Author: Jeffrey McMahon

I like three types of radios: military, giant, heavy, brief case types, and the other worldly. This Telefunken Partner 700 is the latter type. I paid $40 plus $20 shipping. 

It’s heavy and solidly built. The speaker is LOUD. The FM tuner is sensitive, but what really shines is AM, which sounds like FM stereo with no background noise. 

The FM antenna swivels 360 degrees, which I find essential for pinpointing hard-to-get stations. The radio flips in the upright and prone position. The on-off and band buttons depress like tape recorder buttons. I wish this feature were used more commonly. It has an upscale feel. 

I got some hum on FM after adjusting the volume, but the hum went away. I get no hum on AM. This is an old radio, about 30 years old. I’ll keep an eye on the hum and see if it’s progressive or something that goes away once the volume settles. All in all, this was well worth $60. 

Update: The speaker sound and tuner performance impress me more and more as I continue to use the 700 in the workout room. This has to have the warmest fidelity of any of my vintage radios. 

Regular reader and radio collector Gerald Johnson has encouraged me for some time to try some vintage radios. He was kind enough to recommend some Panasonic and Sony models from the 1970s and 1980s and in general told me radios of old were built of a higher quality and commanded a respect today’s recommends are unworthy of. 

My first foray into buying such a radio on eBay a few months ago failed miserably because I was overwhelmed by the choices and lost focus. As a result, I bought a lot of table radios, none of which had telescopic antennas and which were limited in that respect. 

But Gerald’s words stuck with me and I remained drawn to two vintage radios, the Panasonic RF-1150 and the Sony ICF-5900. Their military ruggedness appealed to me. I suspected I would wait and find a mint one. Another reader, alert to my obsessions, alerted me to a mint 5900 a few days ago. 

The radio arrived today in mint condition as the seller promised. Not familiar with the 5900, I switched from local to DX and got a better AM signal. Better is an understatement. This is the best, most quiet AM I have ever experienced. Let’s be clear: The 5900 puts the C.Crane CSW to utter shame on AM sound. Some normally difficult AM stations like 570 and 710 come in quiet and strong in ways I’ve never heard with the exception of the Panasonic RF-2200. I’m listening to 570 right now. You’ve got to be kidding. I’d give a slight nod to the 5900 over the Panasonic RF-2200 in AM, but this is subjective and may even be splitting hairs. However, the RF-2200 got some birdy noise on 710, which I minimized by rotating the Gyro AM antenna. Nevertheless, the birdy was still discernible. In contrast, there was no birdy at all on the 5900 even without the Gyro feature. The smaller, more slender 5900 is easy enough to rotate for adjusting the internal AM antenna so that its lack of a Gyro feature does not concern me. 

For FM, I’m still trying to figure out the antenna. I can extend it, but I can’t angle it the way I can angle the Panasonic RF-2200, a radio Ed Strnad has let me borrow for a while. The 5900’s telescopic antenna goes straight up only as far as I know and fortunately for me I’m getting sterling FM with the antenna the way it is. But there’s one exception: the very weak 88.9 KXLU. There was some static. In contrast, the Panasonic RF-2200 has no static. In fact, the 2200 is so good that it beats the 5900 on FM reception in general. Nevertheless, the 5900 FM is outstanding.

Speaker sound: The 5900 sounds amazing, full and clear, but I’d give the nod to the slightly bigger 2200.

The 5900’s biggest weakness: The tuning dial is between 1.3 and 1.5 increments inaccurate. For example, 710 AM is found closer to 830 and 89.9 FM is found closer to 91. I don’t know if this is a common problem for the 5900 or specific to my radio. 

One last point: I tested my 5900 with the provided AC adapter, which may have compromised the signal slightly. Funny, AM didn’t seem affected, but FM did, especially when I touched the radio. After I stick some batteries in the 5900, I’ll test it again and update the FM performance. Also, some kind reader may inform me if I can angle the telescopic FM antenna or not.

To conclude, as a radio lover I feel gratified that I own and enjoy one of the greatest radios ever made and after toying with the 5900 for a month or so in the kitchen, I’ll move it to the workout room. For the long-term, my wife needs presets and accurate tuning so the Boston Acoustics Horizon Solo will return to the kitchen and I will coddle my 5900 in my workout area. 

Update: I put 3 D batteries in the 5900 and this improved FM. Like many radios, the 5900 doesn’t like the AC adapter. This is the case with Ed’s Panasonic RF-2200. 

