Small Portable Radio's?

[StarHalo]

You're going to circle back to the "good enough for grandad" argument to prevent the new experience, I got it. But there's a narrative here about the smartphone has changed things..

..and yet if you were offered a digital camera AND MP3 player AND GPS AND camcorder from 2007, OR a current smartphone, which would you rather have?

 

[Lynx_Arc]

You're going to circle back to the "good enough for grandad" argument to prevent the new experience, I got it. But there's a narrative here about the smartphone has changed things..

..and yet if you were offered a digital camera AND MP3 player AND GPS AND camcorder from 2007, OR a current smartphone, which would you rather have?

If they could derive a more intelligent radio receiver into smart phones that allows bluetooth speaker it would suffice to many for a stand alone radio. My phone has FM radio in it but requires something to be plugged into the 1/8 headphone jack as an antenna.
I've messed with various radio apps as the few stations I like to listen to are not on the same thing or app or whatever so to go from one station to another I either need 2-3 apps, or 2-3 web pages or whatever and at times one station drops out due to the software or web page or whatever. In other words it is a clunky mess if you desire to stream radio bandwide.
This is why a portable radio is desireable to get local emergency information from more than one source on the radio.

 

[Gene]

That was such an exciting time for that kind of hardware though, it's all destined to become museum pieces over time. I don't have the collector bug, the transistor radio was my dad's, the walkman was one of my grandest possessions as a teen, and the CD player is still my working disc player to this day. I have no idea if the walkman's cassette mech still works, I haven't been around a cassette tape in many years, but it put in a lot of hours rocking out to Pantera back in the 90's..

Hey SH, who the hell is Pantera? Seriously? 🤪 I don't think any of these electronics nowadays will become "museum" pieces like the forerunners of the '50's, 60's or 70's that are nowadays but who knows? I still listen to CD's but their lifespan won't last much longer.

When my dad who was a TV and radio repairman in the '50's and '60's and bought me my first pocket, (3 transistor), radio in 1959, I've been a fan.

Okay, enough of this nostalgia, carry on! 😄

 

[Lynx_Arc]

I still listen to CD's but their lifespan won't last much longer.
Okay, enough of this nostalgia, carry on! 😄

Some of us said LPs wouldn't last much longer but they have made a comeback (limited) so I think CDs will still be made but it could end up being "on demand" for less popular titles. Personally I'd rather have a CD so if I decide later to rerip it using a different format instead of MP3 I can.

 

[StarHalo]

Hey SH, who the hell is Pantera? Seriously?

A band out of Texas that featured a pair of brothers on drums and guitar who advanced the synchronized high-speed double bass drum/palm muted guitar sound when that was hot; that's probably all you want to know about them. But for the record, I also had a cassette copy of Small Faces' Ogden's Nut Gone Flake which I still feel is among the best albums to come out of the late 60's, I prefer it to most Beatles albums.

I don't think any of these electronics nowadays will become "museum" pieces like the forerunners of the '50's, 60's or 70's that are nowadays but who knows? I still listen to CD's but their lifespan won't last much longer.

The first Walkman, the Watchman, the car CD player with cassette adapter, the MiniDisc Walkman, these will all be museum pieces in the near future..

 

[StarHalo]

More from the pile; Fat Man and Little Boy

 

[Lynx_Arc]

A band out of Texas that featured a pair of brothers on drums and guitar who advanced the synchronized high-speed double bass drum/palm muted guitar sound when that was hot; that's probably all you want to know about them. But for the record, I also had a cassette copy of Small Faces' Ogden's Nut Gone Flake which I still feel is among the best albums to come out of the late 60's, I prefer it to most Beatles albums.



The first Walkman, the Watchman, the car CD player with cassette adapter, the MiniDisc Walkman, these will all be museum pieces in the near future..

The watchman for sure as digital tv has rendered it useless as it has no input to use as a monitor. Cassettes have sort of made a little comeback but the problem with them is the tapes don't tend to age well I'm not sure if anyone is making tapes any more.
Laser Disc players are all but useless if it were not for a few rare movies/versions only[ available on that format. Then there is Betamax tapes. Technology marches on. Ironically Radio hasn't yet left behind old technology even ancient radios can pull in most stations.
There is talk about OTA TV NTSC 3.0 standard coming out this year that is not backwards compatible with NTSC 1 sets or signals such that sets based upon this standard won't receive but the new format signal stations and older sets won't work with this standard either. So either they need dual tuner sets or external tuners (again).

