Giant Green Radios

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jonjo

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Why do people hang onto these strange green radio sets that look as if they were manufactured before the invention of the transistor?

As I have mentioned before I am currently searching for an old GRP yacht and have recently viewed 5 yachts built around 1970. In all cases the navigation area has been dominated by 1 or 2 giant green radio sets.

Do these old radios outperform modern equivalents or do their old gentlemen owners hang onto the jolly green giants out of nostalgia?
 
Thik it's based on why spend money on a new one when the old one still works. Bought our old Hurley 27 in 1993, every item on the boat including charts were 1972, the year it was built.


Brian
 
JonJo
You speak of the Sailor.
finest peice of radiotelecommunications equipment ever invented. Built in the days when size didn't matter and men liked to get hold of a proper fistful - not like nowadays with all these micro-units... ah if only we could get back to the good old days of semaphore... all those little wrens waving their little flags, starched white blouses.....enough!

regards
Claymore
 
Sailor VHF sets were about the most reliable thing ever to come onto the marine radio market! If I had one I'd hang onto it, too! In fact, I wish I could still get one!

"If a job's worth doing...it's worth paying someone to do it for you!"
 
Best Radios on the market, I have a pair - VHF transmitter and Radia reciever./DF set. They look like proper equipment - take up an enormous amount of room, crystal clear reception and transmission, and have really good sound quality. Why change.
 
>If I had one I'd hang onto it

That sort of confirms the reaction I got from one owner.

Musing aloud about how to rationalize 3 decades of accumulated navigation technology I theorized that I could gain some space by removing "that old radio". The owner seemed to bite his lip and then suggested that I should not throw it in a tip because he knew people would actually buy the radio.

In other respects he was quite radical, he said "I'd strip it all out, all you need is the GPS, VHF and depth sounder".
 
If its the HF set then I for one would buy it.

Wonderful bit of gear.

A friend of mine collects vintage radio gear and he would give right arm and assorted other parts of anatomy for one.

The beauty of them is that if they do have a fault you can actually mend them.

Marvellous
 
I have one of the new generation Sailor sets.

It is nowhere near as clear as the old green ones which are still a common site in commercial vessels although of course with the advent of GMDSS they are becoming increasingly rare.

The main problem (apart from audio output levels) with the nesw Sailors is the complicated drop-down menu system.

Steve Cronin
 
As you see from the posts, the sailor radios have a fantastic reputation, and that is well deserved. Several of the old T16 or T46 SSB receivers regularly show up on ebay and still go for around €60. Most green boxes are dated though and it depends a bit on what sets you have. Many are collectors items today. Early green box VHF units had to have a crystal per channel used, so would only do a affordable number of channels.
 
I have one of these "Sailor" VHF radios on my Moody Halberdier and it is brilliant, possibly due to the huge aerial and hugely thick coax cable between the two.

Ive got lots of chart space so the size of the unit is not an issue. I just wish I could find a use for some of the other '70s navigational gear that is still installed. It all looks so impressive( all dials and switches).. I dont have the heart to take it out now that GPS and Yeoman have taken over from the Decca and RDF.

Nick
 
I saw one at the weekend in Penton Hook Chandlery. They were busy so I didn't get details, price etc but worth a call if you are serious.
 
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