built and
perfectly preserved KT-135 in 2023 after spending $3
on raffle tickets! Click on the picture to view the
original photo. |
|
|
|
|
|
My favorite, because the ebay seller
stated the condition wasn't too bad for its age. It
looks to me like it was brought up on the end of a
fish hook from some pond. The bandspread knob (upper
right) had
been bashed in so hard the end of the tuning capacitor
shaft has been pushed right through it. I would
really like to see more of this, but this was the
only picture. He was asking $50. For some reason it
never sold. |
|
|
|
|
|
I bought this for ten dollars! It was at
the Kutztown Radio Show on May 13, 2022.
What a disaster! I've seen knobs with no pointers, but never
a pointer with no knob.
See a video of the restoration
here. |
|
|
|
|
Very nice front panel, and original
screws and finishing washers in the corners. From Ebay
September 2022 |
|
|
The seller stated it didn't work. There
is no solder on some of the connections, and signs of heat
on the connections of this resistor |
|
|
|
|
Very old specimen with plain covering on the
cabinet. Original screws, but the pointers are home-made. |
|
|
From ebay, January 2023. It looks beautiful
and has Lafayette tubes. Wait a minute.... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What
the...?!! |
It
can't be! |
Please, no! |
MY EYES!!!! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
WHAT THE DICKENS HAPPENED TO THIS
ONE??!! |
|
|
This is a crime! IT'S A SIN! |
|
I've seen this exact type of
damage on top of a metal cabinet in a detached
garage. I hate to tell you, but it was from a
squirrel that had died and decomposed there. I think
we have a similar situation here. This photo is from ebay. On June 30, 2018 someone
actually bought this for $67.60! If it only had been in a cabinet. |
|
|
Next, making a cabinet for the radio. |
|
|
|