About Us

Radio New Jerusalem

About Us...

Phil and Jean Ropp

It actually began back in 1998 when my Aunt Edna passed away and left us the tidy sum of $10,000. Knowing that she would want us to use these funds in some way that would be a blessing to others, and given her (and our own) somewhat eccentric nature, we decided to start an outreach ministry in support of Christian shortwave radio. And so we began Serious Radio, a business dedicated to selling our own restored tube era shortwave radios and communications receivers. To promote this business, we went on the Internet as seriousradio.com, a site that also served as a portal for online Christian shortwave radio resources.

Back in the early 1980's, Jean and I listened to shortwave broadcasts on a cheap solid-state portable receiver. The quality of reception and sound were both deplorable. In about 1988, Jean saved the coins from her waitressing for the year and surprised me with a new Sangean 803A at Christmas -- a quality portable receiver and the "state of the art" at the time.

   We used this receiver constantly for the next several years. At this point, it failed and after having it repaired once, it quickly failed again. Under the keypad was a terminal block through which passed the key connections that made the radio work. Years of working the keypad had weakened this terminal block, and it was no longer capable of sustaining these key connections. Considering the other wear and tear the set had endured over the years, it was clear that our best option was to replace it. It was, basically, worn out.

   While we were wondering what to do for a replacement radio, we began using a Zenith Trans-Oceanic B-600 that a neighbor had found while cleaning out a closet at his mother's house. She had purchased this set at a yard sale for $5 some years previous, and it was given to us because of our interest in shortwave and to get it out of her way. It was a nice radio and it worked great, but it was tube technology and outdated. Where would we ever find tubes for it?

   To our surprise, the Zenith outperformed the Sangean and the sound quality was absolutely spectacular compared to even a high quality solid-state portable. In the meantime, we were pricing modern table-top receivers from the likes of Drake, ICOM and Kenwood and experiencing serious sticker shock, as we realized that a decent receiver of this type came with a price tag that started at nearly $1000!

   By this time, Jean and I had become so attached to the Zenith that we decided to consult an expert and see if it was possible to continue using a vacuum tube powered radio on a daily basis. A short distance away from where we lived at the time was an ex-Zenith dealer named Hal Pendleton. Though retired, Hal agreed to give the Trans-Oceanic a check up, and found a couple of weak tubes. "You really should replace them if you're going to play it all the time," he said.

   "You mean it wont hurt it to play it?" I asked. Hal looked at me incredulously and I got the message. "Oh!" I said, "That's like asking if it's going to hurt my '66 Buick to drive it!"

   "Yes!" he said. "It won't hurt to play it. It's better for it if you do. Just replace the 1U4's."

   "Where in the world can we find tubes for it?" I inquired.

   "Try the Internet," Hal responded. "That's where I get mine." He charged me $5 for testing the tubes and checking the alignment. So far the Zenith had cost us $10, so a couple of tubes seemed like a sound investment.

   And so they proved to be! At this time, back in the mid 1990's, the Internet was still a pretty new and novel thing to most people, including Jean and myself. It had never occurred to us to search here for radios or tubes. When we put the words "vacuum tube" into a search engine, we were amazed at the results! We chose Antique Electronic Supply in Tempe, Arizona, and ordered the 1U4 minitubes that we needed. They arrived in a few days, the Zenith played better than ever, and we were delighted.

   Now when I was a boy in the 1960's, my grandmother had given me my late grandfather's pride and joy, a 1937 Coronado 810 two band console. I used this radio for years, and when it needed tubes in about 1970, I was very chagrined to find out that new tubes could not be purchased at the local TV and radio shop anymore. Over the next 35 years, I would fire up the old Coronado once or twice a year and listen to it in its faded glory for a few minutes before powering it back down. The Antique Electronic Supply web site was like a radio parts candy store. "I want to rebuild the old Coronado, " I told Jean. "They've got everything I need -- new tubes, capacitors, resistors, dial cord, dial lamps; the works."

   I ordered the parts and David Johnson's book Antique Radio Restoration Guide, and after some careful study, was able to rebuild the old Coronado and restore its sound to its former glory. And so we use and enjoy this set to this very day.

