Hi All,

I'm looking for a good way to try to keep track & document info about my radios.
I could simply make a Word document and fill in all the details, but are there better means for this?
So I don't reinvent the wheel I'm wondering what metholds you use.
Paper? Word templates? Spreadsheets? Collecting software? Clay tablets?

Let's hear you thoughts!

- George

Hey, I like your avatar!

I currently have an inventory of my collection in an Excel spreadsheet. I plan to import all of it into an Access database once a friend of mine does some of his MS Access magic.

There is also this software which looks quite useful too!

http://home.comcast.net/~hanksradioland ... arware.htm

I started using it, and looks very promising, but my friend insists he can do better.

We will see.

There is this thread where I asked a similar question.

viewtopic.php?p=1279692

-Steve
EDIT: If you want to stay away from MS Office, there is LibreOffice which is compatible with MS Office file formats and is totally free. Works on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

It is what I use on my Mac.

I think it really depends on what you're trying to document. If you're tracking basic details about the radio, what it looks like, when you got it, specs, etc., you might consider a web site. Your internet provider may offer some limited hosting and if not, it's fairly cheap. The benefit of this approach is that the collection is easily shared, if you want to show a picture here it will already be online, the hosting is external which means that if your computer packs it in, your documentation is safe.

Of course, I went this route but haven't updated the site since Y2K. All the radios bought in 1999 still show the "NEW!" spinning gif that was really cool 13 years ago. http://home.ican.net/~24858/radpg2.htm

Things like parts lists are kept in a spreadsheet. If you want to cross-reference your radios by tubes, you really want a small database - it's doable with a spreadsheet but a bit clunky.

Try this site, lots of great stuf, and a parts/radio indexing program for not much $.
http://www.tubecad.com/

Keep track of your collection? It is more fun to foget all about what you have and rediscover it years from now. Or sooner, if you are older. The same thrills as the original acquisition minus the costs!

Wazz, I've done that! It even was a huge Stromberg Carlson console I had forgotten I even had!

I found out it was on an earlier inventory I had done, though.

I am SO glad I started taking a solid inventory of my collection back in January 1991. Back then I could still remember the details. How much I paid, where I got it, etc. I've always had a problem of remembering when exactly, but the rest was no sweat.

Now I look at a radio I bought 5 years ago and come up with nothing.

The mind is the first thing to go. I forgot what the second thing is...

-Steve

I didn't know that was your site. I end up at the site quite often in my searches and we share many of the same radios.

Between Aberfoyle, Freelton and Clappison's Corners, we've probably hit many of the same flea markets.

Haven't been to any of them in years, though - a little tough to navigate some of them with young kids.

Great you are doing this I neglected to do so and REGRET it .

After 53 years most of my hard work and beautiful restorations are gone. Work is lost forever.
Now at 73 I am lucky to remember what I did 3 weeks ago.

Take LOTS of notes and Photo's.

About 3 years ago I Just started a New Folder on my Desktop and every thing related to Radios I am or have worked on is in that folder.
By Brand Name Then Model Before and after. Special repairs Highlighted and photo's to show same.

Anything is better than I did , NOTHING. Of course the Computer has made it easy to keep track now.
Good Luck in you Recordings and Restorations.

At least all will not be lost.

Bob T
Wilmington, NC 28412

Hey I'm with you one this one Wazz...

Some times I find stuff and wonder why I kept it. What is great too is I don't feel a loss if I sell it

Hehe, I cleaned up my Radiola 28/104 a couple of weeks ago to cart off to a meet. I found two spare ballasts and a line drop resistor in the base! Over the years I though I didn't have any of the ballasts as spares so bought 4 more. I haven't burned out the one I got so now I have 6 spares

I have a couple makeshift lists of what I got from estate purchases, not for any particular purpose, just to remember. In the 90's I was buying at country auctions I used a simple adhesive sticker on each item with a date and the purchase price without the $ and (.) so it looks like an inventory number. I would add my initials or my wife's as the novelty radios were hers... Nothing came of these stick-on's except a reminder of what I paid.

Very good question.

One of the best ways to "keep track & document info about ... radios" is to shoot a video of each item and talk while shooting. Pick up each item, read off the model number and serial number and describe the item you are holding. Don't be afraid to mention what you paid, were you can find proof of that payment or what you have invested in repairing or restoring the item. This can also be very helpful information in the event of fire or burglary. Items seem to have two values, what you told your spouse and the real value.

