Per Stromgren wrote in message . ..
Old FM radios never die, they just fade away...

I have owned and used quite a number of ordinary table top (or
portable) radios in my life. All of them tend to go bad in the same
way after some 10 years or so: they do not "hold the station" and
distort from mis-tuning. You try to adjust the tuning on them every
day, although they have been tuned to your local station for a number
of years without a problem. The audio section typically works fine, as
I can conclude from the ones that has a line input. I usually throw
them away and buy new ones, but I would like to know what age do to
them. My radios all have had pre-selected tuning of the variable
resistor type. My current Philips kitchen radio is a 1991 model that
is on its way to the city dump...

Anyone knows what typically happens to (ordinary) FM radios with age?

Would I have better luck with a digitally tuned device?

Per.

Sorry not an answer but a comment inspired by yours.

About 20 years ago I bought a NAD 3020B amplifier and a 4020 AM / FM
tuner.

Some years ago these got put away in the loft. More recently, I found
a use for them and took them out again.

The amplifier still sounds good and the only thing it lacks compared
to a new one is remote control. I cannot detect much difference
between it and my newer amplifiers.

The tuner was very disappointing. It was tuned with an old style knob
and a needle moving along a dial. I could cope with that since I
don't change channels a lot. But the sound was very much poorer than
my newer NAD 701 receiver. Both were fed from the same roof aerial
via the same distribution box. I could not even give the thing away
and it had to go to the dump.

Did the tuner degrade much more than the amplifier or have my
standards been raised by newer better tuners?

It was replaced with a Denon receiver. I considered just a tuner to
use with the 3020 but my wife wanted remote control and the receiver
was not much more than just a tuner. There is a surprisingly poor
choice of FM tuners these days. It seems that few people want them.
I am currently very happy with this tuner. As well as a good sound,
features such as remote control and RDS are attractive.

So the 3020 is back in the loft but I am keeping it. If it can sound
good after 20 years, it can last a few more and I may find another use
for it.

Seán O'Leathlóbhair