Show us your portable AC/DC multiband radios! [Archive] - Videokarma.org TV - Video

Jeffhs

11-16-2004, 01:10 AM

I have several vintage transistor sets here, but the best ones, IMO, are two Sony AM/FM radios. One is a rather large 18-transistor AM/FM/FM stereo portable (model MR-9700W), the other a smaller AM/FM 3-volt portable (model TFM-7720W). The AM/FM/FM stereo radio sounds like a console, and has incredible bass for a portable :thmbsp: mainly because of its large solid wood cabinet (the sound quality is great, second only to my 1963 Zenith K-731 seven-tube AM/FM receiver).

The smaller three-volt portable works well, but has an intermittent somewhere as the sound will cut in and out at random. I can bring it back simply by tapping the volume control, so I suspect either the control itself is defective or noisy or else there is a bad connection on the PC board it is soldered to. I hope the problem is just a noisy control, though, as I don't look forward to tearing the set apart to resolder bad connections around it. That is, I can do it if need be, but I'd rather not if I can possibly avoid it.

I also have a late-1960s vintage Aiwa AM-FM portable that works very well; the only problem is, I can't find it--yet, anyhow. Probably stored away in a box somewhere around here. Liking radio as much as I do, and since the set works, I wouldn't dream of putting it (or any of my vintage radios) out with the trash.

The power supply for the TFM-7720W receiver seems sorta' odd (to me, anyhow). The set will work on AC or two 1.5-volt size D flashlight cells; the latter is why I say this set's power source is unusual. Most larger portables use at least four C or D cells (my late-'60s Aiwa portable, mentioned above, uses four C's for 6 volts; the MR-9700W stereo receiver uses four D-size flashlight cells, also for a total of six volts). How did Sony manage to design the TFM-7720 to operate on just three volts? The set has a tuning indicator (most likely a small, perhaps grain-of-wheat bulb behind a small rectangular red lens on the tuning dial--I doubt very much it's an LED, given the radio's vintage) which I'm sure eats up power like crazy when it is on (this would explain why this radio has been designed to use D-size batteries, as these are capable of higher current output than C or penlight cells).

BTW, at my former home, some 20 years ago, I had a small Japanese-made portable (AM, FM, and two shortwave bands) that looked an awful lot like one of Zenith's Interoceanic models. I was reminded of this when I saw a pic of a later-vintage Zenith Interoceanic in one of Doug's posts, earlier in this thread.

Also, Heathkit offered an AM/FM/SW set in the early '80s, IIRC, which looked like a knockoff of one of Zenith's later solid-state TO sets. The Heathkit set, I swear, was a dead ringer for the Zenith, as the Heathkit had the same rotating drum dial, front-panel layout, etc. as Zenith's solid-state TO. I think Heath may have offered their version of this set after Zenith bought out Schlumberger in the early '80s or thereabouts.

Jeffhs

04-29-2005, 03:09 PM

I enjoy the zenith transoceanics as much as I do their televisions. The great thing about zenith is that their TVs and radios show the same care and pride in craftsmanship and performance. Here is a Royal 1000-1, 1958. This radio was made from 1957-1962. You could also get a royal 1000-D which is the same radio with LW band, available in 1959 (I think?).

Doug, I like Zenith radios and TVs too (have for years), as I've mentioned before in this forum. I just received via UPS this morning a Zenith Royal 1000-1, which I scored on ebay a couple weeks ago (the seller said he didn't ship the radio immediately after the end of the auction because he was busy around his home; I still gave him positive feedback [the benefit of the doubt, and considering that he explained the reason for the delay] and a B+ rating in the "Comments" section of the feedback form). The radio works very well, picking up stations many of my other sets won't touch (such as CFRB 1010 in Toronto, WBEN 930 in Buffalo, New York, et al.); however, when it arrived I noticed 1) the battery case was missing, and 2) the bandswitch knob was very loose on its shaft; so loose, in fact, that it fell off twice before I went in and tightened the setscrew on it. The third thing, which I don't consider a problem as it can be readily corrected (I'll work on it tonight), is that the radio's case was extremely dirty and the dial drum was very dusty. The chassis was and still is filthy. This radio must have been sitting in its former owner's garage, basement, attic, etc., unused, for years if not decades. The AC adapter socket was also loose. I taped it in against the inside of the cabinet for the time being, but I really should find the proper fastener for it.

The radio had a very low opening bid on it when I came across it on ebay, but another potential buyer outbid me by $1 at first. :( However, I placed another bid, only to be outbid again and again and again . . . a total of five times. My sixth bid was the high one (unchallenged, as it turns out--in fact, I think I must have been bidding against myself seeing as how I kept getting outbid five times in a row, and within a minute or so of placing each bid), and I won the auction a day and a half or so later. I sent the seller an email earlier this afternoon explaining the missing battery box, loose bandswitch knob and loose AC adapter socket; I don't know how much good that will do, but I'm giving it a shot on the chance that the seller might find the missing battery case, or possibly tell me where I can find a replacement. (There is a three-prong male plug on the radio's chassis which I think the cable from the battery box plugged into, but no matching case.)

I did not include a picture of my new (to me) Royal 1000-1 in this post, as the picture Doug posted of a 1000-1 earlier is the exact model I have. My set sounds great, and as I stated earlier it pulls in AM stations here which many of my other Zeniths (including my R-70) won't touch.

BTW, I decided to fire up my Zenith H511 the other evening, just to see if it still works. It does, in spades. I plugged it into a ground-fault-interrupter outlet in my apartment just in case there was a problem, but I need not have worried or even been concerned, as the radio powered up and played flawlessly as soon as the tubes warmed up. I left it on, tuned to a big-band/standards station in Toronto (CHWO 740), much of the rest of the evening. The set sounds wonderful, even with the speaker cone rather torn up--I can't even notice anything that would even suggest a torn cone, such as garbled or distorted sound.

