Sanyo "sterocast" Transistor radio - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

slidertogrid · 6th Jul 2008, 9:30 pm

This Radio Belongs to a friend who asked me if I could bring it back to its former glory.
He bought it in the mid 70s with his first weeks wages when he left school, he says he didn't get a lot of change!
The radio was a present for his father who had got him the job, but unfortunately the following year his father died suddenly.
Nothing was seen or thought of the radio until it came to light last year when his brother moved out of the family home, it was found in a drawer in his dads shed where it must have been since it was a year or so old.
I removed the rotten batteries ,cleaned the battery contacts put in some new batteries and switched on, Nothing... not a pop not a crackle.
I pulled the set apart and found there was 6 volts one side of the on/off switch and 2 volts on the other side regardless of whether it was on or off.
I cleaned the contacts and tried again, it now worked but the switches and volume control were very noisy and intermittent,the tuning meter was stuck and the tuning gang scraped when tuned. That shed must have been dusty and damp!
I carefully freed off the meter, cleaned the switches and pot which had a protective plastic cover over it presumably to keep out the grot

I carefully cleaned the inside of the tuning window and scale, cleaned the knobs and case and put it back together.
The case responded well to cleaning and a wipe over with "back to black".
It really is a well made little radio and works well for its size, I don't know what "Stereocast" means but its is proudly displayed on the front along with a jet plane motif that says "DJ1500" this isn't the model number as that is on the back (RP600) ??!
The set also has two small sockets on the front labeled "stereo out" but I think this is probably another gimmick of the time!??
Maybe they meant you to use it as half of a simulcast transmission?
Talking of gimmicks it even has a dial light when you press the orange button!!
The tuning gang is still a little scratchy but its OK when tuned in, my friend will have to live with that.
Pictures show before and after and the well made little circuit board.

Rich.

howard · 7th Jul 2008, 10:09 am

Well done Rich

That's a nice little set and it was well worthwhile restoring, especially as it has sentimental value for its owner. You could try quietening down its Mitsumi type tuning capacitor by injecting a little Servisol 10 into it, I've had success doing that with one in a Sony recently. It takes a few hours to settle down after treatment but once the Servisol has dried it should work better.

Howard

Nickthedentist · 7th Jul 2008, 1:07 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by howard

You could try quietening down its Mitsumi type tuning capacitor by injecting a little Servisol 10 into it.

Yes, I have to do this regularly with the little Japanese radio that lives in my bathroom.

As H says, it will have odd effects intially, but all will be well after a few days when the solvent has fully evaporated.

Nick.

slidertogrid · 8th Jul 2008, 3:05 pm

Thanks for the tip I will give it a try. I didn't want to risk ruining the gang as I thought the plastic may be affected. my friend has got it back now and was pleased with the result of its makeover, It is going to be his kitchen radio so a squirt of servisol may help protect it from future problems as well.
I have done a web search to try and find out a bit more about the set, I wanted to find out more about Stereocast but other than one picture of the set I could find nothing, Sanyo must have made thousands, anyone got another?
Does anyone know any thing about stereocast or was it just a 70s gimmick

Rich.

Brian R Pateman · 8th Jul 2008, 3:18 pm

I suspect that the Stereocast might mean that there is a decoder built into the set and a stereo output is available for driving headphones or feeding into an external amplifier.

Sony offered this feature on several models - for example the TFM-110L and the matching STS-110 unit. These were released in 1967, so the period is about right.

Regards,

ben · 8th Jul 2008, 3:33 pm

re:stereocast, somewhere in my junkbox I have a little 'stereocast' box with a jack plug on it and a volume control, I presume it must be an add-on for these units which had one internal speaker to get fm stereo thru headphones?

