[Nolan Woodbury]

Although my family have been active audiophiles my whole life, I didn't get serious about this hobby until a year ago NewGuy. And what I mean by serious is doing more than just plugging a radio in and hoping for the best.

A.K. cornerstones like Chad and others have been very helpful, but I didn't want to post every time I had a small question (how can I tell a electrolytic capacitor / condenser from a resistor?) but a couple of things happened that helped greatly. I bought a non-working Zenith C730 that came with a batch of goodies (a slew of caps, tubes, filters and a test electrolytic with alligator clips) then I added a selection of new caps in various values from Radio Shack and new tubes for The Tube Source. I also purchased an ohmmeter, cutters, solder and a soldering iron. A book I found on the internet; "Antique Radio Restoration Guide" by David Johnson (ISBN # 0-87069-638-6) has been a great help. I've read and re-read it several times.

When I get an old set in now, I dust the chassis with a soft brush and careful shots of compressed air, then clean/re-seat the tube pins with a dab of dielectric grease. Although I now know just enough to get myself into trouble, I did manage to transform that old C730 into a reliable, daily listener.

The thing that really impresses and encourages me is the quality of these old radios. 95% of the time, the problem (if there is one) stems from either a bad tube or a leaky electrolytic. You sound fairly knowledgeable, I'm sure you'll do fine. Anyway, if I can do it, ANYONE can!