How can I find my radio at Radiomuseum.org ?

How can I find my radio at Radiomuseum.org ?

 This text is adressed to “Newbies” at radiomuseum.org and explains how to run a search for radio sets.

We always start at the Search Page, this is the Main Page which is usually shown first to all visitors. See screenshot below:

  

 

 We want to run a search for a radioset from Graetz ( german manufacturer) with the model name “156W”. Since there are many ways to skin a cat we´ll start with a very un-specific search. We´ll use the "Simple radio search by model" dialogue, enter the model name 156 and start the search with “GO”. Important: We do not enter the "W" of 156W since it is possible that an entry for this model already exists but with a slightly different name. Example: It is possible, that a model "156GW" already exists, which is about the same type but with a different power supply.

 

See screenshot below:

 

 

If any matching entries can be found by the RM Search Engine a list with all results will be shown:

 

 

Each model with an "156" in it´s name will be listed, in alphabetic country order. Austrian models on the top, US models will be shown near the buttom of the list.
You´ll find models of all listed manufacturers, radiosets, turntables or tape recorders and of different countries. Please note the given additional info: A green camera flags “Photos available”, a red “S” indicates “Schematics available” and the “$” sign flags “Price info available””.

 

A more flexible, improved search dialogue is the "Advanced search for antique radios" as shown below. Here you can run a simple search ( with same results as above) , only using the "156" in the model name as search criteria - but we can add more information as search criteria, we know it´s a radioset ( not a turntable or tape recorder), and we know it´s a German model. See the new search criteria in screenshot below:

 

 

We launch the search with “GO” and will receive another list of models. It´s obvious that the number of found models has been extremely reduced and we might now find our model quite easy. But we can run another, nearly perfect search reducing the fnumber of found models to an absolute minimum. We know, it´s a Graetz model and was built between 1950 and 1960. Let´s feed the RM search engine with these search criteria. Sometimes it is just one matching model pagee which then comes up directly without a list. Here we go, we found exactly what were were after.

EE May 19, 2010: article shortened and cleaned from Word artefacts.

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Model search and database:
more information about our system

I think I have to explain our possibilities a little bit more: about the relational database and how we use it. The main question is: What do users look for? What do they expect as answers? This is extremely different, since users can be:

A: knowing very little about radios and/or little educated in respect of knowledge in general.
B: very interested and knowing collectors and/or have a University education
Lets say these are the extreme possibilities.

We assume that a user is going to a site and is looking for a radio - to either know more about it, to get a schematic or picture etc. - or to upload something or to ask for help on that particular model etc. An other case is informing in general about a brand or country, a certain time period etc. “How to implement about 300 thousand models, easy accessable with a few strokes of a finger?” was the question. We present now  169 000 models with 675 000 pictures.

NAMING of the MODEL
First we have to consider what a user sees on his/her set. Normally the set shows a name or number code. Sometimes there is a brand or manufacturer name somewhere.
In many cases the factory can not be identyfied - at least from outside - and sometimes only by knowing very much it is possible to know from where a given set comes.

BRAND and MANUFACTURER
Depending on country or manufacturer we differ the brand either by writing it into the name field or by having a brand instead of a maker.
Take Philips Switzerland for instance. They produced in La Chaux-de-Fonds their Philips radios but also a second and a third brand. One called Jura, the other Mediator.
If you have a Mediator you don't look up Philips - as a beginner (or "Type A user" - see above), you don't even know that this is a brand of Philips. When the radio was new in general one did not expect it to be a Philips - that was the intention of Philips - to be able to sell the model with different look but same technique for instance cheaper, to have more market share.
For other companies most often we just List the Brand in the model name field because it is what the user sees on the set.

SEARCH ENGINES
The homepage of Radiomuseum.org is also the search page - which offers the following for a search:

SEARCH:
Is a non specified search for nearly the full database. You search for content like you search with Google. If you get too many results you can either add more words in this default selection „Complete RMorg" - or select for getting results from only either:
Forum only, Model pages only, Tubes only (including semi conductors!), PDF documents only, Everything except Forum, Forum without the internal board "Talk", Forum "good rating" and Forum FAQ only.
In other words: this search is not really meant to look for a model - but some (how many %?) do ... and it is possible, but with much lesser "user quality" (missing the hit list). The following search engines are specific for model pages:

Simple Search for Antique Radios etc.
Since January 16, 2011 we use a fast indexed search (Lucine) and have included the manufacturer and brand names. See text here - specially post 4. It is the preferred model search.

