I inherited an old radio and stumbled on this site looking for information on it and was surprised to see how many people have this as a hobby. I am curious why this hobby is so huge with the slow death of AM radio not to mention the low fidelity that most AM stations have. By the way the radio I got is a Crosley from about 1952 as far as I can tell.

Tim,
Any number of things come into play when it comes to the popularity of old radios. For perhaps the majority of old radio enthusiasts it is nostalgia. Finding the radio(s)you grew up with and remember fondly is a thrill. This is the driver for car buffs, and even Barbie Doll collectors, to an extent. In addition, like with old cars,these radios can still be acquired and worked on fairly easily, and brought back to like-new condition.....but for a lot less money. Modern electronics,like the modern automobile can't generally be fixed up by the so-called Shade Tree Mechanic.
Also, if you like things historic, with two or three shelves of the right kind of radios in your den, you can look upon the entire birth and development of mankind's ability to communicate by "invisible forces"....beginning when using animals was still a primary mode of transportation, and homes were lighted by oil.
Yes, the AM band is a shadow of it's former self in terms of programming. So, lots of people use little transmitters in their home to broadcast recordings of old radio shows or period music to their collection. For me, the best part of fixing up various old radios is finding out what I can hear, because there still are lots of stations out there. Just plain "listening" in itself is a hobby. With AM (and short wave on many of these old sets) you have to know your stuff to successfully "surf" the frequencies. Anyone can tune an FM set. Almost anyone can find the nearest 50,000 watt AM station. It's a whole different matter to navigate the airwaves to sniff out that little 1,000 watt "daytime only" station running 375 watts pre-sunrise" giving the hog futures report.

A great hobby , my friend. Feel free to jump in and get that new old radio of yours going! I am sure others on here can offer plenty of insight to resources and other help as well.

All:

I enjoy tuning in WJIB, 740 AM.

It is a little squeaker of a station ( 5 watts at night!! ) but it has nice old music to listen to and is a great test for the sensitivity of an RF front end.

I also listen to WBZ religiously - good talk.

Lou

:Any number of things come into play when it comes to the popularity of old radios. For perhaps the majority of old radio enthusiasts it is nostalgia. Finding the radio(s)you grew up with and remember fondly is a thrill. This is the driver for car buffs, and even Barbie Doll collectors, to an extent. In addition, like with old cars,these radios can still be acquired and worked on fairly easily, and brought back to like-new condition.....but for a lot less money. Modern electronics,like the modern automobile can't generally be fixed up by the so-called Shade Tree Mechanic.
:Also, if you like things historic, with two or three shelves of the right kind of radios in your den, you can look upon the entire birth and development of mankind's ability to communicate by "invisible forces"....beginning when using animals was still a primary mode of transportation, and homes were lighted by oil.
: Yes, the AM band is a shadow of it's former self in terms of programming. So, lots of people use little transmitters in their home to broadcast recordings of old radio shows or period music to their collection. For me, the best part of fixing up various old radios is finding out what I can hear, because there still are lots of stations out there. Just plain "listening" in itself is a hobby. With AM (and short wave on many of these old sets) you have to know your stuff to successfully "surf" the frequencies. Anyone can tune an FM set. Almost anyone can find the nearest 50,000 watt AM station. It's a whole different matter to navigate the airwaves to sniff out that little 1,000 watt "daytime only" station running 375 watts pre-sunrise" giving the hog futures report.
:
:A great hobby , my friend. Feel free to jump in and get that new old radio of yours going! I am sure others on here can offer plenty of insight to resources and other help as well.
:
:
:

Y'all:
Don't let people in the Atlanta area know that AM isn't doing well, we have more stations than I can count, in multiple languages, and every format known to man. Same for FM, but AM is more fun to listen to at night, what with skip and all.
Lewis

PS: Y'all is Southern for All.

