The Sangean ATS 909 is one of the most popular portable multi-band radio made. It was also sold by Radio Shack under their own name and model number. Sangean was at that time a contract manufacturer for Tandy Corp., the parent company of Radio Shack.
I have had an ATS 909 for many years. At the time of this writing the radio had not been made for 11 years. Sangean very kindly provided that information when I enquired about the discussed here.
The video on the right illustrates the problem. The radio developed an all-inclusive “static”. This horrible sound was on all frequencies on all bands. What to do?
At first glance, the ATS 909 (seen on the right) appears to be fairly complicated. And, make no mistake, it really is. However, Sangean engineered this radio so that certain repairs can be made without too much aggravation. I figured my best bet would be to have a qualified repair shop make the repair. But, after much consideration I decided to take a chance and make the fix myself.
I sourced an exact replacement speaker from Radio Labs. I found a video on YouTube that discussed the basics of the speaker swap. With the new speaker in hand and a rough idea of how to proceed I dismantled the ATS 909 by removing 5 screws and using a spudging tool. That revealed the internal components and I was able to gain access to the speaker.
Apparently, Sangean believes in not taking chances. Not only was the original speaker clamped in place, it was also secured with some sort of glue. My best guess is that this is to avoid rattling. Good thinking!
I de-soldered the wires first. I made particular note of the lead wire colors and which connector they went to. It took a little work to cut the glue enough to lift the speaker out. After that it was a mater of installing and clamping the new speaker and soldering the wires properly.
Please note: This post is to tell a story about how I repaired a radio. It is not intended to be a “how-to“. I strongly advise finding a repair shop to fix your radio if you are having this or a similar problem.
A test of the radio after re-assembly revealed that I managed to get the job done right. The sound is excellent and the ATS 909 sound as good as new, maybe even better!