Dedicated to the Repair and Restoration of Antique and Vintage Vacuum Tube Radio Receivers

May their tubes glow forever!

Thanks for visiting my web page!

Let me restore your old radio! - Satisfaction guaranteed!

> Located in Sunny Central Florida <

I am doing vintage radio repair on a full-time basis. If you have been thinking about getting that old radio or record player of your parents (or grandparents) playing again, I'm the one who can do it for you! I specialize in the repair of European radios, Grundig, Telefunken, Blaupunkt, Philips, etc. I also do military and commercial communications receivers, Collins, Hammarlund, Hallicrafters, National, etc.

Please contact me at:  oldradiomagic@gmail.com

- THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST! -

NOTE: Radios shown on this page are actual photos of some of the sets that I have restored and sold on eBay   

 

          My name is Gary and I have been working on radios for a long, long time. As a lad growing up in a small NE Arkansas farm town, my dad gave me some old radio textbooks, when he decided that he wanted no part of including radio repair as an addition to his already thriving general repair business. He worked on fans, vacuum cleaners, sewing machines and most other small electric appliances, but did not have the patience to learn electronics. His loss was my gain.

         I found the old books fascinating. I spent countless hours reading and studying the many diagrams and pictures. How could a conglomeration of vacuum tubes, condensers, resistors and coils pull sounds, talking and music out of thin air? Dad sensed my newly found and sincere interest and added intensity by bringing home big boxes of  “junk” from the local radio repair shop in town. It was like Christmas to me, as I happily picked through old radio chassis for any salvageable parts. Not wanting to see me electrocute myself, dad fixed me up with a car battery and an old doorbell transformer with which to power my experiments.

          By the time I was 10, I was repairing neighbors’ radios, and converting farm battery radios to electric operation. As word of my abilities spread, the townspeople and local farmers brought me their defunct radios to work on. I didn’t make much money, but I sure had fun! As a teen-ager, I had an after-school job repairing radios and TV’s down at the local Western Auto store. Later, I continued my electronics education in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, attending many radio schools and applying my specialties in many locations throughout the world for 9 years.

         Today, tube radios are still one of my favorite things. It gives me great pleasure to “bring back to life” an old radio that has sat gathering dust for 40, 50 or more years, forgotten in some dusty attic or garage. If I could keep all of them, I would, but time, space and money does not permit. I also do custom design and build tube receivers ranging in complexity from simple one-tube regenerative sets to double-conversion superhetrodynes.

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Thanks to eBay, I have a means to continue enjoying my fascination with old radios, and hopefully spreading the joy to the new owners of my handiwork. I take great pride in my work and always strive to produce a product, which I can be proud of and present without reservations. I am not in it “for the money” but because it is something that I genuinely enjoy doing. I consider my prices more than fair, considering the amount of time that goes into each job. Each radio undergo the same process of cleaning and refurbishing, regardless of its size, age, or value. 

         This is an extremely dangerous practice! An old "barn radio" can be full of "critters" which can come to life as soon as power is applied. Old wiring can short out and cause a fire, or worse, produce a lethal electric shock. Capacitors can short internally, catching fire, or exploding like a firecracker! . . . . Before power is ever applied, each radio is first carefully disassembled. Chassis, speaker and any other components are removed from the cabinet. All tubes are removed and chassis is thoroughly cleaned with vacuum, brushes and finally with toothbrush, Q-tips, plenty of 409 and elbow grease. Chassis is then inspected for burned or missing components and “modifications”. Any bad chassis wiring is replaced with new fabric covered vintage style wire. Often, the old rubber insulated wire becomes dried and the insulation breaks and falls off, exposing bare wires. Unsafe line cords and plugs are replaced. Wiring, in general, is cleaned up to include cleaning off “gobs of solder” and wire stubs of long-ago-replaced parts.

         Any mechanical problem is fixed and missing hardware replaced. The speaker is tested, repaired, replaced or re-coned when necessary to assure clean sound. All controls, switches and tuning mechanism is cleaned, lubricated and adjusted. Frayed or broken dial drive cords are replaced. Burned-out dial light bulbs are replaced. All electrolytic (filter) and paper capacitors are replaced.  Large capacitors are never installed “hanging in mid-air” but are secured and wired on new terminal strips. Any out-of-spec resistors are replaced. All tubes are tested on a Hickok 600A mutual conductance type tube tester, and replaced if defective or below specs. Any radio using a selenium rectifier is upgraded to silicone diode with appropriate dropping resistor. All radios undergo a complete alignment of all RF and IF circuits to assure optimum performance, using calibrated vintage test equipment. Finally, all radios are played for many hours, to make sure everything is working.

     Bakelite and plastic cases are repaired from the inside, when required, using 2-part epoxy. Hand buffing and waxing brings back the shine. My description of the item will tell you of remaining flaws, if any. I am not a woodworker, but will do minor repairs to wooden cabinets. All are thoroughly cleaned, inside and out. Any nicks and scratches will be retouched and polished to the best of my ability. Speaker grill cloth is replaced if torn, rotted or dirty. Again, any remaining deficiencies will be noted in the description.

         Your satisfaction is my goal. (Check my feedback!) I try to be thorough with my descriptions and photos, but feel free to email me with any questions before, during or after bidding. I am glad to offer continued support or technical assistance on any radio or electronic equipment that you purchase from me. Naturally, I cannot offer an unlimited guarantee on these vintage sets, as it is not feasible to replace ALL parts, but I do guarantee them to operate as described upon arrival. If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, please contact me!

          I prefer PayPal as a payment method and it will get your radio to you sooner. My second choice would be by US Postal Money Order. Personal or business checks have to clear before item is shipped. I usually ship smaller and lighter items by Priority Mail, which gets your radio to you in 2 or 3 days and cost little more than the slower Parcel Post. Large and heavy items usually go UPS ground. I would recommend the optional insurance on most items. I do not charge extra for packing, unless the item is unusually large or heavy. All radios are prepared for shipping in the best way to prevent damage. I know how it feels to open your new treasure only to find it smashed beyond repair! My radios are wrapped in bubble wrap, packed in plastic “peanuts” and double-boxed for added protection, when necessary. I usually include a “shipping calculator” with my listings. If you have shipping preferences or special requirements, let me know.

 You can bid with confidence on my items. They are accurately described and shown in photos and will work and look exactly as stated. Fairness and honesty is important to me in all dealings, either buying or selling, as is giving and receiving positive feedback.

 Finally, you might ask, why “muttnjeffcat”? (eBay user name) Well, I’m 6’4” (or used to be) and my wife of 46+ years is only 5’ –  hence; “mutt ‘n jeff” and we have always loved and had cats, so, “muttnjeffcat” (easy to remember)!

THANKS FOR VISITING MY Web Page and GOOD LUCK BIDDING at eBay!! Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Contact me at:   oldradiomagic@gmail.com   Your questions and comments are welcome!