250SL with a Becker Grand Prix and possibly a Reims shortwave adapter?

[vmg]

Hi Guys:

I got a 1967 250SL California coupe, European version, standard shift, two tone... and I am very happy with it. A very original car, not restored but mantained. I had some details done, like installing new tires and painting wheels and hubcaps in the process, plus changing the firewall pad, asides from whatever minor corrections or work it needed.

One of the few incorrect things it had was the radio.... somebody fitted a slightly later Becker Europa unit with the larger body and used a saw and file to fit it. Being the car an earlier 250SL, it uses the slim radio and old type of knobs, as in a 230SL. I already got the new dashboard panel and painted it and I am about to fit the radio. Here is the question:

I got a Becker Grand Prix correct for 66-67 and had already fitted a bluetooth to it. However just for the looks and I don’t necesarily want it to work, I would love to fit a Becker Reims 10 (or 540?) shortwave adapter which I also have and which appears as correct for 1967 also, according to: https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/becker_reims_10.html

The thing is, I don’t want to do anything incorrect, so first I ask: Could this Reims adapter have been ordered from the factory in the era, or perhaps for the dealer?

If so, how and where would it be installed?  I haven’t actually seen pictures of any W113 with one.

And I have an even tougher question: In case I fit an A/C underdash unit (I have access to an original unit, Kuhlmeister NOS from 1967), could both options live together? Where would the shortwave adapter be installed in these case?

Thanks for any help,
Victor

[mdsalemi]

I'm fairly certain that a Becker Grand Prix (or perhaps some other Beckers) came with a SW button. Wouldn't it be easier to just search and get THAT radio?

Most cars to my knowledge in North America never had SW radios in them. AM, FM.

[rwmastel]

I believe the K button on the radio shown is short wave.  See the dial?  K on left side, SW on right side.  So, I assume it's just selecting the input to the radio (amplifier), not actually tuning in SW frequencies.  That's what the device shown below the radio would do.

Finally, he does say, "However just for the looks and I don’t necesarily want it to work, I would love to fit a Becker Reims 10 (or 540?) shortwave adapter which I also have and which appears as correct for 1967."

[mdsalemi]

This is an interesting question best posed to a radio expert in Europe or maybe Ed Ebel at Becker Autosound in NJ.

SW not an American thing.

From what I can tell the radio pictured already receives SW band. That adapter brings in the SW band to radios that cannot receive it.

[John Betsch - "SADIE"]

My car is a German market SL with a Grand Prix Radio (as delivered per the data card) and this is what it looks like

JB

[vmg]

Thanks for your pic, John. My car is a German market car also. The radio I got is a European Becker Grand Prix, code correct for 1966/67, so the radio is what the car might have been fitted from factory, though I have no data card to proove it originally had it. I am guessing mine is slightly newer and has the smaller oblong buttons. Can I guess your car is earlier than mine (because of the square pushbuttons)?. 1964 or earlier models used the tube and transistor radio and in 1965 the fully transistorized radio was introduced, but I don't know the exact year the pushbuttons were changed from square to oblong. By the way, the automatic selector bar I have is wrong and should say Becker Grand Prix TR, if I understand correctly.

I am halfways through the installation already, and it plays well in FM and the bluetooth. I have yet to try the medium or short wave frequencies but I don't expect to get anything as we don't use those bands down here (same as the US we have AM and FM). My hometown, by the way, has no AM for some uknown reason to me. Next day I am able to work on it I should finish assembling the lower dashboard and glovebox, as you will notice in the pic attached. I had to remove a lot of things to fit it (quite a chore!) and now I need to get them back.

Anyhow, question was for the use of the separate band selector. I really have no clue how they work but I just think it could look nice on the car, but only if it was ever offered as an option or could have been installed in the car back then... and yes, that would have been only in european countries as you would have no use for those bands in the US.

Thanks,
victor

[Vander]

Not a W113, but I have a 64 W112 Lang U.S. market car with Reims shortwave adapter and A/C. I won't be near the car for a few days, but I can take a look and post pictures if that will help.

[mdsalemi]

My car is a German market SL with a Grand Prix Radio (as delivered per the data card) and this is what it looks like

JB

If your radio is working John, the M buttons should bring up what is standard AM but I don't know if the bandwidth (the full range) is identical to US. The U buttons should bring up what is standard FM, again on the range however.

The L is long wave which is hardly used any more. Nothing in the USA but static I'd imagine. However in Europe you might be able to pick up Medi1 Morocco at 171, Radio Satelor Romania on 153, Polskie 1 Poland at 225, and BBC4 at 198.

