1964 Grundig 4070U vacuum tube stereo radio

[@vwestlife]

The "FA" on the FA On/off switch stands for "Ferrite Antenna" (the built-in AM/shortwave antenna).

[@AMDXplusplus]

Is the AM reception is good on that radio.

[@EsotericArctos]

I think it is for the Broadcast band only, Shortwave I believe still needs an external antenna. In most Grundigs, that switch doesn't lock down, it is a push on - push off style switch. A bit of deoxit and lubrication fixes those switches beautifully.

[@nerwin]

I find it kind of funny hearing a Windows 10 commercial on a 1964 radio. Kind of awesome actually. Haha

[@jaykay18]

The sound from that unit is especially "bright and vivacious", really exceptional audio quality. Of course that should not really come as much of a surprise, considering firstly how old the unit is, and secondly that it has tubes. That's a keeper for sure, a bit of TLC and it'll clean up real nice. Excellent find!

[@DrCassette]

Interesting find! The switches might just suffer from some hard and sticky grease in the locking mechanism. As far as I know Grundig never made their own tubes, so they would have used Valvo or Telefunken. The external speaker jacks should allow the plug to go in two directions (three contacts on the jack). One position will leave the internal speakers on, the other position will disconnect them. You could try to take the broken speaker out and put it back in upside down. It might work then.

[@zaprodk]

+DrCassette Yep, a good idea to flip the speaker upside down. If that isn't enough, maybe some steam can make the surround relax a bit.

[@charliefardoe8455]

that sounds like a good idea

[@ronalddaub5049]

Upside down speaker, ha joke. Fix it..

[@ronalddaub5049]

They sound good with a broken speaker

[@X-OR_]

I have "More then a Feeling" that you will restore the radio back to its original greatness

[@Thanson199415]

+Joy of Lego b-e-a-utiful Boston Pun :>

[@frazzleface753]

And what a great song!

[@thomasfrank280]

@@frazzleface753 and it was on the FM soundtrack too.

[@1205juergen]

My advice : Keep and restore this Grundig radio..... thumbs up

[@hankhardisty9433]

Multiplex stereo was highly promoted in the early 60s, I remember that as a child interested in radio broadcasting. However I really never knew what was meant by that and I didn’t have a stereo set until 1967, but by then that term had fallen into disuse.

[@diablo666morgan]

I swear some of these old Tube radios sound so much better than most modern radios ,I've got a old radio from the late 70s / early 80s and i love it

[@stevengray5970]

I'd love to see you sort this out the speaker and switches, a good clean up and you can keep it in my front room anytime lol 😂

[@sincerelyyours7538]

Yes, you should follow your own advice and not just "power It up to see if it works." -- a mistake I once made with decidedly poor results (blew the filter cap). I now always put an ohmmeter on the power transformer windings to see if they're open or shorted, then change the large electrolytics whether they test good or bad (if they're not bad they soon will be), then test the rectifier (selenium or tube) and if good only then will I feel safe about powering it up on a dim bulb/variac supply. These Grundigs were in the top tier of German radios in the 50s and 60s and are well worth giving a full restoration even when in much worse condition than one you have. Good luck, and let us see how it turns out.

[@VectrexRoli]

Nice find! I have a few old radios at home from that time, but never saw a model with an optional Stereo encoder so far.

[@DeathInTheSnow]

I know a lot of people have said this already, but just in case you still need to know - the "FA" stands for "Ferret Antenna". When you use it, a little ferret will come around and hold up the antenna to give you better signal.

[@albinklein7680]

Amazing that the tube type MPX decoder still works. Those are ultra-sensitive for bad caps and a real nightmare to align.

[@povilasstaniulis9484]

A working radio that is 50 years old. Really impressive. Modern stuff doesn't last anywhere that long. I hope you've restored it.

[@cosmotippy]

In the service I had a Grundig Radio like that only an earlier model. I had to leave it when I deployed from overseas and really missed the quality. They were really great in their time. Enjoy!

[@themaritimegirl]

Wow, that's an amazing sounding stereo! It looks awesome too. And rather surprising that it mostly works out-of-box! Here's hoping you can get it completely functional.

