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 assembled theirs. On this unit the bottom left knob is missing the aluminum insert. These are 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.

Bilbo Baggins examines the metal ring on one of the later style knobs. For all practical purposes, the ring may as well have been forged in the fires of Mount Doom. These knobs with metal rings are hidden even from the Eye Of Sauron, and the Dark Lord himself would be unable to find one, though he wage war upon the entire earth in his attempt. In lieu of that, he could try ebay.

Second Prize Winner!

First Prize Winner!

A pristine front panel and cabinet!

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 the same Daka-Ware knobs used on the Knight Space Spanner.

Here's a Knight Space Spanner. What do you think about the knobs?

The mystery deepens... Mike Cutler found this one in the trash. It's a very early one, all original, probably from the 1960s.

It's extremely unlikely this KT-135 was modified in any way and we see the "collars" on the knobs, so Lafayette must have used them in the early days of production. The good news is that these knobs are still being made today so you can use them in a restoration. Search for Daka-ware 1600 & 1610, or Davies 1600 & 1610 skirted knob.

This is a nice one, except for the screws holding it into the case. Thankfully, they're not Phillips heads!

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.

In an otherwise beautifully soldered radio, a large metal filter capacitor wrapped with duct tape lurks inside.

The tape has peeled back exposing the bare metal can, which is a a thousandth of an inch away from touching the chassis. From ebay, March 2025. I bought this one for $89!

The cabinet has been recovered with self-stick vinyl shelf paper. The original covering was beyond repair.

This is what happens when dad has to get up for work at 6AM and you start fiddling with the regen control at one in the morning.  From ebay November 2024.

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