{"id":14324,"date":"2015-08-15T16:12:39","date_gmt":"2015-08-15T20:12:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=14324"},"modified":"2015-08-15T16:12:39","modified_gmt":"2015-08-15T20:12:39","slug":"a-repair-story-vlados-fix-for-the-classic-sony-icf-sw100","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/08\/a-repair-story-vlados-fix-for-the-classic-sony-icf-sw100\/","title":{"rendered":"A repair story: Vlado’s fix for the classic Sony ICF-SW100"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sony-ICF-SW100\"<\/a>In June, I made a small leap of faith and purchased a (dead)\u00a0Sony ICF-SW100 from Universal Radio<\/a> (see the listing on right).<\/p>\n

\"ICF-SW100-Used-NonWorking\"You see, for many years, I’ve dreamed\u00a0about owning\u00a0this wee little receiver, now a classic among tiny radios, but used ones are typically too expensive for my modest budget.<\/p>\n

This time, seeing the ad at Universal,\u00a0I spoke with Universal Radio directly to obtain more details about their defunct unit; while they\u00a0simply didn’t know what was wrong with the Sony, they\u00a0were able to very accurately describe its cosmetic and functional condition…I took a deep breath, and decided to take a chance on\u00a0it anyhow.<\/p>\n

In full disclosure, I have a\u00a0secret weapon in my camp: \u00a0my talented\u00a0friend, Vlado (N3CZ)<\/a>, who is not only the most adept\u00a0electronics engineer\/technician I’ve ever known, but one who truly<\/strong>\u00a0welcomes a<\/span>\u00a0challenge<\/em>. \u00a0The thought had occurred to me as I admired the wounded Sony,\u00a0Wonder if\u00a0Vlad would like to take this on–?<\/em><\/p>\n

The answer, of course, was\u00a0Yes!<\/em>\u00a0 So I dropped the DOA Sony off at Vlad’s\u00a0home last week. He disassembled the radio, only to discover that my ICF-SW100 was a victim of\u00a0the (dreaded) damaged ribbon cable.<\/p>\n

A short history of the\u00a0Sony ICF-SW100 and SW100S<\/h2>\n

These radios are indeed brilliant, incredible performers for their miniscule size. \u00a0Yet the first generation of ICF-SW100 radios–those\u00a0produced before the fall of 1997–have a design weakness: the ribbon cables which connect the upper and lower portions of the radio’s clamshell design eventually fail. Multiple openings and closings bend and cut the cables, rendering the otherwise remarkable\u00a0little radio useless.<\/p>\n

SWLing Post<\/em> contributor, Dan Robinson, recently shared\u00a0his knowledge\u00a0about the ICF-SW100 series. Dan notes:<\/p>\n

SW-100 Seekers Beware<\/p>\n

As shortwave veterans know, the classic SONY miniportables — SW-1, SW-100(S) and \u00a0SW-07, represented some amazing technological achievements. SONY managed to \u00a0shrink some fantastic technology into these receivers, including (with the last two in the line) — SYNC capability. The SW-07, which was the last of these receivers, still brings some high prices on Ebay<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But if you are searching for the ICF-SW-100S<\/a> there are some things to consider and beware\u00a0of. As everyone knows, the SW-100 suffered from the well-known ribbon-cable failure problem. SONY addressed this problem in later serial numbers, and changed the design\u00a0of the radio case.<\/p>\n

Modified SW-100s have a notch where the top cover meets the base.<\/p>\n

There are some dishonest sellers out there who are trying to pass off older version SW-100s\u00a0as modified ones. Usually, the tip-off is that the photograph in the Ebay auction will be dark\u00a0or out of focus, so it’s hard to tell if the radio is the modified version or not.<\/p>\n

It has become quite rare to find an original SONY modification kit, which includes a new top cabinet of the SW-100. And some sellers are trying to get as much as $300 for these,\u00a0though they rarely sell at this level.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"This<\/a>

ICF-SW100 modification kit found\u00a0on eBay at time of posting.<\/p><\/div>\n

It’s also becoming rare to see SW-100S radios new-in-box. I had two of these, sold one\u00a0and kept the other.<\/p>\n

If you’re after one of these marvel radios, do what everyone should do when considering items on Ebay — ask many questions about [the] cosmetic condition, accessories,\u00a0serial numbers, etc.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Universal Radio, a trustworthy seller I know, had fully disclosed the model number and problems with this radio, so I knew exactly what I was buying. Dan has a very good point, though: unless you know the seller to be honest, do your research and ask questions!<\/em><\/p>\n

