By Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU
Contributing Editor

This week, Surfin’ recalls old radios with new clarity.

Recently, I tried to build a list of all the radios I have owned, but I got stuck. I could picture radios in my mind that I had long ago, but the pictures were a little fuzzy and I could not make out the model numbers (if you are a certain age, I think you know what I mean).

Searching the Internet, I came upon a website that helped me flesh out my list. I could now see clearly those fuzzy model numbers. The website also reminded me of a couple of radios that I owned that I did not even picture in mind, fuzzily or otherwise.

The website is RigReference.com, which bills itself as the “reference guide for ham radio equipment.” The site enumerates 3265 rigs from 151 different manufacturers, from ADI to Zodiac.

Typically, RigReference.com has an image of the radio -- sometimes both front and rear panels -- then lists various technical specifications about the radio, as well as when the unit was manufactured, which come in handy in recalling what you owned and when you owned it. Sales literature and even the all-important instruction manual are also online in some cases.

RigReference.com has been around for about four years, but like a lot of things, you overlook it until you need it. Luckily, when you do need it, you can usually find it if it exists on the Internet, thanks to the all-knowing search engines.

Until next time, keep on surfin’!

Editor’s note: Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, seeks the unusual in radio. To contact Stan, send e-mail or add comments to the WA1LOU blog.