Bill 01:05:28 11/04/2003

Thanks for a Great Site! I will pay a premium price for a ICF 5900W antenna in good condition or for repair of the original, my original antenna is intact but damaged. I purchased my ICF 5900 new in 1975 for $150.US at a "Radio Shack store" it has served me well for the 28 years I have owned it and is still in excellent condition with exception of the antenna which has a few damaged sections. Bill From Washington State , USA

jerry 12:52:18 10/23/2003

hello, i was very pleased to see the 5500 skysensor on your site! it was my first shortwave receiver. i no longer have it but i would be very interested in getting another one! any ideas where i might could find one? jerry From coastal south carolina , us

dan 02:13:25 10/19/2003

Dear Sirs; Thank you for visiting NoobowSystems Lab. and signing in to our guestbook. And I apologize my slow response. Regarding the Heathkit GR-64: I believe my unit achieved to get the performance I usually expect from 5 tubes single superheterodyne, after many hours of studying how the superheterodyne works. What I did, after all, were as folllow; 1. Replaced a padding capacitor, which connects band A oscillator coil and band D oscillator coil. The original design is to use 350pF, and I found it was too less to align the band A. I installed 380pF and the tracking alignment of band A became perfect. 2. Band C tracking was completely impossible. I added 0.01uF in parallel to the 0.002uF band C oscillator padding capacitor. This made the band C tracking alignment possible, resulted almost perfect tracking. The radio became vivid. 3. Replaced AGC filter capacitor with 0.0068uF; the original design was 0.01uF which AGC response was too fast to me. 4. Removed AGC voltage from 12BE6 frequency converter. AGC characteristic became less than ideal, but frequency stability improved. 5. This was most important; replaced 12BE6 2nd/4th grid resister from original 12kOhm to 20kOhm. With the original 12k, the 2nd/4th grid voltage of 12BE6 was approx. 150V, it was unreasonably high. With 20kOhm, the grid voltage became ideal 100V. The resister should be at least 1W class. 2W is desired. The intention of original design was unknown to me, but it certainly caused noisy, chirpy and unstable converter operation. Maybe the local oscillator waveform became distorted, generated a lot of harmonics. With the original 12kOhm, the S meter indicated moderate S reading at 22MHz and higher, even though ther was no incoming signal. With modified 20kOhm, no such strange behavior. I guess the local oscillator harmonics caused pseudo incoming signal and detected, raised AGC voltage and reduced the receiver gain. So with 20kOhm, band D became usable and sensitive. For lower bands, reception became powerful, quiet and smooth. 6. Rest was just a regular alignment of a single superhet for home radios. Still bad points - frequency stability and dial backlash. Stability may be improved if proper temperature coefficient capacitor is found. But there will be less hope in improving carelessly designed dial mechanism. Hope these help; please tell me your result if you don't mind, I will write it into the english version page sometime in the future. To other gentlemen who questioned here, please please accept my apology of being slow in response. dan dan dan From Tomioka , Japan http://www.noobowsystems.com/

malcolm halliday 05:01:11 10/18/2003

had no luck in translating heathkit gr-64 restoration page from japaniese to english even though i loaded the xp japanese translator and couldn't find it to deleate it to load it again,anbody got a translation they can send me or any suggestions.thanks malcolm malcolm halliday From tiverton.devon , england

George Overturf 06:26:34 10/14/2003

Thanks for the SBE SB-36 manual! Do you have the schematics for this unit as well? 73 George George Overturf From Brentwood, CA , USA

Joe Perge 04:49:10 9/20/2003

Great web page of older radios! My Bendix 550 Navigator is very similar to your Benmar radio. Can you send me the schematic of your Benmar radio? I saw it listed, but it is not readable. Thanks, Joe, WB8HWF Joe Perge From Newark, ohio , USA

Tom D 15:15:14 9/18/2003

I would like to know what improvements & modifications were made that you mentioned in the Heathkit GR-64 commentary. I built one of these for high school shop class and it never did work 100%. Now that I'm retired, maybe I can restore it better than it ever was. Will you share your secrets? Tom D From Minnesota , USA

Doug Gordon 03:48:24 9/09/2003

Enjoyed looking at your radios. I recently got a SB-33. My friend had one in 1966 so I think I had a nostalgia attack. Your write-up on the 34 was very good. Do you have any plans to do a similar write-up on the 33? Wishing you the best. Doug Gordon From Carlsbad, CA , USA http://None

j.j. van den Berg 17:55:06 9/07/2003

* j.j. van den Berg From netherlands , Apeldoorn

Thomas Provost 12:39:10 9/06/2003

I enjoy your website very much. I too have a Lafayette HE-80 receiver.I suspect that you had the same problem with your radio that I am having with mine. The symptoms are muffled audio(no high frequencies), "swishy" sound as you tune across an AM station,radio sounds "too narrow" in selectivity cutting sidebands,lower than normal sensitivity. I have performed usual capacitor replacements and tube tests. Unfortunately, using the ALtaVista Japanese translator I cannot determinefrom your records what your final solution(s) was to solve the problem with your radio. Could you please briefly explain what you did to cure the bad audio sound in your radio. Thanks, Tom Provost Thomas Provost From NewJersey , USA

Bong Dueñas 15:38:13 8/22/2003

Hi.. I saw your homepage and i saw one of your Kenwood receiver that was restore. I have a kenwood 4 channel kr 9940 and i am just wondering if you can help me restore it too. its working but i need the users manual since i dont know some of the controls.. thanks Bong Dueñas From Baguio City , Philippines

JIM LEATHEM 12:56:42 8/10/2003

New email address..see above. Have a Sony icf-5900w for sale, real clean and works perfectly. Have some papers, etc. JIM...K7BTB JIM LEATHEM From Arizona , USA

Robert Stacey 05:46:07 7/05/2003

I purchased Panasonci RF 2200 at the thrift store last week for $9.00 plus tax. It looked ok and as I plugged it in it seemed to work. I took it home, cleaned it up, and put in 4 alkaline D cells and Eureka, best radio I ever owned. I don't understand though, how to use the bfo and the crystal marker effectively. When I tune FM the only control which affects output is the AFC/wide/narrow switch and I assume that it is assigned to AFC when the FM band is selected. When I tune AM or shortwave I like to use the RF gain control. I assume that it affects volume and signal strength as well since amplitude modulation is partly based on signal strengh in so far as my humble knowledge is. When I tune sw bands, usually only signal I found was around 8 mhz. I noticed when I connected a small wire or put a finger on the antenna screw in the back signal improved. I assume the radar, directional antenna is for am only. I tried the bfo and found it caused a lot of whistling when I hit an active station, then when I turned it off station would come in clear. I can't remember what the crystal marker is for. I think it was for the oscillator so that a beat frequency would allow reception of a single side band carrier signal--fragments of memory from 40 years ago. Do you know how I could get a copy of the instruction manual so I could understand how better to operate my "new little prize" Thanks, Robert Stacey age 60 who lives with dog charlie. 1552 Lemoyne St., Los Angeles, Ca. 90026 USA rbobbyleestacy@yahoo.com Friday July 4th, 2003 Robert Stacey From California , USA http://none at present

Dave Crocker 07:48:35 6/16/2003

Really in enjoyed looking at your old radio collection. My dad use to be the Hallicrafters repair shop in San Francisco when I grew up, so I have used a number of the recievers first hand. Like you, I recently acquired a Benmar 555A DF recieve at the Foothills flea market. It is a little beat up but the price was right, $6 bucks. It needs a some repair work so it would be very helpful if I could get a copy of the schematic. Is it possible to e-mail something that I can get a readable print out from?? If not, I will be happy to send you a stamped envelope so you can send it by snail mail. Regards, Dave Crocker 50 Kings Rd. Brisbane, CA 94005 Dave Crocker From Brisbane, CA , USA

