FM radio question

[cjhillman]

So i've been riding around in my new classic for a week, but a few days ago i thought i'd tune in to Radio 2 like i would in my Focus... then realised that (after some discusion with older mates) i can only get Medium wave and Long wave on my stereo. Its funny as these stations only play 80s hits which suits me and my car. My question is though...

When did FM radio become standard in cars? never thought about it being an issue till now... just thought i should know this with music being my job!

This is my stereo:



and my car if you didnt see it from other posts

[PandaSelecta]

I guess the question here is what is the newest car with MW/LW only, as FM has been an option in cars for years (early 60s). No doubt it will be a base model car, so the original customer could upgrade to FM.

[cjhillman]

yeah i think thats probably the right question... everyone i know is amused that i cant get FM radio, so just trying to get some info. my 90s Escort had a pretty modern stereo... had dolby noise reduction and everything!

[PandaSelecta]

I can imagine it being something like an Austin Metro to keep costs down.

[cecotto479]

I certainly remember MW/LW only radio cassettes in the late 70s. VHF/MW/LW were available then too. Certainly by 1980, VHF/MW/LW were available. I remember buying a Sharp. £40 or so then!

[Deleted]

Mar 3, 2013 18:45:39 GMT PandaSelecta said:

I can imagine it being something like an Austin Metro to keep costs down.

got an old late 80's BL branded headunit somewhere.. Supprised if it even has MW on it...

[loudandproud205]

FM became common place around the late 70s early 80s when Radio 2 and Radio 1 both went on to FM instead LW.

I was having the conversation with my dad earlier as he remembers the jump changing the radio in his MK2 Escort.

[buzby]

The stereo in the OP is a P21,

which was the standard fit radio as far up the Mk3 Escort range as the XR3/3i.

From the PartsMaster catalogue (which I guess is copied from the Ford ETIS/Microfiche information), Ford were still fitting the P21 to base models, and the RST21P MW/LW/Cassette

to higher-spec models as late as 1988 (the RST21P was the standard-fit model on the Mk2 XR2 and Capri Laser i think?)

[prab]

Theres a charity shop near me selling a brand new early 80s boxed goodmans FM radio with 2 speakers, may see if its still about and pass it on to anyone on here

[sarkie83]

I thought i recognised those pics :-)
I've got a couple of MW/LW ford P21 radios kicking about (one is a destined for the capri to give it it an authentic look - although it won't be wired in)

[popuptoaster]

Some of the mid spec early 80's Fords would have had AM only radios in as standard, FM radio would have been an optional extra probably along with a tape player on lowish spec Fiestas, Escorts and possibly Capris?

Proper povo spec ones would have had any radio at all as an option.

[Deleted]

got a new in the box fm/am radio cassette for sale in the partd thread that would look at home in you mk3!

[chrissyb]

my E reg fiesta L came with a manual AM only radio, total povo spec usually nothing.. ' 89 models had the same but digital tuning..

LX spec escorts usually had stereo FM radio cassette.

[Brian Damaged]

BBC Radio 1 was broadcast on MW from its inception in 1967 (when it was on 247m/1215kHz, now the home of Absolute Radio) until November 1978 when it moved to 275/285m (now 1053/1085kHz, and home to Talk Sport) until July 1994 when BBC transmissions on Medium Wave ceased.

The BBC had been broadcasting on FM since 1955, but with only three frequency bands...one of which was shared between Radios 1 and 2 between 1967 and 1988. You could hear the music broadcast by John Peel and on The Friday Rock Show in glorious FM stereo in the early 80's, but if you were daft enough to enjoy the paranoid ramblings of Mike Read or the endless wittering of Steve Wright, you had to listen in MW with all the sonic quality you'd get if you put a bucket of horse poo on your head. Meanwhile, middle-aged bored housewives could spend all day getting a king-sized wide-on whilst listening to the dulcet tones of 'Diddy' David Hamilton waxing lyrical about the new single by The Carpenters in crystal-clear stereo on Radio 2. ;D


Hence, car manufacturers over here only really started offering decent quality FM radios as standard during the mid/late 1980's, when the national popular radio stations began broadcasting in FM. Premium-quality cars usually had FM radios, but that was because your average Rover/Jaguar buyer had no time for the mindless fripperies of 'Pop Music' and preferred Radio 3/4 which were always broadcast in FM anyway.

[cjhillman]

Well today my mate gave me this ;D



so i can enjoy FM again, but mainly cassettes! if i can get it to wire in.

This is the wiring diagram on the top for 2 or 4 speakers... might seem like a simple question, but how would i wire it for 1 speaker like my Escorts...?

It has the Ground wire and live which i tested with a battrey (so the unit does work), but then there is two other speaker wires and one called common ground?

I don't do much with electrics as you can probably tell



I just don't want to get half mono... been there with cassettes before.

any help would be appreciated. Going to try and wire it in tomorrow.

[prab]

If you only have 1 speaker just wire in the front left speaker to that, where is the speaker in the centre console?

[cjhillman]

yeah its in the middle of the dash next to the dials.

I guess you can only wire one thing to it just trying to get my head around how to make sure stereo stuff comes through the one speaker as just mono and not just one side of stereo.