FM has been around since the 1950's. Your TV sound is actually using the FM frequencies below and above the current FM radio band. (The FM band is squeezed in between Channel 6 and 7). So by 1970 there were many stations up....nobody really knew what to do with it. AM was still KING back then.
I bought a Panasonic AM FM Cassette from that guy about two years ago. It was still in the factory sealed plastic box. I haven't got around to putting it in yet.
Well I got the radio. It was bid up another $12, but with shipping it comes out just a little above $50, which seems like an OK price. I'll let you know how it sounds when it's installed. Should I add an amp? I have a front dual cone speaker replacing the original AM mono speaker, and two 6 x 9" speakers in the back. Is it possible to use the radio output for the little front speaker, and an amp on the back speakers, or do they all have to be on the amp? Roz
I would not hook up an amp to a factory radio. Not only are you "amping" the good sound....but you are also amping the bad sound and noise. Factory radio's sound bad enough (by today's standards)....I think adding an amp will make it worse. The only reason I would put a factory radio back in an old car is for looks....not sound quality. Which one do you want?
Craig, I want it for authenticity and listening. As long as it doesn't humm or crackle, I don't care that much about sound quality. I have age related hearing loss of about 60% in the mid to high frequencies, and I don't wear my hearing aid in the car. So I probably would want an amp. I mostly listen to NPR news shows or old rerecorded 78 rpm jazz CDs, so my sound quality level is just about where this radio was 30 years ago. Roz
You can amp front speakers or rear if you use a 2 channel amp. If you want to amp both sets, you need a 4 channel amp. So yeah, you can amp a pair and leave a pair alone if you like. I don't think stock radios sound bad. Radio is radio. They all get the same static. If you use certain ignition parts, you can get interference. If you don't like the sound quality, there are also noise filters, bass blockers, and crossovers you can use. Most amps have built in crossovers and filters as well. That way you can cut unwanted frequencies to your speakers if they distort.
The radio was installed yesterday, and sounds good. The rear speakers sound better than the front, which is a Custom Autosound dual cone stereo replacement for the original 5 x 7 mono speaker. Custom Autosound rates that speaker at 140 watts, so maybe I need an amp on that. Anyway I'm pretty satisfied with it so far. I like tuning an old fashioned radio. I'm from that old fashioned generation, so this one makes me feel at home. I'm going to list the Secret Audio tuner and CD changer from Custom Autosound for sale. Roz
Ford didn't start offering AM/FM stereo radio's in Mavericks (or Pinto's) until the 73 model year. I figure because as a factory option it was expensive and Ford figured economy buyers wouldn't spend the dough. Then as now factory audio systems were very overpriced. But of course as the marketing direction for the Maverick changed over the years it had to be offered. But you do see very few factory stereo optioned Mavericks. I know at the time, I wouldn't have spent the money on the factory stereo, I would have bought aftermarket. A top of the line Pioneer eight track with AM/FM was a lot cheaper than the factory option price. Even with having to buy speakers! And it had more audio power and separate bass and treble controls.
Ford did offer AM/FM Mono radios for 70-72 Mavericks ... They were a dealer installed accessory. I have been searching for one for the last several years ... and I'm still searching ....
I don't know if there's much of a market for the original AM/FM Mono radios. There are a lot of sellers with the AM/FM Stereo and cassette or 8-track models on e-Bay now. It used to be hard to find those, but now the dealers have caught on to collectors who want original radios. Why not contact one of them to see if they have a Mono they think they can't get rid of? When I bought my first Maverick in 1969 the only accessory I got on it over the base price of $1995 was an AM Radio for $50. I don't recall what AM/FM radios cost in 1969, but I wasn't willing to pay extra for it. Roz
FM really wasn't very popular in the late 60's and early 70's from what I remember. It was mostly classical music or NPR, and not many people listened to either around here [still don't ]. My Grandmother had a 68 or 69 Olds Delta 88 that had the "WonderBar" AM/FM , it was an automatic seek feature, cool when you're a kid just getting into cars and radios. I remember putting it on AM and hitting the WonderBar, and it would go from one end of the dial to the other, stopping on the next station. Put it on FM, it would never stop, couldn't even manualy tune in an FM station most of the time. Then about the mid 70's, it seemed like all the music went to FM, there were new stations popping up everywhere. I got to work at one briefly in high school, the DJ was a bud of a bud of mine, and he always had cold beer.......when he'd get to plasterd to talk, he'd let us DJ untill his shift was over, around midnight when they went off the air. I still remember the sign off....."This is WVEL FM, Kennedy-Fayette AL. This ends our broadcast day. We will be back at 6 AM with the morning show, so set those alarm clocks and wake up with the best in country music. Good night and my God Bless" [Done in my best 17 year old announcer voice,].
I have a AM/FM mono from a 84 F/250 in my Stallion. Fit the bezel exactly with no cutting. Had to install a 3.2 ohm speaker though. I think the dealer installed price for the AM/FM mono in 1972 was $129, but I might be mistaken.
