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Old 21st Feb 2019, 9:59 pm   #1
jonaldo
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Default Transistor radios with dial lights

Hi all,

It's now a few months since I first posted my first message asking you all about which vintage radio would be good for a beginner... needless to say, I've got quite a nice collection now! 3 Hackers (Autocrat, Sovereign 3 and a Hunter), 3 Roberts (R600, RP28 and one from the 80s I can't remember the name of), an ITT, a Silver (Shin-Shirasuna) and an Elftone! I love just popping into the antique shops and charity places to see if they've got anything in! It has to be said though that the Hunter is superb and I find it amazing how something so old sounds so good.

One thing I would like from an aesthetics point though is another transistor with a dial light that stays on. I assume that they would 'waste' the battery and that's the main reason that most transistor radios don't have them on. The Shin-Shirasuna radio has one which can be switched on and off and at night it's a lovely sight and really works well with the sound of the audio... well, in fairness I put the light on and listen to the Hunter!

Is there any makes and models that you know of that have a dial light that can be switched on?

Thanks again all, I've really enjoyed getting into the vintage radios and love reading the posts on here.

Cheers
Jon
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Old 21st Feb 2019, 10:03 pm   #2
AD360 Rob
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Default Re: Transistor radios with dial lights

The Grundig Yacht Boy 210 range had a dial light that was push button operated unless the set was being powered from the mains when it was on all the time. They are quite an imposing set and work well. Sound wise, the bass is very emphasized unless you pull out the tone control knob which cuts it quite dramatically
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Old 21st Feb 2019, 10:13 pm   #3
jonaldo
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Default Re: Transistor radios with dial lights

Thanks - I knew the Yacht Boy had one, but didn't realise it was on all the time if it was mains powered. I'm slightly annoyed at myself as I like a rich bass sound and had the chance to pick up a Yacht Boy a few months ago at an antiques place but hummed-and-arred about it and when I went back to get it, it had gone!
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Old 21st Feb 2019, 10:34 pm   #4
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Default Re: Transistor radios with dial lights

The Roberts New Revival MW/LW/VHF set has dial light which is on all the time and looks really good in the dark. I think it's an update of the R250 that has the aerial on the right and on the New Revival it's on the left and unlike the R250 has a substantial speaker with good rich sound. Sadly most of the ones you see are victims of the dreadful peeling covering material that Roberts used.
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Old 21st Feb 2019, 10:48 pm   #5
Paul_RK
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Default Re: Transistor radios with dial lights

A filament lamp was a very significant extra drain on the batteries of a transistor portable, and transistor portables with mains power supplies were slow to catch on and were few until around 1970. There may be others, but the only 1960s British portable with a dial light that comes to my mind is Dynatron's Nomad DeLuxe, an attempt to extend the life of the aging Nomad design by adding illumination (only while a button was held down) and a little tuning meter.

There are plenty of models to choose from among imported sets toward the higher end of manufacturers' ranges from the late '60s onwards, but most only offered a light that worked while its button was depressed, at least when the set was running from batteries. Various Grundigs, Nordmendes etc.: ITT Touring models: the Astrad Solar, Braun T1000, Philips FM-AM De Luxe and its Pye clone the Piccadilly 6000: numerous larger Sonys and Panasonics.

Paul
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Old 21st Feb 2019, 11:23 pm   #6
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Default Re: Transistor radios with dial lights

The Bush TR102 had a dial light pressing in the tuning knob switched it on.
I have a fairly large Printzsound transistor set I use in the kitchen that has two dial lamps, a tuning meter lamp and waveband indicator lamps. These are switchable, I assume they work when the set is used on batteries but to be honest I have only ever used the set on mains.
I use it every day, not bad for a set bought 10 years ago from a car boot sale for a fiver!
It's quite well made some would say a little flashy.. it sports three telescopic aerials!

Rich
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Old 21st Feb 2019, 11:29 pm   #7
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Default Re: Transistor radios with dial lights

The Soviet Vega Selena range of multiband radios from the 1970s are pretty good sets, and models with built-in mains units have dial lights that stay on when they are mains powered. That said, replacement bulbs can be hard to find, though it is possible to substitute LEDs with a bit of ingenuity.

The problem with these is that they use a unique mains connector plug which is nigh on impossible to source if it is missing.
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Old 21st Feb 2019, 11:51 pm   #8
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Default Re: Transistor radios with dial lights

I had, and may still have, an old and now vintage Soviet made set with a pair of dial lamps that can be used continually on battery power.

It used 4 D cells and the lamps were 2.5 volt 0.06a wired as a series pair.

(these lamps are hard to find, but do still exist, they also fit some eastern block dynamo torches)
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Old 22nd Feb 2019, 12:02 am   #9
Thyristor
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Default Re: Transistor radios with dial lights

The Sony ICF-8900L has a 'press to illuminate' dial light, as does the Tandberg TP41.
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Old 22nd Feb 2019, 12:23 am   #10
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Default Re: Transistor radios with dial lights

The ITT Schaub Lorenz Touring Studio 104 has a dial light that is on when used on mains, and has a momentary push switch to use when on battery. It is permanently on but dimmed, whilst the radio is in use on mains. When the light switch is pushed it gets brighter.
https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/itt_to...04_521514.html

This ITT set would certainly compliment your collection of quality transistor radios.

