Vintage electronics remind us that not everything used to be disposable. Your grandfather's old tube radio was not just a communications receiver; it was a piece of furniture, built with pride to serve the eyes as well as the ears. When transistors took over, costs went down a little bit, but quality improved as companies like Zenith, Panasonic, Sony and General Electric starting constructing durable radios using the new technology. Unlike many of today's so-called radios, vintage portables from the 1960s - 1980s were built to last and to do one thing well: be a radio! Since today's receivers try to be radios, IPod docks, atomic clocks, cell phone chargers and so much more, and are forced to do all this for around $20.00, many of them do none of it well at all.
Many vintage portables can be bought in the second-hand market for less than the price of a new, poorly built modern radio, and if all you want to do is listen to AM/FM broadcasts, and maybe some shortwave, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what's out there. This blog will profile sets I've acquired from second-hand sources ranging from thrift stores to EBay, that I just think are cool for one reason or another. And maybe if you're looking at buying an older radio, you might come across the model here. Enjoy!
