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Well as regular viewers know i love amstrads. But realise it was a love or hate kinda thing with them. But no denying they were one of the stand out legal rigs. Dare i say a legend of the 1980s
So what do others think ? What was your own personal experience & thoughts on them ?
A few years ago i was the proud owner of a mint never used 901. It had been in its box for that long the polystyrene inserts had stuck to the case. But alas at the time funds were tight so i had to move it on
The man who cut the cable off his hoover and used it to make a choke balun. A good performing antenna beats a clean carpet
I remember buying a fake 901 but knew before hand it was fake. Was only a fiver i think. The PCB stank of resin. A crappy brown colour with no silk screen on the PCB
I think those SpinneyTronic / Harvard clones were all made in Hong Kong fakes. Never seen one that wasn't. They were sold in Catalogues back in the day
The man who cut the cable off his hoover and used it to make a choke balun. A good performing antenna beats a clean carpet
A fella close to me was a prominent rig doctor back in the day and he loves them. So much so he altered the circuit and (very expertly) fitted an S-meter (ex-CBX I think) to the panel of a 901. Next time I go there I'll get a pic.
I remember my 901 with starry eyes. It was given to me because it was deaf. Somehow the fet on the front-end rf stages had been blown. No other damage so replaced that and had the full set of Christmas lights back in operation. I'll be honest, for an old bargain basement radio it worked rather well. Distinctive Roger beep iirc.
26TM255
IO93HR
Anytone Ares II
Anytone Q6 Pro
Rotel RVC-240
TYT MD-UV390 Plus
Antron 99
yeah Iliked my 901 in those days it was flashy with its fairy light s meter. we all seemed to chop and change cbs on a regular basis.
I still have a soft spot for my first A.M. rig a Midland 4001. I wouldn't mind getting another if the money and condition were right.
But I think I would be talking to myself on am midblock these days. But hey younever know
Buick Mackane wrote: 20 Feb 2026, 15:38
I remember buying a fake 901 but knew before hand it was fake. Was only a fiver i think. The PCB stank of resin. A crappy brown colour with no silk screen on the PCB
I think those SpinneyTronic / Harvard clones were all made in Hong Kong fakes. Never seen one that wasn't. They were sold in Catalogues back in the day
As far as my knowledge extends (iffy at best of times mind) the HK made ones were under licence from Japan but l could be wrong of course. If the case though then they weren't actually fakes just cheaper made component wise.
Champion of IBTL Christmas Edition 2023. Champion of IBTL Autumn 2022 Edition.
Buick Mackane wrote: 20 Feb 2026, 15:38
I remember buying a fake 901 but knew before hand it was fake. Was only a fiver i think. The PCB stank of resin. A crappy brown colour with no silk screen on the PCB
I think those SpinneyTronic / Harvard clones were all made in Hong Kong fakes. Never seen one that wasn't. They were sold in Catalogues back in the day
As far as my knowledge extends (iffy at best of times mind) the HK made ones were under licence from Japan but l could be wrong of course. If the case though then they weren't actually fakes just cheaper made component wise.
There was an official made in HK version trans. So in total you had the 900 which was always MIJ. You had the 901 made in HK (fake) Which used a cheap unmarked PCB. Then you had the official HK version. And lastly the MIJ version.
As mentioned above the SpinneyTronic version all used Made in HK fake boards. They were also rebadged as harvards with a crude looking sticker. You could be right about the so called fakes being made under license. I honestly don't know. Although thinking about it if they were made under license i don't think the license would have covered using the Amstrad brand. They would have gone under another brand like the Spinneytronics mentioned above
The man who cut the cable off his hoover and used it to make a choke balun. A good performing antenna beats a clean carpet
Buick Mackane wrote: 20 Feb 2026, 15:11
Well as regular viewers know i love amstrads. But realise it was a love or hate kinda thing with them. But no denying they were one of the stand out legal rigs. Dare i say a legend of the 1980s
So what do others think ? What was your own personal experience & thoughts on them ?
A few years ago i was the proud owner of a mint never used 901. It had been in its box for that long the polystyrene inserts had stuck to the case. But alas at the time funds were tight so i had to move it on
I had a couple of them but can't honestly say if they were both JP , HK, or mixture of. They worked no problem and did what they were supposed to do anyway.
Everybody has their own favourite, difficult for me to pick one out for myself tbh.
Champion of IBTL Christmas Edition 2023. Champion of IBTL Autumn 2022 Edition.
Buick Mackane wrote: 20 Feb 2026, 15:38
I remember buying a fake 901 but knew before hand it was fake. Was only a fiver i think. The PCB stank of resin. A crappy brown colour with no silk screen on the PCB
I think those SpinneyTronic / Harvard clones were all made in Hong Kong fakes. Never seen one that wasn't. They were sold in Catalogues back in the day
As far as my knowledge extends (iffy at best of times mind) the HK made ones were under licence from Japan but l could be wrong of course. If the case though then they weren't actually fakes just cheaper made component wise.
There was an official made in HK version trans. So in total you had the 900 which was always MIJ. You had the 901 made in HK (fake) Which used a cheap unmarked PCB. Then you had the official HK version. And lastly the MIJ version.
As mentioned above the SpinneyTronic version all used Made in HK fake boards. They were also rebadged as harvards with a crude looking sticker. You could be right about the so called fakes being made under license. I honestly don't know
I see
Sir Alan should know the full SP, drop him an email.
Champion of IBTL Christmas Edition 2023. Champion of IBTL Autumn 2022 Edition.
There is a multi band AM/FM Radio which is more or less identical to a 901 called an Argo. Just a pity it doesn't do SSB or i would have snapped one up myself
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The man who cut the cable off his hoover and used it to make a choke balun. A good performing antenna beats a clean carpet
I know most preferred a needle meter but i liked the LED's Also Liked the RadioMobile Cybernet beta radios
