how to uprate an old duffers radio?

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crazylegs
Posts: 2811
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:13 pm
Location: Wiltshire

how to uprate an old duffers radio?

Post by crazylegs »

are there any ice men out there who can help.i want to keep my original radio,i know its twenty years old and you have to twiddle the knob,but it came with the car.what i need is some way of boosting the signal. it tends to go out of tune every 2 miles and the reception is only any good if you sit next to the station antenna.i cant change the aerial as that must be original too.can you get signal boosters like you can with TVs? or is there anyone who puts modern insides in old radios?
there must be a way round this.so electrical wizard show us how good you are.
MegatronUK

Re: how to uprate an old duffers radio?

Post by MegatronUK »

I think you can get inline signal boosters... it may help... but I think the main problem is that most modern radios (ie last 10 years) 'follow' the signal, and retune as they are on the go (EON - Enhanced Other Network). Unless you're listening to a national radio station (pretty much R1 - R2 or R5), then the signal is not going to be strong enough to pick up as you move from area to area.

Maplin may have something you can fit between the aerial and the radio to boost the signal... I wouldn't expect too much from that kind of thing though - pretty much the same as powered signal boosters for tv's ... if you've got a poor signal it will stay a poor signal :(
Jonty

Re: how to uprate an old duffers radio?

Post by Jonty »

You can get specialists to disassemble and restore radio sets and the like, but for the money you'd be best advised to invest in a replacement head-unit. Just keep the original in the attic so you can re-fit if/when you sell the car.

If you get an okay signal and it always wanders after a few mins then you need to accept that your original stereo has seen better days.

Regards,

Jonty.
MegatronUK

Re: how to uprate an old duffers radio?

Post by MegatronUK »

Yeah, ~60 quid will get you a brand name slot loading mp3/cd/tuner with removable face plate these days. It's a good idea to keep the original in the attic though... some people are suckers for original features :wink:
crazylegs
Posts: 2811
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:13 pm
Location: Wiltshire

Re: how to uprate an old duffers radio?

Post by crazylegs »

shlurp shlurp. i`m a sucker for the original kit but even i may have to change.
Ashy
Posts: 17
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2005 1:12 pm
Location: Warrington

Check First!

Post by Ashy »

First thing I would do is check that you aerial installation has not gone on the blink. Borrow another radio and plug your aerial in to check that it gets better reception or plug in another aerial into your existing radio to see if that makes a difference.
Scruff

Re: how to uprate an old duffers radio?

Post by Scruff »

I also like to keep 'Originals' but I bought a standard toyota head unit from a guy on this site. It was from a newer MK2 (94 me thinks) so had a CD player, also Double Din and looks fantastic.

Best of both worlds (original but newer)

Scruff
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