Radio Repair | 1970's Sony ICF-9550W

I scored this awesome SONY ICF-9550W (circa 1972-1977?) radio at my local thrift store for $10. In this video, I show y’all how easy of a fix for the above problem was - in this specific scenario.
The problem:
When I turn on the radio, the speaker crackles loudly and the volume will intermittently change during listening.
I hope this encourages you to try your hand at simple repairs and support your local thrift stores as well!
This kind of stuff brings me so much joy and excitement because you get a chance to give these electronics a second life - I hope I can share just a little of that joy with y’all while also maybe teaching you something.

[@aransmitch]

The SONY ICF-9550W is the model I love the most. But now it has been rebuilt, but on the outside it is still a classic model. Thank you for showing me the repair.

[@chriscimino7854]

Very good Meg. I used to work for Campbell TV service until they closed in January 2023. I been a TV repairman for 40 years. I remember working on one like that for a customer and had the same problem and cleaned the controls and switches and it played for a long time. It was a latest transistor circuit design that used a ceramic 10.7 megahertz intermediate frequency filter instead of traditional metal square can transformers with alignment screws in the middle.

[@kehe1337]

My grandmother had that same model Sony . I got it after she passed away. I love that radio. It has great bass, a good tuner and gets very loud. It also had the loud crackling sound when turned it on and the volume was erratic like yours. Followed your instructions and it sounds like new. It was an expensive table radio in the 70's ( $50-70) . Great job Meg, thanks

[@ElectroRestore]

Excellent Job Meg! It does my heart really good to see younger folks getting into restoring vintage electronics. Just don't put us old-timers out of business! 😂

[@GoodEffortMeg]

Thank you so much! No way, I have learned so much from my dad that we definitely still need y'all around to keep teaching. I just hope to encourage people to give their electronics a second life before just tossing them away :)

[@paul-c7541]

Remember us old timers are for life🤣🤣👍👍❤❤

[@kevinrayclements]

I got a big smile and chuckled when you cracked it open and PIONEER was staring at me! Some of my favorite speakers. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but back in the day a Radio Shack employee told me that most of the speakers packaged for Radio Shack were actually made by Pioneer. I miss Radio Shack! Great video, btw

[@EricLDC]

Very nice sounding radio lots of tone and bass glad I found one at goodwill recently

[@joshhoman]

You did very well! Good luck going forward!

[@matambale]

Nicely done, Meg! Strongly recommend you look for and electronics cleaner that are specifically designed for pots. They're a little pricier, but well worth the performance difference, and won't harm plastics/carbon tracks, etc. And hey, nice Sony radio!

[@djcrownvic7017]

I was looking for information about a specific radio and saw the thumbnail of your video and instantly recognized your radio. At a former workplace, there was one that was the same model that wasn't used probably because the tuning knob wasn't working. I think the next day I spotted the radio or (a week later), I brought a Phillips screwdriver to disassemble the cabinet to verify the problem. I did this during my breaks. It was a broken tuning string. Eventually fixed it with some light braided fishing line. It was pretty tricky, not sure how I figured the routing but I was pretty happy to get it working again! I was pretty much the only one using it. Pretty cool to see a millennial/GenZ that cares about old electronics. I'm an older millennial and seldom see people my age that have interest in this.

[@MrCarlsonsLab]

You did great Meg! Thanks for sharing.

[@GoodEffortMeg]

Thank you so much!

[@krabahabibe7639]

Bonjour c très courageux de trouver une jeune femme qui repare des radios je vous tire chapeau bonne continuation.

[@mohinderkaur6671]

Great work! The disassembly was not really needed just to spray the pot.

