Show us your vintage pocket transistor radios!

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by 67 grad

Anybody seen this one?
Measures 2.25"x2.5"
Right now, audio output is extremely low - have to put your ear to the speaker to hear anything & headphone is silent.
Hope to get someone to work on it for me - it does have a schematic in the back.

First things first - have you tried a new battery? If that doesn't get this little set singing much louder than it is now, I'd look at the volume control. If it is open, or if the wiper contact is not in contact with the carbon resistance element inside the control, it can reduce drastically or even kill the audio output. I have an old tube-type radio with the same problem as yours (extremely weak audio output); it has been suggested to me by at least one person here on AK that the volume control may be open.

I've seen those little squarish-shaped radios, but never actually heard one in operation. However, they are cute little sets. With eight transistors, I would guess yours may have a push-pull audio output. In any case, it is almost impossible to tell, without seeing at least the schematic, what the functions actually are of the seventh and eighth transistors.

If you decide to have the radio repaired, I would look for someone (an electronically-inclined friend, for instance) who would be willing to look at it for little or nothing. Taking one of these little sets to a repair shop could be a colossal waste of time and money, as it would probably cost more just to have it looked at (let alone repaired) than the radio is worth. I'd try replacing the battery and cleaning the volume control first.