Second Update: I e-mailed Gerald about the telescopic antenna and he wrote back that it does indeed swivel, contrary to my first impression. He gave me these instructions:

“GENTLY pull up,, from as far down on the fattest part of the antenna as you can grasp. see if you can work it on up. my sense is, the antenna hasnt been fully extended for some time and may need a little GENTLE persuasion. if need be, use a couple small drops of wd40. does the radio lock and pop up when the button is engaged?”

Grabbing at the base did the trick and now my antenna swivels, resulting in improved FM reception. 

Also Gerald advised me that over time the tuning loses accuracy because it becomes misaligned. How to fix this I don’t know. In any event, I’m grateful for Gerald’s advice. 

This is a great radio. It’s really “like new”. Everything works perfectly and the sound is very smooth, almost as good as the RF-888. Plus it’s about as cool-looking as any radio could be. The gyro antenna pops up via the button on the front panel and swivels to allow you to tweak AM and works very well. 

I’m liking the tuner control which rotates like a compass. (Looks cool when lit up with the dial light.) Nice control with the single bass and treble knob and it really cranks out some volume. This particular one is really in amazing condition. Just needed a little clean up. The battery compartment didn’t need anything at all. Works great and is one of my new favorites. Couldn’t be happier with it.

I purchased a Panasonic RF-888 (the black, more stout radio on the right above; the 1108 is the taller gray model), a model from the early 1970s, a few months ago and it’s a very good radio, huge speaker, silent background on AM, strong FM. Its tuning meter is operational, but being ontop and small it’s hard to see. One other small problem is that the FM makes static while tuning. For some reason there is no static while tuning AM stations. 

Enter now a newer vintage, what appears to be a rare model from the early 1980s, the Panasonic RF-1108 Big Sound AM/FM/PSB radio. A side by side comparison for AM and FM proved to be virtually identical. Perhaps on AM I’d give a slight nod to the RF-888, but I feel I’m splitting hairs here. Speaker sound is virtually the same as both radios look like “Big Mouths.” 

The build quality, evidenced by its heaviness, goes to the RF-888. The 1108 seems to be made of lesser materials. But I won the bid for $54 plus $9 shipping. In contrast, the RF-888 cost me $220. 

I like the tuning meter on the 1108. It’s in the front and big enough to see without squinting my eyes. 

While both radios are top performers, I hate to say that the tuning meter is way too close to the red zone, struggling around the 3 or 4 mark with the strongest being 10, while fine tuning 103.1, the weakest FM station I regularly listen to. 

Now here’s the biggest revelation I received from today’s comparison test. After being disappointed with the way both radios received the weak 103.1, I decided to try my Sony ICF-5900. I placed the 5900 on the kitchen table right where I had tested both the 888 and the 1108. Friends, listen carefully: The Sony ICF-5900 BURIED THE NEEDLE INTO THE 10, RECEIVING 103.1 WITH FULL POWER. So let’s be clear: If you’re going to spend around $200 on a vintage, you might want to get the 5900 over the 888. 

I wasn’t done with 103.1 yet. I put the 5900’s smaller cousin, my ICF-5500, on the kitchen table, tuned to 103.1 and needle buried itself until it landed securely on the 9. Slightly less than the 5900, but I paid $80 for it. 

Having done this comparison, I have a new esteem for my Sony models. But I wasn’t ready to give up on my Panasonics. I took out my RF-1130, tuned to 103.1 and the needle hit the 9.5 mark, better than the 5500 but not as good as the 5900.

One more radio to go: My Panasonic RF-870, the one I bought for $80 with a broken antenna tip. I tuned to 103.1 and buried the needle on 10.  That 870 didn’t even need its full antenna!

Based on these tests, I’ll probably sell the comparatively weak performers. What started out as a 2-radio comparison, ended as an FM vintage test. Yes, as a radiophile, I am a tyrant with my radios: Perform like a champion or be gone with you. 

When I first saw the RF-1130 AM/FM/SW, my heart sunk for two reasons: I knew I had to have it. And I knew I was going to pay a handsome sum. I ended up buying the radio for about $210 plus shipping on eBay. It arrived a bit dusty but in excellent condition. The biggest problem is oxidation on the volume knob, so I’ll need to purchase some DeOxit spray. Luckily, the volume knob easily pulls off, so I hope the spray application gets rid of some of the volume static. Another fortunate development: Subsequent use of the volume has diminished the static. I doubt this radio was used very much.

