Panorama 640 Tube Radio by Matsushita

[Maxamillion]

Just picked this up today at an antiques store. It's in nice shape with only a few minor scratches, and although I promised my wife "no more old radios" a while ago, it's now in my house. Anyone here familiar with this unit? From the little I can find on the web, it's from circa 1955, "very rare", and "great sounding". Looks to be a two way with AlNiCo magnets on the woofer and tweeter. AM, FM and shortwave bands.

I haven't brought it up on the variac yet, but the fuse is intact and all the innards seem to be in place. It can most likely use a re-cap after all these years.

Thoughts?

[wa2ise]

DO the re-cap. These sets often used little gray paper caps that are guaranteed to be bad, and the electrolytics likely bad as well.

I see a power transformer, which suggests that this was a higher end radio.

[radiotvnut]

Nice set! That's the first Japanese tube radio that I've seen with a power transformer; and, Matsushita made some decent electronics back then.

[Maxamillion]

Here's a review of this radio that I found online:

http://herculodge.typepad.com/hercul...orama-640.html

Here's the entry at the Radio museum:

http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/matsush...orama_640.html



Sounds like it was definitely a higher-end unit.



.

[RDusel]

Interesting. I have that same radio and it is branded as a "Craig". I don't remember the equalizer though, I will have to check on that.
I picked it up about 5 years ago because it had a tuning eye (albeit dim) and I love tuning eyes. I remember that it played when I got it but FM would cut out when it got warm. Since I moved it came out of the attic and I will do a recap of it this winter. I'll try and post a pic if I can.
Were you able to find a schematic for it? If so I would be eternally grateful for a copy.
Thanks!
Rob

[capbuster]

Here is a Japan radio site http://www.japanradiomuseum.jp/index-e.html Might find it interesting

[capbuster]

Originally Posted by capbuster

Here is a Japan radio site http://www.japanradiomuseum.jp/index-e.html Might find it interesting

click on japanesse will take you to english version

[Maxamillion]

Originally Posted by RDusel

Interesting. I have that same radio and it is branded as a "Craig". I don't remember the equalizer though, I will have to check on that.
I picked it up about 5 years ago because it had a tuning eye (albeit dim) and I love tuning eyes. I remember that it played when I got it but FM would cut out when it got warm. Since I moved it came out of the attic and I will do a recap of it this winter. I'll try and post a pic if I can.
Were you able to find a schematic for it? If so I would be eternally grateful for a copy.
Thanks!
Rob

No schematic located yet. Still searching.

[Jeffhs]

I wouldn't be surprised if Zenith got the idea for its C845 and its other high-fidelity table radios of the 1950s from the design of the Matsushita Panorama 640. These radios seem to be similar in design (except for the tuning eye, which the C845 doesn't have--although I once saw a C845 with an added-on external eye tube), with two speakers, great RF sensitivity and selectivity, and high-performance audio. The C845 doesn't have a three-position equalizer, but it does have a continuously variable tone control that varies the entire response curve of the audio stages; I find that my own C845 sounds best with the control at midrange.

Both the Panorama 640 and the C845 are eight-tube receivers, which means there is an RF stage ahead of the antenna; this makes for a very sensitive radio, usable in just about any signal area, and great for DX. I live in an area of northeastern Ohio that gets AM and FM reception from several different cities, so I can often hear stations from these areas (in fact, my FM dial is often packed with signals from one end to the other in the summer, when the FM band opens up) on my C845 as well as if they were local -- and just using the built-in antennas. Hook up a Panorama 640 or a Zenith C845 to an external antenna, however, and you may hear stations you never knew existed. I can only speak for my C845, but since the Panorama 640 is an eight-tube set it is probably every bit as much a DX machine as are any of the late-'50s-very early '60s Zeniths.

I'd hang on to that Panorama 640 set because, as I always say about Zenith radios, they unfortunately don't make them like that anymore.

The Panorama 640 is also the first Matsushita radio I have ever seen with a power transformer and a 6X4 rectifier tube. I don't know if the primary of the transformer is fused, but if not, I'd put a fuse in to protect the transformer in case the tube (or the main 3-section power supply filter capacitor) shorts.

[Maxamillion]

Thanks for the tips, Jeff. This unit will be going into the closet for a while as I have too many other projects ahead of it (and as I search for a schematic), but I will get to it in time.

[RDusel]

I spent some time poking around on the Japanese site mentioned above and found a Matsushita set that seems to resemble the Panorama and Craig sets.


Interesting text as well (pardon the Google translation quirks)
"FM broadcasting set was released immediately after the start of the experiment. FM band of 80 early-90Mc.
This model was sold until 1960, long time.
Models made by top quality hi-fi radio at the time of the 1960 National. Price \ 24,800, respectively.
The five super ball Purasuchikkukyabi \ 5-8,000 was very expensive for the level.
They are presented in a vacuum tube introduced European technology from Philips Matsushita partnership."

Philips-Matsushita partnership. That explains the very European looking chassis and tuning eye....
Going to be a while before I get to my Craig as well, I'm still waiting to unpack my radio repair bench after moving this summer..
Rob

[electroking]

Nice plated chassis. Also the BC band seems to be going down as low as 500 kHz,
and at least to 1650 kHz at the upper end. Hope this gets to work well. Good luck!