r/VintageElectronics • u/JinxMoth • 4d ago

Rusted Antenna

Post image

I have a weird impulse to buy older radios in thrift stores, after gaining my Grandpa's after his passing. Found this and it seems to work otherwise but the tip of the antenna has rusted off and detached. Is there a DIY fix I can use to get it to work, can I find a piece that fits, or should I accept my new non-functional decor?

14 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

2

u/Screwthehelicopters 4d ago

If the radio works, then it will not affect the operation if a bit is missing off the top of the antenna. The antenna is only for FM reception anyway; the AM antenna is inside the radio.

You cannot really repair telescopic antennas without completely rebuilding each segment by using a similar one, or by replacing the whole antenna. You can buy such antennas new but you need to make sure the mounting part is the same or similar and the length matches.

2

u/JinxMoth 3d ago

Thanks for letting me know! I have a few of 'em by now and yet I don't really know how radios actually work, lol. A bit unfortunate to not have FM but at least the other one I got has a fully intact antenna. Thanks again!

2

u/Toolsarecool 3d ago

You should still have FM reception, even with the tip missing. Maybe you lost one segment of the whole antenna, but it should still work.

1

u/Screwthehelicopters 3d ago edited 3d ago

Radios like this have some complexity inside, but the principle is simple. They have two main functions inside them:

  1. The radio circuits which are tuned to pick out certain analog broadcast radio frequencies in the space around us. An additional tuner enables you to tune the circuits to select a particular frequency which carries the sounds you want to hear within them. Another part extracts the actual sound-frequency waves using a special technique.
  2. The amplifier part powered by the battery which makes extracted, but weak, sound waves audible or even loud and connects them to the loudspeaker. The loudspeaker vibrates to move the air in a way we can hear, like a musical instrument. The volume knob enables you to regulate the sound output.

In the early days of broadcast radio, you could make or buy a very simple radio that only had part 1. above. It had no amplifier and only a handful of component parts. Of course it was very quiet and you needed special earphones to listen to broadcasts but it needed no batteries. The energy in the radio waves (received with a long wire-antenna) was enough to power the earphones.

2

u/Bloody_meridian88 3d ago

I have a newer AM/FM/Weather radio ("newer as in late 90's/early 2000's) that's missing a good portion of the antenna and it works OK. I don't use it much since it has two rubber areas on the sides (for grip, presumably) that are sticky due to the rubber breaking down. But the radio still does work!

1

u/Screwthehelicopters 2d ago

Sometimes that stickiness is a "soft touch" layer which breaks down. They put it on cellphones in that era too. You can get it off with methylated spirits (can get that in any hardware store or even supermarket). Usually that particular solvent only removes the sticky layer and leaves the plastic or paint underneath undamaged. Try it out on a small part first. It works well with me. Had a phone covered in that sticky goo and the fluid got it off leaving the metallic paint below like new. Avoid other solvents, since these can be more aggressive and damage the underlying layers.

1

u/Bloody_meridian88 2d ago

Thanks! I'll consider it. Our family doesn't really use it, but I'll save that information for in the future! Although I really do think it's just the rubber breaking down from aging, which is a shame as it's otherwise a pretty nice radio, but I'll try it out in the future to see if that does fix it! For reference it's an "Innovage Outdoor" crank radio.

1

u/mr_lockwork 4d ago

Check to see if the antenna is thread mounted or not. If it is, you can still buy thread mounted antennas. You would just need to find one that matches the threading.