[@GoodEffortMeg]

Thank you! Yeah, I tried spraying prior to disassembly, but couldn't quite seem to get it to work (probably a me issue lol). I do love taking things apart though, so this was fun for me :)

[@christopherdherman1518]

Awesome Meg, I liked the old electronics because you could normally fix it yourself. 😀 . Great job 👏

[@GoodEffortMeg]

Totally agree, I just hope that in the future we get more repair-friendly electronics. Thank you so much for checking out my channel! :)

[@pentododipotenza]

Ottimo lavoro! Bravissima.

[@firecatfly]

I just got a Sony icf 9650w and I am in the process of cleaning it up thanks to you Meg! You're channel is great fun and I learned so so much!

[@GoodEffortMeg]

Wonderful! Thanks for stopping in! :) I hope you get your radio in full working order!

[@dann2ptf]

I have the exact same model and also got mine from a thrift store (specifically a Salvation Army). I do not remember what it cost, but had the exact same problem with a dirty volume pot. I just used what was handy, so I sprayed some WD-40 in the pot and it worked well. I know a lot of purists do not recommend using that, but some others in electronics say that it is OK to use for some things. While I had it apart, I also changed the power supply electrolytic caps...Great sounding radio and built well. I enjoyed watching your video !

[@GoodEffortMeg]

It is really an amazing radio! I don’t know what it is about it but the music sounds so full and balanced. I love it so much!

[@robertliskey420]

Wonderful! I somehow survived playing with radios in grammar school in the early 60's still have my blue ribbon from science fair. These radios from that period seem to last forever! Thrift stores can be a tremendous treasure chest. My best ever was a top of the line Technics FM tuner at 5$ I figured no way it would work. Even the pilot lights were all good. I am glad your channel popped up!

[@GoodEffortMeg]

Oh my goodness! I can only dream to find something as awesome as that! I definitely agree that older electronics were built to last, and am sad that I can only read about (what I consider) the golden age of electronics rather than be there to live it. Fortunately, my dad is majorly into tinkering as well so it is an incredibly fun hobby to do together, and gives him a chance to tell me stories about the radios he had as a kid. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I hope I get to do more of this type of video soon!

[@robertliskey420]

@@GoodEffortMeg I hope one day you find a really old radio. I have been collecting old radios for about 40 years. I really love finding one and imagine it's history. I have a Philco 90B that some consider the" King" of cathedral radios. And I wonder was this the family's first radio? Did they cluster around when Pearl Harbor was attacked? It was sold in the East how did it end up in California? Many old radios were serviced and the shop would put a sticker on what was the shop like? I will close with a thought for Your Father I have a complete Scott all wave 12 and I wonder who had the kind of money to buy one? Tube radios are fun to fix once you get the basics down. Bring a 90 year old radio back to life is a great thrill. I will watch your channel you did a lovely presentation!

[@Buzz1151]

Hi Meg..KZbin recommended this video. probably because I repair tube radio on my channel. It's good seeing a young lady fixing stuff, instead of all the old geezers doing it.! subscribed!👍👍

[@frankartieta4887]

A true Radio Repair Girl !

[@RadioRetired]

Enjoyed your video,, can’t believe that you haven’t popped up in my feed until now. You’ve got a nice radio there and I’d love to see more ladies get into the hobby of radio repair and restoration!!

[@GoodEffortMeg]

Thanks so much! I love tinkering, most of my repairs have been TVs so hoping to find some more to show. I have another radio on standby to fix up, but researching where to start first since it’s a 1950s radio from Europe. So scared I will mess it up further, so just trying to do my due diligence. 😁

[@brucejenner4800]

Definitely easier on the eye than Mr Carlson!

[@ry491]

Ha ha , just what I thought !!

[@Greg-et2dp]

Good Effort Meg your utube videos are awesome my friend

[@Greg-et2dp]

Good Effort Meg your antique Sony ICF-9550-w from 1970s is awesome my friend 😊😊😊🎉🎉🎉

[@user-qg8rd9ge7e]

You are a girl with screw-driver. Amazing! I have never seen anything like that. My name is igor belevich. I am radio amateour from belarus. I have analog sw,mw,fm radio sony icf 704 s. I listen to foreign far away sw,mw radio stations. I do not listen to fm. Why do you not listen to sw and mw and am? It is cool! Trust me!