The TO Royal 1000-1 brings to five the number of Zenith radios in my collection. Except for the H511 and the TO, the other three Zeniths are somewhat less than antique (although my K-731, manufactured in 1963, is getting close at 42 years).

Bogframe

11-07-2005, 08:50 AM

I have a 1956 Telefunken Bajazzo that's in the process of being repaired that I picked up curbside a month or so ago. Tubes, huge batteries and a plug...what's not to love?

caban

03-20-2006, 12:41 PM

I have a radio with the same exact design except it is branded with both SounDesign and "Readers Digest".

-Dan.

This Sears multiband set runs on 6 C-cells or AC. Plays great! I used to carry this on the ship with me before we got satellite TV. This radio traveled all the way to east Africa providing us tunes and news.

I think I have seen the same set before with the Soundesign badge on it.

kx250rider

03-21-2006, 12:48 AM

stereofisher

03-21-2006, 07:38 PM

Would not mind having one of those, but I am over my self imposed limit fo 5 portable radios. Got six sets and I am moving. The "wife factor" is kicking in. Dont really want to part with any of them :tears: The GE's and both Zeniths are all working sets. As is the Montgomery Ward..Too well I might add. :music: Eric

tomwil

03-22-2006, 11:04 AM

It is a shame that most of the pictures on this thread do not show up ... It would have been nice to have seen all of your radios!

When a little kid, Santa brought me a Sears Wayfarer for Christmas (1972). It has serviced me well through the years, as I went DXing and recorded my finds on tape. And, it worked wonderful as an amplifier (with RCA input) for testing various equipment through the years. It still is in my arsenal, and works well to this day.

While hamfesting one day, I found another rather cheap, and will hold on to that one for parts, if mine ever needs them.

Saw one go on eBay the other day ... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5876622352

Charlie

03-26-2006, 03:30 PM

It is a shame that most of the pictures on this thread do not show up ... It would have been nice to have seen all of your radios!

Tom, I've been given an opportunity to go back into some archives and dig out old photos one by one from some of the previous posts that were lost last year. There are still a few missing, but most of them are now in place. You can now go back and have a look... they're really cool looking radios! I also did the same in the Pocket Transistor thread and a few of the others.

tomwil

04-07-2006, 01:29 PM

I've been given an opportunity to go back into some archives and dig out old photos one by one from some of the previous posts that were lost last year.

Charlie, thanks for restoring the pics! They are a sure pleasure to view! :thmbsp:

superdeez

05-24-2006, 03:57 AM

I don't know much about this set, except that it comes from the London area in the UK. It's a really good set, has all four European bands, LW/MW/SW/FM, and it works good.

Has dual cassette deck with dubbing, 5 bang EQ, 5 position memory, and scans for active stations.

Naturally, FM and MW (AM) are programmed for European frequencies 9KHz increments for AM, .05MHz increments for FM/SW (which is better than the .2MHz increments for FCC-spec FM radios!) I'm not at all surprised by the very fine tuning of FM, because in Europe, about 80-90% of broadcast radio is FM. I have been in some large metropolitain areas on the Contenent, and up in Scandanavia, where I could only pick up ONE AM station (and even then only at night!) but I could pick up eaisly 20 FM stations over the 88-108MHz FM band.

I really like the autoscan feature, because it's perfect for SW DXing, on a regular basis I pick up SW broadcasts from Mexico and Cuba, and probably even farther south, and occationally from contental Europe. Just a few minutes ago I got a Call in show from Bremen where the topic was how the East still lagged behind the West all these years after the fall of the iron curtain.

Eaisly, it's the best portable radio I've ever used since my old Mallory. It was an AM/FM/Cass. unit that has given me the most "professional" ability to record on tapes of any cassette player I've ever used. My Dad got it in 1970, gave it to me assuming it was junk in 1995, and it worked great until 2001, when it blew an outpit transistor (although that could have been due to my careless use of an ohmmeter to test my solder-job when the speaker wires crumbled. Even the tape deck still worked great after 31 years! I still have the manual. Anyone else have a Mallory like this? It had the knob tape control instead of buttons?

Charlie

05-24-2006, 12:41 PM

Interesting... I've never seen a boom-box styled radio with shortwave!

Jeffhs

05-24-2006, 02:15 PM

Interesting... I've never seen a boom-box styled radio with shortwave!

I seem to remember a few Aiwa and Panasonic boom boxes with at least one SW band, though they are rare. Most garden-variety boom boxes/ghetto blasters were AM/FM/cassette only, though some of them were huge--they must have weighed 20 pounds (less batteries) if they weighed an ounce. It always amazed me how anyone could carry one of those on their shoulder while walking down a city street for any length of time. :scratch2: I bet a lot of kids all but cheered (and got rid of their large systems) when Sony came out with their Walkman headphone stereos.

Jeffhs

05-24-2006, 03:22 PM

Here's my daily-use radio... Zenith Royal 2000. I read somewhere that this was Zenith's first AM-FM transistor set. Weighs a ton, has color TV type rabbit ears antenna for FM, and has a metal chassis with transistor sockets. Uses 8 D batteries, and no AC provisions. This radio is the only one I have that will receive AM up here in the canyon. We can't get ANY FM or TV, and most AM radios will only pick up one or two fuzzy stations. This one pulls in Bakersfield, CA, and a few Los Angeles stations fairly well.

