For appearance and modern day use in a vintage vehicle.
That is adding an FM IC inside somewhere rather than RF converter plugged in
aerial socket.
Assuming there is somewhere around the volume control to switch out the AM
and switch in an FM IC o/p audio . How to secrete that switch and a step
through the band switch as channel changer.
Maybe possible to change the LW/MW switch to MW/FM and if some part of the
dial scale is flexible then hide a switch behind that.
Any other ideas without affecting the external appearance of the original?

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

"N_Cook" wrote in message
...
For appearance and modern day use in a vintage vehicle.
That is adding an FM IC inside somewhere rather than RF converter plugged in
aerial socket.
Assuming there is somewhere around the volume control to switch out the AM
and switch in an FM IC o/p audio . How to secrete that switch and a step
through the band switch as channel changer.
Maybe possible to change the LW/MW switch to MW/FM and if some part of the
dial scale is flexible then hide a switch behind that.
Any other ideas without affecting the external appearance of the original?

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/



I don't think adding a single IC is going to give you what you want... instead,
I'd look at a complete FM receiver. Take a look at the Velleman FM receiver kit
at http://www.vellemanusa.com/us/enu/pr...iew/?id=351280. There is a link
to the "manual" for the kit that shows the schematic. Considering that an FM
radio needs a few tuned circuits, building your own might be a bit more than you
want to tackle.
There are a few gotchas in this approach... no frequency display is the main
drawback. But since the tuning appears to be via a small pot, you could draw
one and fix it to the dash. Just tap into the appropriate power, volume,
tuning, etc. on the board and bring them out to the dash. You can buy a copy of
this kit at http://www.bgmicro.com/index.asp?Pag...D&ProdID=11929.

If you want to go very cheaply, look at the little receiver at
http://www.goldmine-elec-products.co...?number=G15657. It looks very
similar to a little receiver that I was given at a trade show a few years ago.
Major problem with this unit is that there is no tuning... it has a scan button;
it scans the FM band from low end to high end.
Just locate the power connections, volume control and scan button, bring them
out to the dash panel, and you're in business.

Hth,
--
Dave M
MasonDG44 at comcast dot net (Just substitute the appropriate characters in the
address)

Experience: What you get when you don't get what you want

If you want someone else to work on your radio you might check with
Gary Tayman in rec.antiques.radio+phono
he does these conversions on a regular basis, and is a frequent poster
over there.

Also If you are in Canada, you might contact Larry Wood
@woodradios.com I think he has gone into doing something similar as
well.

In consumer radio restoration , replacing the innards of a tube radio
with a bunch of IC's is kind of frowned upon, as most of us strive to
restore the radios instead.
What I am saying is that you do have a choice, if the car is stock ,
personally I wouldn't go this route unless I couldnt' fix the
orrigional radio for some reason, but it is a personal choice. I have
an old volvo with an AM radio that was a transistor set, and my choice
was to plug a FM tuner into the antenna , which the radio recieves on
AM at a set frequency. That way I still can have the stock radio in
place and tuck the FM unit away . If the car is old enough to have
tubes, it will also have a vibrator and solid state vibrators are
available. Either Gary or Larry might be able to give you the option
of restoring the set for you as well if that is what you want. any old
radio will probably need to be re-capped and alligned to work right.

Phil

DaveM wrote in message
. ..
"N_Cook" wrote in message
...
For appearance and modern day use in a vintage vehicle.
That is adding an FM IC inside somewhere rather than RF converter
plugged in
aerial socket.
Assuming there is somewhere around the volume control to switch out the
AM
and switch in an FM IC o/p audio . How to secrete that switch and a step
through the band switch as channel changer.
Maybe possible to change the LW/MW switch to MW/FM and if some part of
the
dial scale is flexible then hide a switch behind that.
Any other ideas without affecting the external appearance of the
original?

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/



I don't think adding a single IC is going to give you what you want...
instead,
I'd look at a complete FM receiver. Take a look at the Velleman FM
receiver kit
at http://www.vellemanusa.com/us/enu/pr...iew/?id=351280. There is a
link
to the "manual" for the kit that shows the schematic. Considering that an
FM
radio needs a few tuned circuits, building your own might be a bit more
than you
want to tackle.
There are a few gotchas in this approach... no frequency display is the
main
drawback. But since the tuning appears to be via a small pot, you could
draw
one and fix it to the dash. Just tap into the appropriate power, volume,
tuning, etc. on the board and bring them out to the dash. You can buy a
copy of
this kit at
http://www.bgmicro.com/index.asp?Pag...D&ProdID=11929.

