Swmbo

[Andy - G8MNM]

Hi Fellow enthusiasts,

Perhaps someone/some people (probably(but not exclusively male) can explain why mostly the above (SWMBO) seem to have an intrinsic aversion to valve/transistor radio/TV collection?
I reckon I have only around 12 - 15 valve radios with around 6 transistor radios and already my partner thinks that that is enough (dis-regard her stuffed full to the 9s cupboards of 'junk/recyclable material!)
It would be great to hear from fellow enthusiasts how they deal with their situation?
Maybe one needs to be a single guy to amass anything like the guy who started the vintage radio/TV museum down in London?

Andy

[oldticktock]

I'm one of the lucky ones, the boss loves anything vintage and even buys me the odd set and wants the 21" 405 TV working by christmas to take pride of place in the lounge so as to watch vintage christmas shows.

[Biggles]

Hi Andy.
I have a similar problem. I was allowed a few sets in the house but when I fitted the new kitchen, "there wasn't room for them". Now my stuff lives outside in the shed (with me, most of the time) but I'm happy. I am allowed a Nixie tube clock in the living room, but thats about it. I remember those days when I was single and used to rebuild motorbikes in the kitchen and you could leave things lying around for days without fear of them being moved, but now, unfortunately it's all outside in my workshop. (which she's not allowed in)
Alan

[tedzed1]

Hello Andy, no easy answer to this one, I find sometimes a little bit of diplomacy works, but not all the time, my other half at 17 years my junior to me, finds vintage technology meaningless, she can't see the point of it, when I started collecting, I Think I did what a lot of us did, when bitten by the bug, in that I used to buy everything I could get my hands on, But after a while, I slowed down a bit, and only buy what I find Interesting, and on the other hand, I think she has realised that I am commited to this hobby, so has become a bit more tollerant to my collecting, so it is a case of finding a happy medium, try to meet in the middle, i made a deal to keep so many in the house on show, and put the rest in the loft, and change them around every month so they all get some use eventually, so if i accuire a new on, it only means one extra in the loft,

Funny thing is, i recently purchased a large blaupunkt radiogram, which i had no option but to put in the living room, I expected all the dolls to come out the pram over this one, so i purchased it before i told her, but low and behold, i have now had it a month, and she loves it, has even started to buy her own records for it,

That say man will never understand woman (no offence intended)

But I think at the end of the day, you will find a level that you both accept, it just takes time, (be prepared to grovel at first), but i find now, if i want somthing vintage that she may mutter but now never says no,

That's how it's been for me, hope it helps,

But it sometimes works the other way round, as we have some female members on this forum, who may have problems with their husbands/partners, (would love to know if there is the case of other way Round)

[Red to black]

Hi,
I find bribery often works wonders as well as diplomacy , eg. of course you can have a new XX, but do you mind if I get XX, or, of course I will decorate XX room, you get the Picture .

Cheers,
Baz

[Sideband]

Banished to the loft! Still I'm not complaining. No one else goes up there and I can leave anything where I like and it remains so. There's a fair amount of room and it's reasonably warm with only a small heater necessary. Most importantly it's dry.

Swmbo doesn't see the point of collecting 'old junk' 'You can't listen to them all and when we go digital, they won't work at all' (she says). I have one vintage TV (Pye 11U so not that vintage) and she was extremely surprised to see me watching ITV4 on it the other day thinking that when we go digital next year it would probably be another 'piece of junk' that would be slung out. I was watching via the old freeview box that she wanted slung out a few years ago but as it is one of the few with an RF modulator, I had other ideas....

She's resigned to my collecting now and has actually allowed a BushTR82C in the living room (although 'that old thing can't get Radio 2') and a Bush VHF80 (which can get Radio 2) in the dining room.

All I can say is that anyone is very lucky if their respective partners share the vintage radio/tv theme.

[Boom]

A few months back we decorated our front room which now doubles up as a museum. It has a working TV22 with an A22 as the main radio (a modern hi-fi is hidden in a cabinet) walls painted red with matching brown leather sofa and chairs. Radios and valves are on display in a tall glass cabinet. It looks very nice if I say so myself. The missus is very understanding and likes the retro look as do visitors.

