Gary writes:
My current, hand picked CCRadio-EP has developed a problem. On a cold start, tuning on AM causes a shuffling or rumbling sound through the speaker. Maybe there is a problem with the tuning capacitor. This is disappointing, and doesn't bode well for the radio's longevity.
And my spare CCRadio-SW, which was always 1 kHz off on AM, sounds slightly distorted on AM compared to some of my other radios (for example, the EP or my other SW), even when tuned as well as possible (1 kHz low). Also disappointing.
I just want things that work well, but that seems harder to find than it should be.
Probably has varactor tuning like the SR-3 instead of a real tuning cap.
Just look at the poor build quality with new radios now; you know they won't age well!
Posted by: dorpmuller | December 24, 2012 at 08:38 PM
Oh, yeah, and... varactor tuning is slapdash, real tuning capacitors are for Real Men!!
Posted by: dorpmuller | December 24, 2012 at 08:39 PM
dorpmuller - Apparently you're right about the CCRadio-EP using varactor tuning rather than a conventional tuning capacitor.
According to this site:
http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg50358.html
"One interesting thing about the EP is there is no traditional mechanical variable tuning capacitor--everything is done with varactor diodes. The Tune knob is a pot which controls the tuning voltage going to the varactors."
Posted by: Gary | December 24, 2012 at 11:59 PM
I noticed that my CC Radio-SW seems to be off by almost a 1khz. The sound is okay though. But my real work horse is my trusty Icom R75. It doesn't do FM B'cast but it does AM & SW. without a hitch. It's has a relative small footprint, but it's not portable.
You get what you pay for. Quality costs money, and people just aren't willing to pay the $$ it costs to design and produce a top notch radio. The Panasonic's and Sony's of yesteryear were more expensive per hourly wage than the Chinese radios of today to make.
Posted by: Stan | December 26, 2012 at 01:37 PM
Stan: And I maintain that it's not only the labor costs----but the materials from yesteryear were clearly better too. Even a Made In Japan 1960s Arvin radio would have metal chassis, chrome tuning knobs and a leather case----I've bought some of these used on E-Bay and after cleaning and moisturizing the leather, cleaning up the chrome---the radios look terrific. There was pride in the design of the radios, the materials---even for lower priced ones back then are clearly better than most of what's available today.
Posted by: Angelo | December 26, 2012 at 02:05 PM
Stan - I also have an Icom R75. Its filters are very symmetrical, and it tunes in steps as small as 1 Hz. It's easy to adjust it so that it's within a few Hz when it's warmed up. Of course, it costs several times as much as a CCRadio-SW, and it's not a portable. It also needs mods to fix the AM-mode slow AGC and sync detector, but it's a good deal for a tabletop set. It's stability and 1 Hz tuning is very nice for listening in SSB mode.
Posted by: Gary | December 26, 2012 at 04:28 PM
One more thought. Labor costs are one of the driving factors though. Zenith couldn't compete with Japan and Hong Kong, even though they made great radios.
I guess what I was trying to say, is that in today's market and it's not just radios, people are looking for cheap, not durable or quality. I think the older radios of the 60's to 80's made by Panasonic and Sony and others, were more expensive to purchase than a comparable feature set radio in today's market.
Posted by: Stan | December 26, 2012 at 06:03 PM
Stan: You are right. And even early VCRs, which cost a small fortune---were worthy of fixing if something went wrong. I have an old Emerson VCR that still works fine. At one point, I brought it in for a repair----it was fixed and has worked well ever since. Newer ones became cheaper and disposable. That seems to be where we're headed with most things----cheaper and disposable.
Posted by: Angelo | December 27, 2012 at 06:03 AM