Record Players in Cars - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Pamphonica · 25th Jan 2023, 3:40 pm

A nice little summary of the brief popularity of record players in (American) cars.
https://www.lelandwest.com/blog/list...layers-in-cars
-Jeremy

G6Tanuki · 25th Jan 2023, 3:44 pm

I wonder what the tracking-weight was on those?

Pamphonica · 25th Jan 2023, 4:02 pm

It depends if you want to drive on backroads while listening! Roads in the US are not in good repair so I can't see this idea catching on again any time soon.

Paul_RK · 25th Jan 2023, 4:43 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by G6Tanuki

I wonder what the tracking-weight was on those?

The last one mentioned is the Norelco Auto-Mignon, which would be the Philips unit whose mechanism was also used in the portable AG9123: I've seen the tracking weight of those quoted as 11g. High, but not immediately devastating to a mono 45.

Paul

John10b · 25th Jan 2023, 7:53 pm

This brings back happy memories. My three best pals and I drove up to Blackpool for a weeks holiday in the sixties. The car didn’t have a radio fitted but one of my pals had a portable record player and some hit 45 records.

It worked mostly OK but we soon got fed up of the records jumping as we went over bumps, happy days.

John

plaka78 · 25th Jan 2023, 9:25 pm

I got Philips one in at the moment for repair and to interface to a period Radio, this will be the forth that I have restored and modify a period radio for them to work. Very popular with the classic car boys

Analogue man · 25th Jan 2023, 11:07 pm

I can remember a friend having one back in the very early 1970's, I can't remember the make but the tracking weight was probably measured in pounds, a spring held the stylus down on the record!

kirstyd · 28th Jan 2023, 7:44 pm

going slightly off topic .back in the late 70s i was in the merchant navy and my main source of music was my then not that old hacker gondolier .Of Course the thing would not work properly on a rolling ship that is until the engineer made me a plinth with long spring on each corner .this was hung from the ceiling in my cabin and it worked perfectly even in rough weather .It was quite an alarming site to see the ship roll one way while the hanging Hacker stayed more or less where it was

emeritus · 28th Jan 2023, 8:39 pm

That springing is actually probably relevant. My understanding is that older US-designed cars usually have much looser springing than cars designed for European roads in order to cope with dirt roads, so a player in a US car driven on a tarmac road wouldn't have been subjected to the same levels of impact as a European one.

25th Jan 2023, 3:40 pm	#1
Pamphonica Nonode Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Virginia Water, Surrey, UK. Posts: 2,876	Record Players in Cars A nice little summary of the brief popularity of record players in (American) cars. https://www.lelandwest.com/blog/list...layers-in-cars -Jeremy __________________ Jeremy, G8MLK, BVWTVM Friend, VMARS, BVWS Secretary. www.pamphonic.co.uk www.bttt.org.uk

25th Jan 2023, 3:44 pm	#2
G6Tanuki Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Wiltshire, UK. Posts: 13,996	Re: Record Players in Cars I wonder what the tracking-weight was on those? __________________ I'm the Operator of my Pocket Calculator. -Kraftwerk.

25th Jan 2023, 4:02 pm	#3
Pamphonica Nonode Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Virginia Water, Surrey, UK. Posts: 2,876	Re: Record Players in Cars It depends if you want to drive on backroads while listening! Roads in the US are not in good repair so I can't see this idea catching on again any time soon. __________________ Jeremy, G8MLK, BVWTVM Friend, VMARS, BVWS Secretary. www.pamphonic.co.uk www.bttt.org.uk

25th Jan 2023, 7:53 pm	#5
John10b Nonode Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: Aberaeron, Ceredigion, Wales, UK. Posts: 2,882	Re: Record Players in Cars This brings back happy memories. My three best pals and I drove up to Blackpool for a weeks holiday in the sixties. The car didn’t have a radio fitted but one of my pals had a portable record player and some hit 45 records. It worked mostly OK but we soon got fed up of the records jumping as we went over bumps, happy days. John

25th Jan 2023, 9:25 pm	#6
plaka78 Pentode Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK. Posts: 174	Re: Record Players in Cars I got Philips one in at the moment for repair and to interface to a period Radio, this will be the forth that I have restored and modify a period radio for them to work. Very popular with the classic car boys

25th Jan 2023, 11:07 pm	#7
Analogue man Hexode Join Date: Dec 2020 Location: Raunds, Northamptonshire, UK. Posts: 350	Re: Record Players in Cars I can remember a friend having one back in the very early 1970's, I can't remember the make but the tracking weight was probably measured in pounds, a spring held the stylus down on the record! __________________ Graham

28th Jan 2023, 7:44 pm	#8
kirstyd Heptode Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 902	Re: Record Players in Cars going slightly off topic .back in the late 70s i was in the merchant navy and my main source of music was my then not that old hacker gondolier .Of Course the thing would not work properly on a rolling ship that is until the engineer made me a plinth with long spring on each corner .this was hung from the ceiling in my cabin and it worked perfectly even in rough weather .It was quite an alarming site to see the ship roll one way while the hanging Hacker stayed more or less where it was

28th Jan 2023, 8:39 pm	#9
emeritus Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Brentwood, Essex, UK. Posts: 5,337	Re: Record Players in Cars That springing is actually probably relevant. My understanding is that older US-designed cars usually have much looser springing than cars designed for European roads in order to cope with dirt roads, so a player in a US car driven on a tarmac road wouldn't have been subjected to the same levels of impact as a European one.