Kanji Black and White Late Fifties Early Sixties Onkyo Model FM-820UH Vacuum Tube AM FM Shortwave Radio Rare Beauty Sounds Great Mint Condition!
DESCRIPTION: The ultimate low and sleek modern looking AM, FM, and shortwave vacuum tube radio! As low and sleek as a submarine! Tabletop vacuum tube AM and FM and shortwave radio manufactured by Onkyo of Japan in the late fifties or early sixties in excellent working and mint physical condition. It is no wonder Japan became a world leader in audio electronics when you look closely at the quality, serviceability, manufacturability of this design. Think about the pride and privilege of owning a radio like this in the years following Pearl Harbor attacks. And maintaining in this condition for over half a century, makes this radio story a treasure.
SOUND QUALITY: The sound quality is unsurpassed. Clean clear sounding dual speaker audio with outstanding frequency selectivity across the spectrum. Very little hiss between stations and no humming or buzzing on FM. Picks up AM and FM and shortwave stations clearly and loudly across the dial. There are two antenna wires coming out the back for FM and shortwave. Switch to AM, FM, shortwave, or phono using the front band selector switch. Tone selector works but frequency separation is not dramatic.
CABINET CONDITION: Cabinet is original factory molded black color plastic in mint condition. The top has no heat warping issues which is commonplace due its wide expanse. There is a factory original heat dissipation plate mounted to the backing board. How nice. No cracks, chips or major scratches anywhere. Not repainted. No touch up. No over spray. Original factory front clear plastic and aluminum trim is in excellent plus condition with no rust, no oxidation, no rub off, no warping or waviness and securely attached. No bubbling up of aluminum glued panels. No rust or oxidation stains. There is an earplug jack on both right and left sides which should still work. Earplugs not included.
KNOBS: Original matching knobs are securely attached. None of the four metal knob caps are missing. Incredible. Almost always a few of these go missing over the years. No broken mount shafts.
TUNING METER: Wow. Working tuning meter measure frequency strength. Responsive fluid motion of meter is a testimony to scientific precision of manufacturing. I like.
LOGO: Original Onkyo label is not missing.
DIAL LIGHT: No dial light. Not designed with one but can be added for an extra charge. Power On red indicator light works.
INTERNAL ELECTRONICS: All paper and wax capacitors have been replaced with modern equivalents so this radio has another 50+ years or more of playing time! The tubes are working fine. Uses commonly available tubes: 12BA6, 12BE6, 12DT8, 12AV6, 50C5. Isn't that consumer friendly to American market? Take note Telefunken. All out-of-spec resistors have been replaced with modern correct value and voltage equivalents. There is no loud or pervasive hum. There is no loud or pervasive static between stations. The set has been aligned according to factory specifications. All wiring has been thoroughly checked for possible bridging and weak solder connection. The radio has been thoroughly cleaned and inspected.
POWER CORD: The original power cord and plug are in excellent condition with no cracks, or splits. No exposed wiring. Power cord needs to be pressed securely onto back power input pins for the radio to work.
BACKING BOARD: Original backing board is intact, excellent condition, and securely attached. Nice consumer friendly thumb screws are used throughout to mount chassis from the bottom and backing board. All 6 original thumb screws are present. None are missing. Wow.
FACTORY LABELS AND STICKERS: Bottom label is intact but yellowed.
DIMENSIONS: Approximately 18.5" x 5" x 6" (l x w x h)
WEIGHT: 6 lbs 12 oz
COLOR: black and white
YouTube video here
ADD BLUETOOTH MP3 See info here
ADD SMART SPEAKER: See info here
ADD DIAL LIGHT See info here
Product: antique radio, vintage radio, retro radio, vacuum tube radio, AM radio, art deco, mid-century product.
Category: radio
Cabinet construction: plastic
Period: 1950s or 1960s
Country of manufacture: Japan
Electronics: Mounted circuit board or chassis. Vacuum tube circuit.
Vacuum tubes: tested and working. Amplifier, converter, detector, pre-amplifier, rectifier