High Quality Sony ICF SW-55 repair/recap

[Tscottme]

I bought a Sony ICF SW-55 multi-band portable radio from the Sony outlet near Waukesha, WI in the 1990s. I need to have the capacitors replaced (it's not been touched since I bought it), I would like the backlight replaced or upgraded, and to have the whip antenna replaced. I don't know where to look for such a service or the costs. I see people selling kits for the capacitors and maybe a backlight for $15. I'd prefer to have a professional do a quality job. The radio has sentimental value and I understand it is a quality radio. I understand SW listening isn't what it once was when I bought this radio and before the big broadcasters stopped beaming into North America.

Can anyone recommend a shop or person with experience doing such work? Or, what type of service do I search for? I don't want to have my radio be someone's training device. The only phone number I found on the Sony user forum is not able to do this work. I'm in Tennessee, but I presume I will be mailing the radio to the shop, so I don't have a strong preference of where it is repaired.

Thank you for any insight on this matter.

 

[Tscottme]

I found one solution to the question I asked, on Ebay.

If one searches Ebay listings for "Radio Restoration, Repair, Update & Upgrade Service" for your radio, You will see entries for a particular seller named "adselsayed". He is located in Indianapolis, IN. If you have a specific radio repair in mind append your ebay search with your radio name. I searched for Sony ICF SW-55 Radio Restoration, Repair, Update & Upgrade Service and found an entry. You may think you are buying a repaired radio from the ebay listing, In fact, you are buying a repair, upgrade to the radio you send to Adel, as he is called. The listing as of Jan 25, 2024 for my radio is listed at a price of $119.99 plus shipping & tax.

This gentleman/service does list quite a few repaired radios on ebay, if you are looking for that rather than having your radio repaired. All info I have found indicates the gentleman is a former Sony dealer/technician and his work is quite good. I am prepared to spend my money to have my radio repaired. I will let you know how it goes.

 

[11mGuy]

I had 3 Sony portables and love 'em - ICF2001D, ICF2010 (same thing), and SW55. The SW55 had a slight warble on SSB but it was a fantastic radio. I have to admit, I loved the ICF2001D the most. I couldn't believe how good it was on SSB on its own whip antenna. It could almost pick up anything as good as my amateur equipment could back then, but that was during the peak of a sunspot cycle when a wet piece of string for an antenna would kick any HF equipment into life. I bought the SW55 a few years later when DX activity had died down a bit, and it too was a fantastic radio for SSB and HF broadcast stations. Why did I ever sell any of those great radios???????

About 6 or 7 years after I sold the SW55, I longed for another portable but the only Sony I could find then was an SW77 which would have been the ultimate portable of them all, but it was just too expensive. I wish I had have bought it anyway but I wound up buying a newly released Sangean ATS909 on a special intro price. That was about 25 years ago, and I still have it and use it frequently to listen in to the local ham radio network(s) each day.

Just a few days back I ordered online a Sangean ATS909X2, hoping that it is a good upgrade from the ATS909, and will serve me as well and as long as the 909, which will stay right where it is now. I'm still waiting for the X2 to arrive...

Anyway Tscottme, I hope you get the SW55 fixed and keep it. Sony top line portable receivers back then were the very best and I wish they'd make a new series of them. I know I'd be first in line if they did...

Al