Does anyone here repair vintage radios?

[jamman_98]

I have this 1950's radio that my parents bought in Germany in the mid 1950's. It has a beautiful sound and I would love to have it working again. Does anyone repair them? I'll try to post a pic of it.

Thanks
jamman_98

 

[rp2813]

Here is a link to a list I keep handy.  I've taken my 1950 Admiral TV and a pair of matching GE clock radios (one mine, one Nate's) to Tom, the guy at the top of the list, and he has re-capped them.  He's a stand-up guy and does good work.  He charges a flat rate depending on the item.  He's local, which is why I sought him out in the first place.  The Admiral TV is still performing fine eight years after he worked on it.  Same for the GE clock radios, which he fixed over three years ago.

 

Nate's ready to ship another radio to me so Tom can re-cap it, since there's nobody on the list who is located in Arizona.  Most of them are in California, but there are a few located elsewhere.  If you're going to end up shipping it somewhere, you might as well send it to Tom if he's willing to accept items that aren't dropped off and picked up in person.  If not, you can send it to me and I can take it to him, as I'm going to do for Nate.

 

 

 

 

Repair Directory - California Historical Radio Society

This directory lists where to get items repaired, or to obtain parts and schematics. If you'd like to add or update a listing, please contact Director Thomas

www.californiahistoricalradio.com

 

[cfz2882]

old german radios

one special trouble spot for old german(and other european)1950s tube radios is the selector switch-little plastic parts get brittle and break,contacts fall off or shift position ETC...Besides that,the usual bad tubes/bad connections/faulty caps,could be the cause.

 

[rp2813]

Oh yes, good point.  My guy doesn't do cosmetic work.  He just fixes the guts.

 

[whirlcool]

There is a guy in the Netherlands who can supply broken plastic parts. I had a Saba radio (Huge) that one of the selector switches broken. He was able to get me a new one that matched perfectly. The internet is great for things like that. The link leads to his website.

I have a number of those old German radios. They are usually loaded with a bunch of paper caps that should be replaced with mylar or equivalent caps so they last for years more. While they look & sound good, a lot of cheaper parts were used inside of them. As for the tubes, see if you can find somebody with a tube tester. In all my radios I only had to replace two tubes so far, and they were only marginal.

http://www.europradio.nl/

 

[abcomatic]

Hi Joe

I live in central Illinois and there is a place that I took my 1960's Deca Record Player to and my 1967 RCA Victor radio to. They fixed both of them and they work wonderfully. I can check to see if they can fix your radio if you wish? Gary

 

[countryford]

My partner knows how to repair them. You can also check this site and see if someone is local to you.

Antique Radios - The Collector's Resource

Antique Radios is a web platform where antique radio collectors and enthusiasts come together. It has a forum (ARF) where you can find all the answers.

www.antiqueradios.com

 

[firedome]

there is a specialist guy

who concentrates on Grundig, Saba and other German radios who lives in Massachusets, can't recall the name but a Google search might turn him up, I've heard he does excellent work and has the esoteric parts for them... good luck!

 

[ovrphil]

Selling stock - discontinuing his business

Whirlcool - just an fyi and to all, if you haven't checked it out..he is selling his entire stock of radios and discontinuiing with radios, due to health and wife's death..a bit sad.

http://www.europradio.nl/

 

[whirlcool]

Thanks for letting me know, I haven't been to that website in a few months. I am pretty shocked by the turn of events. Hans has always been a very nice guy and is extremely knowledgeable about those old German radios.

That's one thing I have noticed over the past 7 years or so, a lot of the experts in vintage products are disappearing. With them are also a lot leads about where to get parts. Te best we can do is to retain the knowledge we have and be willing to pass it on to others.

 

[ovrphil]

You're welcome. I agree -we can only hope to find someone else. Hans isn't passing the knowledge on to a son , so you're right - another expert in vintage products is leaving. It's a fading niche', like film cameras(which I use still)...hope he has some family support and isn't facing serious health issues. He doesn't list any referrals who he recommends, either, does he?

 

[philr]

Roger, if you find the contact information of that guy in Massachusets, I'd be interested to know it. I'd like to have a few parts for my Saba radios, including multiplex adapters for series 11 radios.

 

[firedome]

Phil....

looked thru my files from the old tube magazine writing days, couldn't find it, will keep looking. I recall he lived in the Boston area, but that's about it for now.

 

[firedome]

OK, here you go guys....

found in another file - it's old info, so not sure if he's still active:

Bavarian Radio Works
40 Walnut St
Whitman MA 02382
ph: 781 447-9104
prop: Ross Hochstrasser
net: [email protected]