Pagoda SL Group
W113 Pagoda SL Group => Electrical and Instruments => Topic started by: rutger kohler on April 15, 2014, 09:11:37
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I am looking at the possibility of getting a mono FM radio for my 280SL (1969) . I already have an operational Monte Carlo which does not have fm. I do not want stereo because I don't want to cut into the kick panels for the speakers, or fit them elsewhere.
Have been following the recent discussions on on this website re various models and also looked at Becker website. Having said this, the model here seems to fall between a Europa tr and Europa stereo? http://www.ebay.com/itm/281307707267?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT. The Becker website doesn't seem to cover this particular model.
Is this an american model, does it need an amplifier, and it is mono plse?
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It's the 466 MU which is mono, but the rectangular plug in the back is split for 2 speakers. The round plug in the radio has two wires so you could connect to a single speaker if you wish.
Baybear
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A Europa TR is a 1967-ish radio that was available in the SMALL FACE which your car doesn't use. That is an expensive radio. A big face TR is also produced, and that would be a good radio for your car. It is mono with a separate amp. The listing you show on ebay is a 6 button radio which is cosmetically very wrong for a Pagoda. A good inexpensive radio choice would be a "Europa Mono" (MU) with 5 buttons and no separate amp. A nicer choice would be a big face Europa TR with separate amp. More expensive but not as expensive as a small-face becker. What did your car originally come with? And if you look behind the radio against the firewall (looking straight into the radio opening) is there a bracket/clip on the firewall that secures the back of the radio? On a small-face TR there would be, on a big face I don't know.
I probably can sell you whatever you need for a nice high price, but lower than ebay.
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Hey Scoot, the Europa that Rodger is looking at looks identical to the one listed in the technical section. Just wondering if it isn't correct for the car then we should take that photo down as it might mislead. In any event I am interested in why you think its cosmetically wrong. Is it just the addition of the one button. I think if you took it to a show in a late model 280sl that level of detail would go unnoticed. Is there any other differences?
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Hi Andy and Scoot, the continuing discussion is very interesting. My car did not have a radio when it was picked up in Stuttgart. As I understand it the TR Europa had TR on the nameplate and the Europa Stereo likewise had Stereo on the nameplate. I wasn't aware there were any Becker radios of this vintage that are wrong for pagodas so am very interested in what cars these would have been fitted.
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Hi Rodger, the only other comment I would pass is that the units with FM and AM on the buttons were not correct for European cars. This stands out more than the additional button to me. The European fitments had U K M and L bands where the US only seemed to have FM and AM. I would be really interested to know the history behind this. Scoot do you know the history?
Either was I still think either would look good and a million times better than a modern unit.
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Hi,
I think although not factory correct for a pagoda its a great radio for it and as you said it Andy, it looks a lot better than a modern unit,
Also for a euro car the original pinstripe radios FM requency scale stopped at 103mhz, which isn't optimal in todays world.
I'd put that radio into a 280 SL with a mono speaker any day.
Hans
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... This stands out more than the additional button to me. ....
Andy,
that surprises me. LMKU are the German abbreviations for Langwelle (LW), Mittelwelle (MW), Kurzwelle (KW), Ultra KW. Since you live in a (mostly ;) ) English speaking country I would have thought that these buttons would "stand out" for you whereas AM/FM or BC/FM should be more correct.
Becker radios for export or installation in foreign cars usually did not have the LMKU buttons.
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Hi Alfred, I cant explain that either. I have seen dozens of beckers in New Zealand and they all have the German abbreviations. All the W108s that I have wrecked have been NZ new and have all had these radios. As a child back in the 70' and 80's I can remember the radios of the time all had L,M and U on them. I always thought it was an abbreviation for Low, Medium and Ultra which translated to English well.
K was a new one for me. Cant remember this.
I currently have two beckers here that I have pulled out of old cars and both have the LMKU system. Strange but true.
Another consideration was the uptake of FM in different countries. Didn't happen in New Zealand until the mid to late 70's. Being a rural country AM and even lower radio signal were probably more prominent as they travel further and bounce around mountains etc reaching the rural communities. Am guessing this probably had something to do with it in the 60's and early 70's. I would love to know for sure.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FM_broadcasting#New_Zealand
New Zealand
Like Australia, New Zealand adopted the FM format relatively late. As was the case with privately owned AM radio in the late 1960s, it took a spate of 'pirate' broadcasters to persuade a control-oriented, technology averse government to allow FM to be introduced after at least five years of consumer campaigning starting in the mid-1970s, particularly in Auckland. An experimental FM station, FM 90.7, was broadcast in Whakatane in early 1982. Later that year, Victoria University of Wellington's Radio Active began full-time FM transmissions. Commercial FM licences were finally approved in 1983, with Auckland-based 91FM and 89FM being the first to take up the offer.[1]. Broadcasting was deregulated in 1989.
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Hi all, more and more interesting. Adding to Andy's note about the arrival of FM in NZ, because it was late arriving here it was already stereo when it arrived here. Until I had a recent discussion with Andy I didn't realise that FM was mono for quite some time before this so had never really considered replacing my Monte Carlo because i don't want two speakers. I get what you are saying about Euro cars on ly having U instead of FM but as my car never had a radio originally I don't think it matters too much. Also I would like that extra band width. Have to convince she who must be obeyed first anyway!
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Hey Scoot, the Europa that Rodger is looking at looks identical to the one listed in the technical section. Just wondering if it isn't correct for the car then we should take that photo down as it might mislead. In any event I am interested in why you think its cosmetically wrong. Is it just the addition of the one button. I think if you took it to a show in a late model 280sl that level of detail would go unnoticed. Is there any other differences?
It is my understanding that the Becker Europa 6 button pinstripe radio was produced from 1973 - 1980. It is my opinion that the technical manual is incorrect in this case.
http://www.blackforestllc.com/becker/europa_m6/index.html
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Hi, thanks Scoot that's pretty definitive for me. Also the radio is out of a 1979 car, which confirms your research so I am not going to pursue further.