Good radio?
 

I have an ancient Lafayette 99-35578W reciever - reminds me of a Zenith
Transoceanic. Still works.

Can anyone recomment a modern decently-priced reasonably-sensitive SW
reciever? The Lafayette will pick up FM and AM stations that my modern
boom-boxes and clock radios won't. I'd settle for a radio that would just
reliably pick up faint AM and FM standard broadcast stations.

TIA

--
"Where there's smoke there's toast!" Anon

Good radio?
 

On Saturday, July 20, 2013 1:33:47 PM UTC-4, KenK wrote:
I have an ancient Lafayette 99-35578W reciever - reminds me of a Zenith

Transoceanic. Still works.



Can anyone recomment a modern decently-priced reasonably-sensitive SW

reciever? The Lafayette will pick up FM and AM stations that my modern

boom-boxes and clock radios won't. I'd settle for a radio that would just

reliably pick up faint AM and FM standard broadcast stations.



TIA



--

"Where there's smoke there's toast!" Anon

Sony icf-sw7600xx series are decent portables . Quite sensitive on all bands, even without an external antenna. Check with Universal Radio in Ohio - occasionally they have good used products like Zenith T/O. And lots more of the new stuff.

Good radio?
 

On 07/20/2013 10:33 AM, KenK wrote:
I have an ancient Lafayette 99-35578W reciever - reminds me of a Zenith
Transoceanic. Still works.

Can anyone recomment a modern decently-priced reasonably-sensitive SW
reciever? The Lafayette will pick up FM and AM stations that my modern
boom-boxes and clock radios won't. I'd settle for a radio that would just
reliably pick up faint AM and FM standard broadcast stations.

TIA


Kaito is the only brand doing anything, as near as I can tell, unless
you want to spend many hundreds for a "tabletop" radio. Not everything
Kaito makes is a winner, so do your homework. Radio Shack might have
something decent on the closeout table.

Good radio?
 

On Sat, 20 Jul 2013 17:33:47 +0000, KenK wrote:

I have an ancient Lafayette 99-35578W reciever - reminds me of a Zenith
Transoceanic. Still works.

Can anyone recomment a modern decently-priced reasonably-sensitive SW
reciever? The Lafayette will pick up FM and AM stations that my modern
boom-boxes and clock radios won't. I'd settle for a radio that would
just reliably pick up faint AM and FM standard broadcast stations.

TIA

I got a CCrane SW/AM/FM that has built-in dual loops. It is very
sensitive and pulls in the stations.

Good radio?
 

Check with Universal Radio in Ohio - occasionally they have good used
products like Zenith T/O. And lots more of the new stuff.



T/O isn't quite the icon that it has been presented to be over the
years. It's certainly nice cosmetically, and the build is quite robust.
And audio is often very good. But, actual RF performance is mediocre at
best.

IF's are too wide, and RF stages are higher in noise, and lower in
sensitivity than other so-called 'lesser' radios. This is masked by a
cleverly designed AGC stage that maked the radio seem much more
sensitive than it is.

Make no mistake, I'm a big fan of the T/O. I've got 6. And I use them
regularly. Terrific vacation radios at the cabin.

But there are better radios, if you're serious about SW listening.
Especially with the superpower broadcasters no longer on the air, RF
performance is more important than it was when the T/O's were current
product.

Good radio?
 

On Sun, 21 Jul 2013, D. Peter Maus wrote:

Check with Universal Radio in Ohio - occasionally they have good used
products like Zenith T/O. And lots more of the new stuff.



T/O isn't quite the icon that it has been presented to be over the years.
It's certainly nice cosmetically, and the build is quite robust. And audio
is often very good. But, actual RF performance is mediocre at best.

Someone just posted an ad locally for a transistor era Transoceanic, he
only wants $250 for it. I think he did say "negotiable" but when you
start so high, it likely isn't coming down much.

Clearly he expects a collector, or thinks the radio is worth as much as
legend has it.

Michael

IF's are too wide, and RF stages are higher in noise, and lower in
sensitivity than other so-called 'lesser' radios. This is masked by a
cleverly designed AGC stage that maked the radio seem much more sensitive
than it is.

Make no mistake, I'm a big fan of the T/O. I've got 6. And I use them
regularly. Terrific vacation radios at the cabin.

But there are better radios, if you're serious about SW listening.
Especially with the superpower broadcasters no longer on the air, RF
performance is more important than it was when the T/O's were current
product.

Good radio?
 

Michael Black wrote:
Someone just posted an ad locally for a transistor era Transoceanic, he
only wants $250 for it. I think he did say "negotiable" but when you
start so high, it likely isn't coming down much.

It may well be worth it. It depends upon condition. If it is sitting
in the original box, unused, untouched, a collector would probably pay
more than that.

If it was used for many years, and put on a garage shelf where it has
accumulated, dirt, dust, and small crawly things, no matter how well
it has been dusted off, it's not worth anywhere near that.

In between, well, that's your guess.



Clearly he expects a collector, or thinks the radio is worth as much as
legend has it.

I'm not a collector, but a working one from pre WW-II production would IMHO
be worth something. The newer they are, the less.