[@wilkes85]

Cool radio! After changing the speaker and fixing the piano key buttons, that thing's gonna be awesome! Maybe clean up the grill, and re-finish the cabinet if it needs it... It would be a fun restoration project. Try flipping the speaker upside down like DrCassette said... in fact, with old speakers, I hear you're supposed to turn them upside down because they start to sag over time. I did that to all my speakers a long time ago to prevent any rubbing. It sounds really nice. Hey, good thing you kept those speaker plugs!

[@coondogtheman]

Nice save. Gotta love these old radios. I love it when you hear modern things like windows 10 mentioned on old radios like this, Like hearing website URLs on AM Radio. Also hearing today's pop songs on these is pretty cool.

[@ronedwards8239]

I just found one of these. It appears they made this in a later version with the decoder built in. The decoder jack is missing and the cardboard back does not have the decoder hole. But it shows FM Stereo in the pictures. They may have hard wired the decoder or incorporated it into the main chassis. When I find out more I’ll post it.

[@SpeakerFreak95]

Ive got a VERY similar radio, same model, I believe just wooden front with vertical slats in the wooden face , sounds absolutely great for the age. I replaced some small electrolytics and that got it working well. The main filters are okay.

[@rquance1]

I have a slightly newer version of this unit that I have to retube. My parents bought it in Rochester, NY in the 1960s. The Stereo decoder needs to be retubed often and the relay may need to have its contacts cleaned. I am a retired Radio Engineer and this unit has run since the 1960s with only needing a small tuneup after a retube years ago. The unit needs a replacement audio out tube now but otherwise then that it runs great.

[@barryp9463]

You are a brave man for turning it on

[@TheSoundrookie]

Awesome old thing you got there, and really nice hearing radiostations actually playing music. Here in Denmark they only play payola crap. I love restoring old radioes, but listening to them nowadays makes me sick. If anyone reading this ever gets close enough to pick up signals from Denmark, be prepared to change the channel, or turn your radio off as fast as posible, otherwise you'll get sick too. It takes no talent - Just being the son of a drunk, is enough to get played over and over and over again. Itś a crime letting these classic babies receive that kind of garbage. I love watching your videoes. Thanks for making and sharing them. My very best wishes.

[@Dinkymaster7]

Radios like these sound really good because of the tubes and the wood cabinet. Take good care of that thing! I have one myself although mine's made in Norway and not Germany. Mine's called Edda but it's pretty much the same thing as this one.

[@theatomicpunkkid]

Oh man, you've got to get that thing working. The second I saw it I knew it was going to be one of those hidden gems as far as the dxing went.

[@letseeitplease]

i like how you solved that switch problem with the screw driver, that was really epic lol, this radio was most likely very expensive back in the day when it was brand new,

[@petermuller5031]

FA stands for "Ferrit Antenna". It's a small internal antenna which improves the AM reception, because the big internal antenna on the top of the cabinet isn't ideal for listening to AM stations. I guess when you turn on the Stereo Decoder this antenna gets turned off because you can't receive AM in stereo. Really nice radio. It has the rare ELL80 tube, which is pretty expensive today. Because of that, a lot of people replace the tube with two EL95, which are much cheaper to get and last longer than the ELL80. You can get adapters for that. I would still recommend you to replace the capacitors, there's a good chance that it sounds even better then!

[@Graham-ce2yk]

Interesting radio. I find it somewhat ironic to hear a Windows 10 add on what is now a 52 year old radio. If you still have it I would love to see a restoration video when you have the time.

[@EpicLPer]

This video is one hell of a copyright heaven for KZbin :P

[@DanOConnorTech]

Great radio find! I like the nice USA Civil Defense symbols! The FA On/Off is for the Ferrite Antenna. In "on", any external antenna is disconnected (I think, anyway.)

[@albinklein7680]

That spare fuse with the tape on it is for 220V operation. Grundig and other German companies always provided them. Sometimes in a blank fuse holder besides the mains fuse, sometimes in a neat paper bag tacked to the wooden case.