If you want to go very cheaply, look at the little receiver at
http://www.goldmine-elec-products.co...?number=G15657. It
looks very
similar to a little receiver that I was given at a trade show a few years
ago.
Major problem with this unit is that there is no tuning... it has a scan
button;
it scans the FM band from low end to high end.
Just locate the power connections, volume control and scan button, bring
them
out to the dash panel, and you're in business.

Hth,
--
Dave M
MasonDG44 at comcast dot net (Just substitute the appropriate characters
in the
address)

Experience: What you get when you don't get what you want




I should have said retaining the original in working order but just adding
in somewhere, the guts from one of those matchbox size fm radios. No display
just 2 buttons on/off and channel step and an earpiece. Maybe requiring some
buffering or something to drop it in the existing (mono of course)
amplifier. Preferably no holes drilled through the front pannel.


--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

In article ,
N_Cook wrote:
For appearance and modern day use in a vintage vehicle. That is adding
an FM IC inside somewhere rather than RF converter plugged in aerial
socket. Assuming there is somewhere around the volume control to switch
out the AM and switch in an FM IC o/p audio . How to secrete that switch
and a step through the band switch as channel changer. Maybe possible to
change the LW/MW switch to MW/FM and if some part of the dial scale is
flexible then hide a switch behind that. Any other ideas without
affecting the external appearance of the original?

There's a UK company that specialises in such work -

The Vintage Wireless Company
0161 973 0438

Think they're a pretty small outfit and it's possible they will give some
help to a fellow trader. ;-)

--
*It is easier to get older than it is to get wiser.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Jun 6, 3:05*am, "N_Cook" wrote:
DaveM wrote in message

. ..



"N_Cook" wrote in message
...
For appearance and modern day use in a vintage vehicle.
That is adding an FM IC inside somewhere rather than RF converter
plugged in
aerial socket.
Assuming there is somewhere around the volume control to switch out the
AM
and switch in an FM IC o/p audio . How to secrete that switch and a step
through the band switch as channel changer.
Maybe possible to change the LW/MW switch to MW/FM and if some part of
the
dial scale is flexible then hide a switch behind that.
Any other ideas without affecting the external appearance of the
original?

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

I don't think adding a single IC is going to give you what you want...
instead,
I'd look at a complete FM receiver. *Take a look at the Velleman FM
receiver kit
athttp://www.vellemanusa.com/us/enu/product/view/?id=351280. *There is a
link
to the "manual" for the kit that shows the schematic. *Considering that an
FM
radio needs a few tuned circuits, building your own might be a bit more
than you
want to tackle.
There are a few gotchas in this approach... no frequency display is the
main
drawback. *But since the tuning appears to be via a small pot, you could
draw
one and fix it to the dash. *Just tap into the appropriate power, volume,
tuning, etc. on the board and bring them out to the dash. *You can buy a
copy of
this kit at

http://www.bgmicro.com/index.asp?Pag...D&ProdID=11929.







If you want to go very cheaply, look at the little receiver at
http://www.goldmine-elec-products.co...?number=G15657. *It
looks very
similar to a little receiver that I was given at a trade show a few years
ago.
Major problem with this unit is that there is no tuning... it has a scan
button;
it scans the FM band from low end to high end.
Just locate the power connections, volume control and scan button, bring
them
out to the dash panel, and you're in business.

Hth,
--
Dave M
MasonDG44 at comcast dot net *(Just substitute the appropriate characters
in the
address)

Experience: What you get when you don't get what you want

I should have said retaining the original in working order but just adding
in somewhere, the guts from one of those matchbox size fm radios. No display
just 2 buttons on/off and channel step and an earpiece. Maybe requiring some
buffering or something to drop it in the existing (mono of course)
amplifier. Preferably no holes drilled through the front pannel.

--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list onhttp://home..graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Surely the real fun is to use the FM to AM converter Rx so that yiou
can listen to the "old 'un". I use my AMT3000 Tx the same way at
home. Feed it with a s/s FM tuner and listen on one of several
refurbished AA5's and AC-only sets to "exercise" them - the converter
tube, IF amp and det/AF and OP tube all a-pumpin' away! g
Cheers,
Roger

"N_Cook" wrote in message
...
For appearance and modern day use in a vintage vehicle.
That is adding an FM IC inside somewhere rather than RF converter plugged
in
aerial socket.
Assuming there is somewhere around the volume control to switch out the AM
and switch in an FM IC o/p audio . How to secrete that switch and a step
through the band switch as channel changer.

