Modern Equivalent of "Vintage" Radio

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Originally Posted by Graeme

Beware of exploding electrolytic capacitors in old radios when powered, especially any in the power supply circuit of 240V equipment.

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I had an old valve tech give me this trick for bringing an old device back into service.

Remove all valves except the rectifier (if it has one). Put a ~40W bulb in series with the mains cord to form a non-ohmic current limiter. Switch on.
If the electros are duff the bulb will light brightly, then over a couple of hours as they "reform" it'll gradually dim until it's effectively out. There may be a detectable glow from the heater current of the rectifier valve (if it has one). At that point you can power down, wait for the HV capacitors to discharge (or discharge them gently) and put the valves back in.

That generally prevents them from exploding in a (usually) spectacular fashion.

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Originally Posted by Lionelgee

Hello John,
........
Hang on wooo wooo some brain cells are sparking I am hearing the name 'Mandrake'? woo woo.

Or was that a serialised cartoon in the now long defunct local newspaper? .........


Kind regards
Lionel

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I am pretty certain it was both - but that was a long time ago.....

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Originally Posted by JDNSW

I am pretty certain it was both - but that was a long time ago.....

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G'day John,

Thank you for your post. I went on a bit of a hunt online. I found this link Australian radio series (1930s–1970s) - National Film and Sound Archive accessed 18th of September 2023 from
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/defaul...on_amended.pdf

It amounts to 244 pages of goodness. No I could not find Mandrake in this Australian publication. However, I did find it here though accessed from Mandrake the Magician | Old Time Radio. Plus here ... Mandrake The Magician 401111 001 First Episode, Old Time Radio - YouTube

Perhaps it was not Mandrake on the radio that I did hear back then. I will have a closer look at the contents of the 244 pages later on to see if I can narrow it down a bit. Perhaps it was a Raymond Chandler or similar detective? It was a fair while ago that I sat down and listened to it.

Some time later .....

There are 15 results for the word 'detective' within the Australian National Film and Sound Archive publication. With a brief check one of these results is no less than 'Philip Marlowe'.

Kind regards
Lionel

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Originally Posted by Lionelgee

G'day Tombie,

Thank you for your suggestion Tombie. This option is no doubt far superior than my radio was even in its heyday. However, a computer version of a radio is like an ebook version of a hardcopy book. One has the ability for you to hold it in your hands and physically turn the pages over. Feel its weight and if it is an older book, smell its bouquet. See its foxed edges. You know the whole multi-sensory experience of a real book. All this stuff translates to the difference between a version of a streaming computer service and a radio with analogue features. Hmmm, you might know the answer already to what style of watch I wear and what style of clocks hang on different walls in my house.

Yep - call me 'old fashioned'. I can live with it Tombie. It might also just explain my interest in Series Land Rovers. My interest in Land Rovers in general finishes at the D1 Discovery and the 110 Defender. Being the opinionated sod that I am - these were the real Land Rovers. Oh I do include the Perenties as being real Land Rovers too. Yes, the Td5 in the D2 was a Land Rover developed motor. After these models the vehicles became too highly dependent upon electronics. They also suffered from other car manufacturer's - who became new owners - influences. Remember the bit about my being an opinionated sod ... :0) Ummm ... think ... think ... I can live with that too... :0)

Kind regards
Lionel

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All good Lionel [emoji41]

I run an analogue face on my Apple Watch,
I have analogue clocks on my walls and digital Amazon screens throughout the house.
I prefer paper workshop manuals to online ones where practicable.
I like high tech vehicles and enjoy simple machinery as well.
I do all my own mechanical, electrical and electronic repairs.

I don’t own vinyl, cds, dvds or video cassettes anymore,
I don’t have a tv antenna on my home,
I don’t play online games,
I stream everything, Audio and Visual
I use a laptop for shopping, work and CAD only,

And my Mountain bike has a computer and motor assist….

I prefer live music to all other options

I’m struck between both… [emoji41]

Take care, hope you can find a suitable replacement for your receiver.

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Originally Posted by Lionelgee

Hello All,

Could some of you radio enthusiasts let me know what a modern equivalent of the following radio would be?

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One of the things I used to really enjoy about Phillips D2603 was it having dials that needed to be manually turned. So when you learned radio enthusiasts start making recommendations could you please consider radios with the now old fashioned dials that need to be physically turned. Not the modern digital tuner type of stuff. You know the supposedly 'smart' and more 'convenient' automatic tuning features.

Kind regards
Lionel

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There's any number of specifically retro-styled radios:

Explore Our Range | Roberts Radio

Roberts Rambler Range | Retro Radios | Roberts Radio

CP-100 AM / FM / Bluetooth / AUX│SANGEAN Electronics


Radios with dials:

Shop All – Tivoli Audio AU

In my experience these electronic dials work better than one radio I had as a kid where the knob was connected to the actual tuner by an elastic band ...


Modern multi-wave radios:

ATS-909X2 FM/SW/MW/LW/Air Receiver│SANGEAN Electronics

https://www.aussiestormshop.com.au/p...craft-channels

There's still a wide range of this kind of radio sold in Japan.

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Originally Posted by Lionelgee

Hello All,

Could some of you radio enthusiasts let me know what a modern equivalent of the following radio would be?

