I suppose an 80's boombox is like an oversize "transistor"

[wa2ise]

After cleaning some pots and switches, and soldering some bad joints, this set works quite well on AM reception. It also has a pair of shortwave bands as well as FM stereo. And a cassette deck, though any real cassette deck would sound better...

You don't see the missing battery cover around back...

[Electronic M]

Some were basically a compact HiFi system....Others not so much.

[Ed in Tx]

I have a big ol'Panasonic that looks a lot like that. Has bass and treble controls, Dolby NR, Norm and CRO2 tape record-PB, good FM section. I ran the heck out of it for over 10 years at work playing my old cassettes. Sounded pretty good hooked up to a pair of Realistic Minimus 11s (big brother to the 7).

[soundman2]

She's a beauty! That takes me back in time when I was a young lad. I used to ogle these sort of things in electronics retailers. I have loads of product brochures on these and TV/VCR/HIFI. Great memories.

[CoogarXR]

I had that same model as a kid. Meeeemories....

[soundman2]

These things were quality

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by wa2ise

After cleaning some pots and switches, and soldering some bad joints, this set works quite well on AM reception. It also has a pair of shortwave bands as well as FM stereo. And a cassette deck, though any real cassette deck would sound better...

You don't see the missing battery cover around back...

I have one similar to that one, in my collection.
Does yours have a voltage selector switch on it. It seems, the ones that have shortwave, were meant for Foreign use.

[wa2ise]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

Does yours have a voltage selector switch on it?

Yes, I can select 120, 220, or 240V AC. Though no 100V selection. For the fun of it, I set it to 240VAC and I run it off an outlet like this , similar to Aussie outlets, which I have 240VAC connected to it (a pair of 120VACs, one 180 phase shifted, the usual power company feed in the USA). If you're careful enough, you can modify a 120V parallel plug with a soldering gun, to melt the plastic a little to twist the prongs to angled positions to mate the Aussie style outlet.

I had though of the shortwave bands as a kind of feature list, for owners to brag about "My boombox can get shortwave stations, can yours?".

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by wa2ise

Yes, I can select 120, 220, or 240V AC. Though no 100V selection. For the fun of it, I set it to 240VAC and I run it off an outlet like this , similar to Aussie outlets, which I have 240VAC connected to it (a pair of 120VACs, one 180 phase shifted, the usual power company feed in the USA). If you're careful enough, you can modify a 120V parallel plug with a soldering gun, to melt the plastic a little to twist the prongs to angled positions to mate the Aussie style outlet.

I had though of the shortwave bands as a kind of feature list, for owners to brag about "My boombox can get shortwave stations, can yours?".

The plant I worked, in the mid-60's, still used receptacles like that. The Hubbell devices had the lower outlet flipped 180 degrees. I guess they did that so there was no ground up, ground down issue.
You can also use one of those travel kit adaptors, made for Aussie receptacles.

[Sandy G]

I remember looking at one that boasted a "Shortwave" band on it, & there was nothing but noise &a few static pops... An R-390A, they WEREN'T..

[rpm1200]

Nice Sanyo.

My big JVCs have decent shortwave tuners but I'm sure they are still inferior to standalone shortwave radios.