Sanyo FT 867 FT867 - is not Quadraphonic?

[hernanca]

Happy New Year, All!

While searching the web for quad information for my car project, I came across the surrounddiscography site, which had this:

List of Quadraphonic 8 Track Car Decks

And although it seems to have been last updated in 2005, I thought it was an accurate list. I narrowed down my favorites for my car project, and periodically searched the internet, and eBay to see if any of them pop up (I have some automatic eBay searches, too, but those work a bit different than I would like, so I do the manual eBay searches too).

The first unit I found was a brand new, in the box, MOTOROLA QUADRALINE 8 TRACK TAPE CAR PLAYER 4/2 CHANNEL TM912S1 with a Buy-it-Now of about $75, so I got it! It has a lot of "the look" of the Blaupunkt I am trying to imitate (and can't find), but it does not include a radio.

Through Kate's Track Shack (thank you!) I was able to score an Audiovox Model 136-1022. It was not listed on the surrounddiscography site, but I had found other quadraphonic units over time on their site (which were unfortuntately too big after they measured them for me) and so I check there periodically. The Audiovox is probably the one I will use on my project, since it includes a radio.

Then, over the holidays, one of my favorites on the list showed up on eBay: a Sanyo FT867 in great shape! I was the only bidder on it, and so I won! However, when it arrived a couple of days ago and I peaked inside to check the insides, I was dismayed to find only a stereo head, not a quad head! My first thought was that someone had switched out the head at some point, and then, how was I ever going to prove to the seller that it wasn't me that swapped it out! In past eBay auctions, I have asked for pictures of the head when I wasn't sure that it was the right unit, but I was so excited about finding this one, and so sure it would be a quadraphonic unit, that I didn't bother (note to self: ask for pictures anyway!).

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But then, just to be sure, I looked more closely at a 1974 ad I had on the same unit (also from eBay - yes, the bug has bit me bad ). Hmmm:

And for about $5, I got a Service Manual from a Service Repair Manuals.net site. In it, the diagram for the FT-867 shows a stereo head (item 26). There is also a part number (4-242T-12300), but I don't know where I could check to see whether the part number is for a stereo or quad head (in case they just used a generic diagram but differentiated in the part numbers):

Here is the closest information I found on this site, but none is specific to the FT867:

Sanyo Under Dash Unit...
Sanyo FT 862
Any info... Sanyo FT864
Sanyo quad equipment.

So, my questions to those with much more experience than I in the quad world are:

1. Does anyone know for sure whether the Sanyo FT867 is a stereo or quadraphonic 8-track player?
2. Does anyone know where to find out if the Sanyo "Magnetic head" part number indicated above (4-242T-12300) corresponds to a stereo or quadraphonic head?
3. If this is actually a stereo unit, what is the best way to update the surrounddiscography site - the site currently has the following information on it:

• Web Page Compiled and Copyright by Mark Anderson (E-mail-multichannel AT cox DOT net)
• Thanks to Jim White a.k.a. "Old Quad Guy" for the web space support

Thank you, in advance, for any help!

 

[Q-Eight]

A lot of the Sanyo stuff has Quad Matrix circuitry. I've seen a lot of stereo cassette players by Sanyo feature "four-channel quad-simulated sound".
Like the advertisement even states: "play 2-channel stereo tapes and FM broadcasts in four-channel "Quad" through built-in Matrix Circuit"

So, I would wager that it is a Quad matrix circuit and not true discrete, Quad.

 

[Soundfield]

The small print in that ad says "built in speaker matrix circuit" this was a term often used by marketing types for the Hafler method of connecting some rear speakers to a stereo amp to recover out of phase ambient signals (it was neither a matrix implementation nor actually quad). If you've got the service manual I'm sure you'll be able to see that the rear speakers are simply connected between the positive terminals of the front speakers. Caveat emptor.

 

[Quad Linda]

The vintage ad tells you everything you need to know: "play 2-ch tapes and FM broadcasts in 4-channel quad through matrix circuit."

So, it is a 2ch deck and can be used with 4 speakers for synthesized quad.

Of couse, it will have a 2ch head.

Likely the matrix circuit is very basic, so it would probably do little on an SQ quad matrix FM broadcast.

 

[hernanca]

Thanks everyone.

Yes, I wish I would have read the ad more carefully to begin with - I think I was just believing the surrounddiscography list must be pretty solid, and it probably mostly still is, but I don't really know its history.

Good idea to look at the wiring diagram in the service manual. Its not the best copy but I can try to decipher it.

I will try to get the surrounddiscography site updated and report back!

 

[hernanca]

Update:

I reached out to both Jim White ("Old Quad Guy" on QQ) and Mark Anderson and both replied. Mark is the one that updates the site and he will be removing the Sanyo FT867 from the Quad Car Decks list in the near future. He also believes that several of the other Sanyo units likely need to be removed from the Quad list too (Ft 817, ft 890, and ft8 200).

I also tried to trace the wiring diagram as suggested, but my lack of experience with electronic diagrams and the quality of diagram I had to work with made it a futile effort for me, so I gave up. I will gladly share the diagrams with anyone that wants to give it a try.

Thanks again for all the help!

 

[Mark Anderson]

Hernanca, sorry for any confusion. I have removed the models that were in question and identified matrix decoder versions. The updated page will be up in a day or two.

 

[hernanca]

Cool - thank you, Mark.

And no worries - I'm glad I was able to help get the list updated!