The radio studio inside the Winnebago is, without a doubt, the icing on the cake. It’s certainly what I’ve been most looking forward to, and the materials have come from far and wide. The studio is located where one of the twin beds used to be, which came out long ago. The hot water heater and a wheel well is located under the desk, plus some plumbing – all very manageable to box in. The desk surface is 1/2 inch medium density fiberboard. The top is finished with a layer of Formica. With all the right tools, the Formica was surprisingly easy to install and the adhesive is truly amazing stuff.
You’ll notice the perforated acoustic ceiling tiles pictured below. Those were a staple of radio studio construction for years, yet are rather hard to find now. From what I can tell, there’s only one company, Classic Acoustical, still making these tiles and you need to buy a large quantity. I was fortunate enough to reclaim these tiles from a dumpster outside Eisenhower Hall on the K-State campus months ago when it was being remodeled, so they are without a doubt the oldest parts of the RV, being from 1951. They did require some touching up, which I accomplished with a combination of ceiling paint and flat white spray paint. Not all the tiles have been installed yet, so look for another update in the coming weeks.
We still need to finish the structure under the desk, but the shelf over the desk is largely finished and wired. I scored some vintage-looking 12 volt LED lights that cast a nice warm glow over the studio, plus a fluorescent-type LED fixture – all of which can be controlled independently. Everything performed great during the WLHA Halloween Special, which was the inaugural broadcast for the studio.
Many more projects are coming up, including a test road trip. Stay tuned!
-James
