Sign-In
Cart
Hisses, Hums and A Good Old Slap on the Back: The Story of Antique Broadcast Equipment
Paperback
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Nov 18 2025
Pages: 114
Weight: 0.62
Height: 0.24 Width: 8.50 Depth: 11.00
Language: English
The first thing you notice in an old radio station isn't the smell of dust or ozone-it's the sound of silence pretending to behave. It hums. It waits. Somewhere in the dark, a forgotten transmitter is still half-alive, muttering in fifty-cycle tongues. The VU meters, cracked but dignified, rest at zero like retired soldiers dreaming of applause. And you, foolish explorer, have wandered in armed only with a flashlight and an overdeveloped sense of nostalgia.
Antique broadcast gear is what happens when industry falls in love with itself. It was heavy, it was hot, and it was heartbreakingly beautiful. Engineers didn't design things back then; they forged them. Racks the size of refrigerators held consoles that could survive a small war, or at least an enthusiastic polka hour. You didn't move this equipment-you committed to it, like marriage or an FCC license. Every knob had authority, every meter a pulse. The machines didn't just process signal-they taught you patience, humility, and the importance of labeling your patch cables.
Also from
Allen, Tj
Investigative Journalism and the Cold Case: Unraveling the death of Joseph Mullins
Allen, Tj
Paperback
The Science of The Cottage Food Industry: How Selling Cookies Became a Regulatory Philosophy
Allen, Tj
Paperback
Police Training Regarding Civilians: Safely removing a firearm from a legal carry individual
Allen, Tj
Paperback
The Bible for Large Scale Concert Production: How these giant concerts really work!
Allen, Tj
Paperback
Echoes of the Past: Reviving Cold Cases Through Science and Technology
Allen, Tj
Simmons, K.
Paperback
Also in
Radio
The Record Players: The Story of Dance Music Told by History's Greatest DJs
Bill Brewster
Frank Broughton
Paperback
The Baofeng Radio Revolution: The Beginner Guerrilla's Guide to Break Through the Complexity, Secure Communications, and Prepare for Disaster With Pre
Code Publishing, Morse
Hardcover
Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey
Brewster, Bill
Broughton, Frank
Paperback
A Life's Calling: The Voice Behind the World's Greatest Horse Races
Durkin, Tom
Volponi, Paul
Shulman, Lenny
Hardcover
The Podcast Pantheon: 101 Podcasts That Changed How We Listen--From Wtf to Serial
Malin, Sean
Hardcover
Ham Radio: How to Setup and Operate Your Ham Radio (Quickstart Guide for New Hams and Amateur Radio Enthusiasts)
Martinez, Carlos
Paperback
Sound Reporting, Second Edition: The NPR Guide to Broadcast, Podcast and Digital Journalism
Socolovsky, Jerome
Paperback
Audiofuturism: Science Fiction Radio Drama and the Black Fantastic Imagination
Carrington, André
Paperback
Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR
Napoli, Lisa
Paperback
The Baofeng Radio Revolution: The Beginner Guerrilla's Guide to Break Through the Complexity, Secure Communications, and Prepare for Disaster With Pre
Code Publishing, Morse
Paperback
Radio Secrets: An insider's guide to presenting and producing powerful content for broadcast and podcast
Lloyd, David
Paperback
Ham Radio: Tips and Techniques for the Perfect Signal (The Ultimate Ham Radio Complete Guide the Easiest Way)
Shanklin, David
Paperback
Me Here, You There: My Three Decades Overnight, Under the Covers, Schmoozing S-P-O-R-T-S as Captain Midnight for Wfan
Friedman, Dick
Somers, Steve
Paperback
The Art of Voice Acting: The Craft and Business of Performing for Voiceover
Alburger, James R.
Paperback
Cleveland Radio Tales: Stories from the Local Radio Scene of the 1960s, '70s, '80s, and '90s
Olszewski, Mike
Olszewski, Janice
Paperback
Speak to Achieve: How to Build Connection, Deepen Trust, Captivate Audiences, and Achieve Results
Clark, Elaine A.
