blaupunkt radios

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Peter Robinson
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blaupunkt radios

#1 Post by Peter Robinson »

There are a number of Blaupunkt radios for sale on the "Classifieds" from a guy in Belgium. I bought one a couple weeks ago and had it professionally installed. I can't say it doesn't work, but it sure doesn't work very well. Reception is spotty, volume is variable, as is tuning. Too much brain damage to deal with a return and the another install. I think I'm left with getting it rebuilt in the USA.
Any suggestions on a reliable rebuilder?
Thanks
parobinson@cox.net

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Sebastian Gaeta
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Re: blaupunkt radios

#2 Post by Sebastian Gaeta »

These guys are great if you want the correct original look on the outside and modern components inside. Perfect reception, the sound is as good as it can possibly be on a 55 year old radio and they even put in an auxiliary jack for ipod/iphone. I am very happy with their work and customer service and support.

http://www.turnswitch.com/
Sebastian Gaeta
www.arbormotion.com

Registry #8339

'65 C coupe
'64 C cab

-------
2014 Boxster 981
2005 997 C2 Cab
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1966 Ducati Cafe Racer
1964 Karmann Ghia Coupe
1963 Beetle

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David Campbell
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Re: blaupunkt radios

#3 Post by David Campbell »

Hi Peter:
I am sorry about your purchase; I bought a set of Bosch horns for my T-5 (including the mounting brackets) from the same seller and the merchandise was fine and I think I got a fair price.

When one sends off a radio it is quite easy for the restorer to say "it is toast, I can't fix it" and "oh, btw you owe me $XXX for the time I spent to discover it doesn't work". This puts the customer at a complete disadvantage and it can easily spiral down from there.
Use a radio service that is highly recommended by the experts here. I caution using a certain "vintage blaupunkt" restoration service and seller who advertises a lot on Ebay. You can email me privately for more details about my experience.

I wish I had followed Sebastian Gaeta's advice and gone with modern upgrades to the classic radio chassis.
1961 B Coupe
1966 VW Type I
1987 944 NA
2000 Boxster S

JohnSParsley
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Re: blaupunkt radios

#4 Post by JohnSParsley »

I second the comments from Sebastian. I had my Blaupunkt rebuilt by Turnswitch and it is great -looks period correct but has modern insides. They do great work and it did not take very long.

Good luck.
John
John Parsley
1964 356C Cabriolet

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Peter Silten
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Re: blaupunkt radios

#5 Post by Peter Silten »

I would recommend contacting Hernan Acosta, the owner of German Auto Radio Repair. He knows everything there is to know about the vintage Blaupunkt radios. He sells his radios at the LA Lit Meet and the Anaheim swap meet. (I have shared a table with him at both meets. He is a nice guy and has a good reputation for honest service.) German Auto Radio is located at 10544 Victory Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91606. Hernan's phone # is (818) 769-8919.

luc verschueren
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Re: blaupunkt radios

#6 Post by luc verschueren »

Peter Robinson wrote:There are a number of Blaupunkt radios for sale on the "Classifieds" from a guy in Belgium. I bought one a couple weeks ago and had it professionally installed. I can't say it doesn't work, but it sure doesn't work very well. Reception is spotty, volume is variable, as is tuning. Too much brain damage to deal with a return and the another install. I think I'm left with getting it rebuilt in the USA.
Any suggestions on a reliable rebuilder?
Thanks
parobinson@cox.net
Mr Peter Robinson
You have not been completely honest to write all this. I've sold you a perfect worked 1961/62 Blaupunkt Köln TR de Luxe radio.
After you received the radio you have send me this email:

Luc,
I took the radio to a stereo specialist for installation. He has tried to bench test it without success. He can’t determine where the speaker wires connect
to either the radio or the amplifier. Can you tell me how to connected speakers, or at least furnish a wire diagram?
Thanks.
Pete

My answer:

Pete,

I hope your radio specialist haven’t power up the radio before connecting the speakers, otherwise it could be that the radio doesn’t work anymore.
Here you can read all about the blaupunkt radios for porsches
http://derwhites356literature.com/DerWh ... adios.html

I've send you also a picture of the same blaupunkt radio where to put the speakerplugs.

After that email I didn't hear from you anymore.

I can't imagine which professional radio-specialist doesn't know where the speakers should be connected on these radios.
Will you tell me who's the radio-specialist?

I think your professional radio-specialist has power up the radio without connecting the speakers. And because of this something has damaged in the radio, so that the radio no longer works perfectly.
Before I sell a radio and send it to the buyer they are always tested for operation, so I'm sure they are perfect. If they aren't, they will not be sent, but will be restored first.

Luc
 

WilliamVaughan
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Re: blaupunkt radios

#7 Post by WilliamVaughan »

" Reception is spotty, volume is variable, as is tuning. "

That pretty well describes analog AM radio. Presence of buildings and power lines makes a difference in signal strength. And in tube type radios, oscillator frequencies drift with warm-up. Retuning may be required. As they say, "stay tuned".

