In early 1972, I bought my first Radio, a Transistor Radio. An old one, from the junk yard ( the famous Putharikandam Maithaanam (East Fort, Trivandrum ), which was the 'guzri market' those days). It was "GRUNDIG" make, an original one. Quite heavy, it had a 9V battery pack to work. The cabinet was made of wood. It had 9 transistors ( OC1, AC128/AC127, etc.. !! ), an excellent heavy 6" speaker, an 8" ferrite road, a metallic loop antenna, and all that ...
Those days' popular brands were .. Philips, Murphy, Nelco, (all of Indian make) and ofcourse Sony and National Panasonic (all Japanese make, and available through Gulf channels or illegal sources). GRUNDIG, known for its quality and long life, was rare. That's what made me pick this junk radio. Being an electronic hobbyist, I was sure to repair it and recondition this junk. And that's what I did. Some minor manipulations/repairs and fitting a new battery pack, the radio started working. Quickfix (the one fixing everything except 'broken hearts' !) did its magic to keep the cabinet healthy.
This multiband radio (no FM !) had very good reception qualities. It could receive even the local (TVM City) Police wireless communication ( 80-90 metre band). So, I used to listen them during evenings and night. Monitoring Police wireless was thrilling that time. However, I kept that a secret. { I am always scared of the Police } . For many years I used this granny radio. At some point of time I lost track, may be due to the modern ones that came to my life.
I have here, the remains of my Grundig radio. The Loop antenna and the Ferrite rod.
And now let me show you the beautiful Aparna. She's here with a "leather-like" garment. And then without it !
Believe me, this Delhi born Radio is an excellent one. Both in looks and performance. It's not costly. Just Rs. 300/- only. I am quite happy with my Aparna.
You may wonder why I tell you all these. Equivalents (Philips, .. ) costs you over Rs. 1000/-. And it's not that nice to look at. And, performance is matching well.
Those days' popular brands were .. Philips, Murphy, Nelco, (all of Indian make) and ofcourse Sony and National Panasonic (all Japanese make, and available through Gulf channels or illegal sources). GRUNDIG, known for its quality and long life, was rare. That's what made me pick this junk radio. Being an electronic hobbyist, I was sure to repair it and recondition this junk. And that's what I did. Some minor manipulations/repairs and fitting a new battery pack, the radio started working. Quickfix (the one fixing everything except 'broken hearts' !) did its magic to keep the cabinet healthy.
This multiband radio (no FM !) had very good reception qualities. It could receive even the local (TVM City) Police wireless communication ( 80-90 metre band). So, I used to listen them during evenings and night. Monitoring Police wireless was thrilling that time. However, I kept that a secret. { I am always scared of the Police } . For many years I used this granny radio. At some point of time I lost track, may be due to the modern ones that came to my life.
I have here, the remains of my Grundig radio. The Loop antenna and the Ferrite rod.
And now let me show you the beautiful Aparna. She's here with a "leather-like" garment. And then without it !
Believe me, this Delhi born Radio is an excellent one. Both in looks and performance. It's not costly. Just Rs. 300/- only. I am quite happy with my Aparna.
You may wonder why I tell you all these. Equivalents (Philips, .. ) costs you over Rs. 1000/-. And it's not that nice to look at. And, performance is matching well.