:All:
:
:I enjoy tuning in WJIB, 740 AM.
:
:It is a little squeaker of a station ( 5 watts at night!! ) but it has nice old music to listen to and is a great test for the sensitivity of an RF front end.
:
:I also listen to WBZ religiously - good talk.
:
:Lou
:
:
::Any number of things come into play when it comes to the popularity of old radios. For perhaps the majority of old radio enthusiasts it is nostalgia. Finding the radio(s)you grew up with and remember fondly is a thrill. This is the driver for car buffs, and even Barbie Doll collectors, to an extent. In addition, like with old cars,these radios can still be acquired and worked on fairly easily, and brought back to like-new condition.....but for a lot less money. Modern electronics,like the modern automobile can't generally be fixed up by the so-called Shade Tree Mechanic.
::Also, if you like things historic, with two or three shelves of the right kind of radios in your den, you can look upon the entire birth and development of mankind's ability to communicate by "invisible forces"....beginning when using animals was still a primary mode of transportation, and homes were lighted by oil.
:: Yes, the AM band is a shadow of it's former self in terms of programming. So, lots of people use little transmitters in their home to broadcast recordings of old radio shows or period music to their collection. For me, the best part of fixing up various old radios is finding out what I can hear, because there still are lots of stations out there. Just plain "listening" in itself is a hobby. With AM (and short wave on many of these old sets) you have to know your stuff to successfully "surf" the frequencies. Anyone can tune an FM set. Almost anyone can find the nearest 50,000 watt AM station. It's a whole different matter to navigate the airwaves to sniff out that little 1,000 watt "daytime only" station running 375 watts pre-sunrise" giving the hog futures report.
::
::A great hobby , my friend. Feel free to jump in and get that new old radio of yours going! I am sure others on here can offer plenty of insight to resources and other help as well.
::
::
::
:
:

:Tim,
:Any number of things come into play when it comes to the popularity of old radios. For perhaps the majority of old radio enthusiasts it is nostalgia. Finding the radio(s)you grew up with and remember fondly is a thrill. This is the driver for car buffs, and even Barbie Doll collectors, to an extent. In addition, like with old cars,these radios can still be acquired and worked on fairly easily, and brought back to like-new condition.....but for a lot less money. Modern electronics,like the modern automobile can't generally be fixed up by the so-called Shade Tree Mechanic.
:Also, if you like things historic, with two or three shelves of the right kind of radios in your den, you can look upon the entire birth and development of mankind's ability to communicate by "invisible forces"....beginning when using animals was still a primary mode of transportation, and homes were lighted by oil.
: Yes, the AM band is a shadow of it's former self in terms of programming. So, lots of people use little transmitters in their home to broadcast recordings of old radio shows or period music to their collection. For me, the best part of fixing up various old radios is finding out what I can hear, because there still are lots of stations out there. Just plain "listening" in itself is a hobby. With AM (and short wave on many of these old sets) you have to know your stuff to successfully "surf" the frequencies. Anyone can tune an FM set. Almost anyone can find the nearest 50,000 watt AM station. It's a whole different matter to navigate the airwaves to sniff out that little 1,000 watt "daytime only" station running 375 watts pre-sunrise" giving the hog futures report.
:
:A great hobby , my friend. Feel free to jump in and get that new old radio of yours going! I am sure others on here can offer plenty of insight to resources and other help as well.
:
:
:
Hey Tim,
I am fairly new at this as well, Im in my early 40ies and for me it is the challenge to find what is wron with them and bring them back to life, My preference is the wodden ones, just love the intricate detail and wood grain, also there is a lot of radio stations out there, I can pick up stations several hundred miles away at night and there is some with interesting programs and music, shortwave has qiute a bit also, I just got an old television antanea tower that I am going to set up to get even better reception,
Dale

:I inherited an old radio. By the way the radio I got is a Crosley from about 1952 as far as I can tell.
:

Welcome, Tim. You will find a picture of your radio here, no doubt.
BTW, I still need a knob for my Crosley E-15.

http://www.radioatticarchives.com/

:I inherited an old radio and stumbled on this site looking for information on it and was surprised to see how many people have this as a hobby. I am curious why this hobby is so huge with the slow death of AM radio not to mention the low fidelity that most AM stations have. By the way the radio I got is a Crosley from about 1952 as far as I can tell.
:
For myself and other hobbyists I know, we got started with the love of radio in our teens. I am now 67, and have always been a tinkerer. The love of radio spawned an engineering career. The older radios are a piece of history; many are beautiful to look at - true works of craftmanship, when folks and manufacturers took pride in their work. I STILL enjoy the thrill (and sometimes challenge) of bringing an old radio back to life. I STILL enjoy finding that elusive station through the atmospheric (and now man-made) noise, on something I have either built from scratch, or restored. I have a display of about 15 radios at work - lots of ooh's and ah's, and intersting conversations. A larger display at home - the largest 'bedroom' in my wife's and my home is a 'radio room'. Good hobby for someone who loves to tinker, and something to show for it. People love to come to my 'museum'; many want to take pictures, and bring their friends. Ed M