[@nobody-429]

Those two triangles at AM 640 and 1240 are Civil Defense stations. Considerably rare for a radio from that year.

[@Elfnetdesigns]

+Felis Catus IDK i had a multi band solid state radio from the late 70's that had those on it.. Cant remember the brand though it was ages ago.

[@vwestlife]

+ElfNet Gaming The CONELRAD system (with the two triangles indicating the frequencies to tune to in the case of an emergency) was replaced by the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) in August 1963, so the triangles disappeared from most radios by the mid-'60s.

[@ORDOTRIO]

+vwestlife Well, I remember seein’ some ad So I turned on my Conelrad But I didn’t pay my Con Ed bill So the radio didn’t work so well Turned on my record player- It was Rock-a-day Johnny singin’, “Tell Your Ma, Tell Your Pa Our Love’s A-gonna Grow Ooh-wah, Ooh-wah”

[@neilforbes416]

Ordotrio was a poet, and he didn't even know it! He was not adverse to a little bit of verse! LOL

[@soonerterp]

I love that the dial features the Civil Defence icon at 640 and 1240 -- the old CONELRAD bands (CONELRAD being the forerunner to the EBS/EAS). That's quite a find and sounds decent for the most part.

[@dovstruzer3610]

NICE RADIO AND WELL BUILT CHASSIS ,AND NICE SOUND TOO FOR SUCH AN OLD RADIO ,IT LOOKS STILISH TOO , LIKE THE MAGIC EYE,THAT WAS POPULAR THEN

[@salpatalano2306]

I have the exact same model....been in the family since new....my brother originally bought it from “Maury Hirsch” (sp) in Cambridge, Ma right around 1964....

[@taunusv4power]

nice radio. just the type of stuff i buy. the last radio i bought was an early 40's GE. really cool!

[@TheCommentator353]

Suprisingly clear for 1964! I also take pride in old electronics, I have a Nintendo(1985), atari 2600 and a television from the fourtees. Would you believe that these all work?!!!

[@Jayoldstuff1]

Well done on saving that from the recycling centre. a rare radio as there where not many stereo valve radios made and even rarer to have a valve sorry tube (I’m in the uk) stereo decoder. The only stereo decoder I have from that era is a hi-bred (valve and transistor) inside an Armstrong fm tuner. From my experience (I repair and restore all types of valve equipment) the trouble with the switches not latching will either be hardened grease on the latch bar on the switch block or its actuating spring. if you intend using this radio I would replace the two audio decoupling capacitors on the output valves if nothing else. Grundigs build quality is excellent but from experience of Grundig sets I've restored over hear in the uk the capacitors are failing and if one of those two goes short circuit it could kill the output transformer. Good luck with it.

[@infinitecanadian]

Aw, how could anyone throw this out? It's an antique.

[@EastAngliaUK]

That look like a nice radio to have when all done it would be useful to have in a room somewhere.

[@MultimediaJay]

Windows 10 being plugged on a 60s radio lol. :-D

[@valentinocolaon6060]

I'd love to see the insides of a stereo decoder!

[@TNTUP]

Nice Windows 10 free add at 4:25^^ xDD

[@timemerson4162]

Proves that with a good tuner you can have stations close to each other.unlike most of the junk made today that's all over the place.

[@I967]

Fantastic! Great Grundig quality as usual. Thanks for sharing!

[@laranaarana]

Nice radio! Reminds me of the one Gramps used to have.

[@Elfnetdesigns]

I hope you are going to re-cap that radio before any further use, Just because it quit "buzzing" does not mean the caps are good again. I have / had (IDK if I still have it) and old tube type Harmon Kardon FM Stereo line level output (Non amplified) tuner that was on a completely copper chassis and casing that I restored. I have to see if it is still around here though. Heres an fun fact about radios of that era, On the AM dial, there's little triangles, Those are national civil defense channel markers, if the time came that the Russians were launching nukes you would tune one of those "triangles" and get official news and instructions from the government. This being a tube type multi band radio also ensured it would survive a nuclear EMP event, Good radio people bought back then to put in their fallout shelters. Think of those triangle as the equivalent of today's "For Information tune to XXX KHz / Mhz" signs on the interstates across the US. For weather info like hurricane evacuation routes and out west for dust storm info.

