I want to "lock" a radio to one station...

Is there a way to "lock" a radio, in this case a rather basic stereo
system, to only play one station. I don't want the tuner dial to move
at all. Is there a way to disconnect the tuner dial but still have the
radio play? Its for a practical joke.

Thanks.

 

Sure... in most radios that come with a mechnical tuning indicator and a
dial, the knob is moving a cog that has an elastic belt attached that is
connected to the tuning indicator and a variable capacitor. If you can
mechcnially remove the connection to the tuning capacitor without losing
tension in the mechanical system, you're set.

If not, you'd have to essentially solder in a new varaible capacitor and
electrically disconnect the old one; harder but perhaps still worth doing.

On most digitally tuned radios, you'd be out of luck. However, some
inexpensive radios have a digital frequency display, but actually still use
variable capacitor tuning as described above and could be modified likewise.
The giveaway is usualy that the 'truly digitally tuned' radios almost always
have preset whereas the 'fakes' don't, and the 'fakes' also tend to
sometimes switch between displaying two different frequencies, e.g.,
91.3/91.4.

But ifyou're playing to hack apart the radio anyway, you might as well just
get a cheap old mechanically tuned radio from, e.g., Good Will for a couple
of bucks.

---Joel Kolstad

 

My radio has a panel lock! Just flip the switch!