Sony ICF-5500W Bandswitch Repair

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MED6753
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Sony ICF-5500W Bandswitch Repair

Post by MED6753 »

OK, It's not TE but it's my "go to" radio in the lab and a rainy day project.

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It's hard to believe that it's 51 years old. Purchased in 1975 from a now defunct Lafayette Radio for the princely sum of $110 USD. I bought it on a time payment plan to establish some credit. It's design reflects the "military style" that was common back then. The radio has 3 bands. AM - FM - VHF. The problem is that the bandswitch is very intermittent on FM and VHF. AM is fine. So rip it apart on find out what's going on.

Removing the back reveals solder side of the circuit board. You really have to jockey things to get it out of the front panel.

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The bandswitch assembly is very complex. Just below the meter is a geared assembly with a switch under it to engage FM. VHF is engaged by the lever going up to the left of the meter and engaging to a switch under the meter.

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I don't relish trying to take that assembly apart. So let's try some deoxit first. Success on the FM band. VHF is better but still somewhat intermittent. In looking over the lever assembly there was a screw (hidden under some wires) which appeared to give some minor adjustment. Again success. If only all projects were this easy. But getting this radio re-assembled was a royal pain in the arse.

And here it is. Listening to the National Weather Service on 162.55 MHz.

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An old gray beard with an attitude. I don't bite.....sometimes :twisted:
tggzzz
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Re: Sony ICF-5500W Bandswitch Repair

Post by tggzzz »

MED6753 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 11, 2026 7:16 pm OK, It's not TE but it's my "go to" radio in the lab...
It is equipment for testing signal strength and atmospherics.
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AVGresponding
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Re: Sony ICF-5500W Bandswitch Repair

Post by AVGresponding »

tggzzz wrote: ↑Sun Oct 11, 2026 7:52 pm
MED6753 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 11, 2026 7:16 pm OK, It's not TE but it's my "go to" radio in the lab...
It is equipment for testing signal strength and atmospherics.
And the dimensions of your wallet! Blimey, $110 in 1975 is nearly $700 in today's money!

https://www.calculator.net/inflation-ca ... late#uscpi
nuqDaq yuch Dapol?

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MED6753
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Re: Sony ICF-5500W Bandswitch Repair

Post by MED6753 »

AVGresponding wrote: ↑Mon Oct 12, 2026 4:48 pm
tggzzz wrote: ↑Sun Oct 11, 2026 7:52 pm
MED6753 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 11, 2026 7:16 pm OK, It's not TE but it's my "go to" radio in the lab...
It is equipment for testing signal strength and atmospherics.
And the dimensions of your wallet! Blimey, $110 in 1975 is nearly $700 in today's money!

https://www.calculator.net/inflation-ca ... late#uscpi
Back then Sony stuff was top notch and it has many features that a typical portable radio lacks. An S meter that doubles as a battery life indicator. A tape out jack. An audio in jack which bypasses the radio and gives access directly to the audio amp. I've used that feature. The audio amp has a loudness contour switch which does work. Full bass and treble but with a 4 inch speaker the difference is minimal. An FET RF amp which explains it's excellent sensitivity. And a MPX output jack. You apparently could buy a companion unit and have FM stereo. I've never seen one and I don't know it's model number. But I have to assume it's rare.

There are several of these radios on Ebay and they range from $80 USD to the ridiculous.
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BU508A
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Re: Sony ICF-5500W Bandswitch Repair

Post by BU508A »

MED6753 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 11, 2026 7:16 pm I don't relish trying to take that assembly apart. So let's try some deoxit first.
Atkelar does not approve! :D

https://www.youtube.com/@atkelar/videos
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MED6753
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Re: Sony ICF-5500W Bandswitch Repair

Post by MED6753 »

BU508A wrote: ↑Thu Oct 15, 2026 4:26 am
MED6753 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 11, 2026 7:16 pm I don't relish trying to take that assembly apart. So let's try some deoxit first.
Atkelar does not approve! :D

https://www.youtube.com/@atkelar/videos
I'm confused. Why not approval? :?:
An old gray beard with an attitude. I don't bite.....sometimes :twisted:
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AVGresponding
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Re: Sony ICF-5500W Bandswitch Repair

Post by AVGresponding »

MED6753 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 15, 2026 5:20 pm
BU508A wrote: ↑Thu Oct 15, 2026 4:26 am
MED6753 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 11, 2026 7:16 pm I don't relish trying to take that assembly apart. So let's try some deoxit first.
Atkelar does not approve! :D

https://www.youtube.com/@atkelar/videos
I'm confused. Why not approval? :?:
Atkelar likes to take things apart. Very apart!
nuqDaq yuch Dapol?

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MED6753
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Re: Sony ICF-5500W Bandswitch Repair

Post by MED6753 »

AVGresponding wrote: ↑Thu Oct 15, 2026 5:28 pm
MED6753 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 15, 2026 5:20 pm
BU508A wrote: ↑Thu Oct 15, 2026 4:26 am

Atkelar does not approve! :D

https://www.youtube.com/@atkelar/videos
I'm confused. Why not approval? :?:
Atkelar likes to take things apart. Very apart!
Oh OK, got it.

Did some searching on Ebay for Sony FM stereo adapters and found this. Not interested in purchasing.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/117434371797?_ ... R9Sq-4moaA
An old gray beard with an attitude. I don't bite.....sometimes :twisted:
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AVGresponding
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Re: Sony ICF-5500W Bandswitch Repair

Post by AVGresponding »

"I know what I've got and it's rare" etc etc.

Yeah that's quite a chunk of change, but in fairness, I bet it's a lot less than it was, new, adjusted for inflation. Still, I wouldn't pay that much.

Interesting to see a "naked" battery compartment. That 3-pin jack plug looks a bit crusty on the bottom shield connection, and the dent in the speaker grille might be quite tricky to fix, if it's glued in.

EDIT: Also quite fun to see the "9 transistor, 7 diode" legend.
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EC8010
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Re: Sony ICF-5500W Bandswitch Repair

Post by EC8010 »

I imagine the radio was bought for its RF performance, not its audio quality, so no point in paying for a stereo adapter that almost certainly has an entirely different loudspeaker and certainly has a different box. The reason that adapter is rare is that nobody accepted it was worth buying.

My low noise bench regulator has 152 diodes, 6 transistors, and one IC. Perhaps I should make a similar label?
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