Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: CAR SHORTWAVE RADIOS  (Read 543 times)

K1QQQ

  • Member
  • Posts: 467
CAR SHORTWAVE RADIOS
« on: March 14, 2023, 03:05:54 AM »

Did not shortwave car radios get scarce ? I have not kept up to it.

One here...


https://www.ebay.com/itm/254054590057

I saw one on Aliexpress (not the one on link above) and decided to snoop. Pioneer makes good radios. Aliexpress if I could find it again is Chinese 'unknown'.


Wonder why car radios never get mentioned with listeners. Many are terrific for AM BCB.  For me I have used Alpine radios. GOOD sensitivity on AM and they did  post specifications when others  omitted such. BUT 2023 ?

Alpine never failed me. Sitting in cars forever through heat and cold.

ps...link to that portable that I mentioned in another thread..they quality control everything ? Same factory ?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/325517907905?hash=item4bca6117c1:g:r2IAAOSw0E9jkAl3



BUT I thought that v115 was a small portable digital that could be useful just to listen that seems a little better than others in price class. Even record. Maybe the Chinese will re-populate shortwave listeners although it seems SW poor on most of the radios. 5 million watts aimed at your home , etc. I stumbled across (others way before me) it with them on sales of $10,11.12 dollars...


« Last Edit: March 14, 2023, 03:26:31 AM by K1QQQ »
Logged

SWMAN

  • Posts: 2116
    • HomeURL
Re: CAR SHORTWAVE RADIOS
« Reply #1 on: March 14, 2023, 05:12:44 AM »

 Great deal, 10 thousand dollars for a portable radio. 
Logged

W3PX

  • Posts: 190
    • HomeURL
Re: CAR SHORTWAVE RADIOS
« Reply #2 on: March 14, 2023, 05:29:21 AM »

Great deal, 10 thousand dollars for a portable radio.

The auction is for quantity 500.
Logged
"So, we just went ahead and fixed the glitch" - Bob Slydell

"I’d say in any given week I probably only do about fifteen minutes of real, actual, work" - Peter Gibbons

NA4IT

  • Member
  • Posts: 363
    • HomeURL
Re: CAR SHORTWAVE RADIOS
« Reply #3 on: March 14, 2023, 05:41:16 AM »

Interesting enough, I was watch a show and they showed an 50's era Cadillac or Oldsmobile. It had an in dash General Motors shortwave radio. The dial face had 5 or 6 shortwave bands on it. This wasn't some add on, but a factory installed, in dash radio. I've tried to find a picture, but no luck.
Logged

WC4R

  • Posts: 85
    • Home URL
Re: CAR SHORTWAVE RADIOS
« Reply #4 on: March 14, 2023, 07:01:44 AM »

Very common in Europe and many places outside the USA. LW band too is popular.
Logged

WA9AFM

  • Member
  • Posts: 977
Re: CAR SHORTWAVE RADIOS
« Reply #5 on: March 14, 2023, 07:38:22 AM »

When I was stationed in Iceland, I had a Daihatsu Charade (3 cylinder, yes 3 cylinder) scoot-mobile.  The radio had two bands; standard broadcast and SW.  Listened to some SW stationed out of Europe on occasion.
Logged

KD4S

  • Member
  • Posts: 14
Re: CAR SHORTWAVE RADIOS
« Reply #6 on: March 14, 2023, 08:54:57 AM »

I was surprised to see the post about shortwave radios in GM cars. My mother was one of the first employees of Delco Radio in Kokomo, IN. GM bought the Crosley radio plant there in 1935. My Dad started working there in 1951. I worked at Delco Radio as an engineer starting in 1964 and retired in 2007. I never heard of Delco Radio making a shortwave radio. So, I Googled and found this:

http://toms427impala.info/CT/65MultiplexBAJones.pdf

A few may have been made by a company other than Delco Radio as an experiment. But, in those days, all radios for GM cars were made in Kokomo. That is all gone now but I remember when they made 14,000 radios per day.

