When he joined Stereo2Go in September 2010,  onetime member Chicony posted images of his National Panasonic RX-4970T. Before long, devol-toni remarked that the apparently mid-size portable stereo radio cassette recorder was a "rare bird," noting that "there is no FM band." For many buyers and small-scale collectors, that's weird and displeasing enough.

But moments before noticing his remarks in this topic that I found today, I was first put out by not finding a tape counter in this boombox in question.

To be sure, the unit seems adept in tuning non-high-wattage, non-commercial, listener-area and non-listener-area radio, seeing that it has a reassuring three shortwave bands and a fine-tuning knob. There are also an acceptable number of right-hand rear-panel connectors, sensibly accommodating other types of electronics -- both extant and then-unknown -- such as world-band receivers, Discman-type CD players, Android-powered tablets, etc.

But, really, no tape counter? In addition to lacking an FM band? How odd did Matsushita Electric Industrial Company, Ltd insist that the RX-4970T of their Panasonic brand have to be? In addition to not being that beefy -- is that a 12-watt power-usage value embossed on the rear panel? -- and in addition to having speakers with not-pretty, alternately crimped and slotted, concentric-circles patterns?

Though, come to think of it, this no-FM model may be likened to one of those non-steaming "dry" clothes irons with non-perforated soleplates for drip-free, no-moisture ironing.

(Model might be a Continental Electric Intertek CP-43061; image is from the GrowYourOwnClothes.com website, at any rate)

Maybe that's its own "cool" factor, oxymorons aside ...

Radio bands were provided based on the market in which they were sold. MW & 3 SW bands were that could only be used then at some places. 

There were no FM stations available in many cities at some parts of the world, including where I am from in the 80's. It was a day and night difference when a new FM station started broadcasting test songs in stereo all throughout the day, in the later years. 

Buying power of people was another factor. They stripped down all non-essential parts from the boxes such as tape counter to reduce price. The most popular tape recorder in the region was this.

Just a volume and a tone control. If I am right, there is not even an LED to show that it is on. But the deck lasted for ever and made the "noise" always without fail! The common public was not bothered by the "Frequency Response" or "WOW and Flutter"!

Sorry, didn't mean to high-jack the thread.

The above National Panasonic Rx-4970 seams to be sold in the middle east region, with Multi-voltage. Good find, built like a tank.

 Panasonic RX-5010F is another model lacking ( FM )

Hmm ... AE_Stereo's message post would explain the absence of a frequency modulation (FM) band and a tape counter in portables like this RX-4970T. But I shrug to say that it might paradoxically explain some collectors' lacking this machine in their bevy of 'boxes, or on any "must acquire" list of theirs. Too bereft of metropolitan essentials for their liking -- and, methinks, for mine.

With three shortwave bands they weren't trying to cut costs there.
As AE_STEREO has just noted this model was obviously made for a market where good Shortwave reception was more useful than FM. Wikipedia suggests this is the case in tropics regions where SW is used in preference to MW as it is less prone to interference from Thunderstorms.  

MW stations are mostly depending on ground waves to transmit the signals with a very limited coverage area only.

Whereas SW stations transmit radio waves to be reflected or refracted back to Earth from the ionosphere, allowing long distance communication around the curve of the Earth. Practically the SW transmission reaches to all parts of the world from one location. (Refer wiki pages for more info.)

In the 80's, only two MW stations within 20 to 100km distance were available to us, but almost all SW stations from all over the world were available in SW band. 

You can still see 10 or 12 band radios, with one FM, one LW, one AM and the remaining will be split of SW.

Sony 12 band radio - 12 band radio FM/LW/MW/SW1-9

As all stations from all over the world will be received by the radio, wider the scale, better the chance of tuning on to one station. SW band scale is made wider by splitting it on the scale. 

In the above Panasonic RX-4970 having 1 MW and 3 SW bands is due to the limitation of the band switch. The standard band switch (rotary or slide) is normally 4 position, with 1 FM, 1 MW and 2 SW. They omitted FM for the market and utilized it to split SW into 3.  Practically it is a two band radio!

Cost reduction comes from the separate core and antenna requirements for the FM band. Also with FM, the radio circuitry need to be made into stereo. Without FM, the whole radio circuit remains Mono.

JamesRC550 posted:

 Panasonic RX-5010F is another model lacking ( FM )

James, I wonder which unit of that Panasonic model you have in your workshop happens to be a no-FM version of the RX-5010, with no tuner coverage of the radio spectrum between 76 MHz and 108 MHz. If anything, searching with Google  reveals that the RX-5010F is an 18-watt, two-shortwave-band boombox dutifully equipped with a fine-tuning knob -- chromed, like the larger main-tuning knob above it. There is also a longwave-tuning version, the RX-5010LS. That is, I infer its existence from a service manual of that version that someone sold on eBay in the UK in January 2015. But then they both seem to be National Panasonic models, nominally and functionally not quite the same as their FM/AM-only versions sold under the Panasonic label. See what I mean?

(This image is obviously from the shizaudio.ru website)

Here is a Panasonic RX-5010, a 13-watt portable stereo with only FM/AM coverage:

(This image is provided by eBay seller madeintheshade888)

Of course, one notes the more aggressively radial-centred main-speaker grilles and radial-finned tweeter grilles of the National Panasonic version versus the milder, chrome-ring-only style of the Panasonic's woofers -- and no tweeter grilles. Anyway, repeated checks online with Google Images searches yield no identifiable, no-FM Panasonic RX-5010 version. Not on eBay, not on radiomuseum.org, not nowhere -- if you'll excuse the vernacular. Unless, of course, you mean this, sir ...

It's obviously a National Panasonic model. You'll likely recognize this image, James, because it's found on this website as of January 28, 2016 and, uh ... because you posted it, sir ... right?