These radios do not age well. I see yours is off frequency also. I’ve had a RD500 for a couple of years and it’s been a constant struggle to stop it from drifting. I’ve even gone to the trouble of replacing the factory 4MHz oscillator with a high stability TCXO and it still wanders like a drunk Auntie. They’re OK for BC AM and FM but for narrowband and digital signals, where frequency stability is essential, they are past their best.
Yes, I think it was a case of trying to cram too much into one box. It's fun to play with, though, and to be fair, it is getting a bit long in the tooth now! This one was left to me by a 'Silent Key', along with a few other radios. The speaker is crappy, but I found the space available is tight and the magnets of more modern speakers won't fit in.
