Grundig yacht boy 210

[mark pirate]

Hi all, Yet another set saved I found this set at the local tip & knowing they were grundig's flagship model, i chucked it in the back of the car.
On getting home i was suprised that it had batteries in it & was working!
Apart from squirting crackly pushbuttons with servisol, no other electrical work was needed, cosmetically however it was not so good, the tone knob
was missing & the volume knob had been broken & badly glued together.
Luckily the fm aerial was fine, the case was filthy & the bright work had suffered from damp storage & the black painted area round the tuning knob was very worn, it also had the old bbc 'triangle' stickers on the dial, which added to it's rough appearance.
So to work, the case responded well to toothbrush & some washing up liquid,
as did the speaker grille, getting the bbc stickers off the dial wore out my fingernails & took about 20 minutes! The brightwork cleaned up well with a little solvol chrome cleaner.
As i cleaned the set the black paint round the tuning knob came off in chunks!
so i removed every last trace of it, in fact it looks so good now i will leave it like this! I had already found some matching knobs for volume & tone,these along with the tuning knob were cleaned using a toothbrush, Finaly the set was given a good polish with mr sheen.
This set will never be mint, but it now looks pretty good & sounds lovely.

Mark

[mark pirate]

And here are the after photos

[Nickthedentist]

Incredible transformation, Mark.

And well saved too, it's tragic to think how many lovely things like this must get destroyed every day

[paulsherwin]

That's an excellent job from unpromising beginnings, and the knobs look good too despite not being strictly correct. These sets are well worth repairing and returning to use even if a full restoration is impossible, as they are excellent performers and make good everyday sets for the kitchen, bathroom or workshop.

I take it you've found the push-pull bass boost on the tone control. I've heard several people complain that these radios are excessively bassy, not realising the bass boost could be switched out

If there is any hint of distorion at low volumes it is well worth checking the O/P transistor quiescent current as described in the service data. Mine was quite a long way out and the radio sounded much better after adjustment.

Paul

[mark pirate]

Thanks for the replies chaps, Nick, i am always on the alert for something worth saving when i visit the tip this set was far too good for landfill.
Paul,

I take it you've found the push-pull bass boost on the tone control. I've heard several people complain that these radios are excessively bassy, not realising the bass boost could be switched out

I agree that they can sound bassy, but nice at low volume though
As for low volume distortion, no probs here, electrically the set is fine.
I am quite happy with the cosmetic condition, and the replacement knobs
look 'right' for the set, i am also pleased with the finish of the front panel,
I was going to re-spray it's black part but think it looks better without it.
The only thing missing is the little red tuning markers, but as you say, it
will make a good everyday set, just found a 'wall wart' in the workshop to run it from the mains...

Mark

[geofy]

Originally Posted by mark pirate

I agree that they can sound bassy, but nice at low volume thoughMark

This is why I carried out the mod (link below) to my Yacht Boy 210 which I bought brand new and is still in as good a cosmetic condition as when I first bought it. I also have full circuits for it, supplied with the set.

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=22801

Because it has a directly coupled (apart from the output capacitor) push pull audio amplifier and a 1000uF output cap it can give very good sound especially on FM.

It can also be used as a gram/tape amp if the MW and LW buttons are pressed down together.

A lucky find, well done in restoring it, looks good, can't believe what some throw away

Geof

[Radio_Dave]

Originally Posted by mark pirate

I was going to re-spray it's black part but think it looks better without it.

If you change your mind here's a couple of images that I used to make water slide transfers for my tatty 210

David

[Andy - G8MNM]

Having read this post I was prompted to dig out my Yacht Boy (it came from a boot sale many years ago)

It doesn't have a wood effect speaker grill but an aluminium one with tiny holes in it.
The volume and treble are marked in German and English. I don't know if that is usual?
It is in very good cosmetic condition, it just awaits being powered up and tested.
Finally thanks Paul mentioning the bass push-pull function on the treble switch, I didn't know it was there!

Andy

[paulsherwin]

Originally Posted by andyvandy

It doesn't have a wood effect speaker grill but an aluminium one with tiny holes in it.

There were two variants, one with the fake wood and the other silver like yours. I also have one of the silver ones. Neither design is particularly rare though all YB 210s are sought after and usually fetch good prices on eBay.

Paul

[Andy - G8MNM]

Paul,

One went recently for around £75.

Is it usual for the control markings to be in English and German?

Andy

[paulsherwin]

Originally Posted by andyvandy

Is it usual for the control markings to be in English and German?

Yes.

Paul

[GJR 11L]

Originally Posted by mark pirate

.....The only thing missing is the little red tuning markers.....

I bought one of mine with none present, but after having had a few more through my hands, including one whose station markers all came in the original, little envelope that sits in the compartment where the mains lead and plug stay.
They provided 20 of them in the envelope and it was up to the buyer to decide how many and in what order to fit them, of those 20, 12 (6 red, 6 green) are now on my YB210, the others are still in the envelope for the inevitable next time I buy one that has some missing.

[mark pirate]

Hi Dave, thanks for the Images in post #7 i will use the scan of the pushbutton text as mine is a bit worn
I have been using the set for a couple of days now, and i am more than happy with it, now it's been restored, it is allowed to live in the house

Mark