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Old 26th Feb 2020, 4:10 pm   #1
Gower50
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Default FM on a vintage valve radio

For a little while I’ve been looking for an old valve radio to grace my front room - and to use. I like listening to Radio 3, which is broadcast on 90.2 - 92.4 FM.

I doubt I could afford one of the very beautiful old Art Deco ones, and I’m looking online at the huge variety which would be more within my budget. More to the point though is will I be able to listen to FM on it? I know LW and MW are not suitable but what about VHF? Do I need to look for a set which specifically has FM? If not, are there modifications that can be made by a novice able to pay attention and follow instructions? Or do I have an alternative of which, in my ignorance, I am unaware?

Thanks.
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Old 26th Feb 2020, 4:19 pm   #2
paulsherwin
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Default Re: FM on a vintage valve radio

FM and VHF are two terms for the same thing - Frequency Modulation and Very High Frequency. It was British practice to call the band VHF until around 1990. FM was considered an American term for the band until then.

One issue you may have is that the VHF band didn't always go up to 108MHz. In the 50s and 60s it only went to 100MHz before being extended, first to 104MHz and then to 108MHz. Most VHF radios from the valve era will only tune to 100MHz. This won't be a problem for BBC R3, but may prevent reception of Classic FM on about 101MHz. Sometimes you can tweak the alignment to extend the tuning range a bit.

You should bear in mind that a valve VHF radio will be 60 years old, so will require maintenance and repairs even after it has undergone restoration. It's not like buying something from Argos. Maintenance can be expensive if you are going to pay a professional to do it.
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Old 26th Feb 2020, 4:41 pm   #3
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Default Re: FM on a vintage valve radio

Hello and welcome.

Paul's advice is excellent.

For Radio 3, a Bush VHF64 or Hacker Mayflower or Pye Fenman II would be ideal, but it would need to restoring first. A Cossor 523 or 524 or Ekco A277 would be OK as well. If you've got the space, there are big floor-standing consoles or radiograms around too which sound even better and often sell for not very much.

A roof or loft aerial might be wise, depending on the signal where you live. I don't need one here in Oxford.

I can recommend Richard of Past Times Radio who supplies restored sets and might well be able to source specific models if you ask. I note he has the aforementioned Bush, restored, for £220. Yes, about £200 more than you can pick-up an unrestored one for if you hunt around, but there's a lot of skilled work involved in getting one up and running properly.
http://www.pasttimesradio.co.uk/resradio/restored.html

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Old 26th Feb 2020, 4:43 pm   #4
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Default Re: FM on a vintage valve radio

An alternative would be to get a hifi tuner and a separate amplifier, or else a tuner-amplifier.

Some of these were an awful lot better than the domestic table radios which had VHF bands, and the hifi kit tended to cover the full band as it came along a bit later. Quite decent hifi tuners can be picked up for pocket-money or found for free.

It might not be what you're looking for, but it's worth considering as an affordable route to good reception and sound.

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Old 26th Feb 2020, 5:14 pm   #5
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Default Re: FM on a vintage valve radio

Most valve table radios and consoles have a 'gram' input originally intended for a crystal record cartridge. This is essentially a mono line level input, and will accept a signal from many sources - FM tuner, CD player, DAB radio, Freeview box, mobile phone etc. You just need a cable with suitable connectors at each end. There's no need for the radio itself to have VHF/FM coverage. 80s and 90s FM tuners perform very well and can be bought for peanuts as supply exceeds demand.
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Old 26th Feb 2020, 5:25 pm   #6
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Default Re: FM on a vintage valve radio

Yes, that's a nice way to have the best of both worlds.
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Old 26th Feb 2020, 6:21 pm   #7
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Default Re: FM on a vintage valve radio

Thanks so much for this speedy, well thought out and friendly advice!
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Old 26th Feb 2020, 7:36 pm   #8
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Default Re: FM on a vintage valve radio

Paul beat me to it. I was going to suggest to look for any radio that has a gram or pickup (PU) input. Then you can play anything from your phone on it. Most android phones have an app called FM Radio. Search my post entitled "using the PU jack" for some more info.

With regards to sourcing a radio, they turn up quite often on auction (actual auctions ie the-saleroom) often in lots of 3 or 4, and they go for reasonable prices. You can always put the ones you don't want on eBay.

If you're technical, you can have lots of fun with a raspberry pi and volumio and the gram input although probably not BBC 3 as I've read they've taken their websteams off popular radio apps.
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Old 26th Feb 2020, 8:28 pm   #9
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Default Re: FM on a vintage valve radio

You can still stream R3 and other BBC stations over the net, but you need to use a web browser or the BBC Sounds app. The TuneIn streams have been removed. The Sounds app only works with Android 5 or later (not sure about the Apple support).
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Old 26th Feb 2020, 8:42 pm   #10
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Default Re: FM on a vintage valve radio

Apple IOS v11 or higher required for BBC Sounds app, current IOS v13.

The streams are available without the app by entering their address directly into the Tunein app.
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Old 26th Feb 2020, 11:07 pm   #11
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Default Re: FM on a vintage valve radio

Just as an aside, I wonder if the OP would receive a reasonably strong signal from the Wenvoe transmitter on FM? It radiates 250kw on Radio 3 and Classic FM too. Swansea is not very far away. I know vintage valve sets capable of FM reception are not always particularly sensitive but some of the sets mentioned may well give satisfactory results particularly with a good aerial. Just a thought.
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Old 27th Feb 2020, 3:47 pm   #12
Gower50
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Default Re: FM on a vintage valve radio

Lots of good advice here! Thanks. Going to a few auction/sale rooms sounds fun.
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Old 27th Feb 2020, 5:35 pm   #13
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Default Re: FM on a vintage valve radio

A better choice for Swansea service might be Kilvey Hill, another main station but for that area.

Mike
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Old 27th Feb 2020, 6:23 pm   #14
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Default Re: FM on a vintage valve radio

If you want an attractive pre-war set to listen to radio 3 on you could do as I often do by using a smart speaker (amazon dot) and simply plug it into the pick-up / phono socket in the back of the old radio.
Obviously you'll need to find a set that have been serviced and safe and has the said connections on the back, not all did and a lead made up.
This works really well and it's surprising how good the sound is.
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