[@VintageElectronicsGeek]

Fantastic find! Definitely something to restore!

[@Halterung01]

I really like your videos being in filmed in 60fps

[@WaybackTECH]

cool. i think that was a great score. just a little tlc is all it really needs.

[@BetamaxFlippy]

Gotta love old Grundig, Philips and Telefunken.

[@SWATT101]

I have the same radio...on this one the FM dial has lost friction...I have seen other vids on the clutch on other models...hope it's an easy fix

[@SWATT101]

Fix was clean the clutch with..I used MAF sensor clean.

[@Sutekh94]

That should be a nice restoration project!

[@alexmihai22]

That's a quality piece. You need to change the paper capacitors from inside, they are leaking DC current and that is damaging the tubes.

[@devonnewest7990]

You saved it!!!! What a find!

[@Robbe902]

I don't know if you already figured out by yourself, what the FA-switch is for. but FA stands for "ferrit antenna" and activates either the internal ferrit antenna or uses the external antenna, plugged in at the backplate.

[@keithjones7810]

Interested to know if you restored this. This vintage fascinates me. Love your channel and your voice.

[@smilingboss77]

Old and rugged electronics like this, when they're slightly malfunctioning, give me the creeps. Idk why, reminds me of something you hear in a horror movie. It makes my guts feel weird. :P Still is a beautiful thing to have this working, though!

[@ddorfpunk]

I only think its annoying, thats why i repair such nice old devices lol

[@MrROTD]

The tuning eye thing is really advanced looking for the time it was made

[@eddiedowning2571]

I wonder if it had to find tubes for this and how long do they last I have a chance to grab one not sure if I should

[@cogsinister100]

What a great find.

[@nor4277]

Maybe the dust cover came off ,or if it has that foam on the outer lip may be the rubber need needs replacing I would pull the speaker,I have a grudig portable, but your radio with a little work will be amazing ,it sound good

[@tigruletu50]

nice product , hope you do another video after you fix it

[@stevew270]

You scored big there!

[@kenr.4526]

Perfect example of "they don't make 'em like this anymore" when things were made to last and be repaired if needed.This radio was 51 years old when this video was made ! I would bet that the crap they make now won't last this long, but even I won't be here that long to find out !!! (Here's an idea, let's make things like this again instead of "landfill fodder")Restore it man, it's deserves it. P.S. Try using some electronic contact cleaner on the inside mechanics of those switches to clear some of the old lube and gunk out so they can lock. And I think FA means Ferrite Antenna (internal).

[@pcno2832]

8:50 I've seen that before with those German plastic-encased-magnet speakers. Sometime there are screws you can loosen to realign it, but I don't see any here. Maybe they are on the other side.

[@Boemel]

I had a bunch of philips industrial PA amps from the 60s for cheap, wanted to fix em until i saw all the coated heavy metals and asbestos inside of them... sold them for double than i got :D

[@Vakito227]

All I ever seem to find around my recycling centres are dented biscuit tins, half chewed dog toys and baby clothes...

[@mcramp20]

nice radio good warm sound even from your cameras mics

[@stevenking2980]

Wow what a greatly engineered machine! I have several vids of tube radios. Never should have said this z. Erase please. I'm really sorry... My device is slow.

[@MrPolwathRojchalermritra]

More reliable than my smartphone? Jesus.

[@irtbmtind89]

I'm guessing China Radio International and Radio Habana on shortwave?

[@vwestlife]

+irtbmtind89 The first station was indeed CRI. I'm not sure about the Spanish station, but it could indeed be from Cuba.

[@AussieTVMusic]

Waiting for the Beatles new song.Fab.

[@stevenking2980]

Such a sweet radio!

[@stevenking2980]

Filter caps are bad? Man the sound is incredible from this end vwestlife!!!

[@larryshaver3568]

the stereo fm decoder sounds great

[@codebeatr]

I really like Conelrad symbols on the AM dial.

