Frans improves connections to his Hurricane Transmitter

https://swling.com/blog/2023/08/frans-improves-connections-to-his-hurricane-transmitter/

#FransGoddijn #HurricaneAMModulator #VintageRadio

Dan spots some vintage radio beauties at the Berryville Hamfest

https://swling.com/blog/2023/08/dan-spots-some-vintage-radio-beauties-at-the-berryville-hamfest/

#BerryvilleHamfest #DanRobinson #HamfestPhotos #VintageRadio

The Grundig RF2060 resto is complete. Not a #VintageRadio I’ll ever love but it was a good reintroduction to transistors and it was very poorly (as well as dead) when I got it so it was a satisfying result.

Saw a nice collection of vintage British radios in the back of a Morris Traveller last weekend. They were all tuned to Radio Caroline. #vintageradio #vintagecar #morris

Radio Waves: My Father’s Radio, AM Listenership by State, and Longevity of AM in Cars

https://swling.com/blog/2023/06/radio-waves-my-fathers-radio-am-listenership-by-state-and-longevity-of-am-in-cars/

#AMInCars #AMRadio #Nostalgia #VintageRadio

New Series Release: "Elektrosplice 1: I Left My Heart In Dimension X"

Gear: Intellijel Quadrax; Expert Sleepers ES-9; jroo music machines loop; Joranologue Orbit 3; Noise Engineering Desmodus Versio; Instruo Arbhar; Make Noise Mimeophon, WoggleBug, Morphagene; After Later Mults; ALM PNW, MFX; XAOC Sewastopol.

M+M: Izotope Neutron 4, Ozone 10.

#sampling #loop #vintageradio #modular #weird #fnord

@synths @experimentalmusic
@modularsynth @EvangelosSciFi

#SoundCloud
https://on.soundcloud.com/3FoWo

For completeness here’s a record of the electronic work done on the Graetz Fantasia 622. #VintageRadio

For completeness here’s a record of the electronic work done on the Graetz Fantasia 622. #VintageRadio

The Graetz Fantasia 622 renovation is done. Comfortably the biggest I’ve done to date but also the best sounding. The engineers really spent time on this one even to the extent of choosing components to minimise frequency drift as the radio warms up. 👏 Summer beckons so no more radios for a while…#VintageRadio

The Graetz Fantasia 622 renovation is done. Comfortably the biggest I’ve done to date but also the best sounding. The engineers really spent time on this one even to the extent of choosing components to minimise frequency drift as the radio warms up. 👏 Summer beckons so no more radios for a while…#VintageRadio

Today I delved into my meagre stock of spares and replaced the ECC85, which does the FM front end, and afterwards the ECH81 which is solely responsible for the AM front end. A useful increase in FM signal strength according to the magic eye with the new ECC85 but when I swapped the ECH81 a night and day improvement in AM sensitivity, particularly on the shortwave bands which had always seemed a little deaf. Replacements ordered from Watford Valves. Result! 🎊 #VintageRadio

And she has her face back on. RF alignment next. #VintageRadio

AM IF alignment on the Graetz Fantasia 622 today. The service manual makes no reference to visual alignment but I struggled through. The radio has a narrow and a wide bandwidth option. Initial alignment is done in “narrow” (good for selectivity on shortwave but it cuts the high frequency response) and I was able to pull the frequenct back to 460 kHz from 458 and improve the curve slightly.

It’s testament to the designers that I was able to get a beatiful result on “wide”. 👏 #VintageRadio

Just when you think you’ve got ‘em all… 😂

I found one last original paper capacitor (101 in the schematic) in the Graetz Fantasia 622, a 100V 680㎊ job in series with the long wire aerial - I assume DC blocking and maybe some mild antenna tuning? It was very well hidden but it tested at about 1,000㎊ so it had to go. Rather than order one specially I used a couple of 400V 330㎊ polyester film caps in parallel - not the prettiest but they do the job. #VintageRadio

Just when you think you’ve got ‘em all… 😂

I found one last original paper capacitor (101 in the schematic) in the Graetz Fantasia 622, a 100V 680㎊ job in series with the long wire aerial - I assume DC blocking and maybe some mild antenna tuning? It was very well hidden but it tested at about 1,000㎊ so it had to go. Rather than order one specially I used a couple of 400V 330㎊ polyester film caps in parallel - not the prettiest but they do the job. #VintageRadio

The final electrolytic (No. 261 in the FM ratio detector circuit) in the Graetz Fantasia 622 has been replaced by a 5㎌ foil cap, not an option available in the fifties. The old cap was on its last gasp, measuring 9㎌.

While I’m less than enamoured of some of the work by the previous tinker the FM IF alignment was spot on as was the ratio detector alignment measuring 2㎂, well within the plus or minus 10㎂ tolerance so no adjustments of those sometimes fragile ferrite slugs needed. 😥 #VintageRadio

The final electrolytic (No. 261 in the FM ratio detector circuit) in the Graetz Fantasia 622 has been replaced by a 5㎌ foil cap, not an option available in the fifties. The old cap was on its last gasp, measuring 9㎌.

While I’m less than enamoured of some of the work by the previous tinker the FM IF alignment was spot on as was the ratio detector alignment measuring 2㎂, well within the plus or minus 10㎂ tolerance so no adjustments of those sometimes fragile ferrite slugs needed. 😥 #VintageRadio

Recapping of the Graetz Fantasia 622 is done with the exception of the FM ratio detector electrolytic. That will be replaced by a 5㎌ foil cap in due course but not before I’m ready to do an alignment. It’s hard to fathom how replacing those cheap Chinese caps, which all tested OK, with Orange Drops could improve the sound so much but the difference is extraordinary. 🥰#VintageRadio #Graetz #Fantasia

Halfway through the component changes now. Not my neatest work but delving through the rat’s nest of wiring with a soldering iron was scary. Desoldering components to gain access was a ‘mare as the factory wrapped the wires before soldering. No magic smoke yet and the electrolytics in the tone shaping section (the previous tinker chickened out) were shot. To my ear replacing them with foil caps has paid dividends: crisper treble response. 🥰 #VintageRadio

More #VintageRadio fettling today. Only my third radio but of those the two which had previously had the attention of a tinker both had wiring errors introduced when a component was replaced. It beggars belief!

On the Graetz the auxiliary DIN input had been connected via a 1MΩ resistor to the capacitor feeding the volume pot instead of via the switches. That capacitor had also been “upgraded” to 100㎋ from the original 10㎋. Graetz used plenty of 33㎋ caps and chose 10㎋ for a reason. Doh! 🤯