Another Boombox site to check out, Boombox City.

[www.boomboxcity.info] Ya know, as someone who grew up with a boombox throughout most of my teen years, and early 20's, I find it disappointing on how poorly they've survived over the decades. You really don't see these much anymore today. They were pitch to take sound anywhere, and people did. However, practically none of them had any kind of protection from heat, rain, salt water spray, sand, workshop messes, extreme cold weather, dust, a.k.a., the outside elements. Some of these unit were indeed 1/2 a studio & stereo component system in a box, mic mixing, auto / manual recording levels, audio level VU meters, various AUX IN / OUT, two, or three, way powering, Some had decent AM / FM tuners, while other had mediocre at best. I still have my well worn Pioneer SK-650, bought in March 1983. (Try and find one of these today.) One neat secrete to having a decent boombox, with either the analog needle, or LED, VU meters, is their ability to see what the off-air levels were from tuned AM / FM stations off-air. No, maybe not as accurate as a commercial Belar off-air MOD monitor, but many were close, and they gave you an idea what your on-air levels were if you were to build and operate a station of your own. Passing contemplation. Where I grew up, the Panasonic RX-5600 series seemed the most popular. Anyone have Boombox stories of their own? How many pirate stations used them?