Care and Feeding of a Radio?

[Steve Green NEPA]

The very nice GE Superadio II I got as a birthday gift in 1993 continues to serve well as a DX magnet. I used it down in Florida in late October and, aside from that $#@!!*&!! on-off switch, it pulled in a lot of sonically nice DX for the casette deck -- including a few TA hets.

Aside from the obvious, such as avoiding extreme temperatures, not leaving it out in a downpour, nor trying to clean it in a dishwasher, is there any known proactive maintenance for such radios? Would constant use be one?

 

[musichead1029]

I have 3 Superadio IIs (along with a Superadio III) and other than cleaning the pots with some spray once in awhile, I haven't had any problems. One or two compatriots have had a II go dead on them, but not I. Other decent DXers are the C.Crane CCRadio for AM (I have the original version, but I understand that the II is at least as good). The CCRadio does seem to get overloaded if you have a nearby local signal which makes the Superadio still the king in my mind, but the CC has the advantage of being digital.

Also worthy of consideration, the Sony XDRF1HD tuner which tunes AM and FM HD stations, but is also good at pulling in analog signals. I'll reserve an unqualified recommendation until I've used it in several environments, but it's promising. If I can fit my Probe 9 and rotator in the attic, I'll really be able to give it a workout out locally. (Took all my housetop accoutrements down - antenna, satellite dish - when the roof was redone a few years back).

Now what is this "cassette" thing you speak of? I have old DAT and Minidisc decks starting to gather dust, but a dedicated MP3 recorder and laptop stay busy.

The question is, are several hundred cassettes recyclable?

 

[Steve_Green]

Hya Music ...... Thanks for the response. I'd almost forgotten that I'd posted it -- from November two years ago.

The GE SR II has worked great since then, thank you. And the on-off switch continues to be faithfully balky. There's a certain consistency there.

On casettes: I just recently started transferring them into mp3 file form and stowing them on a flash drive. With them being recorded from numerous sources (pro equipment and consumer eqmt) I'd figured that the best I could hope to do as a prep was tweaking the azimuth and swabbing the parts on the deck, and running them FF and rewind to dislodge anything that might have lodged.

Thing is, after downloading them onto Cool Edit Pro, I've been able to add EQ (more treble) after the fact. The first few were a little overdone, so I had to make an adjustment here and there. I didn't know much could be done extracting audio that way, but I'm pleased with the result.

 

[danikayser84]

I had a close call with leaking batteries in a Grundig S350... when I tried to turn it on, it shut off almost immediately and I rushed to get the batteries out. Cleaned it out and it still works great (it was mostly in the middle of the compartment and not at the ends)

So, I'd have to say: Always make sure that your batteries are a high quality brand, and check them regularly.

 

[dxer720]

I have an 11-year-old CCRadio that still receives great. But I think it may be time to dump it, as it has the display problem, with some number segments working intermittently. Still a great receiver, though.

 

[RadioFixerCLE]

I have an 11-year-old CCRadio that still receives great. But I think it may be time to dump it, as it has the display problem, with some number segments working intermittently. Still a great receiver, though.

Don't dump it! CC_Radio can/will fix the problem. Don't know how much they'll charge, but I'm sure it'll be less than buying a new one. And if they can't, you can always tune by ear.

A few months back I found a CC-Radio Plus at a junkyard for five dollars. It lights up but otherwise is totally dead. I'm thinking of sending it in for repairs (it's beyond my capabilities). Even if it costs $50, I still come out ahead.

If you still wanna dump it, I'll be happy to take that pesky radio off your hands..... 8) ;D

 

[FreddyE1977]

Having a collection of old radios going back to the late 30's, I can tell you that eventually age
catches up to them, even if you just let them sit in a corner turned off and unplugged with no batteries.
Resistor values will change with age, and eventually you have to replace them all (called a "recap").
It is fairly expensive if you are not capable of doing it yourself. I suspect some of the other electronic
components will degrade simply from age as well. But I would not think this disease would affect a
'93 Superadio for another twenty years at least.

