Blaupunkt Conversion

[JohnSParsley]

Members:

I am writing to relate a recent, positive experience with a vendor.

I have a 1964 356 Cabriolet (built December 1963 and sold via Sonauto) that we have restored to as close as original as we can practically make it, however we did convert to 12v. This includes the Blaupunkt Frankfurt green face radio, which looks great but did not hold a signal very well. We enjoy driving the car and the lack of reliable music was an issue for my co-pilot, thus I considered options.

Having read an endorsement on this site regarding the work of Greg Thompson at S&M Electro-Tech I contacted Greg with a description of my radio and asked for details of what he might be able to do. Greg come back by email very quickly and provided all of the different options and a very detailed description. In brief, he installs new internal parts which address the signal issue, and can add optiosn for Bluetooth connectivity as well as other add-ons. Rather than list everything here I have shown Greg's contact details and his website address below

Greg Thompson
S&M Electro-Tech, Inc
8836 Xylite St NE
Blaine, MN 55449
(877)780-2861 Toll Free in US
(763)780-2861
www.turnswitch.com
Hours: 9AM - 6PM CT M-F

I decided to go all the way and add Bluetooth. At the time, Greg indicated that his turnaround was about 3 weeks and he made that. All he needs is the radio unit and not the separate transistor box. His communication is excellent and he was very responsive. He supplies detailed manuals on how to use the new features.

I am very happy with the final product. I can play music from my iPhone via Bluetooth, and the radio works very well.

Owner happy. Co-pilot happy. Please consider Greg if you have similar objectives.

Regards

[Sebastian Gaeta]

John,

I sent Greg my Becker Europa a few years back and had the same experience. Just yesterday I went on a 200+ mile club drive to the Auburn Cord Duesenberg museum in Auburn, IN. I had the top down on the cab the whole trip, my iPhone was connected to the Becker and I listened to great music with plenty good sound.

And for all of you "the only sound I need is the sound of the engine" guys, I could hear that just fine too. it was a great mix of the two terrific sounds.

[Wes Bender]

Turnswitch does excellent work. One thing to remember, however, is that his modern electronics make the radio somewhat different than what the stock Blaupunkt faceplate indicates. For example, the new electronics won't include a SW band. Also, the FM band, which is backward (higher frequencies to the left) on most stock Blaupunkts, won't match the electronic version, which has the lower frequencies on the left end of the dial.

Having said that, his radio is a far better performer. If sound is what you're after, Turnswitch is the answer. If originality is your game, stock is the way to go and there are a couple of vendors that can service those.