 

[5S8Zh5]

Nice, that video gives you a good idea of what you're in for; lots of components with a lot of cables and a lot of knob turning. Very cool that he used a radio with a signal strength meter, I've never done that before with mine. Should mention that he keeps using the antenna cable connection, which you should only do if you're trying to isolate nearby noise - you get a stronger signal using the inductive coupler, so this actually works just as well on radios that do or don't have an antenna connection.

Good to know about the direct connection vs the coupler.

 

[5S8Zh5]

More from the pile; Fat Man and Little Boy

StarHalo, I've got an SRF-T615, but it's set for 9k MW tuning. Is there a way to change it to 10k?

 

[schuster]

StarHalo, I've got an SRF-T615, but it's set for 9k MW tuning. Is there a way to change it to 10k?

• Power off.
• Hold down MENU button until "9 KHz" appears on display.
• Slide jog lever to change step and then press in jog lever to confirm.

 

[5S8Zh5]

• Power off.
• Hold down MENU button until "9 KHz" appears on display.
• Slide jog lever to change step and then press in jog lever to confirm.

Thanks! Got it done. How about getting FM to the 87.5 - 108.0 MHz?

 

[StarHalo]

• Power off.
• Hold down MENU button until "9 KHz" appears on display.
• Slide jog lever to change step and then press in jog lever to confirm.

Yes, thank you; I still have the box and manual in the garage somewhere..

Thanks! Got it done. How about getting FM to the 87.5 - 108.0 MHz?

Japan's extended FM goes the other way.

 

[schuster]

Thanks! Got it done. How about getting FM to the 87.5 - 108.0 MHz?

Not possible AFAIK, it's locked to the Japanese FM band (76 - 108). Narrowing it beyond that is just a matter of convenience anyway.

 

[5S8Zh5]

Yup - appreciate it.

 

[Gene]

A band out of Texas that featured a pair of brothers on drums and guitar who advanced the synchronized high-speed double bass drum/palm muted guitar sound when that was hot; that's probably all you want to know about them. But for the record, I also had a cassette copy of Small Faces' Ogden's Nut Gone Flake which I still feel is among the best albums to come out of the late 60's, I prefer it to most Beatles albums. The first Walkman, the Watchman, the car CD player with cassette adapter, the MiniDisc Walkman, these will all be museum pieces in the near future..

I remember Small Faces very well and they were good. As far as double bass drumming goes, Ringo Starr, (who's not one of my favorite drummers at all), really did some great double bass drumming in those early and later Beatle years.

I guess you don't read my posts through SH but I did say that I had the very first Walkman, the MiniDisc Walkman and many others that are RIGHT NOW museum pieces!

Look up a Sony Boodo Khan cassette player right now onEbay, (that I sold several years ago, and in an above post), in non working condition for about $300.00 and look what an example is selling for today in the same non working condition. It will take your breath away! Yes, they are already museum pieces.

Your graph is very interesting and it shows that the old technology is on it's way downward. I'm just old enough that I don't care that much about advancing technology. You guys with your cell phones or otherwise that do everything and yet you don't really own them! You're at the mercy of manufacturers of always having to upgrade them, buying this or that app or whatever and then trading them in for the newest, greatest model.

Technology has come a long way and it's admirable for sure. I do like it but you don't OWN your devices like folks did in the olden days. That's why simple AM/FM radios have endured today even with all this technology.

Sorry, and again, couldn't help myself with this self indulgence but carry on! 🙄

 

[StarHalo]

I guess you don't read my posts through SH but I did say that I had the very first Walkman, the MiniDisc Walkman and many others that are RIGHT NOW museum pieces!