By now, it requires some work to be up to the performance it had when it
left the shop, or work at all, so there may be money in it in terms of
work done. If it was done by someone competent, it would be worth something,
if was just a guy with little or experience or talent messing with it in
his garage.........


But whatever it is, if it is a tube radio, it's basically a 1930's high
end consumer radio, which makes more of a looker than a user. A transistorized
one is not much, if any better, but may be in better shape.

While the bands are far less crowded than the 1980's, there are a lot less
high power signals and a lot more noise. Where I live, you can not receive
AM broadcast without loading up batteries and taking a walk. :-(

Geoff.



--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, N3OWJ/4X1GM/KBUH7245/KBUW5379

Good radio?
 

On Sun, 21 Jul 2013, Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:

Michael Black wrote:
Someone just posted an ad locally for a transistor era Transoceanic, he
only wants $250 for it. I think he did say "negotiable" but when you
start so high, it likely isn't coming down much.

It may well be worth it. It depends upon condition. If it is sitting
in the original box, unused, untouched, a collector would probably pay
more than that.

If it was used for many years, and put on a garage shelf where it has
accumulated, dirt, dust, and small crawly things, no matter how well
it has been dusted off, it's not worth anywhere near that.

In between, well, that's your guess.

Except, it's a transistorized one, which I gather were quite plentiful,
and of course more recent. Perhaps if someone was just collecting they'd
pay the price, but some of that $250 has to be due to the name, as Peter
points out, their circuitry was never extraordinary.

Some years back, I came upon a random issue of ELementary Electronics at a
garage sale, one I'd never seen before, so I bought it. And on the back
cover was a Radio Shack ad for an Astronaut 8 portable radio. Suddenly I
had an urge for one of those, remembering drooling over that sort of radio
forty years ago, they just seemed so cool. But I know they aren't great
radios, so I sure wouldn't spend much on them.

I did find last year a Radio Shack DX-40, a portable AM/FM radio with 2
shortwave bands, about the same level as the Astronaut 8 except no public
service bands. I paid two dollars for it. An average sort of radio,
there were endless radios of that type back then, both desktop and
portabel.

So I guess I am collecting, but not interested in paying the price. And
as I said in that thread about the GPR-90, I'm doing pretty well finding
shortwave radios at garage and rummage sales over the past six years or
so, radios much better than that transistor Transoceanic or the Radio
Shack portable, and all under $20 and mostly under $10. And it is odd,
except for the analog portables, these aren't the low end receivers that
one might expect. I've yet to see a Radio Shack DX-160 in real life, I
wouldn't mind yet I know I'd be disappointed (but seeing it in the ads as
a kid, it certainly looked great). I find Grundig Satellite digitally
tuned receivers for $2 and a Sony SW-1 for ten. I've seen people offer
digitally tuned sw receivers on the local Craig's list for virtually
nothing, couldn't be bothered arranging a time to go and get them. On
the other hand, someone keeps trying to sell a Grundig 350 portable for
$90, as if the better model that superceded it wasn't available for a bit
more new.


Michael

Good radio?
 

On Sunday, July 21, 2013 11:53:06 AM UTC-5, Michael Black wrote:
On Sun, 21 Jul 2013, Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:



Michael Black wrote:

Someone just posted an ad locally for a transistor era Transoceanic, he

only wants $250 for it. I think he did say "negotiable" but when you

start so high, it likely isn't coming down much.



It may well be worth it. It depends upon condition. If it is sitting

in the original box, unused, untouched, a collector would probably pay

more than that.



If it was used for many years, and put on a garage shelf where it has

accumulated, dirt, dust, and small crawly things, no matter how well

it has been dusted off, it's not worth anywhere near that.



In between, well, that's your guess.



Except, it's a transistorized one, which I gather were quite plentiful,

and of course more recent. Perhaps if someone was just collecting they'd

pay the price, but some of that $250 has to be due to the name, as Peter

points out, their circuitry was never extraordinary.



Some years back, I came upon a random issue of ELementary Electronics at a

garage sale, one I'd never seen before, so I bought it. And on the back

cover was a Radio Shack ad for an Astronaut 8 portable radio. Suddenly I

had an urge for one of those, remembering drooling over that sort of radio

forty years ago, they just seemed so cool. But I know they aren't great

radios, so I sure wouldn't spend much on them.



I did find last year a Radio Shack DX-40, a portable AM/FM radio with 2

shortwave bands, about the same level as the Astronaut 8 except no public

service bands. I paid two dollars for it. An average sort of radio,

there were endless radios of that type back then, both desktop and

portabel.



So I guess I am collecting, but not interested in paying the price. And

as I said in that thread about the GPR-90, I'm doing pretty well finding

shortwave radios at garage and rummage sales over the past six years or

so, radios much better than that transistor Transoceanic or the Radio

Shack portable, and all under $20 and mostly under $10. And it is odd,

except for the analog portables, these aren't the low end receivers that

one might expect. I've yet to see a Radio Shack DX-160 in real life, I

wouldn't mind yet I know I'd be disappointed (but seeing it in the ads as

a kid, it certainly looked great). I find Grundig Satellite digitally

tuned receivers for $2 and a Sony SW-1 for ten. I've seen people offer

digitally tuned sw receivers on the local Craig's list for virtually

nothing, couldn't be bothered arranging a time to go and get them. On

the other hand, someone keeps trying to sell a Grundig 350 portable for

$90, as if the better model that superceded it wasn't available for a bit

more new.





