RadioActivity 2020 Old Equipment Contest Categories and Rules

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RadioActivity 2020 Old Equipment Contest (OEC)

Selection of the theme for each of MAARC’s annual summertime grand meets (called RadioActivity since about 1994) is always a challenge. The directors of the club agonize and quibble about it each year.

The theme for RadioActivity 2020, June 04-06, will be the 100^th anniversary of licensed commercial broadcasting, starting with Westinghouse station KDKA in Pittsburgh, PA. KDKA commenced broadcasting just in time to cover the presidential and local election returns on November 2, 1920. 

In part driven by the 100^th anniversary theme, here are the Old Equipment Contest Categories for RadioActivity 2020:

RadioActivity 2020 Theme Categories: 

1. KDKA and/or Early (1920's) Westinghouse 

2. Early Crystal Sets used in Broadcasting and Receiving

3. Early (1920's) Broadcasting Advertising and Ephemera

Standard Categories:

4. Early Test Equipment (pre-WWII)

5. Eye-Tube Radios

6. Multiband Radios

7. Wood/Plastic Table Radios

8. Metal/Cardboard Table Radios

9. Speakers

10. Yellow Radios (in memory of Paul Farmer)

11.  As Seen in 2019 Radio Age

12. Lazarus Restoration Triumph

13. Audio Equipment

14. Rare or Unusual Tubes

15. Open Category

Remember that documentation, especially noting any restoration or repair and provenance for the item, is essential for an entry to be competitive.

OEC Schedule

Entry Check-in:    9:00 - 11:00 a.m. June 05
Contest Judging:   11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. June 05 (contest room closed)
Contest Viewing:  2:30 - 5:00 p.m., and 1 hour after Banquet, June 05.
Entries will need to be removed from the contest room no later than 9:00 AM on June 06. We recommend they be removed after the Banquet viewing.

Notes and Guidelines

Entries (except consoles) must be able to fit on a table and take up no more than 3’ x 5’ of table space.  If your entry requires a display stand, you need to provide it yourself.  No mountings may be fastened to the walls. Should the contest room fill to overcrowding, the contest officials reserve the right to limit the items submitted.

Special Awards

1. Best of Show.  The entry that, in the opinion of the judges, best represents the contest criteria.

2. People’s Choice.  The OEC entry voted most popular by those who view the contest.

3. Significant Historical Merit.  The entry(ies) that, in the opinion of the judges, has the most historical significance (for example, first of a kind, extreme rarity, influence on the industry, milestone event, etc.)

4. Preservation Award.  Given to the entry(ies) that best emphasizes keeping the item original—no modern replacement parts, refinishing, etc.

Special awards 3 and 4 will not be given if the judges feel that no entry meets the criteria.

Contest Judging Criteria

The OEC judges use the following scoring weights.

A. [0-20 pts] General Appearance.  Is item restored, cleaned, and generally presentable, or just “as-found”?

B. [0-10 pts] Item Rarity.  Not as important as authenticity, but it counts for the item to be relatively hard to find.

C. [0-20 pts] Authenticity.  How much of the item is demonstrably authentic and not modified? Documentation may be crucial.

D. [0-20 pts] Documentation.  Ads, journal articles, books, schematics, news clips, description of historical significance of the item all help.

E. [0-20 pts] Entrant Effort.  How much was done by entrant, based on item appearance and documentation.

F. [0-10 pts] Qualitative Bonus.  The bonus is based on judges’ judgment and experience.

Refinements to these rules and/or the schedule, if required, may be issued well in advance of RadioActivity 2020.