Said you *had*, so you at one point didn't think they'd be museum pieces

Your graph is very interesting and it shows that the old technology is on it's way downward. I'm just old enough that I don't care that much about advancing technology. You guys with your cell phones or otherwise that do everything and yet you don't really own them! You're at the mercy of manufacturers of always having to upgrade them, buying this or that app or whatever and then trading them in for the newest, greatest model.

Many phones are on a payment plan, but the buyer eventually owns it, good computers still aren't cheap. And the whole upgrade thing applies to most anything - that first Walkman was in 1979, CDs overtook cassette sales in 1993, so the portable cassette player didn't even make it 15 years.. While I don't possess a physical copy of my apps, the app store maintains a record of your purchase history and you can view/redownload anything at any time, my purchases from 2011 are still there. Not only that, but because of this non-physical infrastructure, that means the physical phone itself is secondary to what you've purchased on it: when I got my most recent phone, all I had to do was sign in to it, and it downloaded/became a perfect 1:1 copy of my previous phone, no cables or files, all merely part of my account - that means even if my phone is physically destroyed, I just recreate it on another one.

 

[Gene]

Said you *had*, so you at one point didn't think they'd be museum pieces

I appreciate your "ohgeez" kind of mocking emoji but I kept them for over 30 years so maybe I DID think they would become museum pieces.

the whole upgrade thing applies to most anything - that first Walkman was in 1979, CDs overtook cassette sales in 1993, so the portable cassette player didn't even make it 15 years.

Well, you kind of got me there and you are correct but 15 years was a good run, (just short of smart phones now). An update WAS from cassettes to CD's. CD's though are still going and to me, that's pretty amazing after all these years.

when I got my most recent phone...a copy of my previous phone...

Well, there you go. Constantly getting new phones! Listen SH, I'm not trying to start anything with you here as you're a very intelligent guy and a valuable assest here and I appreciate all your wisdom. I'm just glad that some vintage things still hang on like AM/FM radio.

Believe me, I LOVE Bluetooth and wireless connectivity but I still love things SIMPLE!

By the way and dang you for showing that Sony SRF-X90! I couldn't help myself and found a clean example for $20.00. Can't wait to get it. Bring on some more examples of Sony brilliance!

 

[StarHalo]

Well, you kind of got me there and you are correct but 15 years was a good run, (just short of smart phones now). An update WAS from cassettes to CD's. CD's though are still going and to me, that's pretty amazing after all these years.

CDs are still the only really standardized way to get a hard copy of a studio recording at the fidelity they were hearing it at in the studio; kind of a shame none of the later formats made it, but the iPod really sucked all the air out of the room when it came to music formats.

Listen SH, I'm not trying to start anything with you here as you're a very intelligent guy and a valuable assest here and I appreciate all your wisdom. I'm just glad that some vintage things still hang on like AM/FM radio.

I'm not being contentious, I just think back to how my mom and dad used to be; my mom was an early adopter of the iPad and was always sending me links and such of the things she'd learned or come across, whereas my dad had the newspaper and TV and that was good enough - so he never got to see any of this, wasn't aware of everything that was available to us. If folks know to be on the internet because there's more out there, then don't be afraid of there being more out there..

By the way and dang you for showing that Sony SRF-X90! I couldn't help myself and found a clean example for $20.00. Can't wait to get it. Bring on some more examples of Sony brilliance!

Ha, quality purchase, you'll have to tell us how well you can spot whatever you'd have use for a monocular for..

More Sony brilliance: The 1962 Sony TR-817 portable transistor radio with analog signal strength meter:

 

[5S8Zh5]

Tuned in KFI AM 640 Burbank CA 231 miles, AM 740 San Fran 429 miles, and AM 760 San Diego 255 miles nicely with the CC Skywave. Around 5:50 am Pacific. All from Henderson, just south of Las Vegas. DT-800 and CC Pocket not as clear, which is to be expected.

 

[StarHalo]

Tuned in KFI AM 640 Burbank CA 231 miles, AM 740 San Fran 429 miles, and AM 760 San Diego 255 miles nicely with the CC Skywave. Around 5:50 am Pacific. All from Henderson, just south of Las Vegas. DT-800 and CC Pocket not as clear, which is to be expected.

You can hear KFI in Kansas City; whereabouts are you at?