Charles

Those older Zeniths are indeed sensitive, which is why the company used the phrase "Long Distance" on their older tube radios until, IIRC, the '70s or so. I have a Zenith Royal 1000-1 TransOceanic that also has a metal chassis, socketed transistors, sounds great (like all Zeniths) and which picks up AM/SW stations like a magnet. The dial cord broke a few months ago, though, so I'll have to go in and restring it one of these days. My other Zeniths do a great job of pulling in distant stations; even my small R-70 portable (1980 vintage) gets stations 80-90 miles away on AM (in the daytime) regularly, and the dial just lights up with stations at night on every one of my sets. Now, if only the noise level in my apartment weren't so high, I'd have a few AM music stations to listen to. The one station I can hear halfway decently is about 80 miles from here (no AM music stations in Cleveland anymore), but the noise is often so high it comes close to drowning it out.

Man, you must be in a canyon if you cannot receive FM or TV where you are. I don't know a heck of a lot about the Royal 2000, but it must have a very sensitive AM section if you get stations from Bakersfield and Los Angeles.

I don't know just where in the Los Angeles area you are, but it obviously must not be in the immediate metropolitan area or even in a suburb if you are blocked from receiving any FM or TV at all. I know this happens in places like West Virginia and up in the mountains in other parts of the country, but even most of those areas get at least one FM station. Even if you were able to pull in one NPR station it would be better than nothing.

What on earth do you guys do for TV reception in that canyon? If antennas don't work, the only other thing I can think of is that you have cable or satellite. If you have either you can get 24-hour music with their digital music channels; even if you cannot get any FM in your area you can still hook up the audio from your cable box or satellite receiver (or the audio output of your computer's sound card) to your stereo system and still get all the music you could ever want. I did that here a long time ago and have never regretted it. Internet radio and digital cable music channels offer much more variety than regular FM radio does today, or probably ever did. No reception problems or commercials either. I still listen to one oldies station and a classic rock station on FM occasionally, but these days most of my music comes from digital cable and Internet radio, not to mention my own music collection stored on my computer. I have never enjoyed listening to radio or music more; I often wonder why I didn't discover Internet radio sooner than I did.

Jeffhs

08-22-2006, 03:15 PM

This is a royal C52Y, which includes AM FM and PBS (150-174mhz) This receiver is from 1972, however its made in Japan, so its really not a true zenith IMO.

Doug,

I have two Zenith radios (R-70 and H480W), made in 1980, that were also manufactured offshore, in Korea and Taiwan respectively, so these technically are not "Zenith" sets. Neither radio has plug-in transistors or metal chassis (in both the entire receiver is on one large PC board), which is a dead giveaway that the receivers were manufactured when Zenith's audio division was starting to change--I regret to say for the worse. By the '80s the company's televisions had had circuit boards for about three years, more or less; a small Zenith b&w solid-state portable I bought in 1978 had everything except the tuners, speaker and control cluster on one large PCB. My point is that Zenith was already using circuit modules in TVs by the late '70s; their audio line went fully to PCBs from about 1980 going forward.

The company's radios (including your C52Y and my two solid-state receivers) made from 1980 on were branded "Zenith" probably because they were built to the specifications of the Zenith Radio Corporation of Chicago on Korean or Japanese assembly lines. In the early 1980s I owned a four-mode Zenith integrated stereo system which had been manufactured in Korea to the ZRC's specifications, as a notice on the back panel stated. The unit had a Zenith nameplate just to the left of the metal tuning knob, on the front panel, but no Zenith "crest" emblem (the company probably did away with the latter some time around 1980).

Celt

08-31-2006, 07:54 AM

Charlie

08-31-2006, 11:35 AM

That Sony is freakin sweet! I dig how the knobs look like something off a TV set. That was back when you didn't find Sony's at places like WalMart, KMart, or Woolco. :smoke:

Jeffhs

08-31-2006, 01:55 PM

Your Sony was probably manufactured some time before 1967, which was when radio manufacturers started putting MHz and kHz on the tuning dials rather than mc and kc.

As to the low end of the FM tuning range beginning at 86.5 MHz rather than 88.0, I would guess this radio was originally made for the Japanese market. Note as well that, with the extended range, if you have a channel 6 television station in your area you might be able to hear the sound carrier on this receiver as channel 6 is 82-88 MHz; as a matter of fact, the sound carrier for TV channel 6 is exactly 86.50 MHz. You may also be able to hear aircraft radio above 108 MHz, as most of these radios (even modern ones) will tune slightly above and below the actual FM broadcast band.

The input jacks on the back of the Sony would suggest to me that it could be used as an FM tuner in a modest hi-fi system; the MPX jack allows the use of a multiplex adapter with the receiver for stereo FM reception. The tape output will allow recording independent of the receiver's volume control, and so forth.

All in all, I think you have a very sophisticated piece of equipment there, not worthy of being referred to simply as a radio. Sony obviously built this receiver to exacting standards, and to last; it wouldn't surprise me if it sold for well over $100 USD when it was new. Clean up the front panel (it should shine up nicely unless there are deep scratches on it) and you will have an excellent multiband receiver. :yes:

Celt

08-31-2006, 03:06 PM

Thanks guys. The plastic has deteriorated a bit (as plastic tends to do) having become a bit yellowed and brittle. Anyway, I spent part of the day cleaning her up. There's one scrape on the left side that I can't polish out and probably should leave alone and the band selector knob was really scratched up on the top. I've managed to get that looking fairly decent. Spent most of the day listening to it. The AM section has more bandwidth than you normally see these days (thanks to the dial being so damn crowded). Music on AM and FM sounds very nice. Its 14 transistor circuit is marked as "Super Sensitive" and that she is...selective too! :)

