The Radiofinder is back!

The Radiofinder is back! Ever wonder what happened to the old radiofinder.com website? You’ll hear that story in the weeks and months to come as we bring back www.radiofinder.com with a new look, a new feel and a new focus.

Some things have not changed. The Radiofinder still is Joel Thurtell, a Plymouth, Mich. radio amateur, or ham, with the FCC callsign K8PSV. This website, www.radiofinder.com, will still promote the collecting of old ham radio equipment – and more. In fact, the emphasis this time around will be on the “and more.” The old business model seemed fairly simple – buy old radios, fix them up and sell them as “classic radios that work.”

Simple was really complicated, it turned out. In a new column, the Radiofinder will write about some of his experiences as a dealer of antique ham radio gear. Yes, he will be selling collectible radios, but not always in working condition. We’ll let the hobbyist carry more of that load.

In other words, if you really love em, you’ll learn to fix em. Meanwhile, by freeing us from having to scrounge parts and wait for radios to be fixed, we can focus on thinking and writing about the future of collecting old radios – and for that matter, of ham radio.

Let’s say it right up front: HAM RADIO IS VERY MUCH ALIVE!! Its demise has been prematurely predicted.

Watch for a (sporadic) column, written by the The Radiofinder, about the trials and tribulations of trying to provide  “classic radios that work” as a service to collectors.

Watch for columns that grapple with the most profound difficulties besetting ham radio and the Radiofinder’s unvarnished thoughts about how this seemingly moribund hobby might be revived.

There will be books in both print and ebook form. Soon to be released is the Radiofinder’s book aimed at hooking kids into the hobby.

His illustrated book, MOUSE CODE, and its sequels will make terrific gifts for young would-be hams at Christmas or birthday time. Maybe they’ll be inspired to go for their ham license!

While The Radiofinder would not pass up a choice collectible radio, his focus will no longer be on acquiring inventory. The emphasis will be on trying to preserve and enhance a hobby that many have seen as near death.

The Radiofinder will still sell tube-type amateur and military radio transmitters, receivers and accessories. He will still occasionally purchase entire estates of what some call “boat anchors.” The Radiofinder has helped many hams liquidate excess gear, and he has also helped many collectors find rare antique wireless equipment. Within ham radio, classic ham radio is the fastest-growing area of interest in the hobby. The Radiofinder’s customers ranged from collectors intent upon assembling small or not so small personal museums to radio operators who actively communicate with vintage radio gear. In his heyday, The Radiofinder had customers worldwide and shipped radios to Europe, Asia, Latin America and Australia.

But the Radiofinder has other interests, too. This site soon will direct people to the www.hardaleepress.com site for information about general and special interest books. There are his forthcoming novels, supported by yet other sites at www.crosspurposes.com, www.stringerthebook.com, and his writer’s self-help book, www.shoestringreporter.com. For those interested in wooden boat sailing and restoration, there is his book about his own boat project at www.plugnickelbook.com.

Or there are books about his adventures canoeing Detroit’s Rouge River soon to be available at www.uptherouge.com

Copyright © 2009 by Joel Thurtell. All written and photographic material in this web page is the exclusive property of Joel Thurtell and may not be reproduced without his express permission.