   Rebuilding old radios proved to be like potato chips -- once you get started it's hard to stop. Leading up to the time that Aunt Edna passed away, we had discovered e-Bay and were spending hours searching out and "window shopping" old radios. In particular, considering our shortwave hobby, we were drawn to the old Hallicrafters communications receivers. With cash in hand and the detremination to build this hobby into a business and ministry, we began building a radio business, circa 1950.

   At the time we began this enterprise, e-Bay was in its infancy and functioned like a giant online rummage sale. Old receivers, technical equipment, tubes, components, technical data and virtually all things antique radio were being dragged from the nation's garages, basements and attics and auctioned off at often ridiculous prices. Sensing correctly that this was a unique opportunity, we began purchasing the items that we needed and more. Jean handled the purchasing and processing end of things, while I built a credible shop in the basement, studied radio intently from vintage books, and began rebuilding radio receivers. Beginning with Hallicrafters S-38's and S-19R "Sky Buddys," I was soon doing eight and nine tube sets of all kinds. My experience in automotive body shops and as owner of an auto detailing business, along with Jean's talent for wood refinishing, provided the knowledge and skills necessary to produce outstanding cosmetic restorations, and we began producing beautifully restored radios and receivers.

   Over the next five years, we would purchase, restore and sell dozens of radios and receivers while owning and operating a successful cottage resort and vacation rental management business in Leelanau County, Michigan. During this time, we were approached by a company that was in the process of setting up something called "satellite radio," and while we had never heard of such a thing, they were adamant that they wanted to buy the rights to seriousradio.com. When we were made the proverbial offer that couldn't be refused, we sold this web domain name for a sizable sum while elevating our radio operation to a higher level. After much prayer and thought, we determined that our goal was to promote radio as a means of spreading the good news of God's coming kingdom, and so the "Radio New Jerusalem" website was born, while radio restoration and sales continued under the name "Serious Radio."

   The years 2002 and 2003 would confront us with crises that were at once personal, governmental and spiritual. The incredible circumstances that we encountered are the subject of an upcoming book, but for now the barest of details will have to suffice: We converted to Catholicism, decided to sell our Leelanau County property and business, and purchased the Santa Rosa Hotel in Sebring, Florida. Serious Radio was put into storage in Florida and Radio New Jerusalem lay dormant, frozen in time at July 23, 2003. During our stint in Florida, everything that could go wrong did, ending with the destruction of the Santa Rosa during Hurricane Jeanne at the end of September in 2004. We ended up moving back home to Michgan and were able to buy our current residence in Alma in July of 2005.

   Since this time, we have worked menial jobs while being able to participate in various ways in our local parish ministry. While in Michigan, we have concentrated on upgrading and expanding Radio New Jerusalem into its current concept as a Catholic web portal centered around communications and online media, especially radio and shortwave. I painstakingly set up my radio shop in the basement, incorporating many upgrades, and working on small personal projects while waiting for a sign as to what to do.

   During the late summer of 2006 that sign came. After more than three years of inactivity, we began to receive emails from individuals that were searching out and accessing the old and defunct Serious Radio pages that remained on the server, and who were making inquiries into how to purchase communications receivers. And so the time came to resume the sale of quality restorations of classic American communications receivers, this time under the name of "The Radio Shoppe at Radio New Jerusalem." With the summer of 2007 has come the next chapter in our spiritual journey, as we have reconnected with our Mennonite roots and left the Catholic Church to serve God among our native people. Nevertheless, we remain committed to the message of salvation through Jesus Christ and medium of shortwave radio as the chosen method to communicate it. And we still believe there is no better or more enjoyable way to receive this message than over a classic, vacuum tube powered communications receiver.

   Why buy one of our receivers? Because we're not just building it for you, and the standard that we work to has been set for us by a higher power. You will be satisfied that your radio is the best value available in such a product anywhere or you'll get your money back. It's that simple because, ultimately, it's not about the radio and it's not about the money.

   You see, like the Blues Brothers, we're on a mission from God. And we're out to make Aunt Edna proud.

Contact me personally. Let's talk radio.

Phil Ropp