6th Jul 2008, 9:30 pm	#1
slidertogrid Octode Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK. Posts: 1,898	Sanyo "stereocast" Transistor radio This Radio Belongs to a friend who asked me if I could bring it back to its former glory. He bought it in the mid 70s with his first weeks wages when he left school, he says he didn't get a lot of change! The radio was a present for his father who had got him the job, but unfortunately the following year his father died suddenly. Nothing was seen or thought of the radio until it came to light last year when his brother moved out of the family home, it was found in a drawer in his dads shed where it must have been since it was a year or so old. I removed the rotten batteries ,cleaned the battery contacts put in some new batteries and switched on, Nothing... not a pop not a crackle. I pulled the set apart and found there was 6 volts one side of the on/off switch and 2 volts on the other side regardless of whether it was on or off. I cleaned the contacts and tried again, it now worked but the switches and volume control were very noisy and intermittent,the tuning meter was stuck and the tuning gang scraped when tuned. That shed must have been dusty and damp! I carefully freed off the meter, cleaned the switches and pot which had a protective plastic cover over it presumably to keep out the grot I carefully cleaned the inside of the tuning window and scale, cleaned the knobs and case and put it back together. The case responded well to cleaning and a wipe over with "back to black". It really is a well made little radio and works well for its size, I don't know what "Stereocast" means but its is proudly displayed on the front along with a jet plane motif that says "DJ1500" this isn't the model number as that is on the back (RP600) ??! The set also has two small sockets on the front labeled "stereo out" but I think this is probably another gimmick of the time!?? Maybe they meant you to use it as half of a simulcast transmission? Talking of gimmicks it even has a dial light when you press the orange button!! The tuning gang is still a little scratchy but its OK when tuned in, my friend will have to live with that. Pictures show before and after and the well made little circuit board. Rich. Attached Thumbnails __________________ The rotation of the earth really makes my day... Last edited by slidertogrid; 6th Jul 2008 at 9:45 pm. Reason: spelling!

7th Jul 2008, 10:09 am	#2
howard Nonode Join Date: May 2005 Location: Godalming, Surrey, UK. Posts: 2,593	Re: Sanyo "sterocast" Transistor radio Well done Rich That's a nice little set and it was well worthwhile restoring, especially as it has sentimental value for its owner. You could try quietening down its Mitsumi type tuning capacitor by injecting a little Servisol 10 into it, I've had success doing that with one in a Sony recently. It takes a few hours to settle down after treatment but once the Servisol has dried it should work better. Howard Last edited by howard; 7th Jul 2008 at 10:24 am.

8th Jul 2008, 3:05 pm	#4
slidertogrid Octode Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK. Posts: 1,898	Re: Sanyo "sterocast" Transistor radio Thanks for the tip I will give it a try. I didn't want to risk ruining the gang as I thought the plastic may be affected. my friend has got it back now and was pleased with the result of its makeover, It is going to be his kitchen radio so a squirt of servisol may help protect it from future problems as well. I have done a web search to try and find out a bit more about the set, I wanted to find out more about Stereocast but other than one picture of the set I could find nothing, Sanyo must have made thousands, anyone got another? Does anyone know any thing about stereocast or was it just a 70s gimmick Rich. __________________ The rotation of the earth really makes my day...

8th Jul 2008, 3:18 pm	#5
Brian R Pateman Nonode Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Western Lake District, Cumbria (CA20) - UK Posts: 2,136	Re: Sanyo "sterocast" Transistor radio I suspect that the Stereocast might mean that there is a decoder built into the set and a stereo output is available for driving headphones or feeding into an external amplifier. Sony offered this feature on several models - for example the TFM-110L and the matching STS-110 unit. These were released in 1967, so the period is about right. Regards, __________________ Brian

8th Jul 2008, 3:33 pm	#6
ben Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Madrid, Spain / Wirral, UK Posts: 7,498	Re: Sanyo "sterocast" Transistor radio re:stereocast, somewhere in my junkbox I have a little 'stereocast' box with a jack plug on it and a volume control, I presume it must be an add-on for these units which had one internal speaker to get fm stereo thru headphones?