Glad to be here!
 

Hi all,

I don't know whether my story begins 3 or 4 years ago, when I started prowling local Goodwills hunting for vintage electronic treasures, or 40-something years ago when I got my first transistor radio (a Panasonic). In any case, I've been fascinated by anything radio-, audio-, or TV-related for a very long time.

I'm at the stage of collecting where I need to determine what I really want to collect, and thin out the dead wood from my accumulation of "stuff." At the moment, the "collection" includes 4 or 5 portable solid-state b&w tvs; a GE "Wildcat" portable stereo phono; some Walkmen; some boomboxes; too many miscellaneous radios to count, including tube and transistor models and a dozen or so shortwave sets; and of course, a large number of LPs, cassettes, and CDs.

I'll have plenty of questions for those of you who are skilled in repair/restoration, so please be patient with me in the days and weeks to come :D

Best wishes,
radiodayz

Welcome! I guarantee someone here will be able to help you with any sets you have. The interests and experience of the folks here covers just about everything you could think of!

If you landing here with the expectation to thin out your electronics let me just say that this is not going to happen! I will assure you though the items you have will change for the better. When grown, usually men start discussing electronics it creates a lust for more and better electronics. Between here, Audiokarma and some of the other sites this lust can manifest itself into an obssesion. You can be assured those boom boxes are on the way out but in their place will be sought after prized pieces of maybe old or obsolete technology that will if your lucky bring some long ago memories back from the abyss. Maybe my experiences are a manifestation of the insanity I constantly am fighting to stay one step ahead of reality but thats just me!
Welcome!

We have a couple of members who collect and are pretty knowledgeable on boomboxes, just for the record :)

You're DOOMED...(grin)

You guys are great. I love this.
The thing with the boomboxes is, the guys who are real hard-core boombox collectors have very specific tastes about what is or isn't
"collectible." Maybe all radio/audio/tv collectors are like that. Me, if something still works well and sounds good, I don't care if it has a few scratches and dents or a non-original tuning knob. :-)

Pugs and Sandy, I hear you. I have a sense that the collecting bug is only going to get worse from here. If I ever get addicted to tube hi fi sets, or ham boatanchors, I'll really be in trouble ;-)

Stay the hell away from the RCA "8PT" sets of 1956, or the Emerson "1232" sets of the same time-8" CRTs, early attempts at "portablity", & they're FULL of tubes, & disarmingly cute, you'll see one in an Aunty Kew emporium, & it'll immediately start wanting to come home w/you, & tuggin' at yr heartstrings...Back, Foul Beast !! Must....resist.....Arrrrrgh !!

Sandy G, you must be talking vintage TVs, since you mentioned a CRT, lol!!! No, I won't be attempting anything that complicated for some time, since, beyond spraying contacts w. De-Oxit, I have no electronics background or experience. ;-) My first TV project will most likely be a Zenith b&w portable (made in Japan) from the 70s. Last time I turned it on, just prior to the US DTV conversion, picture was fine but no sound. I'm hoping it will just need caps. I'll need advice as to how best to hook up old sets to converter boxes, VHS, or DVD so I can actually watch something on them.

Before I get to that, I have some old radios that need my attention. I'll start with a piece 'o' junk one that I don't care about too much, that way I won't cry if I ruin it.

Welcome to VK!

Welcome to the addiction.