Restoring an old transistor radio — sourcing ferrite rod antennas locally

[tito_elmer]

Magandang araw mga kapatid. Nire-restore ko yung 1970s Sanyo AM transistor radio na nakita ko sa lumang tool chest ng tatay ko. Yung original ferrite rod antenna nito, sira — nakacrack siya in half, parang nadagan or nahulog dati.

Noong panahon ko, makakakita ka ng ganitong parts kahit saan sa mga surplus shop sa Raon. Ngayon mukhang nawawala na — pure SMT na lang at breakout boards. Tried the usual hobby shops sa Quiapo, walang stock.

May alam ba kayong source ng ferrite rod antennas (mga 7cm long, yung may pre-wound coil for AM band)? Or even bare ferrite rods, kaya ko naman i-wind ulit yung coil. Online ok lang basta hindi galing abroad para hindi mahaba yung wait.

Otherwise, talo ako sa radio na ito. Sayang naman — yung sound niya before noong gumagana pa, walang katumbas.

[alex_repair]

For ferrite rods, try these in order:

• Deeco Surplus sa Quiapo, second floor — may section pa rin ng older AM/FM components. Dalhin mo yung sirang isa for size reference.
• Alexan along Raon — minsan may loose ferrite rods sa parts bin
• Lazada/Shopee — search "ferrite antenna AM" — Chinese suppliers ship to PH for ~PHP 80-150 plus shipping. Wait time mga 2-3 weeks.

Pag walang pre-wound, mas madali yung bare ferrite rod alone i-source. Yung pag-wind ng coil mo straightforward — roughly 80 turns of #28 enamelled wire for the AM band. Tap into the radio's existing tuning capacitor circuit para makuha mo yung tamang inductance, hindi mo kelangan ng Q-meter.

Worth trying: i-check mo ulit yung original ferrite rod. Cracked but may gumana pa rin pag in-epoxy mo carefully. Hindi nag-care yung magnetic flux sa clean breaks basta tightly aligned yung halves.

[danny_3dprint]

Walang akong source ng ferrite for you Tito Elmer, pero kung kelangan mo ng custom mounting bracket once you find one, send me the dimensions. Kaya ko i-3D-print yung holder in PLA or PETG, free na lang, just measurements.

For old radio restorations, masaya ring i-restore yung wood/plastic case. PLA matches yung old "Bakelite-look" finish pretty well after sanding tapos coat ng dark stain.

Pag bumalik na yung sound noong restored radio, walang katumbas talaga. Hopeful for you!