THE RADIO WORKSHOP

The pictures below show part of my old workshop, which I rapidly outgrew. It's wasn't posh, it wasn't tidy, it wasn't very well organised... Why? Because it was a working workshop. I now have a new, purpose built, workshop. When I walk into the workshop in the mornings, ready for a day's work, I breathe in the aroma of the old radios. There's something special about the smell of vintage radios and their components. I can't describe it, but I love it. I now have air conditioning which takes away that aroma to an extent. But, air conditioning isn't just to keep me cool during the summer months, it's there to lower the humidity and preserve the radios and the thousands of vintage spares I have in stock.

THIS IS MY OLD WORKSHOP
PICTURES OF THE NEW PURPOSE BUILT WORKSHOP WILL BE HERE SOON

CLICK THE IMAGES FOR LARGER PICTURES

Spares. pots, valves, leads...

Amateur radio section

Amateur radio section

Stuff

More stuff

Test Equipment

Valves, resistors, capacitors...

Work Bench

Work Bench

Work Bench

In a workshop with thousands of spares, it’s not always easy remembering exactly what's in stock. I’ve made a list on the computer of items such as mains transformers. The list tells me what transformers I have in stock, and where to find them. For example, mains transformer, 5v, 6.3v and 0-250v taps – in the loft. I’ve even had to list the vintage radios as some are in the loft, under the stairs, in the shed, in the workshop etc. All my valves are listed on the computer and, although it was a lot of work compiling the list, it’s very easy to keep it up to date. It now takes a minute to find a valve rather than half an hour.

The workshop is a mess, I admit that. But it's a working workshop. It's not a tidy place that's suppose to look impressive to visitors. I've seen photos on the internet of radio workshops and they look so neat and tidy that I wonder whether they are actually used.

If I need an octal valve base, I know exactly where they are. Heat resistant sleeving, dial drive cord, mains dropper sections, audio output transformers... A place for everything and everything in its place. Well, that's the theory. Oh, and a beer fridge for the all important cans of lager.