Jack

This is some great info and food for thought. For now I'm looking to record basic data (make, model, SN, age, price paid, initial condition/problems, repairs made, tube quantity and type, etc, etc...) and add some pictures, schematic and documentation references as necessary, and so on.
I figure soon enough I'll forget something important so I better start recording the info now!


azenithnut: Thanks! I have to admit your avatar inspired mine. I downloaded the GIradios software and took a look. It does look promising. It certainly has everything I think I need at present.

wazz: LOL! I hope it never gets so bad that I forget! But it is an addiction...

joybird: Yeah, I'd like to have something to look back on later. I'm sure I'll forget a year from now where things came from!

PhonoJack: I hadn't thought of video. However I am taking many pictures of each radio (mainly for reference before recapping, etc...) That's a great tip about the, erm, proper price of the radio.

- George

remove

Why? In the event of fire or burglary, you can easily prove ownership.

Agreed! Many insurance companies want pictures for proof of ownership for antique and/or high value items.

- George

Another thing to consider is whatever software you choose, having the ability to import and export your data into and out of the application(s) would be a great bennefit. There will be a good chance that you'll switch to different/better apps as time passes, and you sure won't want to retype or use some convoluted process to move all that data around.

So presumably you store the info offsite somewhere, as in a disaster, your computer or storage medium may disappear with the inventory?

Stroring the info/database/spreadsheet in 'the cloud' did come to mind. Though if the worst did happen (fire/flood/etc...) I would certainly have far bigger problems to deal with than a database.

However, Google Docs or any of the online storage sites (aka: DropBox) makes it really easy to do so.

I just picked up my first two consoles ever on July 4th! A Philco 38-7 and and a Philco 39-116! No mystery control for the 116 though.

- George

I have a lot of tubes. Over 2000. All but about 100 have been organized into 14 'banker boxes' generally by interest area (radio, Radio-aa5s, Ham, DIY, old triodes, audio, etc.). But what really helps me is that I have them all captured in a spreadsheet. Type, qty, nos/used, some price data, rigs and general comments. I can sort this too (some types which are the same have ended up in different boxes if nothing else but for size/packing reasons - but that ok, because I know where they are). So when projects come in with faulty or simply missing tubes - I can quickly find out if can fill the gap (er...socket). Was a huge effort to map all this out - but has been well worth the time investment to capture all this. Now when I need a tube - just do a lookup and then goto the right box. Have done the same for pile of transformers/ but this is not accessed as much.

Best rgds,
Grid2

If you are a Radio Museum member like I am, there are very nice features that allow you to keep track of your collection. First, you can display your collection for others to see. I don't have my own website and so it is convenient for me to utilize this feature. After making photographs of your collection, upload them to the appropriate radio model (Or created the model first if it did not exist). During the picture upload process, you select the "Picture from my own collection" option and this also loads the pictures into your personal Radio Collection page. Here is a link to my Radio Collection page:

http://www.radiomuseum.org/collection/john_kusching.html

Here is another link showing the model page I generated for my Goldentone G9 radio that I restored a few years ago. At that time I also posted pictures of this radio here on ARF, but when I want to refer back to the pictures, I can quickly find them on the Radio Museum website from my Radio Collection page.

http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/griffin_sm_g9.html

If you don't want the public to see your Radio Collection, you have the option to hide it, thus making it only visible to you.

Another nice feature is the ability to document details of your radio collection. This is called your "Personal Index" and this feature allows you to put in details for each of your radio's. The Personal Index data is private and not visible to others. Here is a partial list of the existing entry items in the index:

Collection Number
Serial Number
Location
Purchase Date Purchase Price
Exterior Condition
Collectors Value
Date of sale
Price of sale
And many others.........

You can transfer prices of the radio models directly from the prices that people have uploaded to the models, which is sometime convenient. Another option is to input the price estimates yourself. You can also input what the purchase price of your radio was. If you then go to the "Overview of all Personal Examples" page, you can get a dollar amount total of what you have paid for your radio collection or the total of what you think your collection is worth. Keeping a hard copy of this page gives your heirs an idea of each radio's worth.

The Radio Museum Website is frequently backed up in Switzerland and there is also a duplicate backup done once a year that is sent to one of the members here in the USA (for use in case there is a major disaster), so I am not concerned about losing data from the website.

John K.