Grundig Yacht Boy 210

The Yacht Boy 210 (also written Yacht-Boy 210) was a vintage radio manufactured by the Grundig Corporation. It is a 4-band radio with FM/VHF, SW, MW, and LW coverage and has an integrated telescopic aerial for the VHF band and ferrite rod for the remaining bands. The circuitry has ten transistors and eight diodes with current consumption of 50 mA at 9 V. For the power supply, it requires six 1.5 V dry cells providing approximately 160-hours operation; however for mains operation it requires the TN 5 or TN 12 power pack. The loudspeaker is a 4 Ω dynamic superphon type with high-efficiency magnet, and the audio power output is 2-watts. The dimensions of this radio are 39 cm × 24 cm × 12 cm, and mass 4.4 kg.

Review

Looking at the circuit diagram, and the IF stages, local oscillator circuit, and heterodyne mixer stage, I always marvel at the wonderful electronic engineering employed in Grundig radios. These radios were so well designed, engineered, and manufactured that even today they are highly desirable by collectors.

The audio output stage consists of a pair of transistors (AC187K and AC188K) in a push-pull arrangement, with a 1000 µF capacitor (C660) at the output. Consequently the sound quality through the superphon loudspeaker is very good. This radio has some wonderful features such as:

• Illuminated dial
• Dial markers and station designations
• Tape recorder connection
• Record player connection
• Tone control
• Loudspeaker/earphone socket
• Battery check meter

Price/eBay

These radios are usually for sale on eBay and there is almost always a huge amount of interest on them. A complete unit in mint condition with its original packaging and box could fetch well over one hundred pounds on a good day. However a working unit with issues such as missing knobs, broken aerial, and scratches would be worth around fifty pounds. A completely broken and non-working unit in bad condition would not be worth much as repairing these radios is time-consuming. If you are looking to buy one, then make sure it has the power supply pack fitted as vintage replacement parts are difficult to find and usually very expensive.

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