Paperback
People Powered Radio: Fifty Years of Australian Community Radio Station 4zzz
Anderson, Heather
Paperback
Audiofuturism: Science Fiction Radio Drama and the Black Fantastic Imagination
Carrington, André
Hardcover
Calling Una Marson: The Extraordinary Life of a Forgotten Icon
Obidike, Jennifer
Sarpong, June
Hardcover
The Jive 95: An Oral History of America's Greatest Underground Rock Radio Station, Ksan San Francisco
Rosenfeld, Hank
Hardcover
Bombs Always Beep - 2nd Edition - Revenge of the Beep: Creating Modern Audio Theater
Wayland, Kc
Paperback
Ham Radio: Booting Up With Hardware and Radio Attacks (Unlocking the Power of Ham Radio With Digital Modes)
Harris, Patrick
Paperback
Broadcast Hysteria: Orson Welles's War of the Worlds and the Art of Fake News
Schwartz, A. Brad
Paperback
A History of the Doc Savage Adventures in Pulps, Paperbacks, Comics, Fanzines, Radio and Film
Cotter, Robert Michael Bobb
Paperback
From Girdle Maker to Water Commissioner - THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE: The Pioneering Spin-off Program That Made Broadcast History!
Ohkubo, Kristine
Paperback
Game Shows FAQ: All That's Left to Know about the Pioneers, the Scandals, the Hosts and the Jackpots
Nedeff, Adam
Paperback
Audio Production Worktext: Concepts, Techniques, and Equipment
Sauls, Samuel J.
Stark, Craig A.
Paperback
Advertising Anarchy! Selling Bud Abbott & Lou Costello To War-Torn America
Greene, Richard S.
Hardcover
Voices of Baseball: The Game's Greatest Broadcasters Reflect on America's Pastime
McKnight, Kirk
Hardcover
Classic Rock, Classic Jock:: The Jim Santella Story, Father of Progressive Rock in Buffalo
Santella, Jim
Paperback
Talk Radio's America: How an Industry Took Over a Political Party That Took Over the United States
Rosenwald, Brian
Hardcover
I Love the Illusion: The Life and Career of Agnes Moorehead, 2nd edition (hardback)
Tranberg, Charles
Hardcover
Transfigured New York: Interviews with Experimental Artists and Musicians, 1980-1990
Wentz, Brooke
Hardcover
The Witch's Tale: Stories of Gothic Horror from the Golden Age of Radio
Cole, Alonzo Deen
Siegel, David S.
Paperback
Jack Benny's Lost Radio Broadcasts Volume One: May 2 - July 27, 1932 (hardback)
Benny, Jack
Conn, Harry
Hardcover
London's Pirate Pioneers: The illegal broadcasters who changed British radio
Hebditch, Stephen
Paperback
The Age of Melodramatic Miniseries: When Glamour Ruled on Television, 1980-1995
Humphries, Scott
Paperback
The Star Wars Radio Dramas: Brian Daley and the Serialization That Saved NPR
Tenuto, Maria Jose
Tenuto, John
Paperback
976-1313: How Sports Phone Launched Careers and Broke New Ground
Orgera, Scott
Karpin, Howie
Hardcover
Don't Panic: The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe: The Original Albums
Adams, Douglas
Audio Book
This Sceptred Isle: Collection 1: 55bc - 1702: The Classic BBC Radio History
Lee, Christopher
Audio Book
Women Journalists, Proximity Radios and Conflicts in Burkina Faso: Weaving the Social Fabric for Peace
Schönbächler, Viviane
Hardcover
Distant Voices Near: Historical Globalization and Indian Radio in Trinidad and Tobago
Mohammed, Shaheed Nick
Paperback
Life in the Past Lane - Volume One - A Look Into Media History Through the Eyes of Those Who Made It!
Hill, Jason
Paperback
Divorce and Remarriage: The Trojan Horse Within the Church: Whom Shall We Then Believe?
Webb, Joseph a.
Webb, Patricia L.
Paperback
Radio and the Jews: The Untold Story of How Radio Influenced the Image of Jews
Siegel, David S.
Siegel, Susan
Paperback
Stories Told through Sound: The Craft of Writing Audio Dramas for Podcasts, Streaming, and Radio
Putt, Barry M.
Paperback
The Inside Story: Journey of a former Jesuit priest and talk show host towards self-discovery
McKenty, Neil
McKenty, Catharine
Hardcover