Welcome to Dave’s Antique Radio & TV Restorations. This is a brand new website. So it’s under construction. This will replace my dreamscape website and eMail address which will be terminated by dreamscape at the end of February, 2022. The links below from left to right are 1) eMail for this website, 2) My Facebook page (you need to be logged into Facebook to see it), 3) My other eMail address, and 4) My other website. This page will be updated later.
Some links:
These links will also appear on my Contact page.
Services:
I electronically restore antique or vintage (1920 thru about 1975) electronic devices such as Radios (portable, table, console, chair side, car); Antique TVs (portable and console). Due to how fragile they are with all that glass and high vacuum picture tube I don’t recommend that they be shipped. Don’t let this happen to you:
I might talk about picture tubes on the blog page. I prefer to work on smaller vintage black and white TVs, ones where the picture tube is a part of the chassis. I also service transistor radios (pocket, portable, plug in).
A quick summary of how I price a restoration. Most of the time when I replace the paper and electrolytic capacitors a radio or tv will work as it’s supposed to. But not always. Also, these old capacitors change over time. This is similar to battery shelf life. An old style paper or electrolytic capacitor made up until even the mid 1970s can turn into either a very low value resistor or there’s no connection at all, in other words, not a capacitor anymore. So if there are any other defective components the old capacitors will mask other symptoms caused by other problems a set (radio or tv) might have. So I’ve started to call replacement of all paper and electrolytic capacitors “step 1”. So a radio or tv will need “step 1” most of the time. But a “step 2” might be required.
Step 2 might only be cleaning controls, to replacing wires with old dried out cracked rubber insulation replacing “drifted” old resistors or replace a tube. It can also be having to replace the mica capacitors inside an IF (intermediate frequency) transformer, or, in some sets, they might need a power transformer that was damaged by another component (usually a faulty capacitor) or the insulation inside the transformer deteriorated over time, which is the same thing that happens inside of an old paper or electrolytic capacitor, or the enamel insulation dries up and falls off the magnet wire inside the transformer. This was supposed to be quick. But there’s a lot to tell you.
Pricing
Pricing is a little different for each type of set. There are table radios with 5 or 6 tubes and no power transformer, also known as hot chassis or AC/DC set. I have a special for radios that use the standard line up of 150mA filament tubes with or without a #47 dial lamp. You don’t have to know what this means. These tubes were available in three different types in the USA two types have 8 pins and the other type has 7 pins. Example 5 seven-pin tube lineup: 12BE6, 12BA6, 12AV6, 50C5, and 35W4. Step 1 for the 5 tube version costs $49.99 + Sales Tax (NY State Only) + return shipping (whatever you paid to ship to me at the Post Office, I will need that same amount to ship the radio back to you). It’s $10 more for the 6 Tube version for step 1.
In sets (radio or TV) with a power transformer, the cost for step 1 is $15 per capacitor replaced + sales tax + return shipping. This includes the capacitors and all the labor for the restoration if the radio isn’t a basket case. If it’s a basket case, there will be a lot more labor involved. Then a price would have to be agreed on. If a step 2 is necessary and this is not a basket case, then I will need to be reimbursed for any additional parts the set needs, like tubes, other types of capacitors, coils, transformers, higher wattage (over 2 watts), the speaker etc, if there is a step 2. In a car radio there is a part that creates pulsating DC so it can be stepped up to the tube’s plate voltages that has contacts that wear out (they actually burn out from sparking). The all electronic replacement part for this costs $36 extra + sales tax. This part uses transistors instead of contacts so it lasts much longer than the original “old-fashioned” part.
If this is a radio/phono I do service record changers. These usually need their idlers rebuilt, a new cartridge and possibly rubber motor mounts. Over time the lubricants used on the changer mechanisms become like glue, preventing the changer from cycling correctly or running at the right speed. So those parts have to be cleaned and re-lubricated. Sometimes the motor is frozen for the same reason. They can be taken apart, cleaned and re-lubricated. Other parts have to be clean and dry so they can grip to provide enough torque to rotate the platter and cycle it. These parts can’t have any lubricant on them. Idlers usually need to be sent out to be rebuilt and cartridges have to be ordered from the same place. Again, I don’t add anything to what I am charged for the idler rebuild, cartridge, motor mounts, and shipping to and from the changer parts place. I just need to be reimbursed. But I would like $20 for servicing a changer IF it’s a part of a set I am electronically restoring.
I don’t have ESP so I might be able, with a model number to guess what step 1 will cost. But I will need the set here to examine it electronically as well as visually and I might also have to complete step 1 to determine if a step 2 is necessary as well.
Payments
I only accept USPS Postal Money Orders for all payments that are mailed to me or enclosed with a set. USPS Postal Money Orders are ONLY available from a US Post Office. Please don’t send any other kind of payment because it will delay the return of your set. I will accept cash ONLY if you drop off a set to get electronically restored. It’s not a good idea to send cash through the mail. Please put the USPS Postal Money Order in an envelope if you’re enclosing it in the shipping carton. Do not throw it in with the packaging peanuts where it may get lost. Also the envelope shouldn’t be directly under where the packing tape seals the carton, or it may get cut in half when opening the carton.
Please fill out the USPS Postal money order with my business name and address and your name and address. This way if it somehow falls out of the shipping carton that maybe wasn’t also sealed on the side edges of the flaps in addition the main middle edges, it will still be delivered to me. This has happened and it probably will happen again. So the USPS Postal Money order may become like a postcard.
Shipping Addresses
I have two shipping addresses. The first address is closer to where I do the work. It’s the easiest for me to get to during the snowy season (mid to late fall and throughout the winter). The second address is better during the other times of the year. Please note: these addresses have two different zip codes. Also, please tell me which one you’re shipping to so I will know where to look for it.
Shipping Address 1:
Dave’s Antique Radio & TV Restorations
P.O. Box 2265
Liverpool, NY 13089-2265
Shipping Address 2:
Dave’s Antique Radio & TV Restorations
P. O. Box 285
Liverpool, NY 13088-0285
This also should appear on the Contact page. So there might be a little duplication on the site, which may look like it’s on the same page as this.
Prepayment Form
I already have a prepayment form on my other website if you want to use this instead of enclosing a note with your USPS Postal Money order. I might move it here. Make sure to use the back button to come back here after printing out the form. But the form is optional.