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Radiation. I believe this is the first inquiry in AK's Marantz forum history

Polarbear

Polarbear

Super Member
It could be a very stupid question but is there any concerns about the amount of radiation these vintage units give off? I know they complied with FCC's rules and regulations back then but that may have changed by now.

I would love to hear some opinions on this.
 
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I'd probably worry more about:

-Output from some VERY high voltage (like X-Ray) tubes (not likely with audio)
-Radiation from the Sun
-Etc.

I don't think IMHO that it's anything to worry about.
 
There is no ionizing radiation given off; there's not enough B+ (by a couple of orders of magnitude) even in a tube amp. Well, I guess there is an electron beam produced by 'magic eye' tubes, but the accelerating potential's pretty weak.

The local oscillator in the tuner certainly produces small amounts of very low energy RF radiation, which can muck up other nearby radio devices, but this is quite low frequency (compared to X- and gamma rays!) and completely inconsequential health-wise. The innards of most tuners are fairly well shielded, and that shielding works both ways.

That said, I do have an old Scott 357 whose FM oscillator can pull another tuner off-frequency at a distance of about 10 feet.

A couple hundred mW of microwaves a few inches from your brain (i.e., your trusty cellphone) might be worth a little bit of risk-benefit assessment (on the other hand).
 
Polarbear said:
It could be a very stupid question but is there any concerns about the amount of radiation these vintage units give off? I know they complied with FCC's rules and regulations back then but that may have changed by now.

I would love to hear some opinions on this.
Click to expand...

O.K., is this Ralph Nader or Al Gore?:D

Seriously, I would not worry about radiation from any kind of vintage audio gear... you are probably at more risk breathing the air or drinking water... beer is better anyway.

Now excuse me while I go speed around the block in my Corvair:thmbsp:
 
Back in the day of these stereos.... our Cities were ringed with Nuclear Air to Air Nike Missiles ....and super high power X-band radars that scanned the skies in 360 degrees...... To shoot down the Commies...

Radiation form a stereo? It wasn't a grain of sand on the beach.....:no:

Besides, Radiation was our friend back then....:D


nike_herc_16.jpg
 
Are you don't mean radio frequency emisions instead of radiation? I can't think of anything radioactive in these things.

Now, old glow-in-the-dark watches and clocks is another story.
 
mhardy6647 said:
That said, I do have an old Scott 357 whose FM oscillator can pull another tuner off-frequency at a distance of about 10 feet.
Click to expand...

Funny, I have witnessed this effect when I have more than a couple of tuners on my workbench. My shop system will be tuned at say 89.9 mHz and when I am running frequencies on a tuner on the bench and approach 89.9 I noticed that my shop tuner will start to de-tune. :scratch2:
 
jstang said:
Back in the day of these stereos.... our Cities were ringed with Nuclear Air to Air Nike Missiles ....and super high power X-band radars that scanned the skies in 360 degrees...... To shoot down the Commies...

Radiation form a stereo? It wasn't a grain of sand on the beach.....:no:

Besides, Radiation was our friend back then....:D


nike_herc_16.jpg
Click to expand...
Where can I get one of those?
 
I think there are to many people anyway. Go ahead cuddle up with that cell phone heck someone should market a Velcro Pillow attachment for them.

I collect cameras and there are a very few 35mm lenses that use Thorium glass in their optic's and every once and a while someone freak's out thinking all their eye lashes are going to fall out if they use the lens. PLEASE fly across country and your getting way more Gamma rays.
 
I wouldn't say it's something that has me seriously worried just curious. Agreed there are a lot more things to worry about out there with regards to radiation (and many other things) but I thought it would make an interesting topic to explore.


Thanks

Al Gore's the man!!!:yes:




Dave 65 said:
O.K., is this Ralph Nader or Al Gore?:D

Seriously, I would not worry about radiation from any kind of vintage audio gear... you are probably at more risk breathing the air or drinking water... beer is better anyway.

Now excuse me while I go speed around the block in my Corvair:thmbsp:
Click to expand...
 
Yeah, I agree with you all. I'd worry more about the microwave oven in the kitchen than about any piece of hollow-state audio gear - and I don't worry about the microwave anyway.
 
Luckily my lead coated wood cases protect me from the radioactive sonic waves that will sometimes rear their ugly head in the form of a Captain & Tenille Tune ( and I use the term tune loosely..........:wtf:..........:zoom:......................:D
 
Let's see: Cell phones, wireless phones, TV and Computer monitor CRT's, Microwaves, Fluorescent lighting... and I'm going to worry about what a SS or Tube amp is putting out? Nah...
 
Cheery thought of the day...................

When YOU become the night light.....it's already too late.


Steve
 
Switchblade said:
Where can I get one of those?
Click to expand...


Well Chicago had a lot of those deployed.... Go to Google earth and turn on the Military place marks....you will find many of the site are still there.

I know someone who bought the Gyro system for one of them on Ebay.... He used it for a museum ......


jk
 
Spurious radiation came in very handy for me about ten years ago.

I lived in a duplex where the constantly-broke teenage kid next door used to listen only to a certain klassik rawk station at earsplitting levels at 102.1MHz, at all hours of the day and night. Especially at night. When people are usually trying to sleep. So after listening to "Stairway to Heaven" for the umpteenth time in a week, I thought, "Time to fix this little problem for good".

I would go and tune my Technics SA-222 frequency synthesis receiver (this thing sprayed spurious RF like a burst garden hose) to 91.4MHz (102.1 - 10.7MHz IF frequency = 91.4MHz) and poof: sweet, blessed silence. Ten seconds later, I'd hear the kid cursing out his "cheap POS" stereo for crapping out on him. After about a week of this, his cheap POS stereo was out on the curb. Never heard loud music again. :smoke:

Tom
 
Usually the result of a fatal radiation exposure is that the victim will ask: "Are there any concerns about the amount of radiation that vintage units give off?"
 
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