Hi! Relatively new member here; I joined last year, not long after purchasing my first boombox since I was a teen back in the early '80s. Back then, my first boombox was a relatively low-frills Sanyo M9903K that did have shortwave, which was cool...I always coveted a friend's bigger, more powerful, more knobs-having-Panasonic though. Lost my Sanyo when our house was robbed, and with the insurance money, my dad took me to Sears and I bought a bigger model from there, which I had for years. Something kicked in in the last few years though, and I realized I wanted to finally own one of those larger, higher wattage Panasonics....I zoned in on a Pansonic RX-5500, which I think may have been the model my friend had. Wound up picking up the European version, a National Pansonic RX-5500F (also with shortwave!). It was mostly restored, new belts, etc, with just one original knob missing (the shortwave fine-tuning knob, which I've since found). The antenna got bent/damaged though in a freak accident which I'm still kicking myself over, months later. My issue now is, how to remove the antenna? This is the type of antenna that retracts almost 100% vertically into the boombox body, rather than bending over at a 90 degree angle to the box (you can do that too, though, if one wanted to). A tiny screw on the back of the box holds it in....I removed that, and the broken antenna pulled straight up and out, easily enough. The trouble I"m having is with the GOOD antenna...even after the screw is removed, it does not want to pull out. I contacted the guy who had restored the first one, since he was friendly enough and enjoyed talking about boomboxes, and he indicated he thought there might still be another screw (interior) or retaining clip of some kind that would still be holding it in there. He told me how to open the box, which I did, to check. It turns out, though, that the exterior retaining screw was the only thing that keeps it connected, at least down at the bottom end...the good antenna now swings freely back and forth at the bottom. But I'm not able to pull it straight out, like the guy says I should be able to do.
Now, there appears to be a black plastic ring, on the good antenna, right below where it goes into the top of the box....you can see it if peering up at the antenna, from inside the box. See attached pic, showing this antenna, still inside the box. The thing is, the broken antenna (that came easily out) does not have this ring! The other pic of just an antenna is the broken one, already out, clearly showing there is no plastic ring anywhere on it. The guy claims that I just need to pull harder on the other good one, and use some WD40 or grease to help it. I'm nervous to, however....what if it was never supposed to come out that way...? Anyway, I wanted to at least consult first with the way-more knowledgeable folks on here. I was hoping someone might be familiar with this type of antenna. I'm pretty sure it's the same on the RX-5500, the RX-5500L, RX-5500LE, the RX-5500FA....by Panasonic, National Panasonic, or National. My question is simply: is the guy right that with more force and/or lubricant, should the antenna come straight out? Worried that part is needed and pulling could damage it. Is there another step I'm not aware of? I can't figure out why one antenna has that ring, while the other one doesn't. I don't remember the one that didn't have it being particularly loose in its channel, either. But either they both had it at one time, or some antennas have it and some don't (seems unlikely?). At any rate, I can't see anything else that could be keeping this from just pulling right up out of there.
Any help is greatly appreciated....thanks so much for any help/suggestions!
Now, there appears to be a black plastic ring, on the good antenna, right below where it goes into the top of the box....you can see it if peering up at the antenna, from inside the box. See attached pic, showing this antenna, still inside the box. The thing is, the broken antenna (that came easily out) does not have this ring! The other pic of just an antenna is the broken one, already out, clearly showing there is no plastic ring anywhere on it. The guy claims that I just need to pull harder on the other good one, and use some WD40 or grease to help it. I'm nervous to, however....what if it was never supposed to come out that way...? Anyway, I wanted to at least consult first with the way-more knowledgeable folks on here. I was hoping someone might be familiar with this type of antenna. I'm pretty sure it's the same on the RX-5500, the RX-5500L, RX-5500LE, the RX-5500FA....by Panasonic, National Panasonic, or National. My question is simply: is the guy right that with more force and/or lubricant, should the antenna come straight out? Worried that part is needed and pulling could damage it. Is there another step I'm not aware of? I can't figure out why one antenna has that ring, while the other one doesn't. I don't remember the one that didn't have it being particularly loose in its channel, either. But either they both had it at one time, or some antennas have it and some don't (seems unlikely?). At any rate, I can't see anything else that could be keeping this from just pulling right up out of there.
Any help is greatly appreciated....thanks so much for any help/suggestions!