You have just described the FM Module exactly! Just one fly in the soup --
these haven't been available for several years.

I do stereo conversions on these radios. Vintage Wireless in England
(mentioned elsewhere in this thread) also does these, hopefully quicker and
for less money than it would cost to ship it to me.

All of these products originated at a place called Antique Automobile Radio
in Palm Harbor, Florida. Dan Schulz, the owner, began as simply a dealer
who repaired old car radios. As replacement vibrators became scarce, he
started making solid state replacements. Then, as customers were asking for
FM, he designed an FM Module that would fit inside the radio. Eventually he
designed a stereo PCB, and the popularity of these soared -- to the point
where only two dealers in the entire world were still asking for FM Modules
(me and one other). They were finally discontinued. Now Dan is making
reproduction radios for certain cars -- radios that look exactly like the
original, but are complete new radios with the AM/FM stereo technology.

The FM Module was a neat little device. It was a tiny PCB with an FM tuner
built onto it. Connections were to the antenna (with a 6.8 uH choke for
separation), to the grid of the converter tube (or to the LO coil for
transistor sets), to +12 volt power, and to the top of the volume control --
and the wire going to the volume control is rerouted to the PCB.

Switching is done by turning the radio off and immediately back on. PCB's
could be set up for FM first, or AM first. In AM mode, relay is off and the
AM audio is connected to the top of the volume control. In FM mode, the
relay is energized, and the FM output is fed to the volume control. FM
tuning is performed with the radio's original tuning knob -- it uses the
radio's LO frequency to tune FM.

This Module was actually quite a performer, and a very likeable product.
The one and only "bug" of sorts was the fact that it could drift, and the
amount of drift varied with the radio model. The radio's LO drift is
usually not enough to notice, but when multiplied for the FM frequencies it
could make a difference. Even so, it still was a nice product.

At one time, about a third of the radios sent to me wanted the FM Module
installed. It was also handy for early Bendix, and early Delco AM/FM radios
with awful FM front ends. If repair of these was difficult or impossible, I
would simply disconnect the FM entirely and install an FM Module to the AM
coil. The only thing customers ever noticed was that their radio performed
better than ever in FM!

The day the FM Modules were discontinued, I discontinued offering service on
car radios. I've since offered service again on radios, but not on AM/FM's.



--
Gary E. Tayman/Tayman Electrical
Collector Car Audio
http://www.taymanelectrical.com

On Sat, 07 Jun 2008 19:18:43 GMT "Gary Tayman"
wrote:

The day the FM Modules were discontinued, I discontinued offering service on
car radios. I've since offered service again on radios, but not on AM/FM's.

Just curious, would it be possible for you to duplicate those modules
yourself, or did they require that NLA FM IC?

-
-----------------------------------------------
Jim Adney
Madison, WI 53711 USA
-----------------------------------------------

"Jim Adney" wrote in message
...

Just curious, would it be possible for you to duplicate those modules
yourself, or did they require that NLA FM IC?

These modules did indeed use specialized IC's, which were part of their
demise.

AAR had just introduced a new version of the Stereo PCB, which had a digital
tuner. It worked fine on the bench but went crazy in the field, so Dan had
to quickly redesign it. It so happens this "quick redesign" was by far the
best version to date, and sales suddenly went through the roof. However
during this time Dan was going through some family problems, and if that
wasn't enough the IC's used in the FM Modules were discontinued. So
suddenly the FM boards became unavailable.

Dan eventually managed to redesign a new FM board, and this was cool as it
was the size of a postage stamp. But it also had a bug. I was given about
three or four to experiment with; I think one actually made it to the field
and worked (in a Mopar 802) but the others are still here. Dan eventually
decided that, with sales of Stereo PCB's going wild, and with waning
interest in the FM boards, he scrapped the project.

The remaining FM Modules went pretty much to experimenters, some of which
installed them in home radios, and they worked. Someday when I have lotsa
time I'll tinker with the ones I have to see what happens. Installation
isn't hard, except it needs 12 volts DC for power, and the radio must have
an oscillator (meaning I can't put one in my AK-60 -- darn).


--
Gary E. Tayman/Tayman Electrical
Collector Car Audio
http://www.taymanelectrical.com