If you were a civil airband enthusiast in the late 1980s you may recall the WIN-108 receiver.
The radio had 20 channels in 2 banks of 10.
I had one of these, a very capable machine back in the day and I liked using it on my plane spotting visits to Manchester Ringway Airport, UK.
The UK and European distributor for the WIN-108 was Lowe Electronics in Matlock, Derbyshire.
This radio was very popular, the emphasis was on receiver performance instead of bells and whistles.
£175 GBP back in 1989.
How things have changed with regards to pricing within our hobby. For the same amount you can get a Uniden 125xlt today in 2023 so imagine how much enthusiasts spent on their kit back then in real terms.
No details of the maker can be found on the internet..or so I thought…
Some detective work from the FCC marking on the rear of the radio & conducting a search of the FCC website database reveals the maker.
Win Industries.
Win Building 3-2-24.
Nishi Aoki District.
Kawaguch-Shi City. 332-0035.
Saitama.
Japan.
Copy of my user manual. not available on the internet as far as I can see from searches.
win-108
Here are a few photos.
I remember getting the R-537 via mail-order from (I think) Lowe Electronics, back in the early 1980s – I saw it in an advert most likely in “Practical Wireless” magazine and had to save up for it as it was £88 and I was a teenager! I had it fitted with crystals(!!!) for 118.3 and 120.0 for BFS/EGAA Belfast Aldergrove, my “local” airport.
Tuning was very sharp using the tuning wheel, and it had to be used to “peak” reception when switched to the crystalled frequencies. The squelch was a bit rubbish as it was a fade-in, fade-out type.
After the top panel started to crack I looked at scanners and bought a Uniden Bearcat 100XL, which I brought into work with me as I’d got a job as a Traffic Agent (I think it was called) for Servisair at BFS.
It was great being able to hear my flight about 20 minutes out whilst I was out and about on the apron/airfield, especially on summer nightshifts!
Happy days!
Really like the website, which I only found when searching for aerials – I’ve bought a PA0RDT mini-whip from Roelof only last week based on your website 😉
Can we still buy a Win 108
Where can we buy today ?
The only hope of finding one now is via online auction sites or for sale sections on radio forums David.
The odd one comes up now and again for sale.