Maurice442

05-12-2007, 10:35 PM

Hi everybody,
I have read the complete thread and I'm full of nostalgia....:thmbsp: you guys have some nice radios...:banana: :tresbon:
My first radio worthy of mention was the Nordmende Globetrotter 6001 (loaned it to one of my friend and both vanished...:tears: )
then I got a Grundig Stereo Concert Boy Transistor 4000 that I still have to this day (bought it new at the time) it still plays quite good but I will have to DeOx-it one day soon and leave it on my computer table to enjoy it again...:music: :tresbon:
I also have a Grundig Elite Boy but I have to change the volume control on it because it's damaged (still plays but is tricky to adjust...)
I know I had a few more but unfortunately I saw so many repairs in my life that I cannot remember them all...:no: :sigh:
Thank you all for sharing some fond memories :thmbsp: :banana:
Maurice

gt350

05-19-2007, 04:24 AM

Just picked up 2 Sony CRF 320s still working have pics soon. but what great fun.

radiokid1

06-06-2007, 10:26 PM

I grew up in Chicago one of my best friends mother worked at the Zeniths main factory in Chicago yet the Grundig was a much better radio even though I wanted Zenith to win the Grundig was just better,

Charlie

06-09-2007, 10:13 PM

Looks like a few new additions came in while I was at sea! Those are some cool looking sets! :yes: Reece, can't ever say I've heard of a SpaceMaster, but, as of now, I think that's the coolest name I've seen on any multi-band set! :beatnik: That burger rocks as well! :)

kg4cna

07-28-2007, 09:39 PM

Charlie

07-28-2007, 11:00 PM

that's a very clean radio! I would guess it to be mid-60's. The KC/MC on the dial is normal for that time. Using kHz/MHz became the norm in the 70's. Too bad about the volume issue.

BTW... that's a nice looking table radio in your avatar! :yes:

Jeffhs

07-28-2007, 11:06 PM

I picked up this National (Matsushita) MW/SW radio today at a flea market for a one dollar bill. Battery power only (4 "D" cells). Antenna and all controls work smoothly as they should. It works fine with the exception of the audio level being very low. It stays low when the control is at full volume. Anyone seen one of these? I have not been able to find anything inside or on the outside that tells how old it is. The dial has KC/s and MC/s instead of kHz and mHz. Would it be mid 60's or so?

Allen

Your set sounds like it's early-'60s vintage (pre-1967), because of the kc and mc markings on the dial scale. Until 1967 all radio dials were marked as kc and mc (kilocycles and megacycles), then, from '67 to the present, the frequency designations appeared as kHz and MHz (kilohertz and megahertz).

The low volume problem may be due to weak batteries; I'd try a fresh set, or try the radio on AC power if it has AC capability (many if not most large portables had built-in AC supplies or provisions for a wall-wart external AC adapter, then as now). Should work much better on new batteries; many of those large portables are notorious for eating up batteries in a hurry, especially when operated at full volume for any length of time or if accidentally left on overnight.

Good luck.

73,

kg4cna

07-29-2007, 04:52 PM

Thanks guys! I appreciate it very much. I'll try a fresh set of batt's then. Maybe these I have are old...I found 'em in a drawer. There's no telling how long they've been there.

BTW Charlie, that's a Zenith 7 tube X323 AM/FM radio. It plays very nicely too :)

kg4cna

09-26-2007, 06:45 PM

Interesting... I've never seen a boom-box styled radio with shortwave!

I have a JVC boom box with SW as well as AM/FM/CD/Cass & CD player. It even has a subwoofer, a five band EQ, AUX input and CD output. Bought it from a local electronics store back in 1987. It was my first boom box...and it still plays fine today..except for the CD player (it died long ago...probably from overuse on my part. I played the hell out of it!). It won't spin up when you load a CD. Otherwise it's in great shape.

I'll get a picture up as soon as I can.

6thumbs

09-26-2007, 07:14 PM

Maurice442

12-18-2007, 08:32 PM

Hello everybody,

I'm very happy to say that after being without one for over 30 years... I finally got my hands on another NordMende Globetraveler on epay... this was the first serious radio I bought way back then... and one day I loaned it to one of my friend... (after much resistance from my part...) and he enjoyed it for a long time to finally vanish (with my radio of course...) :tears: but now I have another one and if anybody wants it they will have to pry it out of my dead hands... the only thing that I regret on this radio is that it does not have the teak wood finish... I loved mine for that... this one is black vinyl but is in very good shape physically and plays darn nice too... :thmbsp: aaahhh those fonds memories it brings back... :yes::D

Does anybody know where I can get a diagram for this radio???

Thank you all and Happy Holidays to everyone

Maurice442

Avocado Dream

12-19-2007, 01:34 AM

Here's my SpaceMaster Plata, which is basically the same radio (with cosmetic differences) as the Sears and Wards Airline radios shown in previous posts of this thread. I got this in 1966, ordered from Allied Radio, before going into the Peace Corps in Guatemala. That means it's gonna be 41 years old this Christmas (hey, I can still do math!) and it still looks and works great. While down in Guatemala, I saw the same radio in a shop window, but this time it said SpaceMaster Silver on the logo! (of course, plata in Spanish means silver.)

Holy smoke!, I have a Spacemaster Silver - small world, never saw another until now.

- Dave

restorer-john

12-19-2007, 01:53 AM

Charlie if you have that Soundesign and want to sell it please let me know. It was the very first all-band radio I ever had, picked out of the garbage and rode it home on the front handlebars of my Free Spirit chopper bike from the West Side of Buffalo back when I was about 11. Spent a whole summer listening to different things on that radio :)

that is wierd, a four valve hotpoint radio was picked out of the garbage and carried home on the flat foot tray of my push scooter. I spent many years listening to the radio with ever longer antennas- it spawned my electronic passion and the subsequent interest in hifi and all things electronic.

