Recent Posts
Vintage Audio: Yaesu FRG-7
The hobby of short wave listening is not dead. OK, there aren't as many choices as there once were. Many European short wave broadcasters have abandoned their transmitters and towers in favor of online streaming as the economic slowdown strangled the budgets of many operations. Still, there are enough stations out there to keep the hobby alive. So, put on your bellbottoms as we go tripping back to the 1970s to check out a Yaesu FRG-7 communications receiver, affectionately nicknamed the 'FROG 7'.
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Vintage Audio: Technics RS-686DS Portable Cassette Recorder
The last installment of Found in the Attic examined the Uher 4000 series of portable reel recorders, which were widely used by radio news departments before cassette recorders were common.
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Vintage Audio: AC VTVM
A good AC VTVM is an essential tool for troubleshooting analog audio gear, and was also needed for the annual FCC proof-of-performance measurements back in the day. B&W 410 and HP 403B meters were frequently seen on the bench at many stations, but an equally-impressive but less remembered device was the Navy ME-6D/U. This installment of Found in the Attic recalls this often overlooked AC voltmeter.
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Vintage Audio: RF Test Twofer
It's hard to believe in this day of digital technology and broadband RF strips, but at one time a solid understanding of tuned RF circuits was an essential part of electronics troubleshooting, as well as to getting your FCC First Class License. Today, the grid-dip meter is all but forgotten, but it was, and still is, an essential item in the RF engineer's toolbox. This Found in the Attic is another twofer, and looks at both the Millen 90651 Grid-Dip Meter and Heathkit HD-1250 solid-state dip meter.
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Vintage Audio: Uher 4000
Back in the days when every radio station worth its salt had a news department, broadcast equipment catalogs had a section for remote news gathering equipment. Included were items like the indestructible EV-635A microphone, mic flags, NiCad batteries and chargers, telephone couplers and of course, portable recorders.
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Vintage Audio: Taberamp Record Electronics
From the late 1950s through the 70s, Ampex 350 and later 440 recorders were a staple at practically every radio station in the country. They were legendary for their battleship-quality construction and long life. Ironically, that was also part of the problem. 350, and later 440 record-playback electronics were alive and well for many years after their audio specs had passed their prime.
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Vintage Audio: RCA Victor 45-J-2 Turntable
An earlier installment of Found in the Attic examined the ATC-Collins P-190, the first commercially produced cart machine. The point was made that the fast-paced Top-40 format would not have been possible without this device. The same can be said for 45 RPM records. The difference is that the cart machine was designed for radio from day one, while the 7-inch record began as a consumer medium. It wasn't long though, until it became the mainstay of Top 40 music.
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Vintage Audio: Unlikely Portables
The advent of the transistor made radio a truly put-it-in-your-pocket device. The earlier suitcase radios of the 1940s got radio out of the living room, but weren't really portable by today's standards. The first transistor radios were AM receivers. As the technology improved, short wave bands, and then FM were added to the mix. By the mid-1970s, AM-FM portables of various sizes and styles were ubiquitous. There were also radios with other bands included. These were never hugely popular, but they are still an interesting chapter in the history of portable radios. This Found in the Attic is a twofer, and features the Lafayette Radio Electronics Guardian 11 and the Panasonic RF-1104.
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Vintage Audio: Ampro TTP-S Turntable Preamp
The lowly turntable preamp was one of those things that got no respect at most stations. It was often left in the dark, hanging by the wires inside the turntable pedestal. Stations that would spend a princely sum on a new console, audio processor and transmitter would simply move the old preamp into the new studio. As the drive for better audio quality ratcheted up, that began to change, but slowly.
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Capturing Audio for Podcasts with Mike Phillips
If it sounds sketchy, distorted, or muffled, they won’t listen. Podcasting studio guru, Mike Phillips, divulges his secrets for capturing clean, clear audio. Mics, pre-amps, consoles - what he recommends and how to use them. This is a must-watch for podcasters and any audio content creators!
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