Grundig 960 USA AM/FM repair

[slidertogrid]

Hi I thought this may be worth a mention as it may be an unusual set this side of the pond!?
The set came into my hands around 15 years ago as a Christmas present, At the time my collection consisted of a few 30s radios a TV22 and a couple of tv sets that were kept mainly for sentimental reasons.
It was bought by a well meaning friend that knew I " liked old radios" .I considered it at the time to be much too late for my collection, but not wishing to appear ungrateful I put the set on a shelf and from time to time used it, the Am reception was pretty poor however Fm was good and the sound quality admittedly very good.
Other than a quick dust the set received no attention until one day a few years back when switched on it produced a rasping buzz, it was then consigned to the loft,where it remained until yesterday.
I was trying to listen to radio 2 on one of my few fm sets, an Ultra Troubadour. The reception kept fading in and out the cabinet rattled and it was all accompanied by a background hum.
After consigning the Ultra to the bin (joke! ) I dug the Grundig out of the loft, a quick clean and look round the chassis revealed a blue cap split apart, this was replaced but on checking the cap it tested Ok. Just to be sure I connected a test speaker and switched on... immediate rasping hum!
I squinted with suspicion at the rectifier and smoothing capacitor which hides on the end of the chassis, there was a very thin solid unsleeved wire that ran from the rect to the capacitor, where it soldered to the cap was completely devoid of solder and looked as if it had been getting hot.
One bit of wire later and the set worked well.
This was the first time I had ever looked inside and it was then apparent why the Am reception was so poor, no ferrite rod aerial !
I don't know if this is because this is a base model or because it was made for the American market but another ( somewhat longer) bit of wire poked into the AM aerial socket sorted that out.
I checked a few more of the blue capacitors but they all tested ok so I left them in the set.
I assume this is a base model as there is no magic eye, the window cunningly used as a gradient window for the bass control and despite having two grilles on the sides there are no speakers, the sound is directed from the speaker by two paxolin panels.
What there is of it is well made though.... up to Grundig "old school" values!
The Fm reception is stable and of good quality, it makes the poor old Ultra sound like an angry wasp in a bucket by comparison!
The set originally came from a junk shop in Cambridge, I don't know if it was a cast off from an American airman or if it was an export that went "astray".
The set states on the back that is is suitable for 110-220v but it must have seen a few years use before I owned it and the mains transformer seems to run fairly cool so I wont worry too much about that, it may explain why the dial lamp is bright though!
Attached are some pictures of the dusty chassis, the suspect cap and the set finished, I left the slightly worn gold paint on the front as this was only intended as a repair but I couldn't resist polishing up the badges and knob brights.
I am pleased with this set, it is just a shame it took me so long to appreciate it!
Rich.

[slidertogrid]

One last picture of the finished set.

[howard]

Well done Richard

That's a gorgeous old Grundig set and very similar to my AM only 965WE (no ferrite rod aerial in that either), which has taken up permanent residence in my sitting room now and is in daily use, cos it looks and sounds so good. Have you got any more old Grundigs in your loft ?

Howard

[slidertogrid]

Hi Howard,
glad you like it! It's the only Grundig I have, all of my other sets are the usual British makes with the exception of a huge Nordmende, it is similar to the Grundig in so much as it has piano keys, good sound and build quality, but is about three times the size and has a wood cabinet. no wonder there are no rain forests left
I would guess the Grundig is late 1950s or were the west Germans later in going over to Transistors?
It has a mixture of valve brands Telefunken,Mullard and one unbranded, so I guess it has seen a few replacements during its life.Probably a result of it being used on 240v when it was designed for the 110/220v American mains supply!?
I only know it was made in west Germany as when you switch it the dial light illuminates a sign on the top of the dial glass, they must have been (justifiably) proud of their product!
Rich.

[mark pirate]

Nice set i too dismissed these sets in the past for being to 'modern'.

Have you got any more old Grundigs in your loft ?

After getting a siemens set this week (very grundig-like) i am so impressed
with the quality of sound, i too think my grundig will have to make the trip
from the loft to my workshop

Mark

[howard]

Originally Posted by slidertogrid

.........I would guess the Grundig is late 1950s or were the west Germans later in going over to Transistors?
........... Rich.

The Grundig 960 was built between 1956 and 1957.

Howard

[majoconz]

Hasn't the 960 been 're-issued' as a commemorative Grundig (much like the Bush) made in some Eastern country with just one or two IC's inside it - I believe I've seen a review that doesn't exactly give it a good report!