Welcome To The Radio Workshop Information Hub

VINTAGE RADIO INFORMATION SITE.

Join the Radio Workshop Members' AeraI DO NOT REPAIR RADIOS.

Hi, I’m Ray. My website is full of information about vintage valve radios. I don’t repair or restore radios but I am able to offer help to those who do. From service manuals to weekly videos and technical advice, I share my radio experiences and knowledge of some 55 years in the members’ area.

The golden age of radio isn’t dead – it’s just covered in cobwebs. There are still many people who appreciate listening to the wireless, and I’m one of them. One aspect of old valve radios that intrigues me is the thought that the BBC Home Service would have emanated from the loud speakers during the war years. Churchill would have spoken to the nation during the war, and a host of interesting programmes entertained families during the forties and fifties.

Imagine a beautiful radio with a highly polished wood or Bakelite cabinet taking pride of place in the lounge back in the 40s and 50s. I can picture the man of the house sitting in his armchair, smoking his pipe and listening to the Suez crisis during the 50s while the children played with tin toys on the floor. Housewives’ Choice, Mrs Dale’s Diary, The Billy Cotton Band Show, Music While You Work, The Goon Show, The Clitheroe Kid, Round The Horn, ITMA with Jack Train, Ken Dodd, Sing Something Simple… All these programs and more would have been listened to on valve radios. As I child, I had a valve radio on my bedside table. The dial lamp glowing in the dark, I’d listen to a play and lose myself in the plot. Great stuff.

Many of you reading this will recall listening to your own or your parents’ valve radio in the lounge and enjoying Listen With Mother or an evening drama or short play. A vintage radio is something which should be used and enjoyed, and you can enjoy yours once again. If you have an old Bush DAC90A radio in the attic, drag it out and wipe the dust from the cabinet. Do you remember that radio standing on the sideboard? Having spent fifty years in the attic, it probably won’t work – and I advise you against plugging it in.

There were a lot of short wave listeners in the old days, and I was one of them. Many early radios covered the short wave bands and it was great fun tuning around during the evenings listening to broadcasts from far away lands. If your old wireless covers short wave, you might try putting up a decent aerial. Some of the better, more expensive, radios had an extra valve called an RF amplifier for improving short wave reception. But even the standard sets will pull in stations from all over the world with a simple wire aerial

LEARN TO REPAIR YOUR OWN VINTAGE VALVE RADIOS

Have you ever thought about repairing vintage valve radios as a hobby? I’ve created a members’ area within the web site where you can watch over 400 informative videos and access a host of information relating to vintage valve radio repairs

PODCASTS

You may be interested in my podcasts here.

 

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