Customer Reviews

Old Time Radios! Restoration and Repair

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I always enjoy technical books written by Joe Carr - he takes a subject that could otherwise be dry and boring, and turns it into something that is very understandable, and sometimes funny! This book progresses from the requisite origins of radio, into vacuum tube theory, through receiver basics, and dives into step-by-step guides to fixing an ailing radio. It is not a guide to the value or history of any particular brand or model of radio (it actually features very few photographs) but it *is* rich with schematics, diagrams, and guides to parts and equipment you will use when repairing antique radios. A great addition to your library!

I bought this book without looking at it in a bookstore. I am a beginner in this field and was looking for something, somewhere that can explain radio restoration techniques to the non-engineer. Unfortunately, except for some interesting historical information, and what I would agree are some useful charts on tubes, etc., this book is written with a lot of electronic theory. Those who already have some knowledge or experience in electronics, or are very technically-minded, might not find that a problem, but the lay person will be tossing it in the air in exasperation after a few chapters. Very thorough but dense.

The back cover of this book states, "A Complete training guide to restoring vacuum-tube and transistor radios." And an excerpt of the description notes, "In addition to covering the vacuum tube circuits of radios made before 1950, author Joseph J. Carr gives you transistor theory and practice..." Unfortunately, not a single mention is made of transistors or transistor theory in the book. Other than that omission, the book is a good guide to the theory of tube radio circuits and contains some chapters on tube circuit troubleshooting, safety, and test equipment. Some electronic knowledge is helpful in understanding this fairly concise book.

These books are usually a joke. This one is first class. For the beginner, it explains the sort of things we took five years to learn at the technical college. For electrical tradesmen,we can skip the basics and go to the nitty gritty. I was a telecommunications tech. This book is great. If you're a newby it's great, if you're experienced,super.

I have been interested in and tinkered with electronics since I was a boy, but I didn't have the knowledge to do any involved repairs. Over the years my family and I have had tube radios that worked fine at one time, then started to hum, with the humming eventually getting so bad it drowned out everything else. I remembered my folks taking one of these sets to a radio/TV repairman when I was a kid and being told it wasn't worth fixing. For years I have wanted to find out what caused this and maybe fix those radios. Some 30 years later I spied this book, bought it, and found out what all that humming was caused by. I have proceeded to fix 3 of those old radios that now work like new, for only a few dollars in parts! This book taught me everything I needed to know to do it. I couldn't be more pleased. I had to re-read some sections a few times to "get it", but the info I needed was all there. I can't recommend this book highly enough!!

This book is OK and I'm glad I bought it, but the author spends too much time on the theory and history of antique radios. Only about 1/3rd of the book is devoted to troubleshooting, and even that part is a little bit sketchy. I think a person can find better troubleshooting manuals, tube manuals, and other interesting literature for free online if you just spend a few minutes searching. It has been my experience that the New Jersey Antique Radio Club is a great resource.

Mr. Carr wrote a great book, but you can do better online.

What this book is - a good general reference guide to electrical troubleshooting and electrical repair of old radios.

What this book isnt - no mention is made in regards to cabinet or chassis repairs and restoration. Nothing is said about wood refinishing or speaker grille cloth replacement as well as other cosmetic restoration concerns.

If you want a book on how tube radios work, this is a great book. If you want to know how to actually restore radios, not so good.

This is an outstanding book and a must-have for vintage radio repair. This books covers theory very well and also the basics of radio repair including necessary equipment and troubleshooting techniques. For those who may think that this book is too heavy on theory...well...perhaps they should find something else to do. Repairing anything requires knowledge of theory because there are no cookbooks for such things. This book is the most outstanding work that I have read on this subject to date. Highly recommended.

This book is heavy on the theory side. If you are looking for a book to help you restore an old radio (like the title implies) pick a different book. If you are wanting to learn the theory behind radios and how different tubes work then this book may be for you.

Personally, I have a few old radios from the 30's to the 50's and wanted some practical advice. This book has a small section that will help you troubleshoot if you have all the old tools, but none of the instruction I was hoping for. I guess my expectations were too high. I'm now looking for a more hands on walk through of restoring a radio chassis.