Through the airwaves

Another near-original feature that I love is this Alliance Tenna-Rotor, Model U-100, which I'm guessing must have been purchased shortly after the 1962 remodel of our garage into a large den or rumpus room. A real upgrade from the old rabbit ears of the 1950's.

Per jitterbuzz.com, "...in suburban and rural areas where signal was weak, it was very important to have a properly aligned antenna. Thus, the external folded dipole (looks like a part of a trombone) antenna was erected on the roof. In some areas, even this did not suffice and folks went outside to rotate the antenna to catch a distant signal. For the more affluent, you could buy a Tenna Rotor sold by the Alliance Corporation in numberless commercials during the late night movies. This was a little box, shown below, that allowed you to orient the antenna from the comfort of your living room."


I really love how our unit was labeled for tuning into Sacramento and San Francisco TV stations! We haven't yet had the opportunity to find out if it still works.







I was surprised at the amount of information I found online regarding the Tenna-Rotor.




For instance, from I love antennas, a wiring diagram and installation instructions;




From webremote, a YouTube video demonstrating how it operates;




And even the manual if anyone is looking for it.

This concludes our regularly scheduled broadcast. Tune in tomorrow, same time, same channel.