[@EndUser2090]

I wonder if there is a way to repair the stock speaker.

[@MrComputerfan]

It's rare to find it with the Decoder, my 4070 doesn't have it.

[@YS_Production]

The internal speaker sounds great! 4W... Back when manufacturers were not inflating specs.

[@youallanone]

Hi. I just pick up one just like that in the flea market for $20 this morning. Did you ever replaced all caps?

[@MetalTrabant]

Made in Germany is indeed a sign of quality... it's so refreshing to see nowadays something that isn't made in South-East Asia... nice job saving it!

[@NomadColossus]

Are you using you used a new camera? The video quality seems much sharper now!

[@vwestlife]

+Nomad Colossus No, I'm still using my Canon FS200, just with a better de-interlacing method now.

[@TheCommentator353]

+vwestlife it's got a pleasant 60fps video framerate now :)

[@Abma-gv2bj]

+vwestlife hey i got this question for you, i have this nokia cell phone, its from the late 90s, it doesnt turn on at all, but when i plug it in to charge, it makes a weird hum/buzz coming from inside the phone. What could it be?

[@alynicholls3230]

i know whats wrong, its knackered!.

[@andygozzo72]

i see it has an ELL80 double output valve, they are notorious for giving trouble, usually grid emission, and replacements rare and expensive, but you can use 2 EL95s (6DL5) as replacements with an adapter lash-up!

[@andygozzo72]

those "Valvo" valves were either Philips/Mullard or Telefunken made, by the look of the print on the tops near the pip, Telefunken

[@MrComputerfan]

ELL80 Tubes are as reliable as the well used EL84. I and other People having these Tubes in Use never had problems with them. I have a 1960 Grundig Stereo Receiver with the first ELL80s, no problems! I don't know why everybody claims these Tubes are problematic, that's a Myth. The only Things that let these Tubes die, is red Plate glowing by bad Contact Sockets or bad coppling Caps...

[@andygozzo72]

i've found el84s not as reliable as some think 😉 mostly internal leakage/grid emission, got several with excellent cathode emission and anode current and gm, but unusable due to grid going more positive with time 😢and mostly with mullard/philips made versions..

[@andygozzo72]

and before you say 'check or replace coupling cap', its one of the first things i do with a vintage radio....

[@andygozzo72]

i have only one radiogram with an ell80, that is ok at the moment, and one radio with 2 ecll800s, both bit suspect....

[@neilforbes416]

The "GmbH"(as it should've been shown) stands for "Gesellshaft mit beschrankte Haftung", which translates in English as "Society with limited Holdings" or, as in Australia, Britain, New Zealand and Canada, Pty Ltd(Proprietary Limited).

[@vwestlife]

"Ltd." is sometimes used in the USA as well. It's the equivalent of a corporation ("Inc.").

[@neilforbes416]

I've seen it once or twice(Ltd., that is) but it's not very common. It's usually always "Corp." or "Inc."

[@wilfromkc]

Nice save.

[@zoneb609]

Well, if it were mine I'll just clean the inside and replace the speaker sorrounds or cones, because the the coils were manufactured with better quality, and also leave the capacitors alone, a nowadays capacitor is not going to last as the original one, my philosophy is: if it works don't fix it. Maybe the caps can last more years. I have 60s equipment with original caps and they are replaced as they fail.

[@andygozzo72]

it may have 'leaky' (electrically) coupling caps to the output valves, if so these must be replaced, as should any others that show dc leakage, the electrolytics may well be ok, as this video shows

[@andygozzo72]

valve radios can 'seem' to work ok, even when the valves are being over run which happens with leaky caps, this can at best reduce valve life, at worst cause overheating and damage output and mains transformers

[@Vynncent]

The Sammy Hagar version of "I've done everything for you" is a lot better in my opinion

[@sirmugman]

i was really expecting you to turn it on and it just to starting playing some strange late 60's prog music but no, really cool looking item plus its from germany and well after the 2nd world war we UK ppl destroyed or didn't want german stuff hench why most itens from the 50's to late 70's said made in great britian, but its stil a nice old vintage machine and for free bargin

