Space Master Plata

[JimRogers]

I recently got a Space Master Plata that I totally love. However, the antenna has cracked at the base and is about to break off.

Does anyone know where I might be able to get a replacement? I thought about trying to solder it, but I thought that might keep it from going back into the radio the way it should.


Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

[Reece]

Don't know where you could get that exact replacement except from a donor radio. I have one of these [pic] that I have had since 1966 and it still looks and plays great 44 years later. Allied Radio was selling those out of their catalog at that time, where I got mine. If there's anything missing on your antenna assembly and you need a picture of it, let me know. Are you saying that the largest section of the antenna, that is connected to the swivel ball, is cracked? That could be filed at the crack which would expose the brass underneath, and then carefully soldered, and then you'd have to file down the solder smooth. It might not hold so well. Might have to use silver solder. Actually my antenna broke off at the second smallest section. I just rigged a way for the antenna to stay stuffed inside its holder so I still have the chrome button showing by the handle, and I connected a piece of insulated wire a few feet long inside the case to the antenna and string that out behind the radio when I use it. I often will connect that to an outdoor long wire antenna anyway when listening to short wave. Just never got around to devising a way to fix it.

[JimRogers]

Yeah I have the same model you do it looks like. I don't have a ball at the top of the antenna though... it looks like a big screw head on top... maybe the ball was replaced with a screw.....


Anyway..... yes, the base of the antenna above the swivel ball is cracked... I guess I'll have to try and solder it. I'm just hoping that I can solder it and then get it smooth enough to sink back into the slot. If I can get that done and keep the whole thing intact then I can just be very careful not to pull it out of the slot all the way.

Thanks for the advice

[Reece]

The very top of the antenna on top of the skinniest telescoping section isn't a ball, it's a roughly triangular chrome piece that you pull up. It's mirrored at the other end of the handle by a similar fixed piece placed there for symmetry. Probably same as yours.

This set was sold under different names. When I was in Guatemala back then, I saw the same set in a store window with "Space Master Silver" as the name plate. So we got the Spanish name in the US, and the English name in Spanish-speaking Guatemala. Maybe the foreign name was supposed to be more exotic. This radio wishes it was a Transoceanic. But it really was built...heavy as heck with that steel chassis and all, even moreso with batteries.

[JimRogers]

Yeah I love the weight of it though Nice and solid. My antenna finally snapped off... it looks like it actually just fit over the swivel piece and was glued on or something... but sure... but I'm going to try and solder it on. I can get the AM/FM radio stations without the antenna still... but nothing else

[Reece]

The AM (BC band) broacast stations and LW operate off a ferrite antenna which is located inside the carrying handle. All other bands, FM through SW, operate from the whip. At the least the radio is going to need the controls and bandswitch cleaned. They're going to operate very scratchy. I get CRC Electronic Cleaner from auto parts stores. A slight squirt of that followed by a few drops of WD-40 on the contacts and work the controls back and forth a number of times. There are other fancier specialized cleaners but these work for me OK. Don't know how familiar you are with short wave but daytime 12-15 Mc. and up you'll hear foreign broadcasters and nighttime from around 5 to 10 Mc. The meter bands are marked by breaks in the gold lines and numbers. That's where you'll find most foreign broadcasters. You can clip on 10-20 ft. of any wire you have lying around for better SW reception. If the whip is broken off you can clip onto where the wire connects to it inside the case.

I wonder if it wouldn't be better to remove the whole whip assembly, interior part too, and take it to somebody who does silver soldering or brazing. Maybe even a jeweler? This would have to be done carefully and I"m thinking with the chrome ground down to the brass for the repair to "take." With it out of the case there would be no danger of melting case plastic or splattering on something.

I have the original manual that came with my radio. If you PM me a snail mail address, I'll copy and send it to you. Too many pages to email.

[aldocorleone]

Hi folks, I have a space master plata as well. I got it years ago, but now I can't find the plug in adapter (transformer) for it. Could you tell me what type of 9V adapter mA it needs? Thank you so much!

I know it works. Or at least it 'DID' work at one point, but I'd love to see it work again. I remember it being a perfect radio.

Thanks!

[Reece]

My original adapter died a long time ago and so I rummaged around in my collection of wall-warts (isn't it amazing how many you can accumulate over the years from various devices) and tried one with 9VDC out at 9ma. The radio plays fine with that at good volume. If you can find one with a bit more ma. that would be good. I also stuck a 1000 mfd. cap @35V across the power input of the radio for more filtering. Depending on the "wart" you may or may not need more filtering. Any good size (mfd) electrolytic at 20 volts or so would probably work. I can't remember on the power connecter whether the center pin is + or - since I just wired my adapter in direct since I never use batteries in this radio.

Something I know I need to do is replace the electrolytics in this radio and clean the bandswitch and controls because after 45 years I know the caps are dried out. Usually new 'lytics in an old transistor radio will brighten it up.

[dieseljeep]

Reece. Are you sure about the 9ma rating? I think that radio draws around 22ma at minimum volume. Most of the AC adaptors aren't regulated, so if you use one the is rated for, lets say, 200ma, chances are the output would be around 13 volts, no load.

[Reece]

I was kind of surprised that it worked too, just a little thing, Archer by Radio Shack, but it says 9VDC and 9ma right on the label. I've used it for years. It doesn't get hot. I'd look for one with a higher rating, though. Strange, it says "for use with radios that do not have antenna terminals." Maybe there's something "hot" about it (electrically)... I probably have a better one out in my stash. If you have flea markets where you are as we do in the summertime here, often people have stacks of wall warts for 50 cents or a buck apiece. I always root through to see if there's anything good, especially hefty ones putting out DC at high currents.

[dieseljeep]

It just dawned on me. Radio Shack prints the input current on the label, as well. 9ma @120 volts. Transformer is probably a 10:1 ratio.