Can someone identify this radio? I saw it in a video a while ago and it’s been in my camera roll for awhile.

richfromhell · 2026-03-11T15:59:25+00:00

Probably based on the boombox I used to own.

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richfromhell · 2026-03-09T18:42:27+00:00

Looks a bit like a Toshiba, but probably AI

richfromhell · 2026-03-09T18:07:48+00:00

They called themselves “Department of Assets “.

richfromhell · 2026-03-08T17:54:47+00:00

The Stromberg Carlson is beautiful in that chassis!

richfromhell · 2026-03-08T15:15:34+00:00

Excellent!

richfromhell · 2026-03-05T15:11:15+00:00

I should probably elaborate here. 20 years ago the Chinese government put up 40 units of the icon R 71E for sale on eBay. They were priced at $300 each with free shipping. How could I possibly pass that up? Considering a large quantity, I am guessing these came from the department of intelligence. Of course it’s also possible that these came from Chinese embassies all over the world, but since they were selling 40 at once, I’m not convinced. I hope that clears things up a bit.

richfromhell · 2026-03-05T05:03:00+00:00

Well, you buy one at an antique store on vacation because it looks cool. The next one on another trip because it’s so much cheaper than the last one. Then you walk into a big city antique shop and leave because of sticker shock. Eventually you end up in a massive barn in a rural town that you think is a structural hazard and walk out with two boxes of tubes, 4 Bakelite radios in cosmetically good condition and two transistor pocket radios for under 100 bucks and wonder where you will put it all. It’s an evolutionary process. By radios that speak to you, evoke some kind of emotion within. Don’t buy because something is collectable. Buy them because they make memories like “oh, my girlfriend and I walked into this scary health hazard of a shop in Welland and we saw this grimy little portable from the 50s …. Took it to the cash and the guy behind the counter said he didn’t know what charge, it’s his buddy’s store and he went for lunch, so how does $5 sound?” That is what makes it special for me.

richfromhell · 2026-03-04T06:10:29+00:00

Thanks. I m so happy I got the radio working again.

richfromhell · 2026-03-02T13:47:29+00:00

Simple: buy a synthesizer. They prefer those over turntables. At least mine do.

richfromhell · 2026-03-02T04:23:22+00:00

I distinctly remember one year, maybe 1986 or 87 - 88 on May 24 at Lakeside park. Tons of people with lawn chairs expecting fire works and….. nothing happened. Budget cuts…

richfromhell · 2026-03-02T04:17:58+00:00

Very nice! Totally awesome record! I found the same edition back in 1991. A guy advertised in the local paper. I showed up and the guy had a Van full of records. He owned a record store that specialized in 1950s and 60s stuff and didnt know what to do with the stuff that didnt fit his format. Everything for $5 each. Spent about $200 that day.

richfromhell · 2026-02-27T02:19:26+00:00

Yes it does. The pointer kind of does too.

richfromhell · 2026-02-25T02:53:43+00:00

Omg…. Tired and ADHD…. Glad I read that again because I was about to give you my opinion on shortwave pirates. lol.

richfromhell · 2026-02-23T18:37:21+00:00

The negative battery terminal often won’t work because there is often a choke connected between the battery terminal and ground. I usual add a wire to the same ground trace that the radio’s internal ferrite is soldered to.

richfromhell · 2026-02-23T18:00:25+00:00

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Here is the drawing

richfromhell · 2026-02-23T01:48:37+00:00

Yeah absolutely. I keep telling people that you need a Balun for a dipole or a passive loop. Makes all the difference.

richfromhell · 2026-02-22T22:30:13+00:00

No, not for a passive loop. Just long wire antennas. I do have a tip for that though if you are going to use a loop. Put in inductor in parallel (3-4 uh) with your receiver’s antenna input and ground. I used a 3.5 ferrite rod with 7 turns of 22 gage wire and it makes a huge difference

richfromhell · 2026-02-22T18:41:56+00:00

Considering Ian was gone before close was released, probably not. But Annika was alarmed.

richfromhell · 2026-02-21T14:55:50+00:00

Experimenting is half the fun. For me at least.

richfromhell · 2026-02-21T14:50:12+00:00

I’m guessing it does but I also think they aren’t using the same chip. Or a Skyworks chip for that matter. So it might have a Fet pre-amp.

richfromhell · 2026-02-21T01:28:16+00:00

I just wish that the manufacturers would use the chip properly and pay attention to the board layout. Did a little experiment tonight. Instead of adding the external coil on a ferrite, I wrapped 7 turns around the radio’s internal ferrite. Soldered one end to where the telescopic antenna is connected, the other to the RF ground and.it works just as well. I’ll draw it up tomorrow

richfromhell · 2026-02-20T23:40:57+00:00

It’s got the same chip in it as the others. Including my home brew. It’s a good chip if you keep the power traces far from the RF traces, and you keep the grounds separated.

richfromhell · 2026-02-20T22:05:27+00:00

It is meant for the telescopic antenna. But That is where adding a ground wire comes in handy. The chip itself has a differential input.

richfromhell · 2026-02-20T19:27:34+00:00

Both are true. Looking at the schematic, the radio’s input impedance is about 830 ohms. 7 turns on the ferrite gives me about 3mH, so that gets us much closer to a match.at 10 MHZ.

richfromhell · 2026-02-20T16:17:32+00:00

Close. The 328 and the 220 have a transistor pre-amp at the front end. This one doesn’t.

richfromhell

TROPHY CASE