Reece

12-19-2007, 07:37 AM

Hi, Dave,
I know of at least 3 other Spacemaster Platas that existed at the same time I got mine (1966) as 3 friends also ordered them at that time. I note that you are in Canada: maybe only the U.S. models were "Plata", and "Silver" was sold in other countries? As I had seen the one in Guatemala.

Reece

Bone Yard

01-01-2008, 01:18 PM

Great collection grayga those are stunning and much older than the units I usually stumble across...do you have the model numbers for any of these, I have The Perpetual Troubleshooter's Manual Volume XIV but it's from 1944, your units look like they're a few years younger...

tune tuner

04-12-2008, 10:59 PM

Just got this one from Universal Radio. It's a far cry from being *mint*, but is in good, serviceable shape. Four band: AM-FM-SW1-SW2, 14 transistor, backlit dial with tuning meter, 4"x6" alnico speaker. Has a antenna input on the rear and jacks for DC in, Record Out, Aux In, Multiplex Out and Earphone. The case is ivory plastic with a heavy chrome front bezel and chrome bands on the rear panel. More than anything, I was surprised at the clean, strong audio. Not sure of the manufacturing date, but I'm thinking mid 60's. Note the dial is marked in kilo and mega cycles, not hertz and the FM band is slightly extended to 86.5 MC.

I love the dial scales on these old multiband radios. They make you want to spend time exploring the bands just to see what you can pick up. Back in the late 1960s I had a large Columbia Masterworks 4-band portable that had the same coverage as this Sony of yours. Had great, powerful audio, AM stations sounded awesome (to me at least), and of course FM offered extra clarity. I have yet to see this Masterwork on eBay...it's as if they've all disappeared from the face of the earth. Fine memories though!:thmbsp:

Chuck

Celt

04-12-2008, 11:07 PM

Yep, digital tuning may be more exact and convenient as far as saving frequencies with presets, but I still love the analog scale.
More fun...and to me, more real.

batterymaker

09-19-2008, 08:34 AM

Ever see a Norwegian radio?

Doesn't quite fit the AC/DC portion (though it could because I believe a special power pack was available), but this David Andersen set should give you some eye candy pleasure. Got it off of the 'net ten years ago, recently built a proper AD3-style battery for it. Since I don't have any Scandinavian battery graphics, I decided to do the cover in French Pile Wonder. My adaptor uses a DC-DC converter powered by five C cells.

For a four-tube set, it brings in stations on AM and the three SW bands beautifully.

Bill

Jeffhs

09-19-2008, 12:51 PM

Was the front of the radio damaged somehow? Looks like the entire front panel is full of cracks, as if it had been forcibly struck.

The chassis looks awfully small in relation to the size of the cabinet. Must be packed underneath and a nightmare to work on.

batterymaker

09-19-2008, 12:54 PM

Heh--no, the front panel is crackle-finish paint. It's a pretty simple radio for its performance.

Jeffhs

09-19-2008, 01:47 PM

I got this one recently on eBay, don't have the model number handy. In good physical shape, electrically the VHF PSB bands are very weak, FM is fairly weak but surely usable for local stations. AM and SW are much better. The Channel Master transistor sets I have are dying as I own them, due to aging capacitors. Hopefully this attractive bigger model has some years left in it. Nice solid construction, brings me back in time as I explore the bands on it...

Chuck

That radio reminds me of an "Air Castle" (not to be confused with the Aircastle radios of the 1930s) multi-band (AM/FM/SW/VHF low and high) transistor portable I picked up in the trash in my old neighborhood about 30 years ago. (Regrettably, I don't have it any longer, :no: as it got lost in a move about eight years ago.) Aside from the branding, the differences in the cabinet style, and the use of an eight-position rotary switch as the band selector, my set could have passed for any of the multiband sets which were popular in the '60s-'70s. The set worked like a champ while I had it. I lived in a Cleveland suburb at the time, and this radio could receive every station (AM and FM) from the city just fine. Wish I would have held on to it, as now I live in an area where certain stations either do not reach at all or else they are very weak, almost unlistenable, on some of my radios. I now have a Zenith TransOceanic 1000-1 that I won in an eBay auction several years ago, however, that works every bit as well on AM and SW as, if not better than, my Air Castle portable. The only things my T/O does not have are FM broadcast, as it was made in the late '50s when FM radio in the US was in its infancy, VHF public-service bands, and a tuning meter. Every now and then I think about bidding on a Royal 3000 (a Royal 1000 with FM) when I see one on eBay; oh well. One of these days . . .

steerpike2

09-19-2008, 02:09 PM

>>> Pile Wonder

Sounds like a haemorrhoid lotion!

tune tuner

09-22-2008, 07:15 PM

RCA Stratoworld
Stromberg Carlson AWP-8
Hallicrafters TW-2000
Silvertone Wayfarer

I have no manuals, tags, brochures, catalogs or other collateral material for any of these radios. I'd appreciate any help you can give and will be happy to pay for copies and/or PC files.

Grayga,
Beautiful radios!

Chuck

batterymaker

09-22-2008, 07:41 PM

>>> Pile Wonder

Sounds like a haemorrhoid lotion!

That'd be for "Piles Wonder", but I digress....:D

AUdubon5425

09-28-2008, 03:30 PM

Here's my Sony TR-814 from 1961 I believe - AM and two shortwave bands, *very* good reception on the AM side. Have been enjoying this one for several years.

http://videokarma.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=166910&d=1271961991

noveltyradio.co

12-25-2008, 09:17 PM

All great looking radios that I see in this thread. Here is my contribution: a great looking Hammarlund:
http://www.noveltyradio.com/hammarlund.jpg

monty55

02-03-2009, 10:34 PM

Does anyone know the model number of this Channel Master Radio ? I don't have it yet, but need to find the service manual. I've seen this radio posted before. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Mark W.

