Transmitting your own signal

Edward · Dec 18, 2008

Pleas pardon my ignorance in this, but.... would a vintage valve radio be able to pick up the FM (/VHF?) frequency? If so, the easiest thing would be to buy one of those iTrip FM transmitters that plugs into the top of the iPod and then simply tune in the radio to the correct frequency.

LizzieMaine · Dec 18, 2008

What you need to do is add an audio-input jack at the first audio tube, along with a switch that would bypass the whole RF/IF section of the radio and just take the audio from the input. How you would do this would depend entirely on the specific circuit of the radio -- there's no one guideline that could be set out, and you'd need to know how to read a schematic, identify components, and solder in order to do it.

The better alternative is to use a transmitter of some sort -- ideally an AM unit that can take the audio from the device and send it out in a form that the radio can pick up without any modification at all. The SSTran AMT3000 is the most popular choice for this task -- it puts out a very high quality signal. It's not cheap, but if you use it a lot, it's a good investment.

Some radios built after 1945 will be able to receive modern FM frequencies, in which case any of the modern transmitter devices would work.

dhermann1 · Dec 18, 2008

The AMT3000, made by a company called SSTrans, is positively the best way to go. You don't have to mess around with the insides of your tube (that's valve for you Brits

) radio.
And I always throw this in when old tube radios are discussed. Old tube radios from the 50's or earlier will have PAPER capacitors which MUST be replaced with modern ones by someone who knows what they're doing. They can pose a FIRE HAZARD. When you get that done you can enjoy endless hours of enjoyment listening to vintage music the way it was meant to be heard.
Not mention great Old Time Radio shows!

ScionPI2005 · Dec 18, 2008

I have to put in my bid of approval for the AMT3000 too. It works very well, and gives you the option to set up your "source" wherever you want in your house and listen to your music and radio shows from any AM radio in the house.

Jedburgh OSS · Dec 18, 2008

This is the simplest and cheapest way

Years ago I bought a wire at Radio Shack that has a standard headphone jack on one end and two alligator clips on the other. The jack goes into the iPod headphone hole and the clips connect to the speaker where the wires are soldered for its own sound output. You don't have to have the radio on, and you can control the volume through the iPod. I first did this with a cassette player like the old Sony Walkman, then moved on to a personal CD player, and now use an iPod shuffle which will play a good eight hours of big band music on a charge. This has always worked great for me, and it's what I use at the living history events. If the sound is muffled as old radios usually are, just replace the speaker with a newer one.

Now, I don't know if Radio Shack still has these wires. The last time I was in one I realized this isn't our fathers' Radio Shack anymore. No more Heath Kits, no bins of electronic parts, and kids working there who don't even know what these are. From what I've described it wouldn't be hard to make one from scratch. I think I paid $1.99 for a commercially made one.

LizzieMaine · Dec 18, 2008

One caveat -- that technique would be best used with a radio using a permanent magnet speaker. Most prewar sets used a field coil instead of a permanent magnet, which required the radio to be on in order for the speaker to work. So if you do this, you'll have to silence the signal going into the radio, either by disconnecting the antenna or pulling the grid cap off the RF/IF tube. Otherwise, your iPod signal will compete with whatever the radio's picking up over the air.

dhermann1 · Dec 19, 2008

Lizzie, you are . . . . . really something.

BinkieBaumont · Dec 19, 2008

My head is hurting from all this talk of "transmitters" "AMT3000" "SStrans" therefore i'

m going to make a pot of tea and listen to "Burns and Allen"

Warden · Dec 19, 2008

Pleas pardon my ignorance in this, but.... would a vintage valve radio be able to pick up the FM (/VHF?) frequency? If so, the easiest thing would be to buy one of those iTrip FM transmitters that plugs into the top of the iPod and then simply tune in the radio to the correct frequency.

Thats how I do mine, works well

Harry

dhermann1 · Dec 19, 2008

At least on this side of the pond most pre 1946 radios do not have the FM band. They may have short wave or police, but not that. And I believe the pre 1947 ones had a different set of frequencies from the modern ones. Lizzie can tell you more about that than I can.

LizzieMaine · Dec 19, 2008

There was a "prewar" FM band and a "postwar." The original FM frequency assignments were in the 41 to 50 megacycle band, and quite a few cities had FM broadcasting during 1940-45, but in 1945 the FCC closed down all broadcasting on those channels and reassigned FM to the current 88 to 108 mc. band. The lower band was reassigned to experimental and utility services.

FM sets manufactured before the war were rendered useless by this change. It's possible to use them today only with a converter. But any FM set built after the war still works fine.

GWD · Dec 19, 2008

Something Similar and much easier.

I've adapted my Ipod audio cable to play on my Tube 1969 Fender Pro Reverb Guitar Amp. The conversion is very simple with a simple RCA to Guitar Jack adapter from Radio Shack and an adapter from RCA to female 3.5mm jack.

Yes, the playback is in Mono but it still sounds amazing!

scotrace · Dec 19, 2008

Saw One

I saw a setup in CA that worked a treat. I'm hoping CK Farnsworth will pipe up in here someplace.

Fedora64 · Dec 22, 2008

Would it be possible for anyone to post some pics of their old radio set up to play Ipod music?

Fedora64 · Dec 22, 2008

I found this link that has some good info on the subject......

http://antiqueradio.org/transmitter.htm

dhermann1 · Dec 22, 2008

I've read several reviews and comments about other AM transmitters, and the unanimous opinion is that the SSTRans AMT3000 is by far the best. You can get a kit and build it yourself, or buy it fully assembled.

Cousin Hepcat · Dec 22, 2008

AMT3000 - 3 years & still going strong

db5zx · Dec 22, 2008

The AMT3000 indeed is a great possibility... but if I remember correctly, missjoeri (one of the members here and a great source of knowledge) actually DID convert an old radio so she could actually control it using the buttons on her radio... maybe PM her and then post here what she said...

Fedora64 · Dec 22, 2008

That is what I have been thinking about. I would love to see a conversion like that.

KilroyCD · Jan 5, 2009

Okay, so I cheated a little...

I have a number of CDs of wartime broadcasts that are in mp3 format, and I've downloaded some to a mini mp3 player.
But I had no way to play it back through a vintage radio I use at living history events. The mp3 player just doesn't have anough power to drive the old radio's speaker.
As a result, I've been looking for a set of amplified speakers that
meet two criteria. First, they have to be battery powered, and secondly,
they have to be small enough to fit in the bakelite Emerson I use for
events.
Today, I found such a thing at Ollie's Bargain Outlet. The speakers are
made by Craig, run on 4 AA batteries and were only $4.99. They work very
well, as right now I'm listening to the mp3 file of the WJZ radio
broadcast day from June 6, 1944. I'll be removing the original speaker from the radio so it doesn't mute the sound from the new speakers.

Transmitting your own signal

I'll Lock Up

Call Me a Cab

One of the Regulars

I'll Lock Up

Rude Once Too Often

One Too Many

I'll Lock Up

One Too Many

Head Bartender

New in Town

New in Town

I'll Lock Up

Practically Family

Familiar Face

New in Town

One Too Many

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