[@TheManFrayBentos]

There may have been some anti-German feeling about consumer goods and luxury items in the 50s, but from the early 60s onwards German made stuff sold like hot cakes in the UK, because it was generally well made. The main obstacle was price, as a lot of imports were taxed heavily to allow UK businesses some sort of chance to compete, if not on quality, at least on price. This was especially true in the camera business, where high quality German cameras were taxed savagely for about a decade after the war. As soon as the tax was lifted, the sales went up, and one or two UK makers of competing cameras went out of business because they weren't producing what people wanted to buy. Grundig items were generally highly regarded, insofar as I recall.

[@dannyjaar]

grundig was a step forwards this type of radios can be plugged in directly the caps are the same as nowdays

[@Dartagn]

Hey, any idea what the little gadget that shows how dialed in to FM you are is called? My girlfriend just go one of these from her Aunt and it belonged to her grandparents. It is in amazing condition and works perfectly. I am a little obsessed with how neat the green thing is, but can't seem to find what it is called or how it works. Thanks. Awesome little unit you have there. Hopefully you got the speaker working. I am actually really impressed with how nice hers sounds.

[@vwestlife]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_eye_tube

[@Dartagn]

Thanks for the quick response man. Perfect.

[@saintmichael1779]

I wonder if the speakers are alnico magnets?

[@GeoNeilUK]

I wonder why Medium Wave is called BC? Also, why a German made radio didn't have Long Wave? I hope you restored that lovely thing, it would be criminal not to. Also, I saw that same DIN standard on speaker sockets on Hifi systems in the 1980s (and older music centres from the 1970s) from my childhood. What stations do you get on Short Wave where you are? To have that in the UK and tune it into BBC Radio 3...

[@vwestlife]

BC = Broadcast. It didn't have longwave because it was meant for the U.S. market, and we don't have any longwave stations here, aside from some airport beacons.

[@HBC101TVStudios]

@@vwestlife Are European LW broadcast stations possible to be received in the US?

[@vwestlife]

Yes, if you are on the East coast and have a sensitive receiver with a large outdoor antenna.

[@cttv90108]

grundig was high quality stuff in the 60s

[@jackallen6261]

If it's free it's for me!! I actually this same radio....and it needs work, lol.

[@danielthomas3057]

Tubes: ECH81 heptode-triode RF osc. & Mixer AM & SW, ECC85 (12AT7) twin triode FM RF, EAF801 diode remote cutoff pentode IF amp & det. ECC83 (12AX7) audio gain L & R, ELL80 dual pentode output tube.

[@futureshock7425]

Great find! When Grundig was Grundig!! Great video thanks for taking us inside, btw how do you think you'll fix the switches?

[@rmx77]

i wish i had that radio. i would be able to get a sams on the radio pretty quick and for rather cheap from a public library sams collection. it would be nice to have a grundig but alas i dont have one :(

[@videotape2959]

+rmx77 Those German radios (especially Grundig) are some of the most common tube radios you can find. Keep looking and I'm sure you'll find one eventually.

[@rmx77]

usually i never see one anywhere and if there is one they want almost what the thing cost new around 300 or 400 or so.

[@videotape2959]

Really? Uhmmm that's a shame. 400$ is 350$ too expensive.

[@rmx77]

yea no lie www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Mid-Century-Modern-Grundig-Stereo-Console-/201428974913?hash=item2ee61a3d41 www.ebay.com/itm/Grundig-Majestic-7000-Radio-Phono-Receiver-/281164922228?hash=item4176bc3d74 www.ebay.com/itm/Grundig-Majestic-7000-Radio-Phono-Receiver-Circa-1957-1958-/141764809872?hash=item2101d75490 www.ebay.com/itm/GRUNDIG-MAJESTIC-SO-102-60-PX-NEEDS-RESTORE-MAYBE-YOU-PICK-UP-/121749246559?hash=item1c58d2125f

[@christopherbradley4829]

Hi I herd some of the radio stations in live in south jersey to lol

[@craneoperator4]

still a great find