02-04-2009, 12:21 AM

WELL I have the Heathkit Mohican AM SW my dad built on the kitchen table in the 60's sometime. I only have the battery power supply modual for it but an AC modual was available and I guess I should pickup one off eBay.

It still works perfectly and spends it's days and nights waiting for the power to go out so it can spring to life and give me news and info.

DecentMan4you

02-05-2009, 04:18 AM

gee which model should i start with

mnop

02-07-2009, 12:11 PM

The best receivers widely available at reasonable prices still seem to be the Zenith Trans-Oceanic (transoceanic) radios. If fm is not important, grab a Royal 1000 from ebay for around $40.00 in working condition. Zenith made around 100,000 of them from 1957 - 1962. Replacement transistors are less than a buck and make 90% of those you find work well. If FM matters, there's the Royal 3000, same price, Zenith made over 150,000 from 1962 - 1969. At the very top of the market is the Royal 7000, an 18 transistor set, usually about $150. These were made from 1969 through 1978. They're all heavy, built to last forever, a pleasure to own and operate. (mac)

Midnight Blues

03-13-2009, 09:00 PM

Here's my Zenith Transoceanic, I use it daily, its just a wonderful piece.
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t235/dtele51/100_0084.jpg

rat fink

03-24-2009, 06:12 PM

Trance88

10-19-2009, 03:10 PM

Just a few months ago I picked up an Electro Brand multiband radio. Sound quality is not really good but the amount of bands this thing recieves definitely more than makes up for it. I put together an external antenna for it and it really brings the local airport and planes in pretty well.

bandersen

03-03-2010, 05:21 PM

:scratch2: o-kay, I was able too up-load the pictures of the radio G/E. am/fm table top radio to my profile albums & pictures, thank-yous for any help yous might be able to give me about the year of this set.

dawgs

Here ya go. I'm not sure about the year.
http://www.videokarma.org/picture.php?albumid=517&pictureid=2955 http://www.videokarma.org/picture.php?albumid=517&pictureid=2956

Sandy G

03-03-2010, 07:31 PM

LOVE the T/O...Somethin' about those guys just says "Class"...Don't matter if its one of the SS versions, or the old Tooob types, they're just "Grand", in the same way a '41 Packard is, too...

dawgs

03-24-2010, 11:05 AM

goodmorning people, I have a new :music:, it's a telefunken concertino 5384 w hi-fi. I don't know the year, or where it was made. it is a 7-tube set with one in the tunner. ( fm/sw1/sw2/mw). when I took the back off, the shcematice diagram with tube layout was

dawgs

03-24-2010, 11:21 AM

:sorry about that guys, had to run out the door in a hurry, I was about too say, when I took off the back, the tube layout and shcenatic was tucked away in an envolope on the back cover. here are some pictures I took, an other experiment in trying too get pictures on here with my posting.

whala, I got the pictures on here.

dawgs

radiodayz

06-10-2010, 02:26 PM

Hi dawgs,

I have that radio; believe it's from the mid-late 70s. I don't know how to read GE date codes. On the label on the bottom it reads: Model No. 7-4115B, date code 4306, made in Malaysia. Also have a very similar clock-radio version, with the clock where the speaker is in the non-clock model, and a rear-firing speaker. Both receive well and sound very good for very basic, cheap radios.

Sorry I can't post pix but my camera is out of whack.

Love your Telefunken Concertino; I'd like one of those but they cost a small fortune whenever I come across one.

AUdubon5425

06-10-2010, 04:35 PM

My brother brought me this early-70's Panasonic RF-951. It needs a good cleaning but seems to work alright. I'll probably wind up selling this one.

http://videokarma.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=167386&d=1276205716

Komet

04-03-2011, 04:37 AM

This is my Soundesign model 2660B

http://videokarma.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=170023&d=1301823436

parvo

07-20-2011, 08:58 AM

Grundig S350. All transistor Zenith Oceanic R 600? All tubes burned
out long ago. Found a solid state tube substitute for all of them
so does this count as a transistor multiband radio? 1 set of batteries
lasts 250 hours with 4 AA's, 1 D, and 10 9v. (to be fair, light is not
to be left on for the 250 hour range:-) 9v are rechargeable NIMH and
must be charged individually. The grundig S350 is the sorriest specimen
of a receiver I have ever owned. Allthough digital/analog the display
sometimes gives way off readings, the radio drifts even on FM and
I use it less often then the older sets.

http://videokarma.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=171110&d=1311170294

Sandy G

07-20-2011, 04:44 PM

Grundig's quality went right out the window, IMHO, when they started outsourcing everything to China. Just sayin'.

reelman1968

08-13-2011, 08:37 AM

Not sure if this counts as this is not vintage. It is a Grundig G6 Aviator AM FM Longwave Shortwave Aircraft band pocket portable. Performs very well for a radio of this size. Gets most Shortwave stations with just the built in whip Antenna. Long range am not bad. Havent gotten anything on the aircraft band yet.

