Years ago, during the early days of "AM Stereo", and the "format wars" (Motorola C-QUAM vs. Kahn-Hazelitne system, etc), Sony released a few radios capable of receiving (analog) AM Stereo. One of the more popular ones was the SRF-A100 "mini-boombox" (the 'twin' to the Sony SRF-50W). It was available in the US and Canada...They pop up quite a bit on the 'Bay, and are still rather popular. I am looking for something a bit rarer....This one was only released in Australia.....Sony's SRF-A200--it is, for the most part, identical to the A1oo, except the color scheme was different. And unlike the A100 it also differs in that there were two variants produced. Whereas the SRF-A100 came with an "A/B" 'switch' on the side (to allow you to choose between the varying AM Stereo formats in the 1980s), the A200 was produced both with--and without--said switch, since Australia decided early on with one unified system. I will consider either variant of the SRF-A200 if you have one to let go of, and will pay competitively.
Thanx for the pic. Note the switch above the AC and earphone jack. That is the A/B AM Stereo mode switch. Later versions of the Australian variant do not have it, while it was always present in the US (A100) version. -t
I had the A300. Scored a new one in box during my shopping spree at Yodobashi in Akihabara. The A300 is a Japan only release. About 10 years after the A100/A200, and from when Stereo on AM was approved in Japan. The 300 of course takes basic design cues from its’ earlier relatives, but sound quality is not as good to my ears. There were 2 A200s on eBay Australia recently. I put in a high bid for the last one but got beat. They come up (somewhat rarely) on there, usually the variant *with* the mode switch.
