Can radios wander?

[vchimpanzee]

I bought a relatively cheap clock-radio a few years ago. I have three, all set to come on at different times for different shows I listen to. The newest gets the worst signal on 1280. But it got even worse after daylight savings time ended. I blamed that on increased interference just before sunset. But then one day another clock-radio was having trouble too. I adjusted the frequency and that seemed to work. But I had never touched it. I found out what was wrong with the other one when I heard a station ID that included 1290. I had never touched the thing!

[rbrucecarter5]

I bought a relatively cheap clock-radio a few years ago. I have three, all set to come on at different times for different shows I listen to. The newest gets the worst signal on 1280. But it got even worse after daylight savings time ended. I blamed that on increased interference just before sunset. But then one day another clock-radio was having trouble too. I adjusted the frequency and that seemed to work. But I had never touched it. I found out what was wrong with the other one when I heard a station ID that included 1290. I had never touched the thing!

The mechanical lash in most inexpensive radios is so poor it is hard to tune a high band station.  I wouldn't be a bit surprised if you had a radio with some mechanical drift - maybe in a wrongly tensioned spring somewhere.

If it is an electrical problem, it is most likely in the converter coil.  Many years ago - I had one go bad and the radio would drift all over the place and had a "swoosh" in the audio.

[BRNout]

A lot of analogue radios drift as a function of the tuner's temperature.  For example, you turn the radio on and tune to a station at 1280.  After a few minutes (once the radio warms up), the radio now locks in on a station at 1290 (assuming that both stations are of pretty equal strength). 

That's not all that unusual.  It even happens with some mid-priced World Radios.  Of course, the better radios pretty much stick on that 1290 signal once warmed up.   But, as Bruce said, cheaper radios are infamous for drift.  Older radios too.  In the (very) old days, people had to adjust the tuning knob quite frequently.   Essentially, they can change stations by themselves. 

[Aljr]

I've got a Drake RX-4 that needs a good hour to settle in and a Hallicrafters S-120 that sort of does on MW.
My best toober is Philco tabletop from around 1935. Turn it on and that radio is rock solid on MW after a few minutes

These kids that were born after hollow state technology don't know real radio frustration.


Of course my dad said that about me tuning with "a fancy capacitor and a knob instead of cat's whisker."

[vchimpanzee]

That radio has stayed on 1280 ever since I fixed it. And with sunset later and later, the problem of interference from other stations has gone away.

Next week things will be even better. And I can even hook up a timer, if I want to. The timer was on daylight time so it would have come on an hour early, but I didn't dare change it since it was right during the right time of year.