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... A house is not a home.  Yes, the radios are off the walls and packed up in crates so officially this is not my home anymore.  Sad times.  The cruelty of the situation is quite vivid these weeks, and I've been so disgusted I've become numb from it all.  When will it end?  Who knows.   Not soon, that's for sure. 

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Anonymous

So true. :( Looking forward to what's next for you and helping you get there in any way we can!

Anonymous

It looks Victorian and I don't seem many of them these days.

Anonymous

I love the old radios. Real art there.

Anonymous

I agree Fran. I'm sorry that these past few months have been so full of suck. I sincerely hope for brighter days ahead. I've thought several times about suggesting the Pacific NW as a place you might settle (I live here and it's pretty nice), but realize the impracticality of that move is definitely prohibitive. I wish you all the good fortune in your house search and look forward to more awesome FranLab fun in the future.

Anonymous

The chair is against the wall, John has a long mustache. 10-4

Anonymous

BTW are you in my head ? or am I in your head?. Radio is the reason I am still alive

BobC

I once had an all-band AM radio the size of a microwave oven (uh, large bread box). Mainly used it to listen to WWV, BBC and WOR (I was in the Midwest). I once strung up most of a spool of magnet wire for an antenna and picked up ham operators in the Ukraine chatting in broken English. However, what it was best at was hissing, because I couldn't replace the old caps and worn tubes fast enough. I finally replaced it with a Sony the size of a paperback book. The Sony works great, but I occasionally miss twisting the BFO knob on that old thing to clean up a Morse Code signal. I can still see it clear as day in my mind's eye, but for the life of me I can't remember its make or model.

Jeff Larson

Hang in there Fran. We are pulling for you.

Anonymous

A small bump in the road. You got this, Fran. You got us pulling for you!

Dr Andy Hill

Hang on in there Fran, this too shall end, Had a tad yada. I know it sounds easy for me to say but I have faced my own, very different, battles over the last 8 years with my own health and that of my loved ones. It does come to an end and you do get through. All your patrons and fans are behind you, you'll never walk alone.

Anonymous

I've been spending a lot of time on Youtube watching repairs of old tube radios and TV's and other electronics lately. Those videos let me know that even if things in the world may look like they're good for nothing else anymore besides abandonment and destruction, it's still possible to save them and enjoy them.

Anonymous

Well I, for one, look forward to a video from your next home about those very radios, Fran. Hold on to that thought...

Anonymous

Hang in there Fran, you have lots of friends out here and we all are sending you positive vibes for a good outcome, so keep your spirits up, it will work out.

Anonymous

Was thinking of doing one or two vintage radio restorations just for fun, and maybe a small profit on Ebay. Used to repair a few for customers back in my TV bench days. Over here they seem to like to keep them as curiosities rather than to use though, whereas Americans tend to want them to work. The Bush DAC90's fetch a good price, probably because they are smallish for a vacuum tube set, and work well. Only thing is they are live chassis so not suitable for MP3 players or whatever. Star find is a 1930's round Ekco. They can fetch a Grand or two in good nick. Anyway, chin up and hope your situation is better soon.

Anonymous

Fran, the Wall Street Journal has been noting that housing sales are turning sluggish with realtors having to discount to get homes sold. The specifically noted Philly as an area where this is trending. You may be able to find a seller more willing to do a land contract in order to save the money of a realtor and therefore get a better price. You wouldn't have to have a bank or a mortgage; just payment contract with the seller. Just throwing it out there to see if it's a possibility.

Anonymous

Agreed. Mine's a '29 RCA that looks a lot like yours in the pic. I really should re-cap it but there are others in front of it. Hang in there, kiddo!!

Anonymous

AND SO SAY WE ALL !

Alex Taylor

So true. The radios make the home. When I was younger and moved regularly everything went in the truck except the stereo. The stereo was in my car and got setup at my new home before the truck was unloaded. I’m really sorry they had to be packed away.

Anonymous

Our joys fade too quickly ...

lohphat

Home is where you make it. It's just a box in the end. Make your new one a happier place. After leaving SF after 16 years, I've made a new home in NYC. New friends. New experiences. Where you hang your hat isn't that important.

Bruce Havourd

For the ULTIMATE repair and resurrection videos on Patreon, see Mr. Carlson's Lab of Paul Carlson... see how HE does HIS magic... so much knowledge can be gained through a good viewing of his work on radios alone. He is very careful and I enjoy that about him... and you.