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Lafayette KT-135 EXPLOR-AIR radio
kit |
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MORE KT-135 EXPLOR-AIR KITS! |
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In March of 2016 this
partially assembled kit went up on ebay. It's a 1965
version with the newer style knobs. The tubes are
Lafayette. Whoever started this didn't mount the
audio transformer or front panel. Lucky buy for the
winner of this auction, the front panel is in
pristine condition. He also got the boxes and all
that paperwork.
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This fine example is owned by Bill
Shanahan, who won two KT-135 ebay auctions on ebay. |
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| This is a picture of the
steps Bill took to recreate the original 10 MFD
capacitor. Not satisfied to just "recap" his kits,
he wanted them to look original. |
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| On the left is a Mallory
replacement filter capacitor. That's gotta go. On
the right-hand photo, the bottom is an original
KT-135 filter cap about to be re-stuffed. Above it
is a recreation made from scratch to replace the
Mallory. |
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Here is the other KT-135
Bill has. The upper knobs are in amazing condition,
as is the front panel. I'm a little suspect of the
two middle lower knobs, they don't look quite right.
Now Bill will see this and spend the rest of his
life trying to track down two original Lafayette
knobs. Such is the nature of things.
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Here's Joe Galicic's radio, purchased on
ebay in May of 2017. |
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Here it is after he restored it. What a
transformation! |
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Joe did a
transplant. He removed all the components en-mass
and then re-installed them into the reconditioned chassis.
Looking at this, it is as though you have X-Ray vision and are
looking right through the chassis. |
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See more of this radio |
here. |
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This 1969 model went up on ebay in February of
2018. The front panel and knobs are in excellent condition. |
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Not a mark on the front panel. |
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The underside looks new. Nicely
soldered, too. The best I've ever seen! |
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Ebay sellers can be funny.
This one claimed the 50C5 vacuum tube was missing,
so he couldn't test it. My feeling is that the tube
isn't missing. When he turned it on, it
hummed loudly because the filter capacitor had dried
out after 49 years. At that point he removed the
tube and then claimed he couldn't test it. At least
he didn't cut the cord off to pretend he couldn't
test it, like other sellers do. I could be wrong but
it makes a nice conspiracy theory.
The back of the chassis is bent inward on the right,
where it had been dropped onto the antenna
connector.
It sold for $255.00 on March 3, 2018. According to
the high bidder, named Doctor Potter, the radio hummed
extremely loudly! He had the same theory about the
missing tube. |
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The neat thing about this radio is the
builder's fingerprints reacted with the plating on the
chassis, and are there forever.
They are not "adult size." Dr. Potter sent this to me to
repair and I found these prints. They won't wipe off. |
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Straightening the bent chassis. Two
small pulls on the left C-clamp was all it took. |
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This one was at the Kutztown PA radio
show in September, 2018. |
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Restored by yours truly in 2022. Click
for larger view. |
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Here is the front. A "before" picture is
on the next page.
The front panel is a DECAL. To download the graphic, click
on the photo. CAUTION: It is a 295 MB file in .BMP format. |
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Chassis restored by David Goncalves. |
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Dave Goncalves' Explor-Air in a solid
walnut cabinet. |
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See his four part YouTube video of the restoration |
here |
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Chassis and cabinet restored by William
Gann. |
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Amazing restoration by William Gann. -
Click for larger view. |
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This one was restored by Dave Ishmael.
You may know him of Knight-Kit Ocean Hopper fame. |
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Click for full size. |
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The underside of Dave Ishmael's KT-135 |
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Click for full size. |
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Next, a rogues gallery of
Lafayette KT-135s found on ebay. |
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