Yeah, those photos make it look like the radio equipment is in a room with angled walls, hexagonal perhaps. There is nothing like that on that house currently. Perhaps his station was located somewhere else. Or maybe the current house does not date to the 1920's. There had to be some kind of money in his family or else he was exceedingly well connected to the radio industry and was able to get a lot of equipment on loan or something.

I wonder if there are any stories about him in Radio News or other magazines of that time?

I found this photo with a caption of him in the November 1924 Radio News, page 665. I was hoping to find him featured in an article. This just repeats what we already know.

It looks like Testan has relatives who are still alive. We could probably find out from them, but I'd be reluctant to bother them over something like this, especially since they all seem to be elderly.

Whitepages.com lists a phone number in Long Valley, N.J. for someone with the same name as his widow, Vera Testan. It says she's 107. Could it be her and could she still be alive? That site also lists a Peter R. Testan (the same name as his son) in upstate New York, and several women named Barbara Steinel (the same name as his daughter) in Long Valley, N.J. The information matches the information in the N.Y. Times obit.

Must have had wealthy parents, that would have been an astonishingly well equipped amateur station for even a very well off older person.

Noted the fan on top of the gear near the window, with all that valve gear glowing on on hot summers day it would have been running flat out.

Wealthy parents perhaps, or maybe it was all bought on time. Consumer installment credit was around in the '20s. Either way, he was fortunate to have had that level of gear.

Hi Ron,

How you been? Long time no see! How's that Clough Brengle collection commin?

Check out the knife switch arrangement just above his knees.

Back in those early days of radio, the barrage of unfamiliar sounds looming out from the second floor of that house probably freaked out the entire neighborhood.


Todd
ka8gef

I wouldn't worry about any copyright infringement since AWA doesn't seem to. One issue some years ago featured a couple personally taken photos poached from my website and credit given instead to "Motorola Corporate Archives" (well, no...)

It was the roaring 20s. Play the stock market right, and you could have been comfortable. You just had to get out before 1929.