[mdsalemi]

Anyhow, question was for the use of the separate band selector. I really have no clue how they work

With a little searching Victor, it appears as if that Reims unit is an ADAPTER and frequency converter. A typical German radio, often referred to as an LMU radio (with the long wave, AM and FM bands directly tuned) did not have SW bands. This device converted the SW bands to frequencies that the "LMU" radio could receive. You COULD get radios from Becker, Grundig, Telefunken etc. with the SW bands built in.

I'm giving an educated guess here, but in the world of broadcast TV in the USA there is a possible analogy. Back in the days (pre-2009) when we had only analog TV on the VHF band, there were many frequency converters available that plugged right into the antenna of an old TV. This was in the early days of VCRs and it was a way to get the VCR signal into an analog TV. The frequency output of the VCR was converted to the frequency of USA Channel 3 or 4, and by tuning your TV to 3 or 4 you could now use the VCR. The other device that used a similar scheme was the UHF converter. If you had a VERY OLD TV with only the VHF 2-13 band, you could buy a UHF converter for channels 14-82 that also plugged into the antenna and worked by converting the frequency to 3 or 4. The last frequency converter was when we converted to digital. This brought in ALL the digital broadcasts, converted to analog frequencies, and again sent them into the TV antenna via channels 3 or 4. All long obsolete.

I bet that this Reims device worked similarly. You may have tuned your LMU radio to a specific frequency, and then the SW broadcast was converted to a frequency the radio could receive.

There's SOME information about it if you search but not a lot of operational details. Again, if you find a radio expert in Europe you might get more information. You could also contact Becker AutoSound in New Jersey, they may be able to answer some questions for you.

[BobH]

A few notes about Ponton radios on the link below.  I have read on this forum (search Reims) that it was an option on W113's, but it's not listed in the options, and i'm not sure how it would fit to be accessible

http://mbzponton.org/valueadded/other/radios.htm

[vmg]

Not a W113, but I have a 64 W112 Lang U.S. market car with Reims shortwave adapter and A/C. I won't be near the car for a few days, but I can take a look and post pictures if that will help.

Yes, Vander, I would appreciate that very much. Thanks for the offer to send the pics!

[vmg]

A few notes about Ponton radios on the link below.  I have read on this forum (search Reims) that it was an option on W113's, but it's not listed in the options, and i'm not sure how it would fit to be accessible

http://mbzponton.org/valueadded/other/radios.htm

Thank you Bob! and thank you Michael!

With the fantastic link provided by Bob, I now understand how the shortwave adapter should work (of course only if you have stations locally transmitting on those bands).

Still the doubt is if they ever were fitted opitonally on Pagodas. I also saw them mentioned in posts but no real reference on Pagoda option lists, as far as I have been able to see.

I guess I will leave it off for now till I find out.

Thanks!

[rwmastel]

Just asking out of curiosity,  but for SW and LW reception would additional antennas be required?  Or, would one work for everything?

[vmg]

Same antenna for everything. In fact the shortwave units, as far as I understand, connect with the same antenna cable, between the antenna and the radio. The antenna gets plugged to Shortwave unit and the Shortwave unit to the radio.

[Dave Gallon]

Hello, The Reims adapter was available on a W113. Please see the two images (an excerpt) from the June 1 1965 Tourist Price List. If you look in the area relating to radios, you will see entries for various different Becker radios "with Shortwave Adapter" and the applicable prices for different radios and models of cars. Specifically, "Becker Grand Prix with Shortwave Adapter" for a 230SL at $192.17. Also, some comments. 1) Shortwave reception was not primarily a local thing. I used to routinely listen (from San Diego) to Radio Moscow and Radio Havana Cuba (to get the latest propaganda); stations in the UK, Hilversum, Holland and Germany; and the Voice of America. 2) The shortwave band on a Grand Prix covers only one range of frequencies or one band. The Reims 10 can receive ten bands or ranges of frequencies. 3) If anyone still has question about operation, simply select the AM or M band on your radio and press the button on the Reims adapter corresponding to the shortwave band you want to listen to. Tuning across the AM band will now tune across the selected shortwave band. Dave

[vmg]

Thank you, Dave! Very useful information!

So, yes, I can see a Becker Grand Prix with or without Shortwave adapter was an option on a W113. What I still haven't been able to find anywhere is a pic of a W113 with an installed shortwave unit. Still looking....


Thanks again,
Victor