This is not a very good photo because the room was a little dark.
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Old 22nd Feb 2019, 12:32 am   #11
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Default Re: Transistor radios with dial lights

From France the Pigmy 701 has a dial lamp on a push to make switch.
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Old 22nd Feb 2019, 4:26 am   #12
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Default Re: Transistor radios with dial lights

I've got a mid sized battery only powered transistor radio that has a frosted panel, behind which a 'Disco' light array flashes in time with the amp output!!
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Old 22nd Feb 2019, 2:50 pm   #13
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Default Re: Transistor radios with dial lights

My Sony ICF- 7800 has a tungsten bulb that lights the analogue tuning dial and tuning meter for as long as a button is pressed.
Momentarily pressing a button on my Sony ICF-SW35 illuminates its LCD display for about a minute at constant brightness, then slowly fades to nothing.
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Old 22nd Feb 2019, 9:29 pm   #14
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Default Re: Transistor radios with dial lights

Broadgague's reply made me think. We all know that replacement LEDs are possible, but mention of the 2.5v 60mA dynamo torch caught my eye.
I had one of these years ago, but dropped it one day and that was the end of the filament. Eventually I fitted a white LED with a suitable electrolytic to keep it alight just as the filament inertia did originally. It still sits around by the hatch to the loft, ready for an emergency.
Les.
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Old 22nd Feb 2019, 10:35 pm   #15
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Default Re: Transistor radios with dial lights

My parents' Hacker VHF Herald lived in a dark corner of the breakfast room at one point, so when I added a mains power supply, I took the liberty of adding a couple of LES lamps, at each end of the dial. They were attached in an entirely reversible way. The result was surprisingly successful and gave the dial a lovely yellow-orange glow when the set was switched on.
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Old 22nd Feb 2019, 10:47 pm   #16
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Default Re: Transistor radios with dial lights

Quote:
Originally Posted by AD360 Rob View Post
...The Grundig Yacht Boy 210 range had a dial light that was push button operated unless the set was being powered from the mains when it was on all the time......
I changed the dial lamp in my Yacht Boy to an LED, the radio only ever gets used on mains anyway, the LED is a little dim although illuminates the dial sufficiently and from memory the original filament lamp wasn't particularly bright.

Quote:
Originally Posted by AD360 Rob View Post
...Sound wise, the bass is very emphasized unless you pull out the tone control knob which cuts it quite dramatically...
There was a modification posted in a thread on here some years ago to reduce the emphasised Bass on the Yacht Boy, I think it involved disconnecting a few resistors in the tone control circuit.

Andrew
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Old 22nd Feb 2019, 11:46 pm   #17
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Default Re: Transistor radios with dial lights

Check-out the Nordmende 'Transita Automatic' .............
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Old 23rd Feb 2019, 2:22 pm   #18
jonaldo
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Default Re: Transistor radios with dial lights

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply - very much appreciated!

There's plenty of models to keep an eye out for and although adding LEDs onto the radios would be ideal, it's way out of my league
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Old 23rd Feb 2019, 8:45 pm   #19
MotorBikeLes
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Default Re: Transistor radios with dial lights

Ref Tractionist's ref to the Transita automatic, not only does it come if powered from an external PSU, but if it is inserted in the car bracket (remember them), that also lights the bulb. The automatic I had was NOT mains powered (other than the adapter), but some may have been. The Tansita GT was its "bigger brother, again no mains power, but it did have a car bracket available. A full 2W output power when used with the bracket.
The Globetrotters of that era were similar to the GT and also had mains, adapter, battery and car bracket, plus of course the 9 waveband turret tuner with RF stage.
Les.
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Old 24th Feb 2019, 11:06 am   #20
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Default Re: Transistor radios with dial lights

Some Koyo models have a lamp at both ends of the scale operated by a button.
I don't know why people want to replace scale lamps on old mains and battery sets with LEDs. Suitable bulbs are available and may have over 5,000 hours life. Clue is the colour temperature. A torch bulb looks quite white and often has a much lower voltage rating than the battery; it may have only 500 hours life. A scale or panel lamp looks quite orange, because the labelled voltage is lower compared to filament temperature than a regular bulb.
Also an LED has an illumination angle, a filament lamp is omnidirectional. Unless the LED has phosphors (which wear), it's monochrome.
Also originality.
So for parallel use, use a higher voltage bulb if a long life panel type isn't available.
For serial use, like a DAC90a, the current, not the voltage is the main issue if it's a panel bulb.
Each 10% reduction in working voltage (parallel resistor in a series chain, or series resistor / higher rated voltage on parallel) will approximately double life. If a replacement bulb doesn't look very orangey compared to a halogen or filament torch, then it's not a panel lamp.
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