prospecting in the junk box

After watching the transistor radio video mentioned a couple days ago:

https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2025/04/a-somewhat-intense-video-on-transistor.html

I was thinking about transistor radios - not so much collecting them but how they might be used in ham radio.  I remember an article by W1FB where he used a transistor radio as the basis of a ham receiver (QST February 1989):

But that's a kind of an on-the-nose application of a transistor radio.  Let's think about what a transistor radio has to offer:

1) case
2) portable, battery powered
3) speaker
4) earphone jack
5) audio amplifier with volume control
6) variable cap, rod antenna, IF cans, transistors

One example of a re-purposed transistor radio might be as a code practice oscillator, it would be fairly easy to patch in an audio oscillator into the audio amplifier, add a key jack and: there's the CPO.  Or maybe change the AM receiver into an AM transmitter, just modulate the carrier with a keyed tone and: a code practice transmitter that could be heard on any AM band receiver.  I'm sure there are many other possible ham radio applications for an transistor radio - even though this might drive some techs crazy:

https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2024/10/how-to-irritate-tech.html

So I started looking at the various junk boxes and found a few old transistor radios:

this looks promising, ooh !  10 transistors !

but unfortunately, no back !

this looked promising but the case is in bad shape and the earphone jack is missing

a Panasonic AM radio but for an unusual wrist design, also no case

None of them is a good candidate for conversion - I'll keep looking.

Now for something completely different: I also found this:

Unfortunately I violated the "write the date on the circuit board" rule so I will have to go through the notebook to find whatever notes I have on this, but it appears to be the start of an LC antenna tuner - three of the relays have been liberated.


Best Regards,
Chuck, WB9KZY
http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm