Who's got Becker/Blaupunkt radio ? Options

[jsteele22]

Since I don't really have anything else to work on on my teener ( (IMG:style_emoticons/default/av-943.gif) ), I've been thinking about putting a radio in that gaping rectangular hole. I don't care a whole lot about sound quality or iPod inputs, but I want something that looks/feels right. So far, I've been attracted to the Becker Europa and the Blaupunkt Frankfurt. I especially like the ones with L/M/K/U pushbuttons, for that "authentic" German look. (I know, I know...)

Anyway, I've got questions for folks with one of these radios, or something similar :

1) Do they tune fairly easily, and hold a station ? (I sort of remember having to constanly fiddle w/ radios back in those days, but those were probably crappy radios, and probably all AM).

2) Do the other bands (besides AM & FM) have anything ? I've never gotten into shortwave radios, but it seems like it could be fun way to stay distracted on a long trip.

3) Are you happy w/ the vintage radio, or do you tire of it and wish you had a modern system ? Again, I'm not looking for great sound, but I do want something that works and isn't too annoying.

Thx

[Porsche Rescue]

I have a "period correct" Becker Europa AM/FM that I bought for $100 and never installed. My memory from long ago is that the sound quality was excellent. However, the stock speakers in a 914 are the limiting factor. If you want to buy my Becker I will sell for $100 delivered. I will have to see if it works first however!

[JeffBowlsby]

Becker Mexico units were installed in at least a few of the 916 cars. I have one. They sound excellent..by early 1970 standards....dont expect the sound of todays audio equipment though.

[jimtab]

I have a Blaupunkt with a cd player in mine and it's good...upgrading the speakers doesn't hurt either...see James (morphenspectra) to solve that problem....

[rickyhgarcia]

This is a current model Becker receiver that I bought for my car...it´s called the Monza. It plays all current music formats and fits in a 1-din hole like in the 914. In my opinion, it is the best looking current radio for the 914...although modern it still have a very German flavor...and not full of color and unnecessary gadgets like the current Blaukpunts and/or the jap radios. My car isn´t finished yet, so I do not know about sound quality. I bought it at:

www.swstereo.com

[turboman808]

This might be a bit of a radical idea but I have thought of doing it just to surprise people.

Not have a radio at all. Just a amp and a bluetooth receiver. Inside the dash so there is no visible radio. From there you can play mp3s from a cell phone, laptop or pda.

Just a thought

[smooth_eddy]

One thing I wanted in a stereo was something black. Most stereo's of today are kind of a brushed stainless look which in my opinion look terrible in a 914 dash. I bought a Blaupunkt because it was black and pseudo German (acutally made in china I think?). I prefer knobs instead of buttons too. You can get a pretty nice cd/stereo on sale for a hundred bucks. You will want to upgrade your speakers though. Eddy

[RON S.]

I gota Becker Gran Prix,found it in an old Mercedes in a junkyard and got it for about. 10 bucks.It even had an integral amp.

It does have AM/FM/LW/SW bands on it.And signal seek.

I sent it to Becker North America up in NJ,and had them refurb it.The cost was only about $200.00.


The sound quality is amazing for such an old radio.It really is top of the line for it's day.Still is.

As for the LW/SW,I remember back in April of 2003,When the Army went into Iraq.
I tuned into some English speaking station in the netherlands,and listened for several hours of America-bashing from a bunch of euro wooossies.Seems every caller to the program had an axe to grind with us.What a bunch of ungrateful people.Next time they come crawling to us asking for our help we oughta tell'em to take it outa their welfare budgets.

Anyway,it looks period correct,and sounds great to boot.

Ron

[jsteele22]

Thanks for the replies.

Porsche Rescue : send me some pics of the Becker if you get a chance. Does it have shortwave bands ?

Ron S. : What did the refurb consist of ? Was the unit working beforehand ? And :Passenger footrest ?

turboman808 : Thats not quite what I'm looking for for the teener, but it a very interesting idea. Even more interesting would be to find a way to broadcast to other cars' bluetooth receivers ...

[RON S.]

Thanks for the replies.



Ron S. : What did the refurb consist of ? Was the unit working beforehand ? And :Passenger footrest ?

The refurb,consisted of basically a flat rate fee to bring ANY Becker radio up to it's fully operational capabilites.It doesn't what,or how many problems a unit has.In my case,I grounded out the amp and blew something inside the radio.I had the knobs and faceplate replaced while they had it.Stuff was dirt cheap.Brand new knobs were like $3.00 ea.,and the new faceplate was like $15.00.I even got a copied copy of the original german language user's guide included.They turned it around in about a week.

I too didn't really care about how the radio would sound.(Who's gonna turn up a radio when there's a 3.6l 6cyl.wailing behind your right ear.Come On.)
But as for quality of the sound,it is really great for such an old radio.

I wanted the period look,besides,how many Porsches do you see at car shows sporting a Becker.I just thought I'd be different.

Passenger footrest came on all 1970-71 models.



Ron

[Porsche Rescue]

My radio is a Becker Europa II Stereo. Push buttons work and indicate only AM/FM. I'm not sure of the year and I don't recall exactly when stereo car audio was introduced. It has a separate amplifier. The speakers connect to the amp. I will need to try to get it to play. You will need the stock dash plate as shown in the attached pic of an original Blaupunkt in my 914-6. I have a dash plate but the hole for the radio has been enlarged too much. Sounds like the Becker rebuild is a pretty good deal if this one doesn't work.

[michaelmoo]

Has any one ever had a radio redone by these people?

http://www.antiqueautomobileradio.com


It look like a neat conversion so the radio looks stock.

[Cap'n Krusty]

This might be a bit of a radical idea but I have thought of doing it just to surprise people.

Not have a radio at all. Just a amp and a bluetooth receiver. Inside the dash so there is no visible radio. From there you can play mp3s from a cell phone, laptop or pda.

Just a thought

I did that in my 911. Old style, though. A Discman and an amp, speakers under the back seat. The Cap'n

[70Sixter]

Another old radio place. http://www.oldautoradio.com/NWsixtiesPorsche.php

Best I remember Blaupunkt Frankfurt and Becker Europa were common dealer installs or aftermarket additions in 1970. My first 914-6 came w/o radio. Current one came with generic looking radio that was a Blaupunkt - but not externally branded. Snaps into plastic piece that matched the dash pattern.

[jsteele22]

Another old radio place. http://www.oldautoradio.com/NWsixtiesPorsche.php

Best I remember Blaupunkt Frankfurt and Becker Europa were common dealer installs or aftermarket additions in 1970. My first 914-6 came w/o radio. Current one came with generic looking radio that was a Blaupunkt - but not externally branded. Snaps into plastic piece that matched the dash pattern.

Wow ! A little more $$ than I'm looking to spend, but very nice.

[jsteele22]

A question about radio installation. I don't know if my car (1976 2.0) had a dealer installed radio or not. I don't have the Dash Plate that Porsche Rescue showed in his post; instead I've got a rectangular opening about the size of a radio cut into the dash, and the basketweave fabric just sort of hangs loose around the edges of the hole. (That's one big reason for wanting a radio !) Was the Dash Plate an original part of the car (e.g. cut out by the dealer) or is it something that replaces or goes over the dash (doesn't look like it) ? If my dash was just hacked apart by a PO, is this Ebay Dash Plate what I would need ? Has anybody seen one of these installed ?

Thx

[Porsche Rescue]

That is the dash plate that you need ($14 seems a bit pricey, but original's may be rare now). However, I believe the vinyl pattern on a '76 may be different than the basket-weave used on '74 and earlier models. Is your dash vinyl the same as on the ebay panel?

Cars without radios had a metal panel covered in vinyl attached to the dash by double-sided tape. It sounds like your car once had a later style radio installed with a hole matching the size of the radio. All radios in new cars were dealer installed and an installation kit was provided by the radio manufacturer, mostly Blaupunkt.

[jsteele22]

Thanks for all the info. Jim, you are correct - the vinyl in my 1976 914 is in fact different than the radio panel I linked to above. So rather than hunting around for one that matches, I decided to go for a radio w/ a "normal" face plate. I guess your Becker Europa II inspired me, 'cause that's what I got. I paid $112 on Ebay; it looks like its in great shape (and it is said to work !)

I guess there are lots of compromises involved, but some of the other things that swayed my decision :

* Stereo. a whole lot of the radios from that era are mono.
* No casette. Who uses 'em any more ? I didn't want the liability and clutter.
* Line in. Turns out that Becker/Blaupunkt radios have a DIN plug for line in !
* Pushbuttons. Love the buttons. Mine has 3 for FM presets.
* Service. People can't stop raving about how helpful Becker USA is. I like that.

Anyway, thanks again for the help, suggestions, etc.

[jsteele22]

Just a follwup to say that every GD person who has ever sold anything on EBay is sleaze !!! Yes, every one of them. I got the radio yesterday, and it's a Europa (mono) not a Europa II (stereo). The ad never claimed that it was stereo. I foolishly jumped to that conclusion when I saw the front plate containing the words "Europa II stereo". Silly me.

[Brando]

I've got a Blaupunkt MP3CD player. I think the San Diego model, can't remember. It's got lots of features and pre-amp outputs galore. Sounded great with some Fosgate speakers (the bass and midrange was just right). But those were old and the voice coils are bad now. Even with some Blaupunkt speakers that came with Morphenspectra's speaker pod kit, it all sounds groovy. I can't really hear/feel the bass over the engine anyhow, my imagination makes up for that I guess.