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Fred Otjen
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Re: blaupunkt radios

#8 Post by Fred Otjen »

I've sent 2 to the German Radio place for repair. Neither one worked when I got them back. Hernan let me return 1 for re repair, it didn't work when I got it back. Lots of money and frustration. So now I just look at them in the dash.

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Wes Bender
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Re: blaupunkt radios

#9 Post by Wes Bender »

I've had excellent service from Radioman in San Diego, http://www.radiomanrepair.com/

I would use him if you want to keep your radio original. If you have the guts replaced with modern electronics by Turnswitch, be aware that you will lose the SW band and the FM band tuning will not match the dial (which is reversed on some models).

It all boils down to whether you are interested in originality or modern functionality.
Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints.....

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Richard Sjolund
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Re: blaupunkt radios

#10 Post by Richard Sjolund »

I worked in my undergraduate days as a radio/TV repairman .. back in the days of tubes. When I purchased my 1964 356C coupe 35 years ago it had a Blaupunkt radio that did not work. I enjoyed taking it apart and repairing it. It is the AM/FM signal seeker version. A few years ago I turned it on and there was a very loud buzzing sound .... my first guess was a bad electrolytic filter capacitor -- I repaired that and it works great again. The reality, however, is that at speeds above 35 MPH the tires, the wind and the engine override the sound from the radio.

It looks great and it sounds great in a parking lot, but when I am driving thousands of miles across the country I stream my iPhone music to my hearing aids ... I use an older set of Phonak aids that I had my audiologist modify by blocking off the ambient sound channels and blocking those opening in my earpieces ... Now I have the Beach Boys singing Barbara Ann straight into my ears - with the high frequencies boosted. Amazingly the Phonak aids turn off the Beach Boys and switch to a phone call when I get one. The microphone is in my bluetooth streamer around my neck - but at speed no one can understand me over the engine noise ... It's an excuse to ignore calls and avoid work while Ruby and I go for long rides ...


Richard Sjolund
Solon, (Iowa City), Iowa
1964 (September 1963 build) 356 C Karmann Coupe (Ruby Red, color:6402)
(On the 356 Registry cover- November, 2005)
Ford F150 4X4 (Winter Snow Plow)
2015 Audi A4 Quattro (Wife's car)

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Jules Dielen
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Re: blaupunkt radios

#11 Post by Jules Dielen »

the best music i can think of in a 356 comes from the engine bay, especially when you depress the throttle. Pete, you should try listening to that! :)
Jules

Water pumps are for windshield washers only.

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Dave Wildrick
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Re: blaupunkt radios

#12 Post by Dave Wildrick »

+1 on Turnswitch.com
The Blaupunkt in my 65C coupe worked fine when I got the car, but there's no way I could get enough volume to hear it well at speed with the windows down. I tried different speakers, FM transmitters from iPod to the radio, and a device made 356talk lister Jeffrey Kloth, which plugged directly into the input of the amplifier section of the Blaupunkt, allowing connection of almost any modern gizmo. None of these made much difference; still not enough volume.
The Turnswitch setup uses some kind of JVC board (I think), and your pushbuttons for station selection still move the pointer on the dial reasonably close to the stations you set them at. There's plenty of power to get enough volume to hear the music at 75mph, if you have decent new speakers. I don't believe the Blaupunkt radios from 50+ years ago were designed to have that kind of power.
Also, I never worried about trying to tune in bands other than AM and FM, so losing shortwave or marine bands doesn't bother me.
Bluetooth capability wasn't available at Turnswitch at the time my radio was converted, but they can add it now if you pony up the $$.
Dave Wildrick
Houston, TX
#10230
64C coupe
65C coupe

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Jim Alton
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Re: blaupunkt radios

#13 Post by Jim Alton »

luc verschueren wrote:
Luc,

I took the radio to a stereo specialist for installation. He has tried to bench test it without success. He can’t determine where the
speaker wires connect to either the radio or the amplifier. Can you tell me how to connected speakers, or at least furnish a wire diagram?

Thanks.
Pete
Good lord!

If this is true, I would hardly call someone who can't find banana plug jacks by a little speaker cartoon a professional installer.
 
Jim Alton
Los Angeles County, CA
1958 Porsche 356A Cabriolet
1965 Porsche 911 Coupé
1966 Volkswagen Type 2
2003 Porsche 986 Boxster

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Wes Bender
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Re: blaupunkt radios

#14 Post by Wes Bender »

They're out there. I once had to interrupt a cable installer when he was trying desperately to get a color picture on my small black and white Heathkit portable.

I'm thinking this "stereo specialist" never saw a tube type radio and had no idea that turning it on without a speaker connected could kill portions of the circuits.
Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints.....

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John Lindstrom
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Re: blaupunkt radios

#15 Post by John Lindstrom »

Surely someone must know of a radio repair specialist in Norcal.

Does anybody have experience with “Short Circuit Radio Repair” in San Jose?

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