Bush VHF62, unrestored...

[Nowhere-Man]

Many restored radios fetch less than ones that haven't been (recently) touched.  For most of us the fun, and the hobby, is in doing the repair or restoration (whatever the standard you work to).  I know that radios get advertised as "working" when actually they should say "fully repaired" etc to get around this.  Not that I would ever do this myself.

Gary

The "main" thing (pardon the pun) with tube radios is the safety aspect. I'd not want someone to get injured on an AC DC radio I sold so would be a bit wary on that score. Even if the work is 100 per cent, there are limits to how far to go down the line changing components. I can see a few picofarad caps on my set that look aged.

Other than that, some radios do have real value. Zenith, for example, can sometimes fetch a tidy sum. Whereas many of the battery sets such as Vidor aren't desired.

I don't work on radios for money either but it's nice to know you can make some cash doing what you enjoy.

The problem I have now is I just have that many radios. It's the valve sets people are literally throwing at me. And now I realise how much work it takes to just get one fixed to the degree it would have been worth getting my hands dirty in the first place. Where do I start? I asked a friend not to use the Pye valve radio I let her use as it really needs to be checked over (mains filter caps) so that's one job. And then there's the huge HMV on my other boat that's probably not run for over 20 years. Not to mention 2 more in storage I've not had chance to even look at hardly.

[Radio Fixer]

Yes! Black dial Zeniths go for top money but you tell me how you get hold of one in the first place unrestored (or un- recently bodged) without paying a fortune so I don't see how "you can make some cash doing what you enjoy". Just the same with all or most of the round Ekco's, a little more reasonable than years ago possibly with the exception of the A22.

Anyway, I would suggest you look elsewhere for a hobby if you want to "make some cash doing what you enjoy". There are far too many radios for most to ever be worth the cost of whatever you do to them. For me its just about the enjoyment of restoring and learning how they were made and for most I don't intend to sell anyway. Besides they got me started in electronics and I had a great career working through more technologies than anyone is likely to ever do again.

The best way is to remember the motto "quality more than quantity". Yes! I'm sure many of us buy lots of cheap sets when we get started, I did even after a lifetime in electronics, but they were a learning curve (as I hadn't been inside a radio for 40 odd years) for so no harm done. All gone now and I try only to buy radios that to me are quality (that wont be the same as for others, for example I don't have or want a round Ekco).

As to black dial Zeniths I had two but sold them on without restoring them. One I really regret, only a 5 valve 'Supie' but it was a 'looker'. It had cabinet issues that at the time I hadn't mastered. Now it would be a piece of cake but thats hindsight for you and just learning. I would post a pic but that would just make me feel the pain again.

Gary

[Nowhere-Man]

Yes! Black dial Zeniths go for top money but you tell me how you get hold of one in the first place unrestored (or un- recently bodged) without paying a fortune so I don't see how "you can make some cash doing what you enjoy".  Just the same with all or most of the round Ekco's, a little more reasonable than years ago possibly with the exception of the A22.

Anyway, I would suggest you look elsewhere for a hobby if you want to "make some cash doing what you enjoy".  There are far too many radios for most to ever be worth the cost of whatever you do to them.  For me its just about the enjoyment of restoring and learning how they were made and for most I don't intend to sell anyway.  Besides they got me started in electronics and I had a great career working through more technologies than anyone is likely to ever do again.

The best way is to remember the motto "quality more than quantity".  Yes!  I'm sure many of us buy lots of cheap sets when we get started, I did even after a lifetime in electronics, but they were a learning curve (as I hadn't been inside a radio for 40 odd years) for  so no harm done.  All gone now and I try only to buy radios that to me are quality (that wont be the same as for others, for example I don't have or want a round Ekco).

As to black dial Zeniths I had two but sold them on without restoring them.  One I really regret, only a 5 valve 'Supie' but it was a 'looker'.  It had cabinet issues that at the time I hadn't mastered.  Now it would be a piece of cake but thats hindsight for you and just learning.  I would post a pic but that would just make me feel the pain again.

Gary

I have to differ here to some degree. There are definitely people making money out of vintage radio. I tend to average 20 pounds profit or maybe more if I sell, which I admit isn't on a par with selling a classic car or a boat, but still some extra cash.I now have a pretty good idea what sells and what doesn't sell and I heard of a few American hobbyists who draw a line between the hobby side and the money side. That is they collect some items to sell and others to restore for fun and the cash side helps fund the restoration. A lot of people seem to think the better sales are in classic car radio of the sixties as opposed to antique.

Yesterday I got hold of a GEC AC DC 1947 radio for not much money and the condition seems really very good. I don't know yet whether I'll just get it running and keep it or later sell it on. I also got some pretty decent Soviet radio equipment from the sixties era.

Reel tape machines also can be a very good line.

I don't do the hobby for money but normally you stand more chance making money doing something you enjoy rather than forcing yourself to focus just on profit, which is why I don't study mobile phone repair instead.

Zenith I will try and get hold of at a future date maybe through friends who live in North Carolina but this is far into the future yet, I think. These were originally designed a rich man's yacht radio.

[Mende]

Yes! Black dial Zeniths go for top money but you tell me how you get hold of one in the first place unrestored (or un- recently bodged) without paying a fortune

Sometimes you can be lucky and pick one up on a flea market.

[Radio Fixer]

Not around here ! But a console even if I saw one would be too big.

They can often be disappointing as well and have a small, not many valve chassis and a largish speaker. A table model would be nice, say a "Walton" but they are all large sums and I have never seen one in the UK.

Gary