The day arrived after a night of non-stop working and zero sleeping.  But that was OK!  After having sat at the terminal all night (I was on-call at work) fixing payroll problems, I finally finished at 4:15 AM Sunday morning.  I was supposed to get up at 5 AM to go to the former radio repair shop, so I chilled out and made coffee.  After a hearty meal I suited up and headed off to that (hopeful) treasure trove.  I dressed warmly and carried a flashlight, since the building had no electricity and all the windows had been boarded up.  The plan was to not stick hands into closed areas without checking due to the possible presence of "critters" in the place.  The seats were taken out of the van just in case I found anything I just couldn't leave all alone in that dark building.  I had no idea what to expect, really.

The stairs up to the second floor were long and dark.  The hallway stretched out in front of me; doors lined the hallway, indicating either an old boarding house or office complex (each room had a bath, some had showers).  As I walked down the hall, skirting around barrels filled with rainwater and boxes full of who-knows-what, I shined the flashlight into each open doorway, searching for the telltale signs of a radio repair facility.  Toward the end of the hallway, I was beginning to think I was in the wrong building!  Then, in that next-to-the-last office, I saw the telltale shadows of wooden cabinets and saw the first treasure: a highboy-styled cabinet!  I walked over to it and opened the doors to  an Atwater Kent 60.  You notice I was so excited I could not hold the camera steady.  Closer inspection revealed the cabinet maker to be Adler-Royal.  Paying no attention to the other stuff in the room, I pored over this find and commented out loud what a great day this was going to be.  This radio, remarkably clean and varmint-free, cleaned up well and now sits in the dining room awaiting restoration.

Turning to the left, the swinging flashlight beam revealed a stuffed bobcat, which immediately caught my attention and caused me to just about knock over the A-K as I backed up rather quickly.  I had been prepared for mice and even rats, but no way was I ready to run into a bobcat in this building!  The cabinets in this room turned out to all be televisions.  Left them for someone else.  The round tube with its bright red color stood out and just looked impressive in the darkness.  I did find an old portable record cutting machine with the shop's repair tag affixed to it (a keeper) and several RCA brand mobile FM transmitters and receivers that looked like giant deco styled metal toasters.  They are very heavy and laden with tubes, most of which tested good.  All the stuff in this room was dusty but dry.  Spent several minutes in here checking things out.  There was some old beat-up photographic equipment upon which I bestowed pity but left untouched.  To the next room.

Unlike the "TV room," the second room showed obvious signs of water damage due to holes in the roof.  Pieces of the ceiling were everywhere, and stuff was strewn about the room as if someone had just tossed it all in there.  Note the row of globe tubes in the photo on the right.  These belonged to an unidentified Freshman Radio chassis with five UX-201A's and a CX-301A.

Here I am in the middle of the second room.  Hmm, I never noticed how badly damaged the walls were.  You have to remember that it was dark in there and that I was navigating with a flashlight.  The room's inner beauty was revealed only thanks to my trusty Canon EOS.  I also found several table radio cabinets, including the Zenith 7-S-529 you see here.  There were many radio chassis that were just too far gone.  Found some loose tubes and a good deal of Atwater Kent, Zenith, and Philco service data.  There were also a few car radios; I took home radios from a Chevy and a Studebaker. 

So that was the trip into the "Radio Shoppe." I got home about 8:30 AM, unloaded the van and inventoried the loot.  While the dig didn't produce any test equipment or signs, the Atwater Kent 60 was certainly worth the trip!  I hope you enjoyed viewing this page and sharing the event .

Biographical note: The author was probably born before you were and graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 1969.
After twenty years in the Air Force, he programs computers by day and this web site by night.
Click here to send Steve e-mail.

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