John Eastman 23:20:20 5/27/2003

I too am a radio freak! I am also an enthusiast for tube single-ended HI FI amplifiers, which I build from the electronic leftovers from the cold war. I am interested to know if the little shortwave radio kit is available in quantity discount. I own a small radio/audio retail store in Wells, Maine and am interested in carrying it in my store. Any information on the producer of this kit would be greatly appreciated. I have restored many old radios- including the Echophone on your site. I also have used the HQ-129x, Hallicrafters S-38 and S-120, and many others. My HI FI consists of a SE 26 line stage driving a SE45 power amplifier. I run old Klipshorn "ortho drive shorthorns" I enjoy jazz and "new grass" music. I have visited Aomori Prefecture and was quite taken by the beauty. Aomori and the state of Maine are sister states. Thanks for a great site! John Eastman 1830 Post Road Wells, Maine 04090 (1.5 hours drive north of Boston) John Eastman From Wells, Maine 04090 , USA

Doug Brown 21:42:23 5/20/2003

Great site! I have a Sony ICF SW55 which was pretty good till it stopped working. The Sony repair center say it's water damaged and beyond economic repair. I'm not sure I believe them, do you know where I might get a circuit diagram? Doug Brown From Reading , England

Roffe 22:31:47 5/16/2003

Hi there anyone having a manual for Allied 2515a and a alignmemnt intructions for 9r-59,59d,59ds and er-202 regards Rolf Roffe From Umeå , Sweden

anchal 23:34:54 5/12/2003

hey i m building the AR1 receiver , modification for the same are given here , its gr8 but its in japanese can i get the english 1 , or atleast the modification anchal , india

Rolf Jansson 05:50:04 5/05/2003

Great WEB-SITE wonderfull collection KEEP IT UP!!!! Back to you when my Allied 2515 arrives!! Rolf Jansson Rolf Jansson From Umeå , Sweden

PAUL MILNER 09:10:44 4/20/2003

I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHERE I COULD PURCAHSE A BENMAR RADIO DIRECTION FINDER. I BELONG TO THE CIVIL AIR PATROL IN NORTH CAROLINA, AND IT LOOKS LIKE A GOOD TRAINING TOOL FOR TRAINING ADULTS AND CADETS IN DF'ING PAUL MILNER From WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA , USA

Dave 02:38:50 4/19/2003

While researching the ICF-5900W, I found your excellent Web site. Very nicely done!! I was surprised at how many owners bought their ICF-5900W with paper route (etc.) money, when they were youngsters in the 70's!! I was in the boat myself!! At the time, I wrestled over the choice between the Sony and a Realisic DX-160 (I believe both were about the same price back then). I end up buying the DX-160, and always wondered how the ICF-5900W compared. Having just purchased an ICF-5900W, I can actually find out!! I must admit, I got a lot of heavy use and enjoyment out of the DX-160. I'm sure it would've been no different if I would've gotten the Sony. I can't make a comparison report at this point, but it appears the ICF-5900W survives the test of time better. Maybe later I'll return here with a detailed comparison. 73's Dave Dave From PA , USA

michael jennings 05:36:09 4/15/2003

I have an Allied A-2515. The BFO air variable capacitor is physically broken and I have had no luck at all finding a replacement or equivilent over here. The avc is marked "Trio 02-40 " If you can be of any help I would really appreciate it the rest of the rig is in great shape and I would really like to have it working. Any suggestions? Or if you have the part I would be HAPPY to purchase it from you and pay all shipping. Thanks.. Great WEB-SITE wonderfull collection KEEP IT UP!!!! Michael Jennings michael jennings From Lopez Island, Washington State , USA

Jim Leathem 06:17:28 4/09/2003

I have a SonyICF-5900W for sale,Original with inst sheets, earfones, etc. Contact me if interested, JIM...K7BTB Jim Leathem From Arizona , USA

John C 10:31:18 3/31/2003

My son has been given a Mykit80 Electronics kit. All the parts are there except for the instructions. Do you know where I can obtain an instruction manual? John C From Perth , Australia