Praise for the Delco 2700

[Ellie Niner]

I don't listen to AM/FM radio much these days, and I haven't even seen a cassette for a long time, but I still get some entertainment out of tuning in distant AM stations from time to time. Was bored tonight, so I turned the radio on, parked out in the open, and started at the low end of the dial... I picked up Tucson, Phoenix, Denver, Albuquerque, San Francisco, somewhere in Texas, somewhere in Kansas, and a bunch more. Plenty of Spanish speaking stations (I only know two words in Spanish). On FM, it was busy from one end of the dial to the other; the static that sometimes plagues me while moving, went away while stationary. Windshield antenna works great on both bands.

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Somehow, this radio has survived the cassette era, the CD era, and somehow keeps plodding along. Since the truck has made 35 years without cutting the dash to install whatever was in vogue at the time (what the hell is a CD?), I've definitely granted it another 35 years before we review the situation again.

 

[Shorty81]

I listen to AM radio daily. I like the old radios in our trucks. Cut up dashes and modern radios look like they don't belong there. My old radio puked but I installed a retro sound that looks just like stock.

 

[AuroraGirl]

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[elcamman50]

I don't listen to AM/FM radio much these days, and I haven't even seen a cassette for a long time, but I still get some entertainment out of tuning in distant AM stations from time to time. Was bored tonight, so I turned the radio on, parked out in the open, and started at the low end of the dial... I picked up Tucson, Phoenix, Denver, Albuquerque, San Francisco, somewhere in Texas, somewhere in Kansas, and a bunch more. Plenty of Spanish speaking stations (I only know two words in Spanish). On FM, it was busy from one end of the dial to the other; the static that sometimes plagues me while moving, went away while stationary. Windshield antenna works great on both bands.

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Somehow, this radio has survived the cassette era, the CD era, and somehow keeps plodding along. Since the truck has made 35 years without cutting the dash to install whatever was in vogue at the time (what the hell is a CD?), I've definitely granted it another 35 years before we review the situation again.

The original AM/FM Stereo in my 79, Short Bed, Big 10, still works great and I listen to it every time I drive it.

 

[Turbo4whl]

Was bored tonight, so I turned the radio on, parked out in the open, the static that sometimes plagues me while moving, went away while stationary. Windshield antenna works great on both bands.

The braided ground strap that is bolted to the hood, and the firewall, is only there for one reason. The hood acts as a ground plane. The hinges don't provide a good ground connection. In radio fringe areas, this ground strap helps your radio reception.

Just something to check that may improve your reception while driving.

 

[Ellie Niner]

The braided ground strap that is bolted to the hood, and the firewall, is only there for one reason. The hood acts as a ground plane. The hinges don't provide a good ground connection. In radio fringe areas, this ground strap helps your radio reception.

Just something to check that may improve your reception while driving.

I thought I remembered a ground strap like you mention, but my 1986 doesn't have one, and shows no evidence of ever having had... mebbe it was my 1975 that did. Were they installed near the center of the hood?

 

[Raider L]

@Ellie Niner,

Is that the part number on the factory radio? Whatever mine is, I don't have any idea. Mine isn't the original unfortunately, I chunked the original AM radio because I didn't think I was going to use it because I was into FM at the time. Yes, I should have kept it, but I always wanted the factory AM/FM radio anyway. So, good 'ol Ebay came to the rescue and years ago I found one that had the slider bar that changes it from AM to FM. It works great. I have no idea how old it is but it has that sound that a digital radio just can't duplicate and never will. It's like a pair of '60's-'70's speakers for the big knob sterio's we had back then. I got a new speaker for it and put it in a box I built with a couple of cup holes in it. I listen to AM mostly but occasionally

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do listen to FM.
fortunately these radios in our trucks are "solid state" which is what they called them back then and it meant that they didn't have "tubes" in them and are circuit boards instead, transistors and all that. If they were tube type all of ours would have bit the dust long ago. Well not necessarily becau

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se you can still get tubes on Ebay.
Mine is for four speakers. I did keep the original radio power plug at least and could plug the one I got right in and hook up the speaker with a couple of alligator clips. I remember back in the day guys were putting the two up front in the lower part of the doors near the front of the door. The other two either behind the seat against the back of the cab or under the seat for that "in the guts" feeling you get from a lot of bass, ha, ha, ha.

 

[Raider L]

Man! Somebody please instruct me on this new format for loading pics! I loaded a couple the other night and it went okay. What did I do wrong this time? Help!!

 

[Ellie Niner]

^ It looks like you got the picture thing figgered out.