73, Dick, KD4S
Logged

KU4UV

  • Member
  • Posts: 514
Re: CAR SHORTWAVE RADIOS
« Reply #7 on: March 14, 2023, 12:15:05 PM »

Car stereos that have the shortwave bands are hard to find these days, probably because there isn't a huge market for them.  From what I understand, Porsches used to have Blaupunkt radios in them that had the shortwave bands.  My brother has a Pioneer shortwave car stereo in his truck.  They are nice for listening to programs when traveling long distances, because you don't have to worry about the signals fading out.

73,
KU4UV
« Last Edit: March 14, 2023, 12:17:49 PM by KU4UV »
Logged

KA4DPO

  • Member
  • Posts: 1591
Re: CAR SHORTWAVE RADIOS
« Reply #8 on: March 14, 2023, 02:28:11 PM »

Years ago, I had a Gonset Super Six, short wave converter in my car.  That thing worked like a million bucks, even copied CW and SSB. I used to listen to the fishing boats around 2.3 MC on USB.  That was around 1967 or 68.
Logged

K5LXP

  • Member
  • Posts: 6820
    • homeURL
Re: CAR SHORTWAVE RADIOS
« Reply #9 on: March 15, 2023, 06:30:00 PM »

Years ago I saw a Motorola shortwave car radio at a hamfest.  At the time I worked for Motorola and I'd never seen anything like it before, and as it turned out, since.  Even google doesn't turn up a mention of it.  Date code is 1982, and instead of a tuning capacitor it uses coil and a moveable slug. 



Mark K5LXP
Albuquerque, NM
Logged

N8YX

  • Member
  • Posts: 2449
Re: CAR SHORTWAVE RADIOS
« Reply #10 on: March 16, 2023, 06:40:54 AM »

Philips DC-777 is a good one to keep an eye out for.

I class these with the AM/FM/CB in-dash sets - very unique pieces of history. Not on par with any high-end general-coverage receiver but perfectly useful for mobile SWBC reception.
Logged

AA4HA

  • Member
  • Posts: 2689
Re: CAR SHORTWAVE RADIOS
« Reply #11 on: March 16, 2023, 09:27:51 AM »

I had a klunky, old Mercedes diesel car when I was in university. It had a Becker Europa radio that had the shortwave bands; We could sometimes get broadcasts at night when we are on road trips.
Logged
Ms. Tisha Hayes, AA4HA
Lookout Mountain, Alabama

K1QQQ

  • Member
  • Posts: 467
Re: CAR SHORTWAVE RADIOS
« Reply #12 on: March 24, 2023, 10:19:13 AM »

I have sort of been away from radio listening especially shortwave. (do amateur radio instead)  -- still interesting. I liked to surf things like the Tropical Band? I think it was, (?) 2mhz ? If a signal was coming through you would hear its two tones. -- on my old Hammarlunds -- I think South America had some stations.

I seem to recall shortwave on car radios were getting rare so I posted that link.

Not too much attention on car radios but many were excellent as to AM BCB. I think shortwave and LW especially is getting kind of scarce. Maybe all this new cold war atmosphere might re-generate some interest.

There even used to be many stations on split frequency in this hemishphere. Like St Pierre and Miquelon on 1375 ?? khz. Used to listen to it from Connecticut mornings. Hammarlunds used to make good receivers in that area. I would just un-scientific collect as much wire as possible for antennas. 100 foot trees and 1000 foot wires etc. Old AM'ers like KSL 1160 would peg the s meter here. (Connecticut) 820 WBAP Dallas  WAOI San Antonia WWL New Orleans was a normal pest. Prior to FCC filling up everything with interference.

