As three passionate collectors of radios manufactured in the Los Angeles area, we were concerned about the accuracy and availability of information about these instruments. We decided to pool our efforts to correct and extend the historical record, both in print and online. We hope visitors find our work rewarding and that some of you will contribute to the continued growth of our research.
We aim to present the most accurate information available about radios manufactured in the Los Angeles area. We have referenced all available sources, including advertisements, period newspaper articles and magazines, company brochures, court records, fellow collectors’ records, and actual radios from our own collections.
The most sought-after reference for those interested in Los Angeles-manufactured radios was produced by Floyd Paul.
This three-volume set is a compilation of SCARS Gazette articles Floyd had written and his extensive research.
His research relied on company records that have long since disappeared, including the files of the Gilfillan Brothers — whose radio assembly plant was the largest in Los Angeles at the time. Thanks to ITT Gilfillan historian Ed Reitan, Floyd Paul was given access to the predecessor Gilfillan Company file vaults. Unfortunately, after Mr. Reitan retired, the company disposed of those records, making current research much more difficult.
We encountered both print and digital resources containing inaccuracies. Price guides and well-known references often listed incorrect model dates.
Fortunately, we have the assistance of a very astute engineer and historian. As a frequent contributor to Floyd Paul's work, he brings his knowledge and experience from that work and his own radio explorations to our Los Angeles radio history efforts. His extensive period radio magazine collection, and his personal dossiers on Los Angeles radios he has owned have helped shed light on the technology and a period of history that would otherwise be almost impenetrable.
We are thankful for his technical expertise and his participation.
With a background in computer technical support, USMC aircraft radar maintenance, web development, print publication, a degree in graphic design, and a love of history, Jim found historical radio research a perfect fit.
As the webmaster for this site, he employs the full Adobe product suite, web resources such as period magazines and newspapers, and the entire Floyd Paul collection of files and images retrieved from the Los Angeles Public Library archives to further our research and authentication efforts.
Marks' love of radio derives from his two mentors, his late father, (a Radio Ham for 50 years and Great Depression era NZ radio serviceman) and the late John Stokes, (an eminent NZ radio historian and close friend of Floyd Paul and contributor to Floyd's work).
Mark is a Qualified Civil Engineer and Marine Biologist, Foundation member of the NZVRS and has collected and researched Vintage Radio for over 40 years.
Mark is a valued, contributing team member with a large Los Angeles radio collection.
Today we have resources that were unavailable to prior historians like Floyd. We now have the Internet with a whole world of research possibilities opened up to our use.
Google and Bing are the first internet-based tools that come to mind in our research. Entering a term in one of these search engines brings up data that would have taken days or weeks of effort in the past. Our membership in internet services such as ancestry.com and newspapers.com gives us access to information that would otherwise be unavailable. Even eBay offers images of unknown or rare radios of interest to our data collection.
Again, as historians, we all noticed that there was quite a bit of misinformation and misunderstanding associated with print and web-based resources. Errors in standard reference works are copied and repeated until they become the norm. We felt that information needed to be corrected.
As a member of the SCARS Board, I raised the issue of reprinting his works since their price had risen dramatically based on their lack of availability. I approached Floyd and obtained his permission to reproduce them. Since the original artwork was unavailable, and the printing company used to produce the originals was unknown, I and my wife replicated the publication's sources.
Our purpose with this website is not to replace the work of Floyd Paul but to enhance and expand his findings.
Most collectors of Los Angeles radios are familiar with Floyd Paul's work. His three volume booklet sets contain articles published in the SCARS Gazette. We recommend a reference set of the Floyd Paul books to anyone interested in Los Angeles radio history or collecting.
The sets can be ordered from SCARS (The Southern California Antique Radio Society) by clicking the link below. That will take you to the SCARS website in a new window.
Order your set here.
You can also become a member of the Southern California Antique Radio Society by clicking the link below. Members get the SCARS Gazette twice a year, and notices of upcoming events and opportunities. Membership In the United States is $25.00 / year with an extra $1.00 for spouse membership. Memberships outside the continental United States are $30.00/ year.
Membership Application