NowhereMan 1966

09-04-2011, 09:40 PM

Celt

11-23-2011, 08:33 PM

Jeffhs

12-06-2011, 11:41 AM

Here's a curb-find Sony ICF-38 that I got several years ago and have begun to use quite a bit around the house and outside. I found an open tracing at the detector. After a small amount of clean up, a jumper and fresh batteries, it was good to go. Has good sound quality with its 3.75" speaker, decent sensitivity and very good selectivity. Runs on 4 AA's or internal AC supply.

http://www.videokarma.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=172266&stc=1&d=1322101956

Those Sony radios are great. I have a TFM-7720-W AM/FM portable which I rescued from a dumpster. Works very well, good sensitivity and selectivity, great sound for a small portable. The only problem I'm having with it at the moment is an intermittent somewhere around the volume control. I can restore the sound by tapping on the volume knob on the front panel. I'd try to repair it, but I'm a bit leery of working on circuit boards after having had a bad experience with a PC board in an old TV years ago.

The TFM-7720W is one of those well-built radios you just don't see anymore. While I would not say this radio is built like a tank, it is, IMHO, quite solidly constructed and probably wasn't cheap when it was new in the early 1970s (1973, to be exact).

One thing puzzles me about that radio, though. It runs on two D-size flashlight batteries, which I consider odd since most of these radios use four, six or more C-cells. I have a Zenith TransOceanic from the late '50s that uses nine D-cells -- eight for the radio and one for the dial light. However, my three-volt Sony portable is a mystery to me. How could Sony design this set to operate on just three volts? :scratch2: The audio output isn't that great, probably much less than one watt, and there is only one pilot lamp in the set, for the tuning indicator.

I apologize for the poor picture (my camera takes great pictures for being a 1.3-mp cheapie from Radio Shack, but I was in a hurry so I took the photo on the fly), but I believe it is sharp enough that you can get an idea of what the radio looks like.

Celt

12-08-2011, 12:34 PM

Not much telling, Jeff.
Sony's always had an fixation with odd voltages. 3, 4.5 and 7.5 volts isn't that uncommon on their radios, tape players, etc.
It kind of fits in with their oddball AC jacks they used to put on their stuff too.

jr_tech

12-10-2011, 02:15 PM

Jeff, Silicon transistors require about 0.7 volts to turn them on, so I think that designing a radio to operate at below 1 volt or so would be difficult.
Several small pocket portables use only one cell, that is really the lowest practical limit.

The smallest AM/FM pocket radio with speaker that I have (S0ny ICF-S11W) uses 2 AAA cells:

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6100/6306592995_f25c542205_z.jpg

But getting back to the intent of the thread, here is a S0ny AM/FM/SW Multiband radio (ICF- SW1), shown next to the S11W... It uses 2 AA cells for power, as well as a wall-wart and is a decent performer on SW.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7167/6488561711_4c1e7665a0_z.jpg

jr

noveltyradio.co

04-18-2012, 03:51 PM

absolutely love that JVC, its gorgeous..great find!!:banana:

radiodayz

04-18-2012, 05:24 PM

Nice! I have an old Panasonic portable AM/SW turntable, but not in nearly as good shape as this, looks like it's been through a war. One day I'll get around to restoring it. Yours is the only other one I've ever seen.

1groovydude

04-18-2012, 07:46 PM

absolutely love that JVC, its gorgeous..great find!!:banana:

Thanks. I kinda thought the same thing. Didn't know what I had. There's no info on the net at all.

Celt

11-11-2012, 07:56 PM

Thought I'd give this old thread a bump. This thread originated over @ AK and most of the images were lost in the move to here.
If your images are missing and you still have them available, please load them again to your post. Thanks!

Sandy G

11-11-2012, 08:34 PM

ONE OF THESE DAYS,I MIGHT figger out how to run a digicam..Maybe. I REALLY DO have all the Schtuff I go on & on about..Believe it or Nutz.. I lie like a rug about almost EVERYTHING except TVs 'n' Radios..THEM, I'm Serious about..(grin)

wa2ise

04-01-2014, 03:33 PM

http://videokarma.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=182291&stc=1&d=1396384360
AM-FM-police and fire.
http://www.wa2ise.com/radios/SanyoM9935K.jpg
AM-FM- pair of SW bands
http://www.wa2ise.com/radios/sony23b.jpg
A real SW radio, Sony CRF230B

Vintv49

03-13-2015, 06:09 PM

Sandy G

03-13-2015, 06:53 PM

The CRF-230 I got for Xmas 1970, & IT started me down the long road of SWL listening, & just being a Radio Nut in general. Still have it, Terry's been thru it once, I need to fire it up more often than I do... Served me VERY well thru boarding school & college. Almost got me into a fight, it apparently has a very strong local oscillator, a football player who lived across the hall claimed MY radio would "Shut his radio Down".. . He had a no-name tire store type brand special, had lots of lights, sounded like @zz...

Vintv49

03-13-2015, 07:51 PM

Sandy G - cool radio, but where's the photo? I looked it up on YouTube - someone has one. Really a nice radio! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXjrzLxB3vw

zombie1210

04-25-2018, 06:02 PM

Panasonic RF-2200

https://i.imgur.com/DiZrLVi.jpg?1

Dude111

04-26-2018, 10:16 PM

Nice radios everyone :)

broadcaster

04-27-2018, 05:20 AM

Here is a Zenith 3000-1, from 1966. The very best in service and performance!

Jeffhs

05-05-2018, 08:57 PM

This is my Sony CRF-5100. It was perfect until a few days ago, when I fried it, thinking I could use a non-standard cord (shown in photos). I already punished myself enough for doing this most stupid thing, but I thought(here we go…)that I used this electric cord before. But it has been months since I fired it up. Now, it's dead. It was perfect. What to do - thinking of just buying another as I can't repair it, and the cost to repair is probably as much or more as buying another. Older here didn't yield wiser. Anyways - nice to see all the other radios here.

