Furthest one day trip I've made to get an old radio, 700 miles R/T into the Maine interior from VT. 14 hour day, with about 4 hours stopped at various locations.
Of course, you can't take a trip that long and not visit radio friends along the way, so the first stop was at WZ1M, transformer and tube king, Orono ME. Arrived there about 15 minutes before I was due to meet up with the fellow with the transmitter from Prentiss Township. Quick tour. Gary not only has a well-stocked, nicely-laid out transformer section of his shop, he also has a large WALL of tubes, floor to ceiling, end to end. He said that was just the tip of the iceberg, more upstairs. He estimates 35K or more, so if you need tubes, here's another source.
Down the road from Gary's place a few miles to meet up with Mike, WA1JAS, who gave me a very nice, very clean ATC/ART-13, dynamotor, calibration book, spare modules and tubes, in exchange for some cash. Such a deal! He even boxed the transmitter for transit, with Styrofoam sheets and bubble wrap protecting it. It looks like new, inside and out, and replaces three in various conditions.
Back over to Gary's place. Did I mention the mod iron hauled along? The damaged mod iron for my transmitter was returned for testing and removal of the broken frame for repair. Gary Hypotted all of the windings, everything looked fine. He did make me jump when he set off the alarm on the Hypot tester, just so I see what happens when there's a failure. Since he had rewound and reassembled the mod transformer, I let him chisel out his excellent potting job to free up the frame. Careful not to hit the windings, he had in loose in a few minutes. Also dropped off a melted-down mod reactor originally hauled to NEAR-Fest, that I forgot to give to him there. A more lengthy tour of the facilities, viewing of some of his boatanchor collection out in the shop, then I was off. Gary had a granddaughter awaiting his arrival for a trip to the movies, and I had miles to go before I slept and all that.
Down I-95 a couple of hours to Gray, ME. A town which, from all indications, has no pay phones. Fortunately a friendly convenience store clerk let me use the phone for a local call, so I could contact Larry, NE1S. No, I don't carry a cellphone, and neither does Larry. We've repulsed the electronic leash.
As luck would have it, I was a mile or less from Larry's place when I called, basically one street over. A quick trip and I was treated to a slice of pizza, some microbrew pumpkin ale, and a tour of some very interesting radio equipment.
Larry has the ideal set up: old house, restored and wonderfully inviting, with multiple stations set up on all 3 floors, topped off by a very pleasant and understanding XYL. I got to see (and hear) the HB transmitter Larry has used to work me before in the main shack on the 1st floor, a room with knotty pine walls, built in bookcases, and plenty of nice old gear. From there we took a look at the upstairs station which includes a working 1940s TV set with a 5" or so screen.
Next - the basement. I expected the typical workbench with some gear set up for repairs and maybe a small station. I was surprised to see that and more, several additional stations made up mostly of 20s-40s era equipment. Regen receivers, Hartley transmitters, etc etc. What a feast for the senses!
Best of all, probably 80-90% of the gear not only works, it's hooked up and ready to go with the throwing of a few power and antenna switches. We listened to W2INR and WB3HUZ booming in on 3722, first on the R-390 then an old Meissner. Wonderful audio, strong signals, with virtually no noise. At the other end of the spectrum is a tiny HB receiver built by Larry's grandfather in the early 1920s. A box not much larger than a cigar box containing 1 tube and a handful of components, which Larry had recently hooked up for listening. It works great, and is the epitome of the term 'family heirloom'.
So a 700 mile trip might seem like a lot just to pick up an old radio. But when you factor in the rest, it makes for a very interesting and memorable day. Gary's shop inspired even more confidence in his work and abilities, and the visit to Larry's place was the dot on the exclamation point declaring that having the gear is only part of the equation: having it working and in use to enjoy is the bigger part.