We bought an lcd tv but when I showed the missus where it would have to go in the middle of the front room/museum she said no way it would spoil the look and so the lcd set was consigned to the dining room.

[Phil G4SPZ]

My XYL Claire can't understand my fascination for old radios, although she does like the Bush AC91 in the lounge, the TR82C in the downstairs loo, and she uses the little Marconi T15DA every morning whilst drying her hair. The rest of my collection resides in the 10ft x 10ft log cabin at the bottom of the garden which serves as workshop, ham shack and museum.

I was once given a huge Murphy A146 console baffle set. I got in late and left the Murphy in the lounge, intending to carry it down to the workshop the following morning. In the morning Claire went downstairs before me, and I heard a blood-curdling scream followed by "...and you can get this dirty old thing out of here now!"

I also love the music of the 1920s and 1930s dance bands, another pleasure that I can't share with Claire, so my recordings stay with me for solitary enjoyment in the workshop, in the car and on long plane and train journeys.

Claire's interests include modern television programmes and the internet, neither of which feature in my workshop, so it's an acceptable balance in my view!

[Steve_P]

I don't use the word SWMBO. I prefer the phrase SWNBO. (She Who Needn't Be Obeyed).

We have different hobbies, but mine takes up more room, that's all. As long as the messier parts of it are out of the kitchen when her family comes up, then she does not mind. She has been trained not to. That is the key. We are men, not mice and the women should do as they are told.

Try the environmental route. Why throw something away when it still works and add more pollution to the planet. Works because many women believe what they read in the press and also women talk to each other for hours on end about nothing and such lies as Global Warming get passed around in the process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS37S...eature=related

There is a survival guide on my site which is worth printing off and leaving lying around...

http://www.oldtellys.co.uk/otwives.html

Cheers,

Redvers Potter.

[chipp1968]

Fortunately I do not have this problem .But I dont understand how ..I couldnt live with someone that didnt understand my hobbies at least to tolerance level ,I like to share things and not keep it to myself . Also I dont understand how these women have so much power and say so I certainly would not put up with it ..
Its a strange thing that most Women do not get it ? I have no idea why .Its a shame really. If you find one that does ,hang onto her ..

[phasedout]

I have a brilliant Canadian wife, who does not mind one iota, she restarted my radio hobby by buying me an old Raymond valve radio, i have a room just for them, about 80 sets, all bar 4 working, its not a man woman thing, but perhaps a little respect for each others little uuuhm hobbies, there is a ferguson radiogram downstairs, in the kirchen, a Marconi radio, hallway a 1938 murphy, a communications set in the bedroom, plus another tabletop 1938ish Murphy, landing a display or radios, HMV, early 1940,s a 1950,s bakerlite radio HMV, the radioroom has radios on white melamine shelving, with all the other gear on display, she does not have to be obayed perhaps respected, and love each other, goes a long long way....kind regards...Alan

[Tractorfan]

Hi,
Just before we left the UK I was offered an ancient but tidy HMV 857 radio but told the donor that I was downsizing my hoard. He said not to worry as it could go to the tip the following monday. This caused me an instant re-think and I saved it. It now resides in the hallway/dining room of our old house here along with my KB LG40FM radiogram.
Luckily, my wife likes them here but said they would have looked horribly out of place in the modern house we sold in the UK. She doesn't mind the three small valve sets sitting on a ledge in the lounge either, a Berec steel cased portable, an Ultra Coronation Twin and an American Zenith bakelite job. The rest of my stash is lodged in the attic/office/spare room.
Lucky old tractorfan
Cheers, Pete

[Mark the Mender]

I am semi fortunate, Maud allows me my hobby and I have around 30 radios in the house, from pre war to 70,s transistors.
Unfortunatley we live in a smaller house so space is tight,
when I finished the Invicta A40 Maud said if I snuck it in she would burn it! After I stripped the cabinet and refinished it!

I have been told I can have shelves to put stuff on but not got round to it yet.

I guess it is give and take, so now I swap them round a bit.
It confuses the hell out of her!

method in the madness!!

cheers Mark

[Tazman1966]

Originally Posted by Steve_P

Cheers,

Redvers Potter.

That had me laughing out loud for ages Steve. Potter used to make me cringe!

As far as my wife's concerned, Sara is more than tolerant with my hobby. We have as our main kitchen radio a Bush VHF61. On the sideboard in the kitchen/diner we have on rotation one of my vintage colour tvs. At the moment earning its keep is my latest restoration project a Pye CT200/1 - Pye's cheapo answer to Thorn's equally cheapo 8000 series. I really must do a write up on it soon...

I'm even allowed an alcove in one of the spare bedrooms to display some of my vintage colour sets. All my 405 line/monochrome stuff is in my workshop though, our converted garage. The rest of the house though is out of bounds as far as vintage kit is concerned. She's a diamond really and says that my exhibits can be in the house provided they work.

Sara has even assisted at times with repairs and is seen here helping with her floristry glue gun on a Bush VHF90A's tuning dial.

Hmmmm. Yes the tv is displaying the X Factor. Well one concession deserves another I reckon!

[murphyv310]

Well I think some of you guys are very lucky. Anne is 9 years younger than myself, and within our resources keep the house quite modern, that of course means that I am NOT allowed any thing old (bar me) in the house!
I do actually have a tiny repro Bush DAC90 in the house and a pile of 78's under the coffee table that is believe it or not allowed.
I do have an ally in my daughter that's a Uni, Emma fortunately is really into 50's design which she is using in her course and has some 50's furniture and a 50's cooker in her flat, when she comes here for the weekend tells Anne to "lighten up".
I occasionally sneak something in but its always spotted and promptly put outside again.
Anne always says that when she dies all my stuff from the hut will be inside within 24 hours.
I don't really agree with her on that perhaps 2 hours

[Dr-Watts]

Bless em eh chaps...

Faith's very good and actually likes the vintage radio's dotted about in our place. We use the old whistly 30's console set from time to time to save having to watch the usual mind numbing nothingness on the telly.
In actual fact the massive old Marconi radiogram on the landing is hers. I restored it before we got together, and when we did get together she asked if she could have it for her birthday As Harry Hill would say "What are the chances of that happening eh" ?
I must admit we have run out of room for the tellies and she's introduced 1 rule as far as they're concerned - One in - One out !
As our house has a flat roof we don't have a loft, but if we did...
So I have a 1400, a 1500, A KT3, A Perdio Portarama (Nice and small and easy to hide... I don't even know if she know's of it's existance) and a 50's Defiant console set that is currently under the sergions knife.
In fact she's agreed that the 50's console can be our bedroom set

Regards

Dr. Dave

[JoshWard]

The advantage of being my age and with this hobby it means that most girls are steered away from me (Yes this hobby has been given as a reason for when I've been rejected )

Luckily my girlfriend seems to like it, especially when I showed her all the photos of the sets I have got rid of (I just don't tell her quite how many I have....). She seems to like that I'm different to most other people of my generation, and I guess her dad being a radio amateur and previously a radio collector (although his wife forced him to take them all to the tip ) does help!

[Guitarist28]

Hi All,
I think that the aversion is not so much the sets but the space that they take up. I'm always hearing the comment from Angela of
'your old junk is slowly taking over the house'! But when she sees certain sets I do get the comment that 'well that could stay down here'. I would say that these comments are few and far between thought. The worse comment of all is 'you can only listen to one set at time' which is the one that really bugs me.

Rob

[Malcolm G6ANZ]

Hi all,
I seem to be one of the lucky ones! Jenny likes the 1930's art deco woodies and is starting to think about how to display two of them in the living room. The biggest surprise came yesterday. I was looking at the photos of the TV's Duke Nukem had for sale and she said: "if you want to start collecting old TV's I wont mind" my jaw dropped and I asked her to repeat what she had said. She did so and embellished it with"I like the all wood console ones, but they would have to work"
Am I unique in this?
Malcolm

[Guitarist28]

Hi Malcolm
I think the simple answer is yes, you must be unique

Regards

Rob