Lafayette KT-135 EXPLOR-AIR radio kit

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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. It looks sloppy, but if follows the original wires exactly. Notice the line cord (brown wire) is connected in a similar manner.

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.

Next