Advanced search for Antique Radios etc.
If you don't want a single set but would like to have the oversight, then you use this advanced model search. You can select the country and then use it the same way as the simple search - to get only the said 8 hits for 301. Then your decision is rapidly made. That easy it is! But you can still reduce the hits by selecting other boundaries like the manufacturing years, model type, with schematic(s) or with picture(s) with tubes or with transistors and/or you enter a manufacturer/brand. Use the link for the picture gallery!

If you need more selections you use (members only) the "Fully detailed Model Search" with nearly 40 possibilities for all kind of statistical research etc.
Forget it for ordinary collectors ;-)

Search for Antique Radios etc. by Tubes/Valves or Semiconductors
This is also a unique search elsewhere not found: For instance you have a set but no schematic but you want to see typical schematics for a set with the given tube line up: You just enter up to 5 different tubes and you get all the models with these tubes and select the ones with the same number and line up of tubes - with schematic ... Same for Transistors. On the tube page you find something similar and two dedicated search engines for tubes.

Countries / Brands
When clicking the link in the left link table of the search page you will get a complete oversight about all model pages in the database, well sorted by country with quite some figures per country:
Number of different manufacturers, number of manufacturers for which we show models, number of manufacturers for which we show more than 100 models, followed by totals per country of models, models after WW2, models with picture(s), models with schematic(s), total of pictures and schematics, total of specific texts. In front you see if there are "country photos".
Clicking a name brings the history (if present), clicking one of the 3 underlined numbers brings the manufacturers/brands of this country according to the 3 selections.
Having clicked one of them you again can get the manufacturer text or the models - in the same way - but at first you see all the mentioned by manufacturer instead of country (one level down).
Clicking the underlined number (of models) you get the complete model list for the manufacturer - but at first sorted by model name. Remember: At the model search it is by age of the model.
You can resort by age, by type or by the first tube/semiconductor. You see immediately on a hit list if the model has picture(s), schematic(s) collector price, forum article etc. A click and you have the model page ... Or another click and you have the picture gallery to find your model optically!

DATABASE
This all can only be achieved with a dynamic website where the server has to bring together the values of different fields at the very moment! Normally, still today, such sites are static: A page has been written in and will be shown as such. Why use a dynamic website with such a lot to calculation for each shown page? Mind you: we show more than 100 000 pages each day to users (85 % non members)?

We use the relational database ORACLE which allows extreme flexibility. How else could you get all those results present and correct to the second?
Relational means that the database does look up our request by names - but just to find the ID (primary key) - say it is the place for a model. This model contains many fields. You see them complete by clicking "Create new model" at the search page left column - and you find a link there with more information how to use it.

We find the following fields for a model:
Manufacturer/Brand (50 characters -- for selection only - in fact longer)
Model Name (at the moment 32 characters)
Model-Type/Chassis (same number of characters)
Variant. Should in praxis be shorter and is only used if there are different models from the same manufacturer - with exactly the same name - but we know differences!
These are the main identifying fields but the system also adds the country by knowing the manufacturer (foreign key).
In total there are about 40 different fields but normally you use only what can be seen on the model pages.

Relational Database
Since for instance a model shows only a "foreign key" as a manufacturer/brand internally, the name of the manufacturer can be changed at one place and all models belonging to this show immediately a different wording of the manufacturer. This is the same for any SELECTION field. They are all “foreign keys”, an other table. So we can also select an other manufacturer/brand for a given model any time. We can allow a manufacturer/brand called "unkonwn" and decide to list certain models also there - besides at different manufacturers. This is an important fact for China models where we have multiple manufacturers.

Quality of data: Any time any member can add new models - even if the manufacturer is unknown - and he/she can change any model - but two model admins will have to give their OK. Most often they know much less about that particular model - but have a good general view about radios and often know the way an uploader can be trusted. At the beginning they might ask for a photo or so or more information. The general aim is to show a most complete radio catalog with highest accuracy on data - for all collectors on the world - which is a dream. If so many collectors work together, it is impossible to have everything right - but it is an iteration process which I often call "the work of ants, building a nest". At the end it is well done. Please react when findingwrong data or empty spots.

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