Hoffman 706 SOLAR 1960's

[Buzzsaaw]

Hello,
Here's a project I've been waiting over 40 years to start. My Dad bought this in the '60s and played it all the time.. One fateful day when it was kinda dark outside due to a snow storm, Dad put the radio up on a pole lamp upside down so the radio would collect light from the lamp.
It melted the solar panel and part of the case.. durn! That was the last sound it made..

I've been searching for a new solar panel. I've tried to take the old one apart to solder those little wires. It's just laminated too much to get apart.



My radio is black and this (above) is just another pic I found of the same model. It's a cool radio. These solar panels were made by the same company that made solar arrays for some of the early satellites!

I've made several inquires into finding a replacement NOS or even a used solar panel for this radio. Any ideas? Maybe an old repair shop might have one in the back room setting there on the top shelf in an old box gathering dust. (grin)

These radios are "trying" to sell for around 150 bucks on FreeBay. That's too much for a solar panel and a parts radio for me. Me cheap ol' dude!

Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!

Buzz