Description
This radio is the famed CRF-320 manufactured by Sony from the years 1976-1980. As is the case with many Sony products, especially at that time, this was a high end portable radio that represented the best that Sony could put together in one unit. We have sold about 87 of the scarce and highly desirable CRF-320s previously and reference them as the Rolls Royce of radios. Locating the 320 for sale is not actually difficult. They appear with regular occurrence here on Ebay and often sell for considerably less money than what we are asking for this unit. However, please keep in mind that such radios often have a list of issues due to age and both use and non-use. To find a 320 in good and proper working condition is actually challenging and such radios are relatively scarce. Our selling price is set in accordance with rarity, condition, collectors interest, and our cost to acquire and have service work performed. This Sony unit was analog with a digital readout on shortwave and thus was one of the first radios to offer the user such frequency accuracy generally unavailable in a portables prior to this time. Most American radios did not approach the accuracy of tuning available on this radio. This Sony was a double conversion superheterodyne fully solid state radio that is built like a tank and weighs like one too...at a full 32 lbs without any batteries installed. These CRF-320s are highly coveted by collectors that enjoy the classic good looks, the outstanding capabilities, and the Sony brand that was stellar in the late 70s and early 80s. Over time, these CRF-320s can develop problems due to use, abuse, and even neglect. Any of the 320s that come into our hands go through a series of checks, and if necessary, things are repaired. Let us now list some of the issues and what has been attended to with this CRF-320 radio: 1. The nylon tuning gears shrink and crack, exacerbated by time and heat. Most of these 320 radios suffer from this issue. This radio had no broken gears, but the shortwave tuner was considerably out of alignment and this was corrected. The analog shortwave tuner now tracks the digital readout properly. 2. The antennas are often broken, or if complete, the spring that extends the top of the antenna allowing it to be grasped for extension is non-functional. Both the shortwave and FM antennas in this radio are in beautiful condition extending and retracting without issue. There are no breaks, bends, or dings in these telescopic antennas. 3. The s-meter is often non-functional with the needle pointer frozen in position. This s-meter was frozen but has been serviced to allow proper and full movement. 4. The audio is sometimes weak or non-functional. The audio in this 320 did not have any issues. 5. Sensitivity of the bands can be weak. This 320 was tested, tweaked, and now the reception on all bands is good. Buyers are to be reminded that the technology of this radio and sensitivity are good, but during the past 45 years, small portable shortwave radios will match or even exceed the performance of this 320. This is not unlike a classic 60s Corvette that was a performance vehicle in that era, but an be outmatched by many of todays family vehicles. 6. Some of the control pots can be noisy due to oxidation. The volume pot was very noisy. All the pots and controls have on this radio were cleaned and now have no issues and are quiet when used. 7. Dial lamps can be burned out. This 320 panel lamps all illuminate. Please note that some of the panel lamps do not illuminate until the specific band (FM, mediumwave, or shortwave) is selected. The other tuning bands are dark until selected. You must press the lamp button to have illumination in the front panel and this serves to avoid excess battery drain. 8. Digital frequency counter may not work properly or at all. This frequency counter on this unit was working perfectly. 9. Battery compartment covers are sometimes missing, broken, or damaged, but are fine on this radio with no battery leakage damage or broken latch clips. 10. Battery spring terminals are often found to be corroded. The battery terminals on this unit are in great condition showing no damage from leaking batteries. 11. The quartz clock is sometimes non-functional. The clock on this radio was properly working. As you can see on the rear panel, it operates off of a D cell battery. 12. Poor or no reception on one or more bands. This can be due to a variety of issues, but occurs most frequently on the shortwave band where there can be weak or no reception. We tested this radio there was great reception on shortwave so no repair work was required. 13. The small sliding cover over the timer wheel is usually missing and we do not know the reason. Performance is not affected. We have been told by a couple of collectors that the radio was sold without this cover over the timer. 