Vintage Radio

• Voice of American Museum - Gray History of Wireless Collection (phenomenal!)

• Secret Life of Machines - Excellent video on radio wave discovery and development

• California Historical Radio Society - links to all available online articles

• California Historical Radio Society - searchable index of online articles (PDF)

• California Historical Radio Society - 20th anniversary "hints and kinks" issue (PDF)

• Radio - The First 50 Years (published in 1938 by Radio-Craft magazine)

• Old time radio shows (The Shadow, Lone Ranger etc.) - online archive

• 1946 Introduction to Radio Equipment (Navy Training Course) - good intro guide

• Interesting online collection of vintage print advertisements for radios and TVs

• All about the telegraph and deciphering Morse Code

• Learn Morse Code online - the Long Island CW Club

• DYI intro article (part one) on how to bring an antique radio back to life

•   Part Two of article on bringing an antique radio back to life

• Electric Radio Magazine - for folks who use vintage radios

• How to use the incredible Antique Radios web site

• Fascinating research on Appalachians and the golden age of radio

• The excitement of early radio

• Car radios - the interesting story of their early development

• Old Time Radio Downloads - a huge free collection of vintage radio programs

• Broadcasting's History - an interesting recap from the 1920s to today

• Video bio of Edwin Armstrong - inventor of regen, superhet and FM radio circuitry

• 1941 video by RCA on how vacuum tubes work and how they are made

• The Roaring Twenties Antique Radio Museum - an amazing collection!

• Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut

• The Classic Radio Gallery - another extensive collection of vintage radios

• Tube Radioland - yet another collection of vintage radios

• Restoring old radios - a beginner's guide covering many useful topics

• Early Television Foundation and Museum - great source of technical information

• Roaring Twenties Superhets - awesome collection of early superheterodyne gear

• Antique Radio Forum - roaring twenties superhet forum (Q & A)

• Radio plastics explained (Bakelite, Catalin, Plaskon etc)

• Another huge private collection of restored antique radios

• A private collector's detailed restoration notes on dozens of antique radios.

• NCStereoMan - a vintage electronics repair technician in Asheville

• Tuned Radio Frequency (TRF) radios - an introduction (see page 4)

• Extensive directory of parts suppliers, manuals, schematics etc.

• Philco Repair Bench - useful service tips on repairing specific Philco radios

• Philco Catalogs - useful for determining values (e. g., mfd) based on part numbers

• Magic Eye (tuning aid) troubleshooting suggestions

• Magic Eye voltage doubler suggestions for supplying higher voltage to weak tubes

• Simple method for determining the outside foil end of a modern capacitor (and why)

• Tutorial on re-stuffing an old paper capacitor with a new modern capacitor (and why)

• Tutorial on replacing electrolyic and paper capacitors in an old radio (andy why)

• Replacement tuning drive belts for vintage radios

• Telecommunications Timeline - how we've communicated since 6 BC

• New York's interesting history of radio and TV broadcasting

• The Perham Collection - early radio developments in Silicon Valley CA

• American Radio History - PDFs of radio mags from the 1920s forward

• Museum of Radio and Technology (West Virginia)

• Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut

• The Birmingham Black Radio History Museum (Alabama)

• Radio News - a particularly interesting 1920s radio monthly periodical

• Safely powering up an old radio for testing (without destroying it!)

• Restoring a vintage superhet radio parts one & two (Nuts & Volts Mag.)

• Bakelite vs. Catalin - telling which is which

• Choosing the right speaker to use with a 1920s radio

• Building a loop antenna to use with a 1920s radio - detailed plans

• Antique Radio Classified list of clubs and museums

• Antique Wireless Association HQ (Rochester, NY)

• Ottawa Vintage Radio Club - many interesting links about radio

• Atwater Kent radios - values of parts used 1924 - 1932

• User manual for a 1920s TRF radio (Stromberg Carlson 1-A)

• Acme Radio's interesting 1920s pamphlet on preventing audio distortion

• Montgomery Ward 1922 catalog of radios and radio parts

• The National Capital Radio and Television Museum

• Southeastern Antique Radio Society (Atlanta GA area)

• Carolinas Chapter Antique Wireless Assn (Charlotte NC area)

• Nostalgia Air - huge collection of vintage radio schematics

• Boat Anchor Manual Archive - manuals for vintage ham and other radios

• Ryder Service Manual archive - trouble shooting manuals 1930 - 1952

• Radio Daze - vintage radio restoration parts

• Reproduction plastic dial covers for vintage radios

• Old Radio Parts - another useful source for restoration parts

• Just Radios - antique radio & TV electronics parts including high voltage capacitors

• Renovated Radios - offers many unique radio restoration parts

• Radio Belts - sells replacement drive belts for vintage radio tuning mechanisms

• Source for square copper jewelry wire similar to 1920s radio buss wire

• Voice of Music - vintage phonograph parts (styli, drive belts, idler pulleys)

• Radio Attic - site for buying and selling vintage radios

• Golden Radio Repair - vintage radio repair (free estimates)

• Retro Radio Repair - great source for repro plastic dial covers

• Radio Museum - online museum of vintage radios (photos, schematics)

• Antique Radios - useful forum for getting expert advice from others

• Crystal radios - an explanation of how they work

• Gorgeous handmade reproduction crystal radios - Geoff Roberts (UK)

  • Fascinating interview with Geoff Roberts from SWLing.com

• Make your own crystal radio - more than 75 projects with plans

• 1922 Montgomery Ward catalog of radios and radio components

• Interesting 1920's User Manual for Stromberg Carlson radio

• Shipping a vintage radio - how to pack to avoid damage in transit