Citroën GSA radio suggestions

[Sam Glover]

There’s a hole under my left elbow in my Citroën GSA and filling it presents an opportunity. Unfortunately, while I like cars and radios to an “inappropriate” degree, car radios aren’t on my nerd spectrum. I am therefore lighting the nerd assistance alert beacon.

The interior is two-tone brown-on-brown, with embellishments in brown. Being a GSA, it can swing freely between 70s kitsch and 80s spank.

Below is some pornography to set the scene.

Ideally, of course, it needs a tiny CRT display linked to a ZX Spectrum with a speech synthesis cartridge and Death Star exhaust port targeting capability.

Suggestions will be most welcome.

[Shite Ron]

This is in my 1984 CX:

This is in the 1978 CX:

From the pictures I am guessing your car is 1980’s so I would go with the Blaupunkt London.

Digital radios were out in the early eighties so something like this may look good:

I got outbid on this at the last minute as I am a skinflint.

[Fabergé Greggs]

If you’ve got a smart phone then that will be a way better headunit than any headunit. You can get amazing little digital amps that you can hide away with EQ and Bluetooth built in, so your phone will auto connect when you get in and provide all the banging tuneage you need. 
 

Most crucially, this frees you up to put whatever the hell you want in the gap- a full size LCD screen that displays the the waveform of the music you’re listening to in lurid colours/ text of the track in a suitable font (probably doable on an arduino with a display shield), or just run a ZX spectrum emulator on a raspberry PI. Either way, you could definitely get something reasonably consistent with the dash aesthetics. 

[Asimo]

Has to be one of those first-generation digital synthesized-tuning radios, just available in overlap with the GSA. 
Philips Ac741 for example.

 

[Sam Glover]

1 minute ago, Fabergé Greggs said:

Most crucially, this frees you up to put whatever the hell you want in the gap- a full size LCD screen that displays the the waveform of the music you’re listening to in lurid colours (probably doable on an arduino with a display shield), or just run a ZX spectrum emulator on a raspberry PI. 

Good answer!

The function of the radio is of minimal importance. Though I like both in isolation, I rarely feel the urge to enjoy cars and radios simultaneously.

[Six-cylinder]

My 1983 Visa GT still has its Sharp RG-9010 with Cassette fitted.

I have found an accessory brochure that includes the GSA but it asked you to look in the In-Car Audio Systems brochure for the radios, which I do not have. It says philips, Blaupunkt and Sharp on the cover. 

[jonathan_dyane]

Here hare here

 

[robinmasters]

2 hours ago, Sam Glover said:

Good answer!

The function of the radio is of minimal importance. Though I like both in isolation, I rarely feel the urge to enjoy cars and radios simultaneously.

So fit something period and match the colour & brightness of the illumination to the dash, so you've got a lighty-up thing that fits with the rest of the car. 

[Dead_E23]

Whichever you choose, for period correctness the cassette door needs to have a mixture of fag ash and pastry crumbs perched on it 

[Sam Glover]

Just stumbled across this...

https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/but-wait-theres-more/a1912791/must-have-accessory-well-equipped-1980s-driver-2-screen-dash-tv/

[Sam Glover]

That Blaupunkt equaliser binnacle is quite a thing – and here's one in real life...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Blaupunkt-BEQ-S-Equalizer-Gooseneck-Rare-Vintage-70s-Car-Radio-Equaliser/124328280429

...but when did soiled 80s car radio tat suddenly become so expensive?

[Six-cylinder]

11 minutes ago, Sam Glover said:

...but when did soiled 80s car radio tat suddenly become so expensive?

I think you are right, but only the best stuff from the best brands at the moment, but the rest will follow. I sold ICE from a motor parts store in the early 1980s and it was expensive to buy.

But then eighties cars have gone that way so way no surprise really. 

 

[dollywobbler]

I may have something that will fit the bill - I seem to have quite a few stereo/cassette players of dubious effectiveness, but which may well look the part. Can have a rummage next time I'm at the unit if you like. I also received a Citroen accessory brochure which I'm sure did show various options for the GSA.

[Largactil]

I have this chap in my LNA, picked up for £20-30 about 5-6 years ago from eBay - It's actually a VW dealer fit option, but seemed to fit the 1983 vibe quite well...

[Sam Glover]

On 2/16/2021 at 2:40 PM, dollywobbler said:

I may have something that will fit the bill - I seem to have quite a few stereo/cassette players of dubious effectiveness, but which may well look the part. Can have a rummage next time I'm at the unit if you like. I also received a Citroen accessory brochure which I'm sure did show various options for the GSA.

That would be fabulous, Ian.

It's annoying that I can't un-see the ridiculous TV On The Radio 1980s fantasy unit. Google has dredged up Yoko models for sale in Russia and Germany...

https://www.ebay.de/itm/Yoko-CCTV-1-in-dash-TV/393112382944

...the latter being very tempting indeed. The white noise displayed on its screen is exactly what I'm taking about. Modern.

[Sam Glover]

...fuck it. I've bought it. I'm very excited.

[406V6]

I'll just leave this here, bought by me in 1984 and unused since 1988.  What's one of these worth if it works ?

 

[Fabergé Greggs]

1 hour ago, Sam Glover said:

That would be fabulous, Ian.

It's annoying that I can't un-see the ridiculous TV On The Radio 1980s fantasy unit. Google has dredged up Yoko models for sale in Russia and Germany...

https://www.ebay.de/itm/Yoko-CCTV-1-in-dash-TV/393112382944

...the latter being very tempting indeed. The white noise displayed on its screen is exactly what I'm taking about. Modern.

Nice! The analogue TV transmitters were switched off a while ago, so you're not going to have much luck receving pictures. Not to worry though, an RF modulator is all you need to watch your favourite stuff from youtube via your phone, or just load a mega cheap media player with all your favourite citroen adverts on repeat. 

[Three Speed]

When I bought my GS (blue interior) off its first owner, he told me that the Philips radio fitted was apparently the only radio-cassette on the market that was designed to fit vertically - to do with how the cassette player worked - maybe it was specially resistant to the dose of fagash and biscuit crumbs that it would receive with every cassette as@Dead_E23. suggests. The radio was black and looked ok but it's a ridiculous place to put it. My wife's GSA had a beige / brown interior but I can't remember the radio at all. Could it have been a beige radio?

Sam how are you going to watch the little TV with the screen below your elbow? A former Korean colleague of mine in Seoul in the 90's was keen on adding tech to his otherwise forgettable car. His sