FreeRanger | writinghouse

The English Patient… before

Followers of thesnailofhappiness will have read about our wind-up radio and know that I have, over the years tried to keep it going as it succumbs to the ravages of entropy (that is, it falls apart).

Some while ago, it became apparent that the solar cell mounted on the top didn’t seem to be charging the batteries, now brazenly displayed for all to see on the side. As the daily routine of winding it up for a minute was a joy rather than a chore, I never worried about that particular oddity. However, tuning the radio was becoming increasingly difficult. The tuning dial seemed to jam right near where we wanted it to go.

Thing is, we never untune the radio from the station it is on – BBC Radio 2 is our companion, mostly for the Popmaster quiz at 10:30 every morning. Nevertheless, the tuning does has a habit, much like myself, of drifting from time to time. I think it was moving the radio that was the culprit – the dial seemed capable of turning with little provocation.

And so it was, last weekend, when I returned from my other life, that there was a task awaiting my attention. First, the patient had to be prepped for surgery – that is, taken apart:

The Operating Theatre is ready for you now… oh, you’ve started

People of a delicate disposition look away now… too late

It fell off in me ‘and, guv!

Then, the solar cell was removed for testing. Turns out, the previous surgery had left the solar cell connected the wrong way round – good job I’m not an actual surgeon, eh? No really, I faint at the thought of bloo… ooh, feeling woozy, I’ll just have some wine (for medicinal purposes, of course). That’s better. Then I reconnected the speaker wire that falls off every time I open the radio up.

Tuning string thing removed

Finally, I could fix the real issue here – the tuning dial. A bit of string wrapped around other plastic bits and – well, it’s better out than in. Problem then was how to tweak the tuning if it drifts again. Answer – remove a bit of the plastic casing to allow a nimble (and thin) finger to reach the tuning wheel inside the radio. It’s not pretty, but it’ll do the job. Right, who said “Like Mr Snail?”

Just need to saw a bit off – it won’t hurt (me), I promise

See? Painless…

The Offending, er, bit of string

Voila! One fixed radio, solar cell connected the right way round(possibly) and with a sun roof that lifts up to harness the, er, well the sun. And all in time for National Recycle Week.

And so our wind-up radio lives for another day!