HOW TO REPAIR AND RESTORE VINTAGE VALVE RADIOS
TUTORIAL VIDEOS AVAILABLE ONLINE
Over 500 videos with news, hints and tips
Learn to read circuit diagrams
THOUSANDS of service sheets
and manuals. All FREE to members
Please note, the manuals are mainly for British radios
You will find all this and more in the Members’ Area
Click on the Buy Now button below to join the Members’ Area.
The cost is a one-off payment of £25.00
Once your payment has been received, you will be sent the user name and password.
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Please watch the video before joining the Members’ Area.
SOME OF THE VIDEOS AVAILABLE TO DATE IN THE MEMBERS’ AREA
Mains isolating transformers – what they do, how they work
How to read circuit diagrams – part one
How to read circuit diagrams – part two
Valve heaters in series, droppers and thermistors
Radio components, resistors, capacitors, transformers etc
Power supplies, rectifiers and smoothing capacitors
Power supplies, the sequel
The audio output stage – part one
Some hints and tips on radio cabinets and chassis
The detector stage
AGC Automatic Gain Control
The I.F. amplifier
The mixer oscillator
Mixer oscillator faults
A.M. Bandwidth, transmission and reception
How to carry out IF alignment with no test equipment
How to carry out IF alignment using test equipment
RF (aerial) and oscillator alignment
Setting up a workshop – some ideas
Alignment – the sequel
How to replace the dial drive cord
500 Watt triode transmitting valves
Hints and tips on soldering
The Wireless Set No 19
How to use an RF signal generator
The Lafayette KT-340 Communications Receiver
The Lafayette HA-600A Communications Receiver
The Eddystone 358x (B34) Communications Receiver – part one
The Eddystone 358x (B34) Communications Receiver – part two
The Eddystone 910/1 Communications Receiver – part one
The Eddystone 910/1 Communications Receiver – part two
The Pye PCR2 Communications Receiver
Replacing speaker grille cloth
The Marconi R1155 Communications Receiver
Single and double conversion superhet radios
How to use multimeters
The Hewlett Packard HP334A and the Marconi TF2005R
The DAB Radio switchover
How valves work – part one
How valves work – part two
A dipole aerial for the HF shortwave bands
The Ajax A25 Marine Radiotelephone
Doublet aerials for the HF short wave bands
Vertical aerials for the HF short wave bands
An ATU for short wave HF band end fed aerials
A home-brew RF Ammeter for end fed wire aerials
The Spitfire AM medium wave transmitter
The Codar AT5 amateur radio transmitter
The Bush DAC90A. Fitting a mains transformer in place of the dropper
Servicing a Bush AC11 Radio
The Collins TCS-12 Transmitter
Reforming capacitors
A Variable HT Power Supply
A Variable HT Power Supply – part two
Variable HT Power Supply – conclusion
Thoughts on radio with a live chassis
Servicing a BSR Record Deck
Oscillators Revisited
Medium and short wave interference
Medium and short wave interference – problem solved!
Valve heaters not working?
Medium and short wave interference – part three
Workshop safety!
Radio Interference
Short wave CCF and pirate radio recollections
A pirate radio boat in the English Channel
Land based medium wave pirates 1960s
A pirate radio station in disguise
Medium wave pirating from a hole in the ground
Medium wave pirating – and not getting caught
Medium wave pirating – catch me if you can
Vintage television, the VHF turret tuner
Pirate Radio memories from the 1960s
Ferrite rod aerials for vintage valve radios
Frame aerials for vintage valve radios
A ghostly pirate on medium wave
CB pirate radio from beyond the grave
The Burner frame aerial construction details. Build this beast!
Echo Charlie 6.6 megs pirate radio and more
Solar Power, panels, charge regulator controller, battery…
Solar panels battery charging using controller regulator CMG
A top band aerial for small gardens
Aerials for FM and DAB radios and tuners
The Watson W50 VHF UHF Aerial
Setting up an HF radio with an ATU and SWR meter
A trip to Bletchley Park
How I became a radio amateur
ADDING BLUETOOTH TO A VINTAGE RADIO
My eBook ‘Adding Bluetooth To A Vintage Valve Radio’ is free to members. There are photos and comprehensive instructions, in PDF format, in the members’ area. As Bluetooth is becoming a popular option for vintage radios which are beyond restoration and would other wise be scrapped, I’ll be adding more information soon.
SERVICE MANUALS FOR VINTAGE VALVE RADIOS
There are thousands of service sheets and manuals in the members’ area, and I do mean thousands! A large proportion of the manuals and service sheets aren’t freely available on the internet.
AND THERE’S MORE
I’m building a library of test equipment manuals circuits etc. in the members’ area. Available so far …
VINTAGE RADIO SERVICE MANUALS – EXCLUSIVE TO MEMBERS
AVO 7 MULTIMETER INSTRUCTION BOOK
MEGGER TESTER INSTRUCTION BOOK
AVO MULTIMINOR INSTRUCTION BOOK
ADVANCE AUDIO SIGNAL GENERATOR SG66
AVO 8 MULTIMETER INSTRUCTION BOOK
TAYLOR 65B SIGNAL GENERATOR
ADVANCE E2 RF SIGNAL GENERATOR
HEATHKIT RF-1U SIGNAL GENERATOR
TAYLOR VALVE TESTER DATA
AND THERE’S MORE AND MORE
Valve data, valve equivalent lists, valve lettering information, valve bases…
Radio & TV Servicing books complete index.
Resistor and capacitor data, Ohms Law calculator…
Vintage radio books, articles and adverts…
WHY NOT COME AND JOIN US?
Click on the Buy Now button below to join the Members’ Area. The cost is a one-off payment of £25.00. Once your payment has been received, you will be sent the user name and password to the members’ area.
JOIN US NOW
Repair your own vintage valve radios. Learn how to read circuit diagrams and understand schematics. Learn how to carry out IF and RF alignment, how to find faults, how valves work, how to work through the power supply, audio amplifier, detector and AGC stages, the IF amplifier, the mixer oscillator… Watch the videos and repair your own vintage valve radios.
Away from the main web site, the members’ area has online instructional videos and technical information for those who are interested in repairing and restoring vintage valve radios.
The technical information and videos are for newcomers to the hobby. However, I assume that, although beginners, people can at least use hand tools and are competent with a soldering iron. Deciding where to begin was very difficult but, after much deliberation, I came to the conclusion that the first video should deal with reading circuit diagrams. Learning to follow a circuit diagram and identify the various components is be an excellent grounding for repairing vintage valve radios.
Amongst the technical information you will find… valve data, a valve equivalents list, European valve numbers, the meaning of valve letters, valve base data, CV valve equivalents, a great valve cross-reference chart, capacitor equivalents list, useful radio formulae, aerial information, kHz to metres conversion and much more.
If you have any questions, please email me.