[@djcrownvic7017]

I listen to the AM/MW band probably more often then FM. I've picked up from North America east of the great lakes on SW a Japanese station . The CB and Air/PB/WX bands are pretty cool too!

[@joseph_donovan]

Those hands were made for fixing! Your repair video made my ear lobes tingle with delight. The radio looks beautiful and a Sony at that! What a treasure to find and fix! Best wishes.

[@RadioRich100]

The only thing those hands are good for is waxing a carrot.

[@djcrownvic7017]

@@RadioRich100 No. She's pretty capable. You should criticize the crazy feminists instead.

[@ja7264]

Hi, Meg! In your video, you pointed out the lamp fuses that light the display. Did you get a chance to see how difficult the replacement of the dial/station pointer lamp/ bulb would be? Thanks, Jeff

[@Greg-et2dp]

Good Effort Meg you are good at fixing antique radios my friend 😊😊

[@barryfleischer6553]

That was great, can you do more radio repair videos?

[@philipcaddy2469]

Great video really fun watch!

[@GoodEffortMeg]

Thank you so much!

[@camed1234]

camed1234 1 second ago Great work! I’m so glad you’ve been able to restore it! ( And kudos to you for your patience and persistence.)

[@jorgemellooliveira9611]

Ótimo vídeo congratulações

[@Greg-et2dp]

Good Effort Meg my hobbies are painting 🖼 and listening to shortwave and ssb iam thinking about getting my ham license

[@Gavo172]

Thank you for this video! Just got mine out of storage and it's not receiving anything :( hopefully it's just dirty but we'll see! Thank you for your helpful video.

[@bluethunder6801]

I love the old radios so much well better built compared to today. Good video 👍 ❤subbed

[@RocRizzo]

You might want to consider lubricating the bearings on those three knobs with a little light oil, like sewing machine oil. If you don’t, the knobs could seize up. Otherwise good job.

[@GoodEffortMeg]

Wonderful tip! I actually have some of that oil on hand, so I will do that. Thank you for the tip!

[@ESBIOFFICIAL]

Hello Meg I'm from Indonesia support your content

[@joistein]

Great video. you should get contact spay for electronics, some say that wd 40 works, but I don't know it.

[@tmaq9726]

I bought my 2nd one of these, and has thus issue. Thanks

[@davidcreson9102]

Just remove the knob and Squirt the cleaner in always works if just dust. Ps ive seen radios packed full of lint. Kind regards David

[@GoodEffortMeg]

Absolutely! I tried this before even filming, but I think because it was carbon build up inside of the rotary switch I couldn't get most of the dust out without some disassembly. But what you said is absolutely right, to start with the simplest solution first! Thank you :)

[@xmenken1]

I thought I saw a female engineer here until I saw 2 hairy hands helping you to pull the knob. Good job!

[@AstonsVintageTechnologyWorkshp]

That can of stuff looks like it contains trichloroethane, be careful as that could easily melt various plastics and stain/damage Perspex. Servisol switch cleaner is usually used for volume pots. All the best, Ast...

[@GoodEffortMeg]

Thank you the tip and heads up! I will be sure to be careful. ☺️

[@whstark]

Hi . instead of maybe breaking a nail on knobs , wrap a thin cloth under knob at one end of cloth and pull on cloth to remove knob.

[@Mr.Cool1974]

Hi, schönes video, gut erklärt von einer schönen frau, mehr videos von dir, thanks

[@dalegirard8453]

Good job just wondering how u got into electronics

[@guozhang66]

This cleaner for car Air Flow Sensor only. You'd better buy CRC Quick Dry Electronic Cleaner

[@abstracttom.cleanelephanto5659]

I liked your striped shirt you wore in the video!!

