![]() ![]() Griffin’s interpretation of the Mac OS X brushed-metal look-perhaps they’re trying for the high-end audio gear appearance?-is reminiscent of an ugly WinAMP skin from the late 1990s. Its software, like its radio reception, leaves something to be desired. I’ve had Walkmans that got better reception without any antenna at all. Memo to Griffin: re-work the AM antenna design entirely, and include an external FM antenna with the device. Plugging a pair of headphones into this jack, as Griffin suggests, does indeed improve FM reception, but does nothing for AM. Strangely, the manual bears no mention of this whatsoever, though it is now mentioned on the radioSHARK support page. There is a combination antenna/headphone jack just above the USB cable on the back of the device. This makes the device essentially useless for AM radio. Every other radio in the house picks it up with no static at all. My house is less than five miles line-of-sight from the transmitter of a major AM station, and the radioSHARK barely picks it up. I know it might be anathema to the designers, but adding a telescoping FM antenna like that found on most boom boxes would be a welcome improvement.ĪM reception, unfortunately, is even worse. Rather, the radioSHARK’s reception simply doesn’t stack up, for whatever reason, even with the USB extension cable-cum-antenna in place. Nor did Griffin “pull an Apple” and build a radio-reception device with the antenna inside a metal shell (TiBook, anyone?). It isn’t that the device’s appearance particularly impedes its function. cover photo).Unfortunately, function follows form here. ![]() Some people make it a little resale business of collector radios (cf. Obviously, the less original elements you keep, the more prices go up: you are leaving upcycling to enter a form of restoration of ancient objects. We recommend this tutorial from an old Toshiba AM radio (approximatively €30). You will need to acquire a suitable power supply and you will also gain autonomy (a charger and a 2,500 mAh battery for example). If you are feeling bold and your radio is more imposing, you could look to incorporate a more powerful loudspeaker. The result on video by Madiska: A notch above The Bluetooth speaker is ready for charging (screenshot). The latter will serve as a space to fold in the cable. Place the Bluetooth transmitter in such a way as to position the USB cable exit on the side of the former battery compartment. We keep the on/off switch to interrupt the circuit (screenshot). The USB rechargeable battery of the transmitter will be used to power everything up. Solder the wires of the original loudspeaker of the radio on the contact of the Bluetooth transmitter: easy, it’s the contact that was linked to the loudspeaker of the Bluetooth speaker. © DR Step 5: connect the radio loudspeaker to the Bluetooth transmitter The Bluetooth transmitter and its supply battery (screenshot). Keep the rechargeable battery and the USB cable for charging. © DR Step 4: remove the transmitter from the Bluetooth speakerĭismantle the speaker and retrieve the Bluetooth transmitter. The radio is reduced to its loudspeaker function (screenshot). Remove all the components that concern the radio part and only retain the on/off switch and the loudspeaker. © DR Step 3: empty the radio of its components The Bluetooth speaker and its USB power cable (screenshot). © DR Step 2: find a Bluetooth speakerĪn entry level Bluetooth speaker or its second hand equivalent to sacrifice. Neywa 402 radio made in the 1970s, purchased for €10 (screenshot). Or Soviet, like in the tutorial given by the Estonian Madiska, that can be seen below. The choice is vast, from antiques to exotic models (Japanese, American…). Unless you have one put away in the attic, all you need to do is bargain-hunt on the Internet or in real life. The first step consists in finding a portable vintage radio with a nice look. – A soldering iron Step 1: choose a radio The process is very much the same for all the radios you want to give a second connected life to. Another good reason to launch into this easy hack, retro-tech as hell. Except that a speaker signed by a designer costs €100 or more. The first reason to have fun turning an old transistor radio into a Bluetooth speaker is that it is aesthetically pleasing: as soon as they appeared on the market, AM/FM radios were desirable objects for designers, like portable speakers today. What if we mixed state-of-the-art Bluetooth speakers, often expensive or charmless, with a disused device? By Nicolas Barrial The nice radios that can’t read a smartphone playlist are no longer popular. ![]()
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