@RaiderL, I'm not 100% sure, but I think "model 2700" encompassed a couple different forms of Delco radios made in Kokomo, Indiana (remember USA made electronics?). I've seen my AM/FM cassette stereo with analog tuning referred to as a 2700, and then the 2700ETR was the electronically tuned one with a digital display. Either way, tuner performance seems to be one of their many qualities.

 

[QBuff02]

I don't listen to AM/FM radio much these days, and I haven't even seen a cassette for a long time, but I still get some entertainment out of tuning in distant AM stations from time to time. Was bored tonight, so I turned the radio on, parked out in the open, and started at the low end of the dial... I picked up Tucson, Phoenix, Denver, Albuquerque, San Francisco, somewhere in Texas, somewhere in Kansas, and a bunch more. Plenty of Spanish speaking stations (I only know two words in Spanish). On FM, it was busy from one end of the dial to the other; the static that sometimes plagues me while moving, went away while stationary. Windshield antenna works great on both bands.

Somehow, this radio has survived the cassette era, the CD era, and somehow keeps plodding along. Since the truck has made 35 years without cutting the dash to install whatever was in vogue at the time (what the hell is a CD?), I've definitely granted it another 35 years before we review the situation again.

My wife gives me a hard time because the older I get, the more AM presets are being added to my radio. Where we live in central IL you can pick up quite a few AM stations, especially if the air is clear. One of my favorites is WSM650 out of Nashville on nights and weekends. If we go somewhere for dinner or take an evening/night drive I generally tune into that one. Or i'll listen to talk or sports until my wife has enough and wants normal radio back on. I went the XM route years ago just because I got tired of the local stations playing the same things over and over and over every day, and it's nice to have a little variety! Back when I was helping farm and working ground in the spring and fall I'd use the late nights with clear skies to do the same thing and see how far off I could hear a station, and many nights I could pick up stations from every state around IL.

 

[Raider L]

I've been into "DX"ing, searching for stations, since I was about 4yrs. old. When my uncle graduyated from high school and got married I got his room at my grandmothers. He had a red plastic Motarola sitting in the shelf, that was made into the headboard. It was a "portable", which meant it was little and you could unplug it and carry it off with you, not a big cabinet kind like the really old radios. But when I was supposed to be asleep I'd turn that radio on and turn it down real low and search for stations late at night after my grandmother had gone to bed. I remember hearing Elvis in the early 50's and other rock. And I've been doing that ever since.

You can't pick up Fm stations other than local, but you can pick up AM stations due to a longer wave length. I have a C. Crane pocket radio and my presets are Louisville, Ky., two stations in Chicago, Ill., and Memphis, Tenn. and I live in N.W. Louisiana. Those stations are hundreds of miles away. Actually I get better reception when it's cloudy due to the radio waves bouncing closer to the ground. I loose them when it's clear. I can pick up KOA in Denver, Colo. sometimes, and 760 in Detroit, Mich. most times and it comes in clear to, amazing.

You can look this little radio up, www.ccrane.com. They are specially designed for AM reception and has double ferrite antenna's in a pocket radio. I also have their "Skywave" model pocket radio AM-FM and Shortwave, with a built-in FM antenna whereas the "pocket radio" has a wire you have to plug in to receive FM signals.
C.Crane has a new Skywave model that has not only shortwave, but now has "Single-Side Band" Ooooo! The Skywave also has always been made with the double ferrite antennas as well as the pocket radio.

 

[Turbo4whl]

Speaking of designed for AM radio, years ago I read somewhere that the windshield antenna in the early squares was designed for AM.

 

[Snoots]

Windshield antennas are at ~31". This is 1/4 wavelength at the low end of the FM band. Best all around function for an automobile.

 

[Snoots]

@[COLOR=rgb(184, 49, 47)]Turbo4whl[/COLOR], Please understand that I am NOT saying you are wrong. Earlier vehicles really didn't have a 'tuned' antenna. AM radios just see it as 'more antenna, more reception'. Antennas really didn't get 'tuned' until FM was added.​

 

[Raider L]

@Turbo4whl,

It seems to me I had somewhere a post I made to you about the "ground strap" on the hood. I'm going to do that. I'll post pics. My truck doesn't have any signs of ever having a ground strap on the hood either, but I'm putting one on it. Now, what kind of strap material is it? Like the ground strap from the firewall to the engine block? Like that one?

I saw one at Advance Auto Parts a few weeks ago when I was out collecting wire for the Amp gauge install. I thought, "Oh look, a ground strap." "Ummm." I was considering it because of all the threads I have read on this forum about the more grounds the better, so I was eye balling it.

I just remembered that the hood I have now is not the original hood. That one got all bent in the middle like they get, so I bought a new one from my local Chevy dealer when I was rebuilding my truck. The old one may have had a screw hole in the middle, I don't know. But it didn't have a place for a under hood light either and the new hood does.