From the 1984 film Krush Groove, LL Cool J explains that he can’t live without his radio. Neither can we, LL.
I Can’t Live Without My Radio
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Author Archives: pocketcalculatorshow
Silver Panasonic RX-7700
One of our favorite boomboxes of all time–Panasonic’s RX-7700. Priced at a whopping $700 in 1981, this system performed as well as it looked. Features included AM/FM/SW reception, twin antennas, three meters, side handles, exceptional tuning and recording capabilities and gorgeous looks. If there were one ghetto blaster to obtain, this might be it.
Panasonic RX-5040
Panasonic’s top of the heap in the late ’70s was RX-5040. This was one of the first systems that included an led meter for signal & battery strength. A sure sign of quality was the array of inputs and outputs included. This stereo was made for true integration into a home stereo. For some reason, these functions seemed to disappear as the years progressed.
Conic Budget Portable Stereo
Conic wasn’t exactly a symbol of electronics excellence, but this multi-band is pretty neat. It may very well be the first boombox featuring detachable speakers and it boasted AM/FM/SW/LW reception. Sound quality probably wasn’t too great with those 2 1/2″ speakers, but who cares!
General Electric 3-5251A
GE was one of the few companies offering a solid portable stereo cassette recorder for an affordable price. While is wasn’t particularly rich in features, it did have all the basics: separate left & volume controls; stereo switch; “digital” tape counter; signal strength/record level/battery meter; the forgotten neon orange square to aid in marking tape position.
Sanyo M9980
We were just happy to find this 20+ year-old Sanyo M9980 “in the wild” and in super shape. Notice the twin meters; the little yellow button above on the left controls a light for them.
Sanyo M9998
This is what could be had for $430 in 1979–the ultimate portable recording stereo, the Sanyo M9998. Amazing looks and features, and so ahead of its time. We all know Sanyo is very good at pushing crummy consumer electronics to the masses, but just look at what they’re capable of…
1979 Sharp Computer-Controlled Cassette Deck
It was so close. I found myself at a quaint downtown pawn shop during my lunch hour this autumn afternoon. And there was the Sharp cassette deck I had only seen once before in the wild. My mirth runneth over upon discovering the hanging price tag which read $10. But I would let this one slip away, too. Cardinal rule of junk hunting: always carry cash. No check, ATM, or credit card would do at Uncle Sam’s Gold n’Pawn. So when I returned to claim my holy grail, it was as if a dagger had pierced…alright enough melodrama. Some bastard was now home playing with the programming keypad on what should have been my cassette deck! And I’m still drooling over an old catalog. Always carry cash…
Sony CF-520
1978 Sony CF-520. One of Sony’s first boomboxes with most of the same features of the above, but certainly improved aesthetics. Arguably, Sony enlightened the industry with cool styling causing the boombox trend to catch fire in the late 70s and early 80s.
Panasonic RQ-4040
Panasonic clearly dominated the boombox market around the turn of the decade; quality and performance were the benchmark for other companies to match. This is one of their earlier models, the RQ-4040.
