The front looks like it was part of an AMF bowling alley. This American-made radio was built in 1957 and uses 8 transistors featuring a push-pull audio output. When I think transistor radio, something like the Emerson Pioneer 888 comes to mind. Some larger vintage radios have external audio inputs in this case simply make an adaptor for the external input. Wire in a 3-way toggle switch to select between external audio source and radio. This is typically the first pin to right of wiper pin (bottom view, looking from inside radio to outside) on the volume potentiometer. Locate where in the circuit the envelope detector ties into the first audio frequency stage. Most post-war table-top tube radios are ‘hot chassis’ radios. Depending on which way the power cord happens to be plugged into the outlet, it is possible for the metal chassis to be wired directly to hot line voltage. ‘Hot chassis’ radios use un-polarized power cords, where one wire is connected directly to the metal chassis and the other to the rectifier providing B+ for the radio. For your own safety you cannot use a ‘hot chassis’ radio. Try to find a radio that is clean and uses a power supply transformer or batteries.Ĭlick past the break to learn how to restore these radios to working conditionĪ word of caution with tube radios: your radio must use a power supply transformer or batteries. Transistor radios often work to some level. Generally speaking, tube radios must be serviced and may not even work. For this reason, antique radios are relatively inexpensive and the vast majority are not rare or valuable. Millions of radios have been manufactured. Vintage radios can be found at garage sales, estate sales, hamfests, antique shops, antique radio swap meets, and Ebay. These recordings were meant to be played on radios from the era in which they were recorded. Similarly, Sam Cooke sounds great playing out of an earlier transistor radio. This is likely due to the fact that the audio frequency signal chain and speaker of an antique radio are not capable of reproducing higher frequencies. You do not hear the higher frequency ‘pops’ and ‘hiss’ that would be reproduced by high-fidelity equipment when playing a vintage recording. An old Bing Crosby tune sounds like he is broadcasting directly into your living room with a booming AM voice. Pre-1950’s recordings sound noisy when played on a high-fidelity system, but not when played through a Pre-War console radio. Make a statement – adapt and use vintage electronics. You will be able to play your music through the radio’s own audio signal chain then toggle back to AM mode and listen to the ball game. By contrast, this post will show how to use the existing circuitry of a vintage radio for playing your own audio sources while at the same time preserving the radio’s functionality. In a previous hackaday post the circuitry of a vintage transistor radio was removed so that a blue tooth audio source could be installed and wired to the speaker. Sometimes it is not how good but how bad your equipment reproduces sound.
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