The ailing ICF-SW100<\/h2>\n
\"Vlado<\/a>

Vlado discovers the faulty ribbon cable (click to enlarge)<\/p><\/div>\n

Back to my ailing unit: \u00a0Vlado delivered the news about the ribbon cable via text message, and though I was well aware that the chances were high that was the ribbon cable, I was a little bummed, to say the least, to get the formal diagnosis.<\/p>\n

Why? As Dan mentions above,\u00a0you’ll find that the SW-100S upgrade kit Sony produced in the 1990s is no longer available new;\u00a0sellers typically list these kits at prices in excess of $300 US. \u00a0Out of my budget.<\/p>\n

But Vlado, ever the intrepid engineer, had no idea I would be disappointed with this news; he was just giving me this FYI via text. Indeed, he seemed entirely\u00a0unfazed,\u00a0as in,\u00a0hey, no serious internal damage here…<\/em><\/p>\n

Another hour passed. Then came another message from\u00a0Vlad; this one simply said: “Call me.”<\/p>\n

Oh no,<\/em> I thought.\u00a0But I called, and Vlado answered cheerfully, “Hello? Tom, is that you? Sorry, I can’t hear you very well because your SW100 is playing too loudly. Hang on–let me turn the volume down!”<\/p>\n

\"Vlad<\/a>

Vlad installs the replacement ribbon cable (click to enlarge)<\/p><\/div>\n

“What!?!”<\/em> I responded, in utter disbelief.<\/p>\n

Yes, he’d got it working! \u00a0It seems that Vlad had unearthed an old DVD player in his garage that he’d\u00a0kept merely for parts. He opened it up, identified\u00a0a ribbon cable with the right pitch, then cut and folded the cable to fit into the SW100. \u00a0Ingenious!<\/p>\n

That’s Vlado for you!<\/p>\n

And should I be interested in replacing this used cable with a new one–or in repairing other<\/em> Sonys–Vlad directed me to eBay listings for new cables<\/em>\u00a0which only total about $20, shipped.\u00a0Truthfully, I’m in no hurry, as this one is functioning perfectly and changing out the ribbon cable seems to have no effect on stored memories, etc. With a single affordable\u00a0eBay purchase of multiple cable sets, it occurred to me that Vlad\u00a0would\u00a0have enough replacement cables to repair the\u00a0SW100 many times over…<\/p>\n

So I\u00a0bought the\u00a0cables. \u00a0(This one<\/a>\u00a0for the narrow cable\u00a0and this one<\/a> for the wider one.)<\/p>\n

My “new” Sony ICF-SW100<\/h2>\n

Needless to say, I’m very<\/em> pleased with my “new” (to me)\u00a0SW100. It’s a little masterpiece of receiver engineering in such a tiny package. \u00a0And since the ICF-SW100 is unquestionably the smallest portable I own–and is one of the few I own with a proper line-out jack–it may very well become my go-to radio for one bag travel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Listening<\/a>

It’s in the bag: listening to the ‘SW100 before I pack it for my next trip!<\/p><\/div>\n

Stay tuned the review…<\/p>\n

Vlado’s radio\u00a0E.R.: \u00a0the\u00a0doctor is in<\/h2>\n

\"Sony-ICF-SW100-Open2\"<\/a>As I’ve said, Vlad is one of the most adept repair technicians I’ve ever known. \u00a0At my prompting, he’s kindly agreed to let me promote his services here on the SWLing Post.<\/em> Vlad acknowledges that he “likes a challenge,”\u00a0adding that\u00a0he enjoys nothing more than making repairs even when”parts are scarce” and radio”surgery” is required. \u00a0Moreover, his bench fees will be\u00a0quite reasonable, especially considering what you receive: new life for a failing radio. So, if you’ve got an ailing rig\u00a0on your hands, and don’t mind waiting for Vlad to get to it, send it to his radio emergency\u00a0room, where radios (like my Sony) have life breathed back into them once again.<\/p>\n

Long live the Sony ICF-SW100! \u00a0And long live Dr. Vlado, who makes this possible with his creative (and nearly miraculous) repairs.<\/p>\n

