{"id":20160,"date":"2016-07-27T09:25:26","date_gmt":"2016-07-27T13:25:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=20160"},"modified":"2016-07-27T09:25:26","modified_gmt":"2016-07-27T13:25:26","slug":"edward-restores-a-star-lite-town-country-fm-820-portable-receiver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/07\/edward-restores-a-star-lite-town-country-fm-820-portable-receiver\/","title":{"rendered":"Edward restores a Star-Lite Town & Country FM-820 portable receiver"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Star-Lite<\/a>Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> contributor,\u00a0Edward Ganshirt, who writes:<\/p>\n

This is a \u201cmystery brand\u201d radio that I picked up at a swapfest for a buck, I never heard of a Star-Lite Town & Country FM-820<\/strong> by the HOKUYO MUSEN KOGYO CO in Japan. This portable behemoth is not \u201clite\u201d, It is heavy (13 pounds).<\/p>\n

The only thing I came up with is Sam\u2019s photofact that refer to radio. (I am not about to buy a service manual for something that is not broken). There is a Chrysler Town & Country station wagon, which is also a behemoth that swamps out all Google searches. This set appears to be made in the mid sixties. I was told that is was on a fishing boat as evidenced by its condition it was very dirty with a lot of corrosion on the bezel and missing a tuning knob.<\/p>\n

\"Star-Lite<\/a><\/p>\n

I fabricated a tuning knob on a lathe, which was a 2-piece affair. The outer knob is tuning and the inner knob is the fine tune. It cleaned up well and I had to repaint the bezel. The auto parts store said that the Chrysler of that area did not use metal flake paints but they matched a touch-up spray can of a Toyota millennium silver.<\/p>\n

\"Star-Lite<\/a>\"Star-Lite<\/a>
\nThis radio has 8 push-button bands: long-wave, AM, short-wave 1.6 to 26 MHz, and FM along with tone controls. The sound is surprisingly good it is a 6-cell battery only (no AC). It has reasonably good short-wave drift-free performance. The paint job looks good, there is a rusty chrome bumper next to the push-buttons. I decided to to restore this part. It is ok for your 1960\u2019s Town & Country to have rusty bumpers.<\/p>\n

While you would not take your Panasonic RF9000 your Transoceanic or Grundig, This radio is my \u201cbeater\u201d to take to the beach.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Star-Lite<\/a><\/p>\n

Does anyone know about the Star-Lite brand?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Thank you, Ed, for sharing this. \u00a0I am not at all familiar with this make and model of radio. I must say…I’m most impressed that you were able to fabricate a tuning knob! It would have been a challenge to find a replacement knob otherwise.<\/p>\n

I bet she plays well, too–looks like a decent ferrite bar inside and a substantial telescoping antenna.<\/p>\n

