WoooHooo!
Got my radio back from the rebuilder today. I had it converted to 12 volts and added an FM tuner. I was really excited to see how this was going to work out. I love it!
I hooked it up on the bench and it sounds --- well, it sounds like a 55 year old VW radio, which is good enough for me. I tuned it to
THE radio station teenagers listened to around here from the early '50s to when we discovered FM. "High Flyin' WING 1410 on your dial." Sadly, it's a sports talk format now. BUT we have a great FM station in SW Ohio that plays music from the 60s and 70s. In a few months I'll be driving around in my VW listening to the Four Seasons and The Supremes blasting out of a 6" speaker in glorious full monaural like I did 50 years ago. Can you dig it?
When I first connected it I couldn't get any sound. Turns out you have to ground both the ground wire AND the case to get it to work. Strange.
It looks just like a stock Sapphire I radio. Turning the power off and on toggles between AM and FM. To find an FM station you have to turn the tuner knob and listen for the station you want. As soon as I get the chrome faceplate back from the plater I can install it in the car. That may be a few months.