 

[radioman148]

Having a collection of old radios going back to the late 30's, I can tell you that eventually age
catches up to them, even if you just let them sit in a corner turned off and unplugged with no batteries.
Resistor values will change with age, and eventually you have to replace them all (called a "recap").
It is fairly expensive if you are not capable of doing it yourself. I suspect some of the other electronic
components will degrade simply from age as well. But I would not think this disease would affect a
'93 Superadio for another twenty years at least.

I have a Zenith Trans Oceanic that's 50 years old and still works well thanks to a member of this board that refurbished it for me.
It doesn't have all the bells & whistles of the modern radios, but it works well and I still use it.

 

[kilokat7]

I have a Zenith Trans Oceanic that's 50 years old and still works well thanks to a member of this board that refurbished it for me.
It doesn't have all the bells & whistles of the modern radios, but it works well and I still use it.

May I ask who the restorer is? I first caught the medium wave DXing bug back in the 80s using a Zenith Transoceanic 8G005Y (catching KFI was a big thrill during the wee morning hours). Anyway I still have the radio but would love to get the electronics restored by someone skilled in restoring Transoceanics. A lot of good memories using that radio...

 

[radioman148]

I have a Zenith Trans Oceanic that's 50 years old and still works well thanks to a member of this board that refurbished it for me.
It doesn't have all the bells & whistles of the modern radios, but it works well and I still use it.

May I ask who the restorer is? I first caught the medium wave DXing bug back in the 80s using a Zenith Transoceanic 8G005Y (catching KFI was a big thrill during the wee morning hours). Anyway I still have the radio but would love to get the electronics restored by someone skilled in restoring Transoceanics. A lot of good memories using that radio...

I'll send you a PM with the info.

 

[dxer720]

I've also got an original 11-year-old CCRadio. It developed the display problem about 2 years ago. I'll still use it when it behaves. It truly is the one of the best AM radios out there.

I also have a Sony XDR-S10HDiP connected to a Terk Advantage AM loop antenna that really pulls in the signals. The FM works well on a set of rabbit ears.

The CCRadio is the best portable for AM.

 

[radioman148]

I've also got an original 11-year-old CCRadio. It developed the display problem about 2 years ago. I'll still use it when it behaves. It truly is the one of the best AM radios out there.

I also have a Sony XDR-S10HDiP connected to a Terk Advantage AM loop antenna that really pulls in the signals. The FM works well on a set of rabbit ears.

The CCRadio is the best portable for AM.

Agreed, the CC Radio has been a fine performer for me.

 

[cd637299]

I think that my Superadio II is giving up the ghost. Too much "friction" and the needle doesn't stay on frequency.

Would that new Tecsun help me forget about the II? ????

cd

 

[MarioMania]

Why is this in DX and Reception??

 

[cd637299]

Why is this in DX and Reception??

I'd say, because DXers abuse radios! I am guilty.....

There are 2 radios that I've used so much that they seem to have lost their sensitivity....or something.

cd

 

[radioman148]

Why is this in DX and Reception??

Because radios like these are good for DXing.

 

[RadioFixerCLE]

I think that my Superadio II is giving up the ghost. Too much "friction" and the needle doesn't stay on frequency.

Don't get rid of your radio just yet!

It sounds like the dial cord is slipping - you could replace the string, although it's a tedious process. A radio/TV repair place in your area could probably sort it out for you (especially an older, more established place).

Here's a website with tech details on the Superadio series: http://earmark.net/gesr/

 

[Dighton Rockhead]

The GE Superadio II $#@!!*&!! on-off switch

I second that emotion about the on-off switch! It gave out on my Superadio II years ago, and was replaced by a simple toggle switch which does the job just fine.

As for reception, it's still gang-busters on AM, but for FM.....oddly enough....I find my ancient early 1960's 8-tube Zenith H-845 table radio a much better performer. The Superadio II seems more prone to multi-path than the old Zenith.