Mine is at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/41385747@N02/sets/72157648929352304/

OUCH! Sorry to hear of your bad experience with your CRF-5100. However, I wonder. Are you sure the radio is permanently damaged? How would the use of an incorrect power cord "fry" the set? I would look inside the radio, at the chassis, to see if there isn't a fuse in there that blew when you connected the non-standard AC cord. I would think the CRF-5100, like most AC/DC transistor multiband portables, would be designed to use literally any type of power cord, as long as that cord would fit the AC input socket on the back of the radio. (I have a Zenith R-70 AM/FM portable with an AC input socket on the back of the cabinet that will accept the coiled cord from my electric razor; said cord is a perfect fit, and of course it works, every bit as well as the stock AC cord would.)

I looked at the photos of your CRF-5100 and saw the type of power cord the radio is designed to use. I didn't see anything special about it, unless the stock AC cord had fuses or special circuitry to protect the radio from power surges, etc. I cannot otherwise imagine how using a so-called "non-standard" AC cord could damage the radio beyond repair.

Your Sony CRF-5100 looks very similar in appearance to Zenith's model 3000-1 Trans-Oceanic; same rotating drum dial linked to the band switch and all. The only difference between the two sets that I could see, aside from the volume, squelch, etc. controls located below the tuning dial, was the tuning meter, which the Zenith TO doesn't have, and of course the brand. Was the design of the CRF-5100 a deliberate take-off on the Zenith 3000-1? :scratch2: Doesn't seem likely, as I am sure Zenith had no affiliation, association, etc. with Sony at any time during the former company's existence (Zenith closed its Chicago factories and transferred its remaining operations to Korea some time in the 1990s, leaving only its business offices in Lincolnshire, Illinois, outside Chicago).

dieseljeep

05-06-2018, 11:00 AM

OUCH! Sorry to hear of your bad experience with your CRF-5100. However, I wonder. Are you sure the radio is permanently damaged? How would the use of an incorrect power cord "fry" the set? I would look inside the radio, at the chassis, to see if there isn't a fuse in there that blew when you connected the non-standard AC cord. I would think the CRF-5100, like most AC/DC transistor multiband portables, would be designed to use literally any type of power cord, as long as that cord would fit the AC input socket on the back of the radio. (I have a Zenith R-70 AM/FM portable with an AC input socket on the back of the cabinet that will accept the coiled cord from my electric razor; said cord is a perfect fit, and of course it works, every bit as well as the stock AC cord would.)

I looked at the photos of your CRF-5100 and saw the type of power cord the radio is designed to use. I didn't see anything special about it, unless the stock AC cord had fuses or special circuitry to protect the radio from power surges, etc. I cannot otherwise imagine how using a so-called "non-standard" AC cord could damage the radio beyond repair.

Your Sony CRF-5100 looks very similar in appearance to Zenith's model 3000-1 Trans-Oceanic; same rotating drum dial linked to the band switch and all. The only difference between the two sets that I could see, aside from the volume, squelch, etc. controls located below the tuning dial, was the tuning meter, which the Zenith TO doesn't have, and of course the brand. Was the design of the CRF-5100 a deliberate take-off on the Zenith 3000-1? :scratch2: Doesn't seem likely, as I am sure Zenith had no affiliation, association, etc. with Sony at any time during the former company's existence (Zenith closed its Chicago factories and transferred its remaining operations to Korea some time in the 1990s, leaving only its business offices in Lincolnshire, Illinois, outside Chicago).
AFAIK, the only affiliation Zenith had with Sony was when Zenith started selling VCR's, they were re-badged Sony Betas.

jr_tech

05-06-2018, 12:57 PM

How would the use of an incorrect power cord "fry" the set? I would look inside the radio, at the chassis, to see if there isn't a fuse in there that blew when you connected the non-standard AC cord.

I looked at the photos of your CRF-5100 and saw the type of power cord the radio is designed to use. I didn't see anything special about it, unless the stock AC cord had fuses or special circuitry to protect the radio from power surges, etc. I cannot otherwise imagine how using a so-called "non-standard" AC cord could damage the radio beyond repair.

The receptacle on the back of the Sony radio has 4 pins, 2 for AC power and 2 for 12 volt power from a car cord. The pins have different spacing and the plug on the Sony cord is "keyed" so that it can't be plugged in incorrectly. If a common 2 connector cord was used, it would be possible to apply full AC line voltage to the 12 volt input (which is usually not fused), with disastrous results. :tears:

jr

Electronic M

05-06-2018, 01:14 PM

AFAIK, the only affiliation Zenith had with Sony was when Zenith started selling VCR's, they were re-badged Sony Betas.
Zenith also sold rebadged sony portable TVs with that unique lollipop CRT, and possibly other Sony made products.

shedshrine

05-11-2018, 11:07 PM

Masterwork 12 Model M-3108
Don't know much about it other than I got it at a Santa Rosa fleamarket in 1997 and it's made in Japan. :) From the '70's? early '80's?
Not nearly as stylish and well made as pretty much everything else in this thread.

Well anyway, here it is with more pictures than are probably warranted. :) EDIT: wow, the photos are huge.

Works, but the volume jumps up to full after it warms up. Scared the heck out of me the first time.
Must be a very high end model judging by the (nearly pristine) cardboard inside the back panel. Ha!

https://static.imgzeit.com/reduced/ec9bf2622a3e779b/IMG_2444.jpg
https://static.imgzeit.com/reduced/8387683419988c99/IMG_2449.jpg
https://static.imgzeit.com/reduced/28191b00388afd77/IMG_2445.jpg
https://static.imgzeit.com/reduced/f46bade41f653315/IMG_2446.jpg
https://static.imgzeit.com/reduced/cf827632b25df559/IMG_2447.jpg
https://static.imgzeit.com/reduced/00663097539bfad0/IMG_2448.jpg