I assumed, the RF-1130 was an apex performer, worthy of rubbing shoulders with other Panasonic vintage legends such as the RF-2200, RF-877, and RF-888. The 1130 did not disappoint. 88.9, 89.3, and 103.1, all potentially problematic stations, came in loud and clear. While the 1130 beat my beloved 877 in FM, the comparison is unfair because my 877 is missing part of its FM antenna. I have to assume a full size FM antenna would make the 877 equal to the 1130. 

Having tested a Panasonic RF-2200, I can say the RF-1130 is comparable, which is to say stunning. The 1130, the 888, and the 2200 are the best AM vintage performers I’ve ever used. As the photos show, the RF-1130 boasts a pop-up Gyro AM antenna, so you rotate the Gyro, not the entire radio, to maximize AM reception. The cheapsters who make today’s radios wouldn’t dream of putting a Gyro on their radios. I doubt they even know what one is. 

Of course, you’re paying in excess of $200 for this “GI Joe type” radio. It feels expensive: it’s heavy and feels like quality. 

The 1130 came with the original AC adapter, not a big wall wart, and it runs on 4 “C” batteries. 

Speaker Sound:

The generous 4.5 inch speaker fills a room with ease. The sound is clean with no background noise whatsoever. If you want a vintage Panasonic that goes even louder get yourself the 6 inch RF-888. 

If you’re new to radios and don’t want to fork out this kind of dough, you might look at the Eton/Grundig S350 DL. At most you should spend $99 on one of these reliable, excellent performers. Sometimes they’re on sale for $49 as they currently are at National Geographic.  Of course, the S350DL doesn’t have the high-quality feel of a vintage Panasonic as it feels light and is made of cheap plastic. But $49 for a silver Eton/Grundig S350DL is the best radio deal I know of right now. I mention this value because I don’t expect all radio buyers who read this blog to be willing to spend $200 or more for a used radio. However, if you’re in the market for a vintage Panasonic, I give the RF-1130 the highest recommendation. 

I purchased the ICF=5500W about two months ago for about $80 on eBay. Unlike its big brother, the ICF-5900, the 5500 does not have SW, which is not a problem for me, a non-SW listener. Smaller than the 5900 and featuring a smaller speaker and AM/FM/PSB bands, the radio begs to be tested, reception-wise, with the 5900. It holds up rather well. I’d be splitting hairs to say that my 5900 gets better AM. At times I thought that was the case, but usually AM seems rather equal. FM is also the same. 

My 5500 arrived with an accurate tuning dial while my $200 5900 has a dial that is a .70 increment off. Also every now and then the 5900 speaker sounds distorted on talk radio, but usually this is not the case. I don’t know why once in a great while the 5900 speaker sounds “tired.” The smaller 5500 does not show any signs of “fatigue” even though it doesn’t deliver as a big a sound. However, considering its pleasantly small size–8 inches tall, 6.5 inches across, and 2 inches deep–it produces more than adequate sound. There’s nothing tinny about the 5500. 

My only quibble with the 5500’s design is the volume control, a horizontal slide ruler. There may be slight oxidization 

On the AM scale between 0 and 10, I’d give the 5500 a 9 or 10. I can angle it to get rid of the birdy noise on 710 and most of the chuggling noise on 830 at night.

On the FM scale, the 5500 definitely gets a 10. It grabs all weak FM stations with ease and can hold its own against the 5900 and one of today’s strong performers, the Eton/Grundig S350DL.

To give you an idea of how impressive FM is on the 5500, consider that the very weak Indie Rock 103.1 requires lots of antenna play until you can find the sweet spot with my Eton Sound 100, my Sangean WR-2, my Sangean PR-D5, and my Boston Acoustics Horizon Solo and Duo. Now get ready for this: The 5500 pulls in 103.1 with the antenna completely down. Try doing this with a modern radio. One of the things I’ve learned from buying such vintage radios as the 5500, the 5900, and the Panasonic RF-888 is that today’s radios are depressingly bad–cheap build quality, light plastic materials. 

To give you an idea of the build quality of these radios, consider that on eBay a Panasonic RF-5000 is for sale with the original receipt, a staggering $290 and it sold in 1969. In today’s money, that radio would cost over $600. Today’s radio buyers for the most part wouldn’t pay for that kind of quality. Hence we are stuck with junk in today’s radio market. I apologize, for I have digressed. Back to the 5500:

Conclusion:

Considering the rich audio, the small footprint, the handsome manly military design, the stunning AM/FM reception and the excellent value of the 5500, it is highly recommended and deserves to be placed under the category of Apex Performer.