Never know what you'll find moving...

[Cruiseomatic]

Wife and I are moving to a new house before long and in the process of getting things out and packed I found this,I can't remember how long I've had it or why I got it but I do. All I know about it is it has multiple bands and picks up EVERYTHING, Made in 1977, Has GREAT sound and works really good.

I thought someone here might of seen one before or knew something about it I don't.

[Jeffhs]

I don't know much about this radio either; never heard of the brand before now, but it looks a little bit like one of the early Panasonic multi-band portables (your set may well be a rebadged Panasonic). However, it looks as if it should serve you well, if you say it sounds great and will receive just about anything (except UHF police and TV audio) that's out there. Even though this radio has two bands for TV channels 2-13, don't expect to hear anything on them, as TV audio as well as video is now 100-percent digital and transmitted mostly on UHF channels. You might hear the audio from digital TV stations still on VHF channels, if there are any in your area, but I wouldn't count on it.

This is one of the few multi-band transistor portables I've ever seen with a separate band for the CB channels as well. Makes sense, as CB was still a licensed and rather orderly, organized service in the late '70s. It wasn't until 1983, when the FCC stopped issuing CB licenses, that the Citizens Band went all to........pieces.

[AUdubon5425]

That radio was manufactured overseas (Hong Kong maybe) for export and wholesaled to different distributors or department stores and branded how they wished. You may find the same set labeled a "Juliette" or a "Yorx" one day. (I think they called it 'private-label export' or something)

Not that there's anything wrong with that - but that's why you may not find any background on "Electronics International."

It's the perfect radio for emergencies with the weather band (on PB).

[crewbus]

Wow, whats that big red knob sticking out of the side,,,,oh wait,,,,,,,,nevermind

[Jeffhs]

I have a Sony TFM-7720W AM/FM portable radio that I found in a dumpster, while I was helping my dad's third wife clean out his house so she could sell it. (My dad passed away from lung cancer in March 1998, almost 12 years ago.) The radio worked, and well. It was made in 1973, so I have every reason to believe it is a genuine Sony. I also inherited my dad's Sony MR-9700W AM/FM/stereo-FM 17-transistor portable from the same year, which still works but doesn't get much use these days. That radio, too, is a genuine Sony. Both radios are in my bedroom, on my dresser, along with a Zenith C845, Zenith H480, et al.

BTW, does anyone here know anything about the Sony TFM-7720W radio? I've been looking everywhere on the Internet for a schematic, owners manual, anything at all, for mine, but to date I haven't found a bit of info on this excellent portable. I'd guess it has at least eleven transistors, maybe a tuned RF stage on AM as well as FM, all the trimmings, as this set looks like it must have been fairly high-end when it was new. The dial scale stretches the entire width of the radio (about nine inches), which is why I think this set must have fairly high-performance signal circuits--not unlike my Zenith R-70 portable, which has two IF stages on AM, four IFs on FM, ceramic filters on both bands and push-pull audio. That set must have cost quite a bit when it was new in 1980; I got it on eBay a few years ago for, IIRC, $24.95 or so.

Thanks in advance.

[wa2ise]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

You might hear the audio from digital TV stations still on VHF channels, if there are any in your area, but I wouldn't count on it.

This is one of the few multi-band transistor portables I've ever seen with a separate band for the CB channels as well. Makes sense, as CB was still a licensed and rather orderly, organized service in the late '70s. It wasn't until 1983, when the FCC stopped issuing CB licenses, that the Citizens Band went all to........pieces.

DTV audio is digital, along with the video. So all you'd get is additional noise, if anything at all. But you might hear something between channel 4 and 5, there's some "mobile" and "fixed" services there.

IIRC, on the CB band, it was around 1975 when it went to hell. There was a pop C&W song "Convoy" which featured CB radio being used by truckers to find cops in speed traps on highways. So everyone ran out and bought CB sets and soon kids started messing around on that band. ...

