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Joined: Dec 2001
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In the Quelle Simonetta thread Classicsat was talking about record players with an idler wheel that touches the record. That reminded me of the weirdest record player I've ever seen. My Sharp Mini Stereophono.

It starts innocent enough, looking like an ordinary portable radio.

[Linked Image from stud4.tuwien.ac.at]

Then you flip over the handle and turn out a foot.

[Linked Image from stud4.tuwien.ac.at]

And now... Suprise! As you open what appears to be the back cover you discover it's the world's smallest record player that takes LPs!
You can see the 2 black idler wheels for 33 and 45 rpm.

[Linked Image from stud4.tuwien.ac.at]

And that's what it looks like with a record.

[Linked Image from stud4.tuwien.ac.at]

For playing you have to close the lid though, because there's another wheel in the cover that presses the record down on the idler wheel. The small brick is the power supply. Weird, eh?

[Linked Image from stud4.tuwien.ac.at]

Joined: Dec 2001
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The weirdest thing about that beast: The radio part goes down to 86,5Mhz FM! All other radios I've seen start at 87.5. However, police radio doesn't seem to be on that frequency any more... I can't get anything below Radio Stephansdom (St. Stephens Cathedral radio, a catholic station that mostly plays classical music, and @something like 88 Mhz the lowest regular station on the scale).

Joined: Aug 2001
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Now that is unusual.

The weirdest player I ever saw was a novelty item some years back in the shape of a model car which just rode around the record which you placed on a flat surface. Hardly hi-fi, and I hate to think what it did to any record unlucky enough to be played that way! [Linked Image]

Re the FM band, British police used to use the section just above 100MHz, as our original broadcast allocation wasn't extended right up to 108MHz until the 1980s.

The section just below 88MHz is low-band PMR (Private Mobile Radio), commonly used by breakdown and utility vehicles, etc.

In the U.S., the sound carrier for TV channel 6 is immediately below the FM broadcast band, and can be received on some sets.

Joined: Dec 2001
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My dad says in the 50ies and maybe later police radio used to be on 86 Mhz. Don't know about today.

I just tried to use the Sharp today, and it doesn't work too good. The output is close to nothing, even with the volume all the way up, both the radio and the phono section.

The model car record player sounds really weird. I guess they didn't sell too many of those...

Joined: Aug 2002
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The electrolytic capacitors in these old transistor radios dry out with age.

Replace them (observe polarity) and it should solve the problem. Clean the switches and volume control with a good quality contact cleaner like Caig De-Oxit.

I assume Austria (or nearby Germany) must have at least one radio/electronics parts supply houses that operate via mail-order or with counter service?

[This message has been edited by SvenNYC (edited 05-04-2004).]

Joined: Dec 2001
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Nearby Germany... it's a 3-hour car trip to get there. Yeah, of course we got Conrad Electronics, a large chain, and lots of small electronics parts stores as well.
I was thinking about the caps too. Looks like it's time to learn soldering on a few scrap boards... and get a good soldering iron (one that can be used for electronics work - not my 1930ies 85W one with a heavy wood handle [Linked Image]) Or find someone who does the job for me. Getting new caps shouldn't be any problem.

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Three hours to the border? That's pretty close (then again it's like six or seven hours to the Canadian border from New York City)

Nothing fancy really needed if all you're doing is occasional work.

I use one of these 30-watt pencils.

[Linked Image from allelectronics.com]

It's enough for most PC board work. For soldering to metal chassis or heavy contacts, you might want a 100 watt or more soldering gun.



[This message has been edited by SvenNYC (edited 05-05-2004).]

Joined: Nov 2002
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86.5 isn't that wierd, that is where the Japanes FM band starts. I believe it goes to 104 Mhz or so, if not to 108.

Joined: Dec 2001
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The labeling ends at 108 "M C" as they put it, but you can turn almost to 112. AM range goes from 54 to 160 kHz.

I wonder if it is a direct import from Japan. OTOH the power supply seems to be original and it'S 220V only, output 3/4,5/6/9V DC.

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The Japanese FM radio band stretches from 76 to 92. The rest is used for TV audio for channels 1, 2 and 3.

Below the Japanese FM band is the Eastern European FM band....which goes down to like 66-something Megahertz.

Here is a Japanese FM radio from WA2ISE:
[Linked Image from geocities.com]

Here is a Eastern European FM radio from WA2ISE also:

[Linked Image from geocities.com]

In most NTSC countries (with the exception of Japan), the range below 88 FM is used for TV channels 2, 3, 4 and 5. So on the Japanese radio you will find TV channel 5 and TV channel 2 or 3 audio on the E.E. set.

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