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About MAARC and the Hobby

   The Mid-Atlantic Antique Radio Club (MAARC) is a hobby club for those dedicated to collecting, restoring, and preserving vintage radio and television equipment.   Collecting antiqiue radio equipment is a fun and interesting past time that appeals to a variety of folks from the pure collectors who are looking for their next great find, to the technicians and tinkerors who like to restore the electronics or refinish cabinets, to the historians and preservationists interested in the history of the technology, to those who are actually into it as a small business.  Many involved dabble in several of these areas.  All enjoy the comeraderie of a shared interest.  You will find radio collectors to be a friendly and honest group who does not take themselves too seriously, while recognizing they are preserving a part of our heritage.

   MAARC was founded in the summer of 1984.  Starting with a handful of radio collectors, the club has grown steadily.  MAARC now has nearly a thousand members, making it the largest regional club of it's kind in the USA.  Most are in the Washington/Baltimore area, but MAARC has members in nearly every state and even a few in other countries.

    MAARC publishes a monthly newsletter called Radio Age, considered one of the premier publications in the radio collecting community.   Monthly meetings are currently held in Davidsonville, MD.   Each June MAARC sponsors a large convention called RadioActivity that draws many collectors from the eastern half of the country and even beyond.   A smaller, one day Mini-Meet is run in the Fall, usually September or October.  The Flea Market is the main attraction at both these events.   Auctions are generally held at each meeting, during RadioActivity, and during the MAARC Mini-Meet in the Fall.   The auctions provide members the opportunity to buy and sell old radios, tubes, parts and literature at good prices.

    Dues are $20 per year in the U.S., $30 per year Canada, and $45 per year elsewhere. (U.S. funds, please.)  Two- and three-year memberships are available as noted on the application and renewal forms.   Life memberships are also available.  An application for membership can be printed from this Web site and  mailed along with payment to the Membership Chair.  Details are provided on the application.

    Back issues of the MAARC Newsletter from Vol. 1, No. 1 (August 1984) and most issues of Radio Age from Vol. 1, No. 1 (Oct. 1975) are available for $2.50 per issue postpaid from Paul Farmer.  This Back Issues link will take you to the page with complete ordering information.

    Members enjoy access to an extensive library of radio and TV service literature and can purchase packets of service information at low cost.  This Service Data is available from the Radio History Society Museum Library.