And you’re right, Edward, it is<\/em> ok for your 1960\u2019s Town & Country to have rusty bumper! Now take that girl to the beach! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Post<\/em> readers: please comment if you’re familiar with the Star-Lite brand!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0Edward Ganshirt, who writes: This is a \u201cmystery brand\u201d radio that I picked up at a swapfest for a buck, I never heard of a Star-Lite Town & Country FM-820 by the HOKUYO MUSEN KOGYO CO in Japan. This portable behemoth is not \u201clite\u201d, It is heavy (13 pounds). The […]<\/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":[8,3194,3,139,26,43,4796],"tags":[4800,5282,4132,5118,5281],"class_list":["post-20160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-guest-posts","category-news","category-radio-modifications","category-radios","category-shortwave-radio","category-vintage-radio","tag-edward-ganshirt","tag-hokuyo-musen-kogyo-co","tag-radio-restoration","tag-solid-state","tag-star-lite-town-country-fm-820"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-5fa","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":25656,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/05\/the-r-902-xe-2prd-eds-flea-market-mystery-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":20160,"position":0},"title":"The R-902 (XE-2)\/PRD: Ed’s flea market mystery radio","author":"Thomas","date":"May 17, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0Edward Ganshirt, who writes: This radio followed me home from a flea market and I am trying to find out what it's mission was. I think it is a surveillance radio from the Vietnam era because of it's low serial number #7 R-902 (XE-2)\/PRD. I\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\/2017\/05\/DSC_0116-1-1024x571.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/DSC_0116-1-1024x571.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/DSC_0116-1-1024x571.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25052,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/edward-reviews-this-unmarked-thrift-store-radio-find\/","url_meta":{"origin":20160,"position":1},"title":"Edward reviews this unmarked thrift store radio find","author":"Thomas","date":"April 7, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Edward Ganshirt, who writes: I spotted this \"keychain\" radio [pictured above] at a Savers thrift shop. Savers is a chain of thrift stores in the Northeast that is an outlet for Goodwill and possibly others. What caught my eye is (in addition to price)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/DSC_0098-1024x681.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/DSC_0098-1024x681.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/DSC_0098-1024x681.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36087,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/02\/ed-restores-a-hallicrafters-s-72l-cabinet\/","url_meta":{"origin":20160,"position":2},"title":"Ed restores a Hallicrafters S-72L cabinet","author":"Thomas","date":"February 25, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0Edward Ganshirt, who shares the following: This is a Hallicrafters S-72L \"barn find\" I restored. This turned out to be a furniture refinishing project and not a radio (electronics) restoration job. It is a 1949\/50 era portable with batteries and 1 volt tubes. When I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How To"","block_context":{"text":"How To","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/how-to\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Hallicrafters-restoration-1024x681.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Hallicrafters-restoration-1024x681.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Hallicrafters-restoration-1024x681.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46460,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/11\/this-norelco-b5x-88a-03-table-radio-has-a-story-and-a-caretaker\/","url_meta":{"origin":20160,"position":3},"title":"This Norelco B5X-88A\/03 table radio has a story and a caretaker","author":"Thomas","date":"November 13, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post contributor, Edward Ganshirt, who shares the following guest post: Pamela\u2019s radio \u00a0 A neighbor gave me this radio. It had a story. It is a Norelco B5X-88A\/03 Table radio AM FM SW1 SW2. (You can see it takes up the whole kitchen table...that is why it\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\/2020\/11\/Pamelas-Radio-Norelco-B5X-88A-03-2.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Pamelas-Radio-Norelco-B5X-88A-03-2.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Pamelas-Radio-Norelco-B5X-88A-03-2.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Pamelas-Radio-Norelco-B5X-88A-03-2.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39935,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/09\/eds-ultra-low-cost-upcycled-radio-case-for-the-realistic-dx-440\/","url_meta":{"origin":20160,"position":4},"title":"Ed’s ultra low-cost “upcycled” radio case for the Realistic DX-440","author":"Thomas","date":"September 30, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Edward Ganshirt, who writes: I have seen some very good radio cases for carrying your radio with you with a price tag. I needed one for my DX-440 but did not want to shell out a hundred bux for it, so I made a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Accessories"","block_context":{"text":"Accessories","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/accessories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Ed-Radio-Case-3-1024x818.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Ed-Radio-Case-3-1024x818.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Ed-Radio-Case-3-1024x818.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27371,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/eds-homebrew-fruitcake-tin-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":20160,"position":5},"title":"Ed’s Homebrew Fruitcake Tin Radio","author":"Thomas","date":"July 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ed\u00a0Ganshirt, who writes: I had an old car radio from the 1940's I salvaged the parts from, and a rudimentary schematic to build by. I decided to re-assemble in the container I stowed away the parts in. Nothing special just another AM broadcast radio\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fruit Cake Tin Radio","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/DSC_0024-e1501416865880.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/DSC_0024-e1501416865880.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/DSC_0024-e1501416865880.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/DSC_0024-e1501416865880.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20160","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=20160"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20160\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}