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by wa2ise

IIRC, on the CB band, it was around 1975 when it went to hell. There was a pop C&W song "Convoy" which featured CB radio being used by truckers to find cops in speed traps on highways. So everyone ran out and bought CB sets and soon kids started messing around on that band. ...

That's why I gave up on CB in the early '70s and got into ham radio. Hams are much more organized, civil and everything else compared to the nuts on the Citizens Band. My Icom IC-725 100-watt ham rig has a general coverage receiver that will tune to 27 MHz. I listened there several years ago and heard some of the most goshawful nonsense I have ever heard over shortwave radio in my life--people talking over each other, dead carriers, whistling, hooting, catcalls, you name it.

CB may have begun to "go to hell", as you put it, in 1975 but the band really went haywire in 1983, the year the FCC stopped issuing CB licenses. The lifting of the licensing requirement meant that anyone with a CB radio could blast on the air and do goodness only knows what. I wouldn't be surprised if some kids, somewhere, would try to put a radio station somewhere on the frequency range that used to be the Citizens Band; hard rock, filthy language, name it. Since the FCC doesn't seem to care anymore what goes on on 27 MHz, these kids would probably get away with broadcasting trash there. Doesn't bother me a bit (I haven't owned a CB radio in decades and don't want one as a ham), but I would hope the kids and other clowns now on 27 MHz stay the heck away from the amateur bands, especially ten meters. All we would need would be a bunch of unlicensed idiots making a shambles of the latter.

However, I don't think we have much to worry about as far as ten meters being overrun by CB nuts is concerned, since the former is still an amateur band regulated by the FCC. I don't know if they will ever do it, but I think it would be an excellent idea if the FCC returned 27 MHz to the amateur radio service as the 11-meter band, as it was prior to 1958. This band is a goshawful mess as it is and must be cleaned up, sooner rather than later. I would suggest that the FCC reassign 11 meters to either the amateur radio service or to some responsible organization, but one way or another the nonsense on this band must be dealt with. The FCC has already divested (for the most part) television stations of their assignments in what used to be the VHF television band, channels 2 through 13, putting most DTV stations on UHF channels; I wish they would do something similar with 11 meters. Something must be done to stop the nonsense on what once was a very orderly Citizens Band, or else the FCC will reassign it to something else.

As overworked and understaffed as the FCC is these days, however, I don't think anything will be done about the goshawful mess that is 11 meters any time soon.

[Sandy G]

I only had a 90-watt "foot warmer", & mine increased the receiving range as well as the transmitting range...Which was kinda neat for me, down here in these hills 'n' hollers, you never knew when "Skip" would be rollin' in... Mine was LSB & USB as well, but I know of some guys who'd put "Extra" crystals in their sets & would talk way above & below 27 MCS. I never did, 'cause I didn't want to lose my radio & car, but almost everybody who had a base had "Doctored" it up a little...Some guys got REAL bold & bought ham gear & started "Ratchet Jawin'" on that, but they soon found out that real hams wouldn't talk to 'em. Most CBers had just enuff knowlege about "Radidio" to be VERY dangerous..

[jr_tech]

The FCC does, indeed pay some attention to CB band enforcement, See this NOV: http://www.fcc.gov/eb/FieldNotices/2...-295835A1.html

From: http://www.fcc.gov/eb/FieldNotices/

jr

[wa2ise]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

That's why I gave up on CB in the early '70s and got into ham radio. Hams are much more organized, civil and everything else compared to the nuts on the Citizens Band. ...
However, I don't think we have much to worry about as far as ten meters being overrun by CB nuts is concerned, since the former is still an amateur band regulated by the FCC. I don't know if they will ever do it, but I think it would be an excellent idea if the FCC returned 27 MHz to the amateur radio service as the 11-meter band, as it was prior to 1958.

It was around 1975 I played with CB some, and then I "graduated" to ham radio in 1976 (had to take my "tech plus" (back then it was general theory and 5WPM, and no no-code then) at the FCC field office, I had to send as well as copy code, there was a key mounted on a school desk you used in the test). Back then, the FCC was recycling callsigns, and they gave me WA2ISE, which someone in upstate NY had before. Maybe someone at the test room though I'd be a code fan, as I aced the code but barely passed the written (embarrassing for a EE student in college!), and gave me the code friendly callsign (suffix all dits).