To contact Vlad, simply\u00a0contact me<\/a>\u00a0with a description of your radio and its problem\u00a0and I’ll put you in touch with Vlado.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In June, I made a small leap of faith and purchased a (dead)\u00a0Sony ICF-SW100 from Universal Radio (see the listing on right). You see, for many years, I’ve dreamed\u00a0about owning\u00a0this wee little receiver, now a classic among tiny radios, but used ones are typically too expensive for my modest budget. This time, seeing the ad […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8,627,3,3196,139,26,129,43],"tags":[3369,4072,495,3395,3396,4071,4073],"class_list":["post-14324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-how-to","category-news","category-portable-radio","category-radio-modifications","category-radios","category-reviews","category-shortwave-radio","tag-icf-sw100","tag-n3cz","tag-sony","tag-sony-icf-sw100","tag-sony-icf-sw100-ribbon-cable","tag-sony-icf-sw100-ribbon-cable-fix","tag-vlado"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-3J2","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11330,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/11\/sony-icf-sw100-difference-between-mki-and-mkii\/","url_meta":{"origin":14324,"position":0},"title":"Sony ICF-SW100: difference between MKI and MKII","author":"Thomas","date":"November 10, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"In response to our post about the Sony ICF-SW100, Michael comments: \"I've found that, with some patience and a willingness to search outside of eBay, that the ICF-SW100 can be found for under $250. It's more than a fair bit of money for a shortwave receiver. If I had to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sony-ICF-SW100","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Sony-ICF-SW100.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Sony-ICF-SW100.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Sony-ICF-SW100.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Sony-ICF-SW100.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11208,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/11\/include-in-the-cias-survival-kit-the-sony-icf-sw100\/","url_meta":{"origin":14324,"position":1},"title":"Include in the CIA’s Survival Kit: the Sony ICF-SW100","author":"Thomas","date":"November 2, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I recently discovered an article on the excellent blog, LifeHacker, which describes the contents of the\u00a0CIA's Escape and Evasion Survival Kit. The kit's contents currently include: Leatherman Squirt PS4 Slim Line Lock Pick 13 Tension Wrench Short Twist Flex Omni-Glow Mini Type A Glow Sticks Suunto Clipper Photon X-Light Micro\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"CIAEscapeandSurvivalBag","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/CIAEscapeandSurvivalBag.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":23026,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/ebay-find-sony-icf-sw100s\/","url_meta":{"origin":14324,"position":2},"title":"eBay find: Sony ICF-SW100S","author":"Thomas","date":"December 24, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rick Lewis (WPE5BST), who writes: Have been watching this radio on eBay. [...] Looks like a post 97' model SW100S and thus the ribbon cable shouldn't be an issue. Click here to view on eBay. It appears the seller may only be willing to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Sony-SW100S-Ebay-e1482585557574.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Sony-SW100S-Ebay-e1482585557574.jpeg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Sony-SW100S-Ebay-e1482585557574.jpeg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15509,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/11\/sunrise-and-shortwave\/","url_meta":{"origin":14324,"position":3},"title":"Sunrise and shortwave","author":"Thomas","date":"November 11, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"It doesn't matter that propagation is rather poor this morning: I have a Sony ICF-SW100, a good cup of coffee, a beautiful sunrise and Radio Australia is loud and clear on 9,580 kHz. All is well.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sony ICF-SW100","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/IMG_20151111_071240128_HDR1-619x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/IMG_20151111_071240128_HDR1-619x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/IMG_20151111_071240128_HDR1-619x1024.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":24471,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/an-edc-bag-for-the-classic-sony-icf-sw100-receiver\/","url_meta":{"origin":14324,"position":4},"title":"An EDC Bag for the Classic Sony ICF-SW100 Receiver","author":"Guy Atkins","date":"March 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"In a 2014 article, this site's administrator Thomas Witherspoon introduced readers to the CIA's Survival Kit which is housed in a superbly sturdy waistpack, the Maxpedition M-2. Thomas observed that the M-2 pouch is perfectly suited to holding the diminutive Sony ICF-SW100 receiver. I was intrigued by that possibility, but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antennas"","block_context":{"text":"Antennas","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/antennas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/sideM-2-800x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/sideM-2-800x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/sideM-2-800x1024.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":21474,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/09\/the-sony-icf-sw100-a-miniture-dx-marvel-never-likely-to-be-repeated\/","url_meta":{"origin":14324,"position":5},"title":"The Sony ICF-SW100: a miniture DX marvel, never likely to be repeated","author":"Clint Gouveia","date":"September 20, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi there, I've owned my Sony ICF-SW100S for about a year now and in that time it has demonstrated a level of performance way beyond my expectations. Notwithstanding it's incredibly small size (about the same as a packet of cigarettes, give-or-take), the DX results I have obtained with it are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DXpeditions"","block_context":{"text":"DXpeditions","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/dxpeditions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"sw100s","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/SW100S-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/SW100S-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/SW100S-1024x576.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14324\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}