Grundig Emden III Car radio

[Old Sparky]

This afternoon, I removed the AM tuner from the radio, and, with a little difficulty, I was able to withdraw the coil pack from it's aluminium screening can, and found that the oscillator coil was o/c, but haven't been able to establish where the break is ( not at the coil terminating pads on the tuner PCB) If it's deep within the winding, then the coil, and thus the AM tuner, is scrap.

[Mark Hennessy]

Ah well... While it would be a great shame if the set was to be scrapped, at least you have the satisfaction of narrowing down the fault - that's not always the case

At least FM still works.

[Old Sparky]

Ah well... While it would be a great shame if the set was to be scrapped, at least you have the satisfaction of narrowing down the fault - that's not always the case

At least FM still works.

The trouble is, Mark, that the radio's owner wants the MW/LW bands to be working as well!

[Mark Hennessy]

Yes, but you can't win them all. I doubt the owner could find anyone else better-qualified or better-placed to fix the set, so he/she might have to live with it being FM-only. Perhaps not an easy message, but sometimes necessary.

And suppose you did source a replacement coil - or even re-wound it? Would he/she be willing to pay you properly for doing the job? Would the customer even comprehend just how difficult the job has been? If so, that's a rare sort of customer - worth hanging on to

Obviously, it would be different if it was a very common set, where spares like that can be readily found. Any idea if the coil was used in any other sets? I'm not clued up on car radios so I've no idea, but suspect that it won't be easy to find a replacement based on my experiences with Grundig's transistor portables that I'm more familiar with.

Like I say, well done for getting this far - at least you've found the fault

[Old Sparky]

Whilst being (I hope-after over 40 years!) familiar with car radios, I don't know much about 60s/70s Grundigs, but I'd imagine the same coil pack would have been used in other models, in fact I've looked on eBay with that in mind, but the few similar sets there are over £100. The radio, in fact, belongs to a London member of UKVRRR, whom I don't know personally. I've PM'd him explaining the situation and am awaiting his reply. As to being paid for my time, I've spent maybe 2 hours or more on that radio already. Getting a spare coil pack I'd guess wiould be near impossible.

[Old Sparky]

BTW, I've posted pictures of the tuner & coil pack in the 'Sets & Parts Wanted' section