Michael

www.antiqueradios.org/transoceanics.htm (Phil's old radios) or Google,,, Zenith Transoceanic Radios) I own a Zenith Transoceanic transistor radio. It doesn't work, didn't work when I bought it a bunch of years ago at Goodwill. I have another similar looking big Zenith radio, but it is AM/FM. Guess what? It doesn't work either. Looka here, on those Zenith Transoceanic transistor radios, (according to Phil's old radios website) don't be toteing that radio around by the handle,ergo the plastic handle might crack and break.

Good radio?
 

On Saturday, July 20, 2013 10:33:47 AM UTC-7, KenK wrote:
I have an ancient Lafayette 99-35578W reciever - reminds me of a Zenith

Transoceanic. Still works.



Can anyone recomment a modern decently-priced reasonably-sensitive SW

reciever? The Lafayette will pick up FM and AM stations that my modern

boom-boxes and clock radios won't. I'd settle for a radio that would just

reliably pick up faint AM and FM standard broadcast stations.



TIA



--

"Where there's smoke there's toast!" Anon

For just AM/FM try the Crane CCRadio-EP foor $80 new, or the GE Superadio for around $70. For SW look at the Sangean ATS-909X or

Good radio?
 

On 7/21/13 11:53 , Michael Black wrote:

Except, it's a transistorized one, which I gather were quite plentiful,
and of course more recent. Perhaps if someone was just collecting
they'd pay the price, but some of that $250 has to be due to the name,
as Peter points out, their circuitry was never extraordinary.


There are improvements that can be made to both tube and transistor
T/O's. The solid state, FET based substitutes for tubes, for instance,
lower the noise floor, reduce distortions.

And the transistor models used socketed transistors, so lower noise
subs can be dropped in, which actually improve the RF and AF performance
of the radio significantly.

I did some experimenting with a 3000-1, and side by side with an
unmodified model, it WAS quieter, with more usable sensitivity than the
unmodified radio.

The difference wasn't drop your pants dramatic, and if you're in a
high noise environment, there's not a lot you can do to improve
performance without external, and isolated, well grounded antennae, but
out in the middle of nowhere, thermal noise was down audibly, and the
audio was much cleaner.

So, the T/O line isn't hopeless. But if you're expecting it to handle
like a Drake, you're going to be very disappointed. Like many ICOM's, it
has to be significantly modified before performance excels.

Good radio?
 

D. Peter Maus wrote:

So, the T/O line isn't hopeless. But if you're expecting it to handle
like a Drake, you're going to be very disappointed. Like many ICOM's, it
has to be significantly modified before performance excels.

The moment you start making substitutions, no matter how well intended, you
lower the value of the radio except as a "user".

Some people don't care, and want their radio to perform better, some people
want the price they eventually sell it for to be the highest possible one.

Geoff.


--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, N3OWJ/4X1GM/KBUH7245/KBUW5379

Good radio?
 

On 7/23/13 12:44 , Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:
D. Peter Maus wrote:

So, the T/O line isn't hopeless. But if you're expecting it to handle
like a Drake, you're going to be very disappointed. Like many ICOM's, it
has to be significantly modified before performance excels.

The moment you start making substitutions, no matter how well intended, you
lower the value of the radio except as a "user".


None of the substitutes require modification. The collectabilty and
value are not changed. All the subs are directly reversible.

And at the same time, performance during use is improved.

Kate/Edith.

Good radio?
 

"D. Peter Maus" wrote in message ...

On 7/23/13 12:44 , Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:
D. Peter Maus wrote:

So, the T/O line isn't hopeless. But if you're expecting it to handle
like a Drake, you're going to be very disappointed. Like many ICOM's, it
has to be significantly modified before performance excels.

The moment you start making substitutions, no matter how well intended,
you
lower the value of the radio except as a "user".


None of the substitutes require modification. The collectabilty and
value are not changed. All the subs are directly reversible.

And at the same time, performance during use is improved.

Kate/Edith.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And a rousing cheer for the Statlers. :)

Good radio?
 

On 7/24/13 03:38 , Brenda Dyer wrote:


"D. Peter Maus" wrote in message ...

On 7/23/13 12:44 , Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:
D. Peter Maus wrote:

So, the T/O line isn't hopeless. But if you're expecting it to
handle
like a Drake, you're going to be very disappointed. Like many ICOM's, it
has to be significantly modified before performance excels.

The moment you start making substitutions, no matter how well
intended, you
lower the value of the radio except as a "user".


None of the substitutes require modification. The collectabilty and
value are not changed. All the subs are directly reversible.

And at the same time, performance during use is improved.

Kate/Edith.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


And a rousing cheer for the Statlers. :)




:)