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Rediscover your old AM Tube radio.... .
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   Forward Look NON-Technical Discussions -> 1955-1961 Forward Look MoPar General DiscussionMessage format
 
imopar380
Posted 2019-01-13 3:19 PM (#576720)
Subject: Rediscover your old AM Tube radio.... .



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Weather here yesterday (and today too!) was sunny and got to about 13' Celcius 55' F. (Victoria, BC Canada Vancouver Island). Had the car out most of the day and in the afternoon I installed my new RediRad auxiliary Input so I can play Music files and FM through the original Golden Tone AM Radio. Took less than an hour to install. Here's a short video I made showing it working. I got the Sony Music Player with FM receiver from the wife for Christmas. I had bought the Redirad in November and was waiting for a good day to install it. It's a pretty easy and quick installation and the old AM tube radios ( the Golden Tone is a Hybrid transistor/tube radio) have a great warm sound and resonance.

I'm using a Sony Music player with an FM receiver for mine, but you can just as easily use any smart phone that has your music files on it. You just won't get FM reception unless you use a radio app but then you'll have to pay for data usage over your cell network unless you're on WIFI which isn't likely while driving. And for what it's worth, most newer smart phones have an FM receiver built in to receive Broadcast FM, but they're not functional on most phones at this point. I have a Galaxy S-8 which they tell me has an FM Receiver. I downloaded an app called NextRadio, and it just says "We'd love to bring you free local FM radio but NextRadio doesn't have access to the FM receiver in your device. Let your carrier know that you'd like to listen to free FM Radio on your phone with NextRadio".............

YouTube link here to my RediRad installation. https://youtu.be/2SGTpgLspCQ

Ian

Edited by imopar380 2019-01-13 11:01 PM
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56D500boy
Posted 2019-01-13 4:38 PM (#576724 - in reply to #576720)
Subject: RE: Rediscover your old AM Tube radio.... .



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That looks great Ian.

I just checked out a RediRad video and they mention US$129 for 12V and US$149 for 6V. The hook-up looks simple.

The video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwScNJUu8Rc

I still like my Aurora Designs conversion but I might have gone down a different path if I knew about RediRad two years ago. The Aurora conversion was probably 4 times as much.

Aurora info:

http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=66851&...



Edited by 56D500boy 2019-01-13 4:40 PM
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imopar380
Posted 2019-01-13 5:17 PM (#576725 - in reply to #576724)
Subject: RE: Rediscover your old AM Tube radio.... .



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56D500boy - 2019-01-13 1:38 PM

That looks great Ian.

I just checked out a RediRad video and they mention US$129 for 12V and US$149 for 6V. The hook-up looks simple.

The video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwScNJUu8Rc

I still like my Aurora Designs conversion but I might have gone down a different path if I knew about RediRad two years ago. The Aurora conversion was probably 4 times as much.

Aurora info:

http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=66851&...

:)


The price on the RediRad has come down since that video you saw. I got mine for $100.00 US, and I ordered 2 units, one for Chris (Islander_62) as well.
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hemidenis
Posted 2019-01-13 9:24 PM (#576749 - in reply to #576720)
Subject: Re: Rediscover your old AM Tube radio.... .



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the Am reception of these dinosaurs is amazing. Modern AM radios are not as powerful as the old AM since that power was based in a rustic design without compromise of power consumption and size of the radio itself, which was the 50’-60s way of thinking. The quality of sound is awful though, and the RediRad will not change that.
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imopar380
Posted 2019-01-13 10:54 PM (#576753 - in reply to #576749)
Subject: Re: Rediscover your old AM Tube radio.... .



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Personally Denis, I think those old tube radios have quite a warm sound, given what they are. You're radio conversions, by the way are simply amazing but I have other priorities for spending so the radio conversion isn't really an option for me.

Edited by imopar380 2019-01-13 10:55 PM
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R41HP
Posted 2019-01-14 1:41 AM (#576756 - in reply to #576720)
Subject: Re: Rediscover your old AM Tube radio.... .


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Interesting option, Ian. I've been lucky enough to have a functioning Golden Tone in my '61 for the last 31+ years. I too appreciate the warm sound (the golden tone?) I consider it part of the experience of the car. I've been told the appropriate type of speaker is a factor as well. But we all know there's not a lot to listen to on AM these days. A friend of mine just took his '60 Golden Tone to an old timer repair guy in the last week or two in hopes of getting it working - he was told it was shorted out and he's going with a conversion that has the original face
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hemidenis
Posted 2019-01-14 5:00 PM (#576773 - in reply to #576720)
Subject: Re: Rediscover your old AM Tube radio.... .



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Yes Ian, I agree it is something something about them, it is magical when you hear them play for the first time, it is like the car could talk, same as the old B/W Tvs. However I prefer a 55" TV and the cable box with the remote control.
It is nothing to hear on AM, maybe Spanish lessons?...














Edited by hemidenis 2019-01-14 5:21 PM
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58 DESOTOS RULE
Posted 2019-01-29 11:12 AM (#577561 - in reply to #576720)
Subject: RE: Rediscover your old AM Tube radio.... .



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For what it's worth, these days there isn't a lot of variety of programming still being broadcast on the AM band in the US. It's mainly talk (political) and sports now. For that reason, on long distance drives I listen to my mp3 files from my Sony Walkman hooked up to my car radio through the AUX input. Very restful. Canadians on the other hand, might still get the odd radio drama being offered on CBC Radio on the AM band so that would be worth fixing an old AM radio to hear.



Edited by 58 DESOTOS RULE 2019-01-29 11:16 AM
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mikes2nd
Posted 2019-01-29 1:14 PM (#577564 - in reply to #576720)
Subject: Re: Rediscover your old AM Tube radio.... .


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100$ isn't to bad. I may have to check it out.

I laugh when these guys charge 500$ to put a 10$ reciever in a old radio..
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1959Dodge
Posted 2019-01-29 4:33 PM (#577576 - in reply to #576720)
Subject: RE: Rediscover your old AM Tube radio.... .



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I've had the RediRad in my 1958 Chrysler New Yorker convertible for 4 or 5 years now,
and it continues to work and sound great..I use either my Sony Walkman or my
Samsung 2014 tablet to hook up to th Redirad and listen to the music files.

The "Golden Tones", (vacuum tube sounds), however can only be heard on 1956 radios and earlier.

In 1957 Chrysler Corp (Mopar) switched to "Hybrid radios".
All of the radio used vacuum tubes, EXCEPT the output driver for the speaker.
The output device for the speaker/speakers was a transistor.
In the cheaper, (5 button radios), the output was a single power transistor.
In the 7 button radios, (with the search tune), the output was 2 transistors in a "Push Pull" configuration.

The push pull config, not only had more power but also much less distortion, particularly at loud levels,
and it did indeed sound pretty good. (I switched from the 5 button to the 7 button in my 57 Desoto).

So, I'm sorry to disappoint here, but no "Golden Tones", after 1956.
I still very highly recommend the RediRad radio though.

Also, those that did have car radios of 1956 or before, the better ones did indeed have a "Golden tone"
The better quality ones used two output tubes in a push pull arrangement to drive the speakers.
The radios were really a lot better than the speakers, sound wise.
In fact my first "Hi Fi" was the radio from my 1950 Dodge, hooked up to a 6 volt transformerand a great big
hifi speaker. I could "bring the house down" with that!!!

Gary
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