For years there has been a radio missing from my collection. A radio so common that almost every other collector has one, two, three and even more! But for whatever reason, the star's hadn't aligned until now. A few weeks ago I get a text message from the king of craigslist and the master of eBay, Dr DER. No radio's are ever listed, world wide without him knowing about it!
He texts me a link for a "Buy It Now" eBay listing that had just popped up, knowing I don't have one. I took a quick look, saw it was complete, saw it was cheap and clicked "Buy". I knew it would be rough, I knew it would have the common issues this radio always has. But I also knew that some of the parts this radio will need I already got from Dr DER and SLO in anticipation of such a find. (These guys are visionaries
).
But even with their generosity, this radio is still going to require help from the community to bring it back from the brink.
On to the unpacking....
Yep, the 2nd generation Lasonic TRC-931 and it is rough to say the least!
To start with, this radio came from Florida and was apparently stored in the SURF!
The chrome is pitted, but I think it can be cleaned up.
The battery compartment is atrocious
and will need new springs
The handle attachment point is missing parts BUT there are parts rattling around inside soooo
Yeah!
There are stickers on the top, BUT the top panel as well as the sides look good unless there is a name carved into the box under it
The record button is broken and is a bit flaccid
There is obvious rust on the metal surfaces, so it will be interesting to see what is inside.
Of course it goes without saying that the function switch is busted!
BUT, on the positive side, it's still in better condition than the Wheely when I got it
The antenna's are original and straight
It has it's battery cover
Thanks to Dr DER I have a nice fresh set of Lasonic Crash Bars and grills
And thanks to SLO I have a clean (er) set of white Lasonic speakers!
I also have an old main board with a working function switch that I can rob the gear from
The only real BIG issue this radio has is the front of the case, just below the top deck is broken. Not sure what I can do about this. Maybe nothing. Just leave it. It looks like someone may have tried to get a cassette out with a screwdriver and broke it. Unless someone has that sticker that goes around the deck, I could repair the case from behind and put the new sticker over it.
The radio does fire up, but has very low volume. If I moved the volume or balance knobs they crackle and try to come up in volume. So I am thinking a real good clean up on the controls will restore that. The lower deck (B) actually works. I pushed play and it wanted to turn, so I manually pushed the capstan and it popped loose and started turning, fast forward and rewind too! But the heads are super nasty and the function switch is broken so I can't test the deck. I didn't bother with the top deck (A). The LED landing strip lights work, the tuner light and stereo light works. All the knobs and switches are there.
All In All, I think I can bring it back from the dead. You know how I roll. It's time to break out the defibrillator!
She still looks good in the sun!
Parts I know I will need:
Record Button for Deck B
Sticker around Deck A
Plastic mount for handle (might be rattling around in box)
Battery Compartment springs
If you have any of these, please PM me.
He texts me a link for a "Buy It Now" eBay listing that had just popped up, knowing I don't have one. I took a quick look, saw it was complete, saw it was cheap and clicked "Buy". I knew it would be rough, I knew it would have the common issues this radio always has. But I also knew that some of the parts this radio will need I already got from Dr DER and SLO in anticipation of such a find. (These guys are visionaries
).But even with their generosity, this radio is still going to require help from the community to bring it back from the brink.
On to the unpacking....
Yep, the 2nd generation Lasonic TRC-931 and it is rough to say the least!
To start with, this radio came from Florida and was apparently stored in the SURF!
The chrome is pitted, but I think it can be cleaned up.
The battery compartment is atrocious
and will need new springsThe handle attachment point is missing parts BUT there are parts rattling around inside soooo
Yeah!There are stickers on the top, BUT the top panel as well as the sides look good unless there is a name carved into the box under it
The record button is broken and is a bit flaccid
There is obvious rust on the metal surfaces, so it will be interesting to see what is inside.
Of course it goes without saying that the function switch is busted!
BUT, on the positive side, it's still in better condition than the Wheely when I got it
The antenna's are original and straight
It has it's battery cover
Thanks to Dr DER I have a nice fresh set of Lasonic Crash Bars and grills
And thanks to SLO I have a clean (er) set of white Lasonic speakers!
I also have an old main board with a working function switch that I can rob the gear from
The only real BIG issue this radio has is the front of the case, just below the top deck is broken. Not sure what I can do about this. Maybe nothing. Just leave it. It looks like someone may have tried to get a cassette out with a screwdriver and broke it. Unless someone has that sticker that goes around the deck, I could repair the case from behind and put the new sticker over it.
The radio does fire up, but has very low volume. If I moved the volume or balance knobs they crackle and try to come up in volume. So I am thinking a real good clean up on the controls will restore that. The lower deck (B) actually works. I pushed play and it wanted to turn, so I manually pushed the capstan and it popped loose and started turning, fast forward and rewind too! But the heads are super nasty and the function switch is broken so I can't test the deck. I didn't bother with the top deck (A). The LED landing strip lights work, the tuner light and stereo light works. All the knobs and switches are there.
All In All, I think I can bring it back from the dead. You know how I roll. It's time to break out the defibrillator!
She still looks good in the sun!
Parts I know I will need:
Record Button for Deck B
Sticker around Deck A
Plastic mount for handle (might be rattling around in box)
Battery Compartment springs
If you have any of these, please PM me.
