Vintage 6 / 2025
This commercial transistor receiver Navigator 555 was sold by Bendix (USA)) around 1970 and was manufactured by the Japanese company Koden Electronics in Tokyo, which is still active today as an electronic equipment supplier for the maritime industry. This device was built for boats and ships, and could receive not only radio broadcasts but also maritime radio transmissions from 1.6 to 4.6 MHz, which was still common practice at the time with amplitude modulation. In addition, radio beacons could be located on long wave with the help of the rotating antenna installed at the top as a direction finder, thus determining the direction and, within the limits of the circumstances, also the location. Of course, it was intended more for simple navigation, but GPS and other modern aids had not yet been invented or were simply unaffordable! This device is very robustly built and, as it seems, was used frequently, but it still works, and since NDB radio beacons still exist, one can still hear their classic Morse code signals! There are probably not many examples of these devices left...
Vintage 6 / 2025
This commercial transistor receiver Navigator 555 was sold by Bendix (USA)) around 1970 and was manufactured by the Japanese company Koden Electronics in Tokyo, which is still active today as an electronic equipment supplier for the maritime industry. This device was built for boats and ships, and could receive not only radio broadcasts but also maritime radio transmissions from 1.6 to 4.6 MHz, which was still common practice at the time with amplitude modulation. In addition, radio beacons could be located on long wave with the help of the rotating antenna installed at the top as a direction finder, thus determining the direction and, within the limits of the circumstances, also the location. Of course, it was intended more for simple navigation, but GPS and other modern aids had not yet been invented or were simply unaffordable! This device is very robustly built and, as it seems, was used frequently, but it still works, and since NDB radio beacons still exist, one can still hear their classic Morse code signals! There are probably not many examples of these devices left...