Quote:
Originally Posted by tyl604
Barry - my experience with the 300SD is that it is engineered to be worked on easily; lot of thought went in to making repairs as easy as possible for the mechanic (me). Assumed the same was true for a German Becker radio. Since this one is so old - 1981- before computers, etc. perhaps it does not have the stacked elements that you dislike and is a fairly simple radio. I am surprised that the middle lamp replacement would be so difficult.
On the other hand do you know anyone in Atlanta who might replace the lamp?
Actually I would enjoy tearing into it but fear it might never work again - like my vac pump. That would not be good. But I am tempted.
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Your geographical location is near or in a principal American hub city. I would get an old copy of hemmings motor news and check the guys out that repair european car radios. There may be one close to you.
Becker one of the oe equipment suppliers to mercedes is not mercedes. At least becker probably did not build the cruise control amplifiers for them.
When becker states caution is required to change that bulb it does mean something. How much it means is only guesswork. It might even be simple for any electronic service guy. Time has moved on as well.
Now european versus north american and japanese electronic design and layout were a kettle of different fish in that radios era. Most north american service guys would stay away from european stuff. Companies like phillips used to even try various bribes to get guys like myself to service their equipment.
At that time we were overrun with work and if you repaired some problem in a lot of european product another unrelated one would surface like a submarine a few weeks later if not earlier. You could count on it. Phillips colour televisions and colour television studio cameras designed to north american standards but built in europe where a good example.
Today is entirely different and electronic goods like that would be viewed as a profit centre by service guys if markatable at all. The Japanese and other oriental countries dominate this total area not by price only but more as a default by us and the europeans.
It almost appears we never learn. A simular fate may be in store for our old north american automotive companies. Ford motor company stock is down around 2.00-3.00 range now. If they survive a guy would make a killing. I probably will have a serious look next spring at the state of the company. This price at present indicateds the bettting is almost certain they are gone.
Too big a gamble to buy right now. The first whiff I get of a government determination to really help them survive I will buy in. The amount of money the governments have already given them is not enough. It will take a pile.
You should be able to get an old radio out of a wreck especially in your area for next to nothing. Nobody wants an old becker radio except guys like us. They are really surplus.
Your area is very familiar to me from the twice yearly trips to the Atlanta salvage yards and my favorite yard. That was Sellers auto salvage in Tuscallosa just south of Atlanta before mercedes put their plant in that town. . My five ton diesel truck would go from eastern Canada to there and arrive home with the fuel tanks full for less than five hundred dollars. It would cost that to fill those tanks once today. The local people were extremely good to me as well. How time changes things.