This project was a winner in the Maker Share Mission May contest. While not strictly shortwave, of course, many of SWLing Blog readers enjoy, as I do, all things radio, and especially creative and new expressions of radio. Here is a brief excerpt from the MakerShare posting:
Vintage radios are fascinating. At one point the radio was the main method for mass communication of news and entertainment and was manufactured in a variety of styles to be prominently displayed in a home. Unfortunately, many vintage radios that have been physically preserved no longer function and it is impractical for them to be repaired. Described is the design and implementation of the Raspberry Pi Radio (RPiRadio), a device that bypasses the analog electronics of a vintage radio and digitally recreates the behavior of a vintage radio that is able to be tuned to vintage radio programming.
The whole posting may be found here, with extensive details on the building of the radio and how it was programmed for sound replicating the vintage radio era.
While I love tinkering with old radios and trying to bring them back to life, some radios are just beyond reasonable repair. This can bring old radios back to life in a way which seeks to honor their past – a very cool idea indeed!
Robert Gulley, AK3Q, is the author of this post and a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Robert also blogs at All Things Radio.
Nice information about raspberry pi vintage radio. Thanks for sharing informative content
I love this, Robert. Like you, I’m all about proper radio restoration. While I’m still developing my skills, I’m lucky to have a great tube radio mentor nearby that helps me bring some of these vintage gems back to life. Their glowing tubes warm my radio shack in the winter (and the summer for that matter)–!
But sometimes, you’re working with radio carcasses or internals that are shot to the point that restoration is either too pricey or just not realistic. That’s where this sort of project can honor these great radios of the past. Next time I run across a tabletop radio that’s beyond repair, I think I’ll give this Pi project a go!
Thanks for posting!
Thomas