I snagged one of these at my town dump last Saturday. It was missing the external AC supply and has a broken antenna nub. After pillaging batteries from a couple flashlights I determined it worked. Earlier this week I tried contacting SONY parts for a replacement mast but got nowhere with that. Haven't given up but did implement a quick interim solution.
Basically the fix was to take a wooden craft bead and partially drill into it so that a SMS (sheet metal screw) could sit ~flush. After drilling out the bead, I darkened the wood with a Sharpie marker. I sized the screw thread so that provides a secure fit into the top most mast section. It fits tight and the mast pulls out freely. The whole repair took all of 5 minutes once I had the parts & tools sorted out. It looks good enough that I may just leave it as is.
Original antenna -
Basically the fix was to take a wooden craft bead and partially drill into it so that a SMS (sheet metal screw) could sit ~flush. After drilling out the bead, I darkened the wood with a Sharpie marker. I sized the screw thread so that provides a secure fit into the top most mast section. It fits tight and the mast pulls out freely. The whole repair took all of 5 minutes once I had the parts & tools sorted out. It looks good enough that I may just leave it as is.
Original antenna -
