Hello from Virginia
 

Apparently I made this account a year ago, but I figure I might as well use it. Greetings, all, I'm Josh. I'm a 19 year old screenwriting student at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. I've been collecting since I was 15 or so (whenever I got my tube radio) and have no plans on stopping anytime soon. I'm hoping to learn to repair this stuff, so I can keep using it long term, though admittedly I'm still not very skilled at that. Maybe there's an unspoken rule about having to burn out a certain number of power transformers before you understand what you're doing. Anyway, besides collecting and restoring mid century appliances, I spend my free time writing satirical fiction and screenplays (hence my major).

Nice to meet you all!
- Josh

Freakenomics hu...? That Reagan's book...? Well, good to have ya-

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Welcome, Glad to know I wasnt the only odball with tube gear in my dorm room...

Welcome, from the lower right corner of VA. As an amateur actor in several church plays, I can appreciate the power of scripted satire. Lauds to you and those that came before....

Welcome from Nebraska. I love tube radios (two Zenith's!) and also collect vintage computers.

Welcome! If your killing power transformers you probably have shorted lytics, shorted rectifiers, shorted B+ rails, or bad luck. Recapping is important to keeping these sets alive, just as much as returning life to them.
Consider taking some Electrical Engineering courses to help you with the basics. As someone who was recapping radios by the time I was 10 or 11 and working on TVs by highschool (first success junior year). I knew much of the course material in my EE major, in the first 2-3 years, before my profs could teach it to me.....I used to blow their minds with insightful questions in the early years.

You've met my friend Chris at the WARCI swap meets. He had the guts of a tube Admiral stereo console as his dorm stereo about 2-3 years ago before he returned to living at home and started commuting to school daily.....As I did all along.

If I had a dorm room instead of being a commuter student living at home, I'd have had tube stuff in my room.....As much of my current rig as I could fit....Glad to be a grad since spring!

Welcome to VK!

THIS POST INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

Sorry, I tried to reply, didn't see a reply post, replied again, then saw my original reply. I'll learn forum controls, I swear.

A teacher in 8th grade recommended I read it. I actually have no idea what it says, I just want to get it off my "to read" list. Just as soon as I finish studying for my HAM license... and learn Esperanto... and get into geochaching...

Lytics, definitely lytics. They got really hot when they were running, and they're the originals.

That set in your first post looks quite familiar ;)

New Years Eve 2004.....

It is TOO LATE for most of us here, but YOU, Dear Lad, might STILL have a chance to DROP this damfool "Hobby", & get into something WORTHWHILE... (grin)

I doubt it; yours is picking up signal from Buffalo :thmbsp:

Welcome! Head over to the NCRTV Museum in Bowie and see some of the volunteer techs.
Those guys will get you off to a good start fixing stuff. This is if you choose to ignore Unlcee Sandy's dire warnings. It was too late for me in 7th grade, a Loooong time ago.

Just TRYING to give this Fine Lad a Heads Up...Not that it would have helped dissuade ME 20 odd years ago...But I'm NOTORIOUSLY Bull-Headed & Stubborn.. Y'all KNEW that, though... (grin)

Speaking as another smart aleck who started collecting radios & TV sets as a teen...you're already doomed to a life staring at the wrong end of a picture tube. The best thing is that Fairfax, VA is close enough to Federalsburg, MD (motto: "Where'd you say, again?") that maybe someday I can pawn some sets off on you.

(Sorry, as of right now I still refuse to PAY somebody to take them, but that time may yet come.)

See, Kiddo, I'm TRYIN' to HELP you... I didn't stop until I scored myself an RCA 621 T/S from 1946, their 1st TV after the War... Had one for a couple years now, I NEED to take it to Terry DeWick in Knoxville.. Before the 621, I HAD to have a Zenith Porthole... Got it, it went to see Terry, & now I LOVE blowing the Minds of Young Whippersnappers, somewhat like yrself, who've NEVER seen a B/W TV so BIG, or one that is SO "Odd" looking. "THEY HAD TV back then ? Why ain't it Color ? Why does it take SO LONG to come on ?!?"

Well... I WAS thinking of how cool one of those Admiral Bakelite consoles would look in the dorm...

I'm just hoping to keep the floodwaters back enough that I don't have to rent like, 3 uhauls when I move out on my own.

Best way to do that is to be selective.

I had a floor model Zenith 23" color 1970 ish in my dorm room.... Got it from a
kid 5 floors up for $10. cause he couldn't get a picture on it- so they turned every
turnie thing stickin out of it, front or back.... The room me & the room mate had
quickly became the lounge.....

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If that was a CCI set, it makes sense. They had GREAT pictures. There is a reason my 12B13C52 chassis set has been a daily driver for as long as it has for me.

And now the common room has a flat TV in color and no one uses it.

Hi! You mentioned studying for your ham ticket...good luck! Lots of hams both here and on Audiokarma. Pay particular attention to the rules & regs questions and you should do fine.
73s!
John

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind! I'm hoping to take the test next summer. I should have plenty of time to prep in that time.

Do you have to retake the test periodically, or are you licensed for good once you get it?

License term is 10 years...as long as you renew at the appropriate time no further testing required. There's practice tests online @ QRZ.com for example...give 'em a shot. You may end up taking the test sooner than you think.