14. Missing front protective cover. Since these radios are generally operated from a stationary location due to weight, the front cover is most often stored away in a closet or a suitable place distant from the radio when not used for transporting. Over time, these covers get separated from the radio so that many of these Sony 320s are missing their covers. This 320 has its cover and it is in good condition showing some minor marks from usage and storage.15. Non-functioning rear panel antenna switch. This switch controls the mediumwave local/DX and also selects the internal telescopic shortwave / mediumwave ferrite or the external antenna connections. This switch can frequently be found to be non-functional limiting the option to connect a higher gain external antenna. The switch on this unit was non-functioning and it was serviced to return the full functioning of the switch. The radio has been fully tested and we were able to confirm proper operation and sensitivity. On shortwave, the operator needs to rotate the knob to select the proper MHz band and then dial in the frequency using the tuning knob. Once the band is selected, then the antenna trimmer is adjusted for best sensitivity and then tweaked again once you arrive at a stations signal. Please note that this radio is the Corvette convertible of multiband shortwave radios. It is a very well designed piece of electronic equipment that was cutting edge in 1976 when it was introduced for sale and offered early quartz clock, 1 KHz digital tuning, and separate tuners for FM, AM, and shortwave. As for performance, the radio is quite good but please be aware that advancements in design and miniaturization of circuits during the ensuing 50 years means that you can obtain similar performance today from a smaller and less costly radio. The price does not indicate superior performance. This is a collectable radio that is acquired for its appearance, design, and unique operation as sold by the height of Sonys electronic design in the 1970s. Cosmetically, the radio is used and, upon close examination, you will find only very minor marks from age and use. Overall, we have dealt with restoration of these 320 radios for many years so have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly and this radio is in amazing original cosmetic condition. Please look at our pictures closely for specific cosmetic details. This CRF-320 operates off of an AC power cord (included) or the operator may use 8 D cells for portable use (not included). The digital clock requires a D cell battery for operation and you can see this small holder inside the larger upper compartment on the back. We placed a battery in the clock and the clock worked nicely. There is a connection on the front of the receiver to allow the user to attach the radio to a 12 volt external source...like a car, RV or boat. This CRF-320 comes with a full array of support and promotional documents that are offered for free with the purchase of this radio and are not sold separately. Along with the radio, you will receive: 1. Color copy of the CRF-320 Operating Manual. While much of the operation of the radio is intuitive, this manual will give an overview and allow you to understand any operations that may be unfamiliar. 2. Color copy of the CRF-320 Service Manual of 93 pages. 3. Copy of the CRF-320 Circuit Description of 23 pages. 6. Copy of the CRF-320 Troubleshooting Guidebook of 36 pages. 7. Copy of the CRF-320/330K Troubleshooting Guide Supplement of 22 pages. 8. Several service updates that are 1 or 2 pages of corrections or of supplemental information. 9. Several color (and one B&W) brochures or promotional piece copies (more than even the most serious Sony collectors have seen). We have obtained and archived these promotional pieces over many years and have never seen the variety of them offered by another seller. Please view our pictures to see the wealth of advertising copies included in this listing. 11. A CD that contains many of the above documents in PDF format and has 275 MB of files on it. Many of these files are no longer available online and we do not offer this CD for sale separately from this radio. The CD is offered for free with the purchase of the CRF-320. The variety of service manuals listed above include information such as circuit diagrams, schematics, parts lists, diagnostic charts, disassembly directions, dial cord stringing, service tips, etc, etc. They are placed inside a 3 ring binder for convenience and labeled as CRF-320 Service Documents. What makes this receiver so special beyond the accuracy of the frequency readout ....well, the construction for one. Sony made comprehensive use of die-cast aluminum and chrome at a time when manufacturers regularly used plastic, cardboard, and vinyl to cheapen their products. There were no shortcuts taken on construction as even the metal knobs have a rubber gripping surface and the speaker grill is metal to protect the speaker beneath. There are rack handles on the sides that extend to the front in order to give the unit a semi-military appearance, to offer