Revive the Golden Age of Radio

Our beginner workshops are designed to be accessible to those with limited or no electronics background. We start with fundamental concepts and build progressively. That said, basic familiarity with electronic components and comfort using hand tools is beneficial. For intermediate and advanced courses, we do recommend some prior experience with basic electronics, though not necessarily with vacuum tubes specifically.

For beginner and intermediate workshops, we provide carefully selected project radios that match the curriculum's learning objectives. For advanced courses and one-to-one mentoring, you're welcome to bring your own radio after a preliminary assessment. Please contact us before enrolling with details and photos of your radio so we can evaluate its suitability as a learning project and ensure we have appropriate documentation and components available.

Vacuum tube circuits operate at potentially lethal voltages (typically 250-400V DC), which requires appropriate respect and safety precautions. However, when proper procedures are followed, the risk is minimal. Our workshops place safety as the absolute priority, teaching comprehensive protocols including proper discharge techniques, the use of isolation transformers, insulated tools, and systematic testing methods. All practical work is conducted under expert supervision with appropriate safety equipment provided. We've maintained a perfect safety record since our founding by emphasizing thorough education before hands-on work.

Repair typically focuses solely on making a non-functioning device operational again, often using modern components and expedient methods. Restoration, which we teach, is a more comprehensive approach that addresses not only functionality but also authenticity, longevity, and historical accuracy. This includes using period-appropriate components where visible, preserving original finishes and materials when possible, documenting changes, and ensuring the restored radio maintains its characteristic sound quality and performance parameters. Our restoration philosophy balances historical authenticity with practical reliability and safety considerations.

Sourcing appropriate components is indeed one of the challenges of vintage radio restoration. During our workshops, we provide comprehensive guidance on component sourcing, including reputable suppliers in the UK and internationally, strategies for testing and using salvaged parts, appropriate modern substitutions when necessary, and techniques for rebuilding certain components that are no longer manufactured. Workshop participants receive our detailed resource guide with supplier listings, and gain access to our components exchange network where enthusiasts share and trade hard-to-find parts.

Some vintage radios, particularly those manufactured before the 1960s, may contain hazardous materials such as asbestos insulation or capacitors containing PCBs. We take these hazards very seriously. All radios in our teaching collection have been professionally assessed and remediated if necessary. In our advanced workshops, we provide specific training on identifying potentially hazardous materials, proper safety protocols for handling them, and legal disposal requirements in the UK. For particularly hazardous materials, we teach identification skills but demonstrate remediation using specially prepared teaching samples rather than having students perform the actual removal.