Many AMers going under these days as the antenna etc. costs more than the station is worth. (new Condo's ?)

o--to show how out of touch I am ? That post about cheap Chinese radios 2023. I stumbled across that v115 and said -- not too bad ? I was not aware many many were observing that in last several years. It just seems convenient..digital and not bad..AM not toooo terrible and FM digital and not bad. Record. I stumbled across $11-$12 price until I realized that they raised it every time I viewed the price. All radios seem to be going up in price. ETON !!!! I think Sangean is the best buy.

Tecsun. They seem to have a million models. In my playing with the portables I surfed around (in present tme) and then went to a Tecsun 880 and dynamite to recieve just the FM and stations in between the strong ones. (selectivity)  880 seems like a nice radio but of course I do not know how long the things last. Sangean been around for a long time ? ETON?/GRUNDIG was German company.

2023..it does seem cheap Chinese can be ok on FM and even sound good...

I used to observe/buy radios from places like GoodWill. Years. Rich ? NO. They only cost $3 or less. Brand New Boom Boxes when people were giving up radios as being 'not in fashion'. Eventually where does one store these things  ??!!!  Time to use ? An observation though. The brands that would show up those years later ? RARE oddball brands. A lot of SONY. Not much else. Magnavox,Aiwa,Panasonic.. -- but Sony sony sony.. (I heard they made all the parts themselves)

I guess that is about it. Post more and somebody will jump in and scream TROLL. Sometimes I try to post things that might bring a response (s) that are interesting and informative. BUT-post the same question twice in 6 months ? TROLL TROLL by the crowd that seems to never have an email address or a call sign or ? that lives in these forums 24/7/365. Ask a battery question twice in 6 months ? (now millions of variables there)

Obstacle 2023 ++++  ??? Save your money and end up owning land/house !!! The  environment is getting terrible anti-radio !!!!!

A new one for the crowd ? Lists of living possibilities that are 'radio freindly' !!!!

ps..I am an expert on nothing !!!!
Logged

N8YX

  • Member
  • Posts: 2449
Re: CAR SHORTWAVE RADIOS
« Reply #13 on: March 24, 2023, 10:45:24 AM »

I have sort of been away from radio listening especially shortwave. (do amateur radio instead)  -- still interesting. I liked to surf things like the Tropical Band? I think it was, (?) 2mhz ? If a signal was coming through you would hear its two tones. -- on my old Hammarlunds -- I think South America had some stations.
The two primary "tropical" bands were 120M (2.3-2.4MHz) and 90M (3.2-3.4MHz). Australia had a couple stations on the 120M band during its heyday and another one was commissioned recently.

90M SWBC activity has migrated up and down the vicinity. 3185KHz is the lowest active frequency I'm aware of at the moment, while 3350KHz yielded a couple stations a few years ago.

Most domestic tropical market stations have gone to local-coverage FMBCB transmitters and their HF operations have fallen silent.
Logged

K1QQQ

  • Member
  • Posts: 467
Re: CAR SHORTWAVE RADIOS
« Reply #14 on: March 24, 2023, 10:59:42 AM »

PS..short one..too late to edit last one...

You-Tube videos ? I think good to get an observation on many things. Example. GE Super_Radio. An expert.(?) A present Chinese radio that sort of looks the same. Compare. Do that forever. At night. The Chinese radio performs a little better. (a $30 radio)

Car Radios ? I think I still sit on a couple models of Radio Shack AM STEREO. The picture posted up the thread //// I think shortwave might still be available in other parts of the world. For even amateur radio if one wants un-blocked something find a merchant elsewhere and observe if they ship to USA etc. I just did it for another HT so get un-blocked cellular. (yaesu vx 6) I don't think anything to listen to 'in cellular' but why blocked ? hmm Japan has 100 volt electricity. I do not think 100 volt would hurt (transformer conversation thing available) but Europe 220/240 volts (?)

Enough....


I do not know what to do with old radios but I try to put electricity into them once and awhile. Then I stick a tag on them giving date 3/23 for reference etc. Parts are often not available if one is a fix-it guru.
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up