Best quality vintage radio reasonable price

[fiesata]

Have a small collection of Vintage radios - transistor sets only as I don't have the room for more unfortunately.

Would be interested to hear everyone's views before I set forth on buying a 'quality' vintage radio from the 70's or 80's without spending a fortune on say a B&O.

Been thinking about a Hacker Sovereign - have seen one for sale seems like it needs minor restoration which I am OK to do.

Any comments and suggestions are welcome - I don't intend to rush into a purchase as half the fun is looking!

What should I spend for one that needs minor restoration

Thanks

Paul

[Nickthedentist]

Hi Paul,

You can't go wrong with a Hacker Sovereign (or the very similar FM-only VHF Herald). Very reliable, easy to fix, easy to get help with, and superb sound quality.

Expect to pay £15-£30 on eBay for one in good but unrestored condition. They do turn up at car boots etc. for much less sometimes though. I got one in a charity shop for a fiver recently.

Black is commonest, blue is slightly less so. Red and white also exist but are rarer still (and hence more costly).

Note that the rear grilles are often missing, and the aerial is frequently damaged/missing/replaced with something else. The foam padding can also crumble, leading to a saggy appearance.

The Hacker Herald is a MW/LW only set; again, superb sound quality, but don't buy one by mistake thinking it's the model with FM.

Nick.

[Paul_RK]

Yes, Sovereigns I and II and the very differently styled III are all extremely good sets and tend to be good value still, as they sold well in their day and there are still quite a few to go round. The Hunter is an option too, a slightly smaller radio whose sound quality some enthusiasts even prefer to that of the Sovereigns. Features vary, later Sovereign IIs and early IIIs have DC input sockets which may or may not matter to you, and later IIIs have an inbuilt mains unit. The III gets over the rotten-foam problem as it's not padded, but has an issue of its own in the form of a screen-printed control panel / tuning dial which is often found faded or losing detail. I'd not particularly recommend the Sovereign IV, a larger radio - there's room inside for the cassette deck of the RPC1 Cassette Sovereign version - which isn't built to nearly the standard of the earlier models.

Price variables are many, but if you've been able to watch a few sets selling you'll form an appreciation for whether a particular one represents a bargain. Perfectly reasonable Sovereign IIs can sell for as little as 99p (especially in the DAB section ) , others can bring £50 or more. In my own opinion these Hacker sets are at least the equal of the usual B&O and Tandberg models which tend to be much more highly valued for the style of the former and because they're around in smaller numbers. One big portable that appears now and again, sells fairly cheaply and works well enough to be thought of as a "poor man's Sovereign" is the HMV Diplomat: but Sovereigns are sufficiently plentiful and affordable for the compromise not to be necessary.

Originally Posted by Nickthedentist

Black is commonest, blue is slightly less so. Red and white also exist but are rarer still (and hence more costly).

Red Heralds turn up fairly often, but I don't think there was ever a red Sovereign. Would be delighted to hear of one though...

Regards,
Paul

[fiesata]

Thanks for the very informative and useful replies - always liked Hacker radios but they were far too rare and expensive when I was younger

I shall watch a few auctions before purchasing unless something comes along with a magnetic appeal.

Might be worth having a tour round the local charity shops did find a Crown TV/radio combi there for a fiver - which I think will be a future classic - and if not I still like it

[G8UWM-MildMartin]

I'm showing my age by not realising "vintage" could include 70s/80s!
However:
I have been an occasional customer of Richard Booth for years for valve radios, and always found him helpful & trustworthy in his recommendations when emailed.
He has a filing cabinet full of portables, including transistor radios at reasonable prices
(i.e. less than often asked in junkshops.)
e.g. a working, but slightly tatty, 1974 Roberts R606MB mains/battery for £19 or a nice 1967 Bush VTR133 (battery only) for £14 don't seem outrageously expensive to me for AM/FM sets, even if not to my taste.
Website:
http://www.pasttimesradio.co.uk/proj.../projects.html

Martin.

[Mike Phelan]

Hacker or Roberts, I'd say - as far as accessibility is concerned, Hacker are the best of the two, IMHO. Any of the Sovereigns or the R6xx/R7xx.
Get a manual from Paul Stenning here (top right). Hacker manuals are very detailed and good for bedtime reading!

Grundig are good and work well, but for some reason, I just cannot take to them - probably the appearance.

[howard]

Hello,

I have 300+ transistor radios and Hackers are definitely the best of the British built sets of the 1960s-1970s, notably the Sovereigns, VHF Heralds and the Hunters. Other good AM/FM sets are the Roberts R707, Danish B&Os (expensive but getting cheaper), German designed Taiwan built 1970s ITT sets (always work, cheap as chips) and USSR Selena B210/212/215s (make sure it works and has a mains lead).

Howard

[paulsherwin]

Beware of restricted FM coverage with 1970s sets. Some sets only tune to 104MHz or even 100MHz. Always ask the seller if unsure.

The Grundig Yacht Boy 208/209/210 is a fine radio and *does* tune to 108, though they are quite pricey. You do occasionally find them at good prices at car boots or in charity shops though.

A good budget option would be one of the large ITT sets from the 70s and 80s which perform very well and don't fetch high prices.

Paul

[Darren-UK]

If you consider a Roberts, beware of those models using modules containing AF11x transistors unless you're prepared to tackle one when it conks out (which it will do if in original condition).

