1953 Becker Monaco upgrade
This Becker Monaco valve radio lives in a 1952 Mercedes W187 Type 220 saloon which is currently under restoration.
The owner wanted to retain the original radio as it forms the striking centrepiece of the dashboard, but needed modern functionality and performance as he intended to use and enjoy the car, rather than keep it safely tucked away in the garage.
That meant upgrading the internals of the radio with modern AM/FM 4 x 45W Stereo radio and Bluetooth with full handsfree telephony, voice control and audio streaming.
The radio is beautifully made in a die-cast aluminium case that also forms the chassis for the 7 valve radio head. The power unit is no longer required when we upgrade these radios and this creates a bit more space behind the dash when re-installed.
With the chrome and the wood front panel sent away for specialist attention the radio was dismantled in preparation for the restoration.
This radio is beautifully put together and is a testament to the engineers who designed and built it 67 years ago. The Monaco works well when restored to original specification, and we do this from time to time, but the performance really doesn’t come anywhere close to the upgrade being installed here. By bringing the performance right up to date, it can be fully enjoyed and appreciated once again.
The build quality shows in every detail of this Becker radio. Every part is solid and beautifully made and it’s a pleasure to work on.
The old electronics are removed but the controls are retained so we can connect them to the new electronics after they’ve been cleaned and tested.
One critical component in the Becker Monaco is the coil pack, which can be seen at the centre front of the radio. This is used to control the station pre-set switching so favourite stations can be easily set and selected on those beautiful chrome switches.
In order to get this function to work with the new AM/FM bands it’s necessary to modify the coils on this unit. This is delicate and time consuming, but it’s essential for the correct functioning of the pre-set switches. It would be a tragedy if they didn’t work in the upgraded radio as they just cry out to be pressed.
The detail is important in this kind of restoration. The mechanical components at the front of the radio all need to be dismantled and cleaned before re-assembly. This makes the radio function smoothly and reliably.
We use a micro-crystalline wax on the exposed metal which forms a durable protective layer and stops corrosion.