[@dshambli]

I wonder why it had two fuses. Were they both functional or was one a spare?

[@GoodEffortMeg]

Great question, and I didn't look closely enough to note if one was a spare. I couldn't get my hands on a schematic online without paying for it from websites that I wasn't familiar with. It's what makes working on older electronics so much fun! I kinda move through the repair process blind and rely on my previous experiences to hope what I am doing makes sense and fixes the problem. I know that didn't answer your question and I apologize for that. I might pop it open in the future and take another look. :)

[@dshambli]

@@GoodEffortMeg It's always nice learning something new digging into old electronics. Assuming those are the original capacitors, you'll probably have to go in again at some point anyway to replace those.

[@vwestlife]

Those are light bulbs for the tuning dial, not fuses.

[@GoodEffortMeg]

@@vwestlife lol yeah, someone commented earlier correcting me. My experience with older electronics is limited so happily accepting any corrections to become more knowledgeable! ☺️

[@sw6188]

They're not fuses - they are "fuse-style" lamps for illumination of the dial.

[@hakannsphn]

Hi Sony fh b 170 is not capturing stereo channels can you help me

[@GoodEffortMeg]

I'm sorry, this was actually one of the very first radios I have ever worked on, and my dad actually helped me talk through the troubleshooting. So, I am not that knowledgeable in specific issues with older radios. I would recommend reaching out on a forum on Reddit or elsewhere, since there seems to be a huge community of people who love working on older radios. I'm sorry I can't be of more help!

[@hakannsphn]

@@GoodEffortMeg thnks

[@user-qg8rd9ge7e]

You received the japanese radio station in english or in spanish or in japanese language on sw in usa? You live in usa? Can you receive china radio in usa on sw and radio havana cuba in usa on sw? And what about radio rumania and voice of turkey? Did you ever receive and hear these stations on sw band in usa? I wonder... Did you receive radio exterior de espana on sw? And radio france? Wrmi radio miami int.? I received them in belarus on sw. I live in belarus.when were you born?

[@cwradio4571]

Are you sure those were fuses? I think they were fuse style lamps.

[@GoodEffortMeg]

I suppose they could be. I wasn't able to get my hands on any official schematic and this was my first radio repair ever, so I was leaning heavily on my experience of working on other electronics and they looked like fuses I've seen before. If anyone knows for sure though, I will gladly make that correction and would love to learn more about them! Thank you!

[@cwradio4571]

@@GoodEffortMeg those type of fuse lamps were common in that era. I have found them a few times on eBay an purchased all they had. I like to replace parts to be as original when can. But, LED lighting is all you see now. I will look for a schematic myself an see what comes up from the forums I am on.

[@js0000356]

They were fuse style lamps. That, or the radio dial light runs on magic.

[@GoodEffortMeg]

@@js0000356 haha I now like to think of them lighting up with magic, but yes thank you for the correction 😂

[@chandershekhar5972]

Omg

[@WolfWolf-gx6ff]

All ways in every radio volume variable resistor the reason of radio fail

[@72vespa]

recommend this for cleaning & lubing switches & potentiometers (volume/tone controls) available at Home Depot .....

[@Landrew0]

I would have turned it on to test it while it was still disassembled, but I'm a male and less risk-averse than most women.

[@RadioRich100]

I think you should stick to baking cookies.

[@barbaracabello587]

You think, let alone 'talk" too much ! . . .

[@RadioRich100]

@@barbaracabello587 No I dont talk about things I know nothing about.

[@djcrownvic7017]

Bah - she did a good job.

[@RadioRich100]

@@djcrownvic7017 Not really

[@RadioRich100]

@@djcrownvic7017 Not really, she would be better at changing diapers and cleaning the kitchen.

[@philipblick8887]

Excuse me l think your unwise wearing a ring when working on electrical components. Short circuits could be potentially very dangerous including causing severe burning to your fingers and hands.