[batterymaker1]

I'd never heard of Hacker, being on the other side of the Atlantic. I made a trade for a few radios, and one of them was a Hacker Hunter VHF RP38A.

The sound blew me away. It makes AM signals just about as rich as FM--without the sharpness of the treble, of course.

I'd recommend most anything they made, since their sets are high-powered, high-fidelity systems made portable. My second choice would be a Sovereign II.

I made a video recently of my RP38 playing smooth jazz:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk1ujjpt1vk

[Darren-UK]

Indeed yes. I've owned several RP38A's and have one here now. They're good sounding, solidly made, not too big, don't suffer the disintegrating padding problem or the Ge transistor nuisance.

Another possible advantage is that they have a 'proper' tuning scale, as opposed to other/later models using an exposed, screen printed, scale that's very prone to damage.

The only drawback, if it matters, is FM only tuning to 101MHz.

[mickjjo]

Another set worth looking out for is the TANDBERG TP41 ,I found a mint one recently for 50p at a bootsale, But they usually go for a fair bit more than that! . Well built, very sensitive and great sounding sets in a compact size. I believe they made around 125,000 of them from 1970-75, one of my favourites .

Regards, Mick.

[Paul_RK]

Or the TP43, which is much the same set with an inbuilt mains p.s.u.: in fact any Tandberg that comes along. I bought a tea chest of sundries years ago at the local auction in order to acquire an example of their first transistor portable, http://www.nrhf.no/T%27Transistor-radio.html , still working very well on all five bands after 45 years, and with the odd distinction among transistor portables - at least, it's the only one that comes to my mind - of employing a frame aerial for MW/LW rather than a ferrite rod.

Paul

[Leon Crampin]

The Grundig "Concert Boy" gives a very good account of itself - I have one. With an inbuilt power supply and 4 wavebands (bandspread on 50m band) it has an excellent RF performance, with AFC on VHF.

The AF side is good too - separate treble and bass controls and a usefully large elliptical 'speaker. The only downside is that it's a big set - but it sounds good.

Leon.

[howard]

Originally Posted by batterymaker1

....... and one of them was a Hacker Hunter VHF RP38A. The sound blew me away..........I made a video recently of my RP38 playing smooth jazz:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk1ujjpt1vk

Good video and it just about demonstrates how good the Hacker Hunter is. When I restored my first Hunter three years ago I described it as ' the best radio Ive bought to date in all respects' and I haven't since heard any transistor set including Hacker Sovereigns which perform or sound any better ... but FM does only reach 101 MHz.

Expect to pay between £20-35 for one in good nick and worth every penny. As well as checking that it's complete and its cosmetic condition is good (watch out for rust on the later handles) do ensure that the telescopic aerial and rear grille are present and correct. Lastly, get a 18v mains PSU for it (careful with the polarity) to save on batteries - it takes two PP9s.

Originally Posted by Leon Crampin

The Grundig "Concert Boy" gives a very good account of itself - I have one. With an inbuilt power supply and 4 wavebands (bandspread on 50m band) it has an excellent RF performance, with AFC on VHF. The AF side is good too - separate treble and bass controls and a usefully large elliptical 'speaker. The only downside is that it's a big set - but it sounds good. Leon.

1970s Grundig transistor sets (usually built in Portugal) do work well, but I've found that their cases often don't wear well, especially the soft aluminium trim on them which tends to get dented and scratched too easily. Find a nice one and it would be well worth having, and they're not expensive except for the larger sets, in particular the $atellits.

Howard

[mark pirate]

Hi, Another good set to get is a grundig yacht boy, i have just restored mine
& it does sound impressive But i do agree with howard you cant go wrong with a hacker the only disadvantage is unlike the yacht boy they don't
go up to 108mhz on fm.

Mark

[fiesata]

Even more replies - thanks

I've always been interested - even fascinated by Transistor Radios (I like the old valve radios too but really we don't have room to display or store them)

I used to repair them in my youth (1970's) when people still had them repaired until I was lured into the world of TV / Video repair and then moved on to mainframe computers - I have recently started collecting again and love the Hacker radios they seem to be top quality which appeals to me.

Must go to more boot fairs - purchased an early 60's Dansette and have done a bit of restoration and it is working great now- princely sum of £2

I will also be looking for an ITT radio -- I used to think that ITT products always seemed to be well made (even when they were made by others) and the Grundig Yacht boy were always a little outside my price range..

Also looking for an RGD Flirt in orange - I did manage to get the red version and after very little restoration it works like new - it means a lot to me as this was my first radio - I admired it in the shop window for weeks as a 6 year old before I finally saved enough to buy it

Thanks for all the friendly replies I feel very welcome here and hope I can make worthwhile contributions

[Brian R Pateman]

I also have a liking for KB / ITT radios.

You could do worse than the "Rhapsody 2000 FM"

A performance to match the Roberts and they tend not to go for too much money.

The ITT / KB Golf were also rather good if you like the later style of set. Sometimes I think we become a bit fixated on the Roberts and Hackers and ignore some of the other sets of the period which gave very good results and weren't plagued for the dreaded AF11* transistors.

Regards,

[ianj]

I agree about the ITT/KB sets from the 70s.....well put together, and sound great! ianj

[newlite4]

Lets hear it for the Hacker "Short-Wave Herald" . This AM only set has the added advantage of worldwide reception with a very capable short-wave band. The set has the striking chrome speaker grille and black vynil covering. AM sound is naturally superb.
Neil