When I turned 21 years of age I used some of my birthday money to buy the following radio... The one that is now considered to be a 'vintage' radio!!!!


Phillips D2603 (1982) | 4 Band Receiver | 2 Loudspeakers

I even found a youTube clip on the internet of the same radio that is part of an enthusiast's collection... accessed 18th of September 2023 from, PHILIPS D2603 (1982) | 4 Band Receiver | 2 Loudspeakers - YouTube

To make things a bit easier for you to base an informed decision off here are the radio's technical specifications.. available from the Radio 'Museum' of all places ... accessed 18th of September 2023 from, D2603 /00 /02 Radio Philips Hong Kong, build 1982 ?, 22 pictures | Radiomuseum

Unfortunately along the processes of getting married and having children it that meant the poor old radio got forgotten. When I did stumble across it I found that the batteries has leaked acid. Subsequently, the plastic base of the radio case was fused to a shelf in my old less than waterproof old shed. Prior to getting married that radio was my only link to the outside world when I lived in a caravan park at Queen Mary Falls in Queensland. I spent hours tuning into overseas broadcasts and I really enjoyed it.

My wife and I have been empty-nester's for some years now, and I finished my studies last year. This means that I have some of that stuff called 'spare time' on my hands. I would like to be able to tune in again to overseas broadcasts. My poor old Phillips D2603 radio stayed on the same shelf in the same less than waterproof shed that I broke it free from probably a couple of decades ago now. So, even without considering its lack of a base to its case, the whole radio's condition can only be described as 'very sad'. Not something another party I cohabit with might consider being suitable for being located inside the house.

One of the things I used to really enjoy about Phillips D2603 was it having dials that needed to be manually turned. So when you learned radio enthusiasts start making recommendations could you please consider radios with the now old fashioned dials that need to be physically turned. Not the modern digital tuner type of stuff. You know the supposedly 'smart' and more 'convenient' automatic tuning features.

Yes - I can be a demanding sort of sod - sometimes. By the way, at the time I discovered the state of the radio I played safe and did not hook the set up to 240 volts. Just out of interest, I am off to track down some D-Cell batteries to check to see if the old radio still works.

Kind regards
Lionel

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Re the Station Selector, I recall that in my experience the Tuner was attached to the knob via an Elastic BAND "type" of belt & that in turn rotated the Tuner. You may have already checked this but worth looking at.
All those years on it would be a miracle if said belt if fitted it wouldn't be be in one piece or even capable of gripping it's "pullies"

Good luck with getting it mobile again Lionel, it doesn't deserve the misc junk skip yet.

Hope this helps.

Also relevant to this thread, I was at an auction on Sunday. One of the lots sold, which I did not bid on, included amongst a lot of other stuff, a cardboard box containing the remains of a home made crystal set, built on a wooden baseboard with a front panel cut from a plywood butterbox - as shown by the printing on it. It was similar to the one me and my brother built in the 1940s.

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Originally Posted by JDNSW

Also relevant to this thread, I was at an auction on Sunday. One of the lots sold, which I did not bid on, included amongst a lot of other stuff, a cardboard box containing the remains of a home made crystal set, built on a wooden baseboard with a front panel cut from a plywood butterbox - as shown by the printing on it. It was similar to the one me and my brother built in the 1940s.

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Hello John,

Very relevant John. I think it was a rite of passage for males to experiment with crystal radio sets in their youth. This included my first decade of life being the 1960s. I helped my older brother - okay looking back with the benefit of hindsight - I probably hinder my brother with his interest in crystal radios. My elder brother was born in the late 1950s. Years later at a time when I still had not found my vocational niche, I was working as a Trades Assistant and the local electronics electrical appliance repair shop. My shop manager was a radio nut. He mentioned that at the time - the mid-1980s, there were international competitions where different radio enthusiasts competed in building crystal radio sets. The winners produced sets that had the greatest range of reception and the best sound quality. All this had to be done within the guidelines of using components traditionally associated with building crystal radio set. No, I did not become one of these crystal radio enthusiasts.

Kind regards
Lionel

Hi Lionel et. al.

When I think of my first crystal set I made 60+ years ago a diode with the number BC108 comes to mind. Am I correct?

Listening to the radio on Sunday nights in Hobart, the two detective shows I remember were "Spiral Ten" and "Hunt The Man Down", the latter having very scary theme music. Anyone else remember them?

Peter

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Originally Posted by TasD90

Hi Lionel et. al.

When I think of my first crystal set I made 60+ years ago a diode with the number BC108 comes to mind. Am I correct?

Listening to the radio on Sunday nights in Hobart, the two detective shows I remember were "Spiral Ten" and "Hunt The Man Down", the latter having very scary theme music. Anyone else remember them?

Peter

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Hello Peter,

I cannot recall much of the components in the crystal radio set that I was hindering my elder bother with. I went online and found this link ... Accessed 20th September 2023 from, How to make a batteryless (crystal set) radio - BuildCircuit.COM. It includes a parts list and circuit diagram. From memory the international crystal radio competitions required the competitor to build as much of the components by hand from things like a roll of copper wire. A core that they made themselves so they could wrap the wire around it. So not a case of buying a set of off the shelf components.

Kind regards
Lionel