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Old radio hunters mark history
A combination radio and turntable made in The Netherlands in the 1950s
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A combination radio and turntable made in The Netherlands in the 1950s.
Forget vinyl. If you're looking for unadulterated sounds from old-school technology, listen to a man who goes by the name Didi Radio talk about his collection.
'I think their designs are very artistic. Their sounds are also more natural, because they're analog receivers and use tubes. Their resonance is far better than transistor and digital radios,' Didi Radio, whose real name is Didi Widianto, said.
He made his comments at the recent Layang Swara (Sound Messenger) exhibition, which displayed 60 vintage radios, some dating to the 1930s, at the Soedjatmoko Cultural Center in Surakarta, Central Java.
The radios came from the private collections of members of the Audio Radio Preservers of Yogyakarta (Padmaditya) in Yogyakarta and Magelang, Central Java.
Although decades old, the receivers ' mostly tube radios made by Philips, Erres, Blaupunkt, Robin and Telefunken ' are well maintained and still working.
'We collect the radios for their historic value. In their times, these sets were so important for the dissemination of information. They were also a luxury,' said Didi Sumarsidi, another Padmaditya member. 'In the 1960s, we had to crowd the subdistrict office to listen to the radio.'
Padmaditya was founded in 2011 by collectors who would hunt for old radios at antique shops and flea markets.
After meeting to exchange information and spare parts in different cities and villages, the collectors decided to form a community.
'Originally there were only 11 people. We continued to promote the love of old radios from then on. Today there are over a hundred Padmaditya members from Yogyakarta, as well as other cities such as Solo, Semarang, Surabaya and Jakarta,' Didi said.
Like Didi Radio, Edi Sunaryo says he was lured by the distinctive designs and analog sound. 'The analog system gives the impression of a genuine human voice.'
Edi says his zeal for collecting came rather late, only two years ago. 'I've been going around flea markets and antique stores in Yogyakarta, Solo and even Surabaya, sometimes alone and more often along with other members. As long as the products are well-designed and their prices reasonable, I take them,' Edi said.
Edi, who says he has eight radios in his collection, doesn't care whether they work or not. Attractive shapes and complete spare parts are more important.
'Not a problem if the radios don't work because some community members are skilled in repairing tube receivers,' Edi said. 'Many friends have had their damaged radios fixed up. If they're irreparable they can still be modified.'
Among his several radios showcased at the exhibition was a Bence, made in Surabaya in 1956 ' and reportedly the first to be produced in Indonesia. The radio is pyramidal and made with a wooden frame.
There was also a Philips radio dating to the mid-1950s working in the short wave (SW), medium wave (MW) and frequency modulation (FM) bands.
'This radio is rare because when it was produced, the FM waveband wasn't yet known in Indonesia,' Edi, who also teaches at the Indonesian Arts Institute (ISI) of Yogyakarta, said.
Edi said he was lucky he could buy the radios from an owner and not a third party. 'A radio worth Rp 200,000 (US$16.3) from its owner could cost Rp 1 million from a dealer.'
Didi Sumarsidi, a former physician for the Indonesian Military (TNI), said he once took home 40 old radios ' much to the dismay of his wife, who thought the pieces were scrap metal.
When he was assigned to Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, he returned with two old radio sets, each weighing 12 kilograms. 'They were Siemens multiband radios made in Germany.'
Didi says he has two prized pieces in his collection of 175 radios: a Philips radio with a dial in the shape of a compass and a Philips Bi-Ampli, both of which he bought for Rp 200,000 and are still working.
The value of the radios for sale at the exhibition ranged form Rp 200,000 to Rp 12 million, Didi said. However, collectors are selective, only selling to fellow hobbyists and usually only because they already have more than one radio of a specific type.
The oldest radio at the show resembled a cathedral. It was a Dutch-made Philips product of the 1930s. Somebody once offered to buy it for Rpv20 million but its owner wouldn't give it up. Actually, the radio was bought for Rp 300,000, said Didi, a collector since 1970.
Viewers could marvel at a Philips Aida made in 1946 in Eindhoven, Holland, with city names still printed on the wavelength dial with traditional (tempo doeloe) spellings, such as Batavia for Jakarta, Soerabaia for Surabaya and Bandoeng for Bandung.
Transistor radios of the 1960s, such as Ralin-brand radios, were on show, still operating in the SW and MW bands.
Radio expert Iwan Ganjar also displayed some manual gramophones of the 1920s. Using no electricity, the old record players operate by winding a crankshaft.
'This exhibition constitutes a way for us to document historic articles,' Didi said. 'With the changing times, the objects that once marked the nation's history should not just be forgotten.'
' Photos by Ganug Nugroho Adi