Hams do catch stray "freebanders" (wayward CBers) wandering into the bottom of 10 meters, but they leave fairly quickly. One time I overheard some freebanders commenting on that they never hear hams on the air on 10 meters at night, and they thought there was an FCC rule restricting hams to daytime only operation Though one time, at a sunspot peak, I did manage some one hop DX at 10:30PM, from NJ to Texas.

I don't know if hams would want to try to clean up 11 meters. Most time, there's plenty of room on 10. Probably the only way to end CB is to ban the manufacture and sale of new CB rigs, and eventually activity on 11 would fade away. Take 20 years or more, though...

[AUdubon5425]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

I listened there several years ago and heard some of the most goshawful nonsense I have ever heard over shortwave radio in my life--people talking over each other, dead carriers, whistling, hooting, catcalls, you name it.

I bought my first CB radio in the late 90's, a cheapie Radio Shack for the car, in case I needed aid when I was traveling cross-country back then. I found it useful to get information on road and traffic conditions from the truckers. There was foolishness though especially in the major cities.

I hooked the CB back up briefly about a year ago, and locally it's mostly jive talkers with echo chambers and sound effects - very ignorant stuff. Occasionally some trucker seeks directions, but half the time no one can hear/respond over the boosted trash talkers and their overmodulated garbage.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by AUdubon5425

I bought my first CB radio in the late 90's, a cheapie Radio Shack for the car, in case I needed aid when I was traveling cross-country back then. I found it useful to get information on road and traffic conditions from the truckers. There was foolishness though especially in the major cities.

I hooked the CB back up briefly about a year ago, and locally it's mostly jive talkers with echo chambers and sound effects - very ignorant stuff. Occasionally some trucker seeks directions, but half the time no one can hear/respond over the boosted trash talkers and their overmodulated garbage.

I just read the text of the Notice of Violation sent to the CB operator in Washington state, and was amazed how many of the rules that person was violating. It seems he was going counter to every rule listed in the document, including the one forbidding the use of sound effects, echo, etc. How or why they are getting away with it in Louisiana, however, is beyond me.

I also did not realize (until I read that NOV) that the FCC still monitored 27 MHz for violations of rules. I thought that since the agency ceased issuance of CB licenses over 25 years ago, this band had turned more or less into an RF "wild west" where there are no rules, regulations or anything else to stop anyone from turning the band into an utter wasteland.

What gets me, however, is how, as I mentioned above, these idiots are getting away with using sound effects, electronic echo, name it, when there are definite rules against such abuse of the Citizens Band. The man in Washington state who received the NOV I mentioned found out (the hard way) that 27 MHz is still watched by the FCC and violators will be cited for such abuse.

I did not, however, see anything in that NOV (unless I missed something) in reference to the man being fined for his antics. I cannot believe he got away with just a warning (a slap on the wrist, as it were); he went against regulations, so he should very well have been fined or even imprisoned, as any other violator of FCC rules would have been. If this man had done the same thing on any amateur band, he would have had the boom lowered on him--but good.

[jr_tech]

"I also did not realize (until I read that NOV) that the FCC still monitored 27 MHz for violations"

#2. in the NOV states "in response to complaints".

"I did not, however, see anything in that NOV (unless I missed something) in reference to the man being fined for his antics."

He may receive a NAL "Notice of Apparent Liability" (statement of fine amount) later, depending on his actions/response to the FCC NOV. Read down on the list in the second link, several NALs are pretty hefty.

jr

[Dude111]

w0w SHE IS BEAUTIFULL!!!!!!

Thats when they still made GOOD QUALITY STUFF!!

Fix her up and keep her running bud

[Dave A]

I keep an old GE hand-held CB kit in the trunk for long rides. Stick that magnetic antenna on the roof and lay the radio on the front seat. Great fun to listen to in desolate areas where AM is talk-only and FM is not much better.