Low Power AM Transmitter Reviews

A common grumble from vintage radio collectors is that there is nothing on MW or LW worth listening to, once the set is repaired and restored. In many areas we have BBC Five Live, Talk Sport, Virgin, and a few tedious local "Classic Gold" type stations. Nothing here to make your vintage radio sound like a vintage radio.

Even for day-to-day listening, the stations many people want to listen to are on VHF only. BBC Radio 2 provides occasional programming that may interest vintage radio fans (such as Desmond Carrington's show), but this is on VHF only.

In the Midlands we now have Saga Radio who are targeting the audience left behind by Radio 2 and producing some excellent programming. However this is on VHF only (and indeed too far up the dial for many vintage VHF sets).

Cassettes and CDs of suitable music are also available, but again the problem is getting these to play through your vintage radio.

You could cheat and connect the music source to the radio's gramophone input (if it has one), but this is not really ideal. Far better is some way of retransmitting the programmes on MW at low power, so that your vintage radio can be tuned into them properly. In this section I have reviewed four low-power transmitter products that do just this.

The use of these products is of course illegal in the UK. However if care is taken to avoid interfering to any UK broadcasts and the range is limited to within your own home, you are extremely unlikely to attract any unwanted attention.

Geoff Hopkins 'AM03'

Vintage Components 'Gizmo'

Vectronics 'VEC-1290K' SSTRAN 'AMT3000'




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No part of this website may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from Paul Stenning.
All details are believed to be accurate, but no liability can be accepted for any errors.
The types of equipment discussed on this website may contain high voltages and/or operate at high temperatures.
Appropriate precautions must always be taken to minimise the risk of accidents.

Last updated 14th April 2006.