The first time someone seen a vintage tube radio

I'm always amused a someone who has seen a vintage tube radio or any tube electronics in operation.Some are inpressed, or can't understand how or why it can work with out some kind of software or it's not hooked up to a PC. When my nephew was 5 or 6 I was showing him how to operate my Revere T-1100 tape recorder. His reaction was "Wow Dad we ought to have one of these,there cool!!" He acted like it was the latest high tech gadget.

I know how you feel. I seem to amaze people that I can get the old stuff playing again.
They ask questions like:
"Can you still get tubes for these?"
"Are they compatible with today's electronics?"
"How hard is it to find parts?"
Bill Cahill

Just show them a rotary dial telephone, or a hand cranked phonograph, or even a Model T. Most kids don't even know who the last five presidents were in order.

For some reason, I see as many surprised older people.
"You're kidding! You mean you got this playing again?
Was it hard to find the new tubes to fix it?"
"Why do you want to fix this when you can buy a new radio with a built in cd player?"
"I didn't know they made radios like this."
"Oh, my! Is that an old tv! Is it color?"
Bill Cahill

That remark about tubes I hear that one alot! A few others that I have people have said to me about tube radios:
"Oh anyone can fix those, all you need are a bunch of tubes from a old TV!"
"You don't want to play around with those young man there dirty and you will get electrocuted!"It is true I have worked on some dirty ones and I have got shocked thankfully not too often, and how old did she think I was?
"Why don't you just modernize the inside. It would be easy to do" OK.Why don't you do it if it's that easy!
"Philco made ALL those old radios and put different names on them" That like saying Ford made all vintage cars.
Refering to radio tubes as "plasma tubes" From the computer geek at work.

One turnoff I encounter in closing a sale is the enjoinder that the buyer will require some kind of antenna for the unit to work at least as it good as it does on my bench demonstration. The drop in the potential buyer's face is noticeeable, so accustomed is he to using as modern set with built in loopsticks and loop antennas. I've even offered to supervise the construction of a decent, simple, and economical longwire antenna (at my age I no longer climb ladders or trees), but the offer isn't always greeted gratefully and the sale is lost. I live in the wilds of central Michigan and AM reception is less than desirable with only a built-in loop antenna. Just 30 miles south, a six- or eight-foot length of wire functions very sastisfactorily as an antenna.