additional grab surfaces, and to protect the array of front dials and knobs from damage should the unit tip over or during replacement of batteries. As with the knobs, Sony spared no expense in making these rack handles out of chrome and covering them with rubber trim for design sharpness and for gripping. Internally, the radio employs a lot of modular construction with separate tuners, quartz clock, frequency readout, etc., that connect with cables that plug in. Fred Osterman in his book Shortwave Receivers Past & Present lists this radio as very scarce. The suggested retail price was $1495 at the time of sale in 1976.....yes, for a portable radio. Using the consumer price index, the cost for this same radio in 2023 dollars would be $8,100!! As you can see, this radio would have been sold to a very exclusive club of people with a high disposable income. https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm (copy and paste this link into your internet browser) The CRF-320 is a general coverage receiver and covers the Longwave, AM, Shortwave, and FM bands. Basically, the unit begins at 150 KHz and runs up to 30 MHz plus FM (except a gap between 400-530 KHz which is not typically used anyway). There are two separate telescopic antennas...one for FM and the other for Shortwave and then also a separate internal ferrite antenna for AM and Longwave. The telescopic antennas are unique in that they retract into the cabinet for protection. Then with a slight push, the top of the antennas spring up about an inch for you to grab and extend. This Sony radio is a gadget persons delight having lots of buttons and knobs to add visual and operational interest. Other features on this CRF-320 include: Quartz Clock (this unit has a digital clock which was really cutting edge for the 1970s) Dial Lamps for each band (indicate which band is in use) Narrow / Wide Bandwidth Filters Scale Calibration (for the analog shortwave dial) Headphone Jack Audio Input & Audio Output Jacks Recording Jack Antenna Input Connectors (for a variety of external antenna connections) Antenna Trimmer Local / DX Switch Noise Blanker (for pulse type noise) FM Muting (to tune between FM stations without the usual band noise) AFC (automatic frequency control to correct FM drift) RF gain Battery check button Input jack to connect 12 VDC power supply Separate Bass / Treble controls Program Timer (to enable the owner to record a program when absent or awaken to the radio being used as an alarm clock) Rear Storage Compartment (for power cord, earphones, etc) The separate tuners on this unit allow for the user to move from AM to FM to Shortwave and back again and therefore the user does not have to retune the dials for each band...a very convenient feature. If you look at the digital frequency readout and the analog scale on the tuning dial in the pictures, you will see that they are close in frequency. There is a knob to calibrate the analog scale to the digital readout to get the dial scale spot on for shortwave tuning. There is a choice of narrow or wide IF filters for maximizing fidelity and minimizing side-channel interference and the choice of upper and lower sidebands to hear marine, aircraft, or amateur radio traffic. Info About Sony Sony is a postwar (WW2) success story. The Sony Corp. was first established in May of 1946 in Japan and given the name from combining Sonus, the original Latin word for Sonic, meaning sound, and Sonny denoting small size. Over the years, Sony has been an industry and worldwide leader in high end and in miniature consumer electronics. It has become one of the larger electronics firms worldwide and the Sony name if often attributed to high quality products. The company history is long and very extensive, detailing many of the companys innovations and achievements. We sometimes include corporate history in our Ebay sales, but will not do that with this listing as that would require someone to read an enormous amount of information. Instead, if interested, you may read about the fascinating history of Sony here: https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo/History/SonyHistory/ (copy and paste this link into your internet browser) Please use the Ebay shipping calculator to determine your shipping cost. This cost includes proper packing materials for safe delivery and insurance cost against damage or loss. Those buyers living outside the USA are also welcome to purchase from us. We have shipped to 111 countries during the past 24 years on Ebay and we are happy to ship virtually anywhere in the world. You may use the shipping calculator to determine your shipping cost. Please keep in mind that this cost may not include any import, customs, or VAT fees. If you are uncertain of these costs, we ask you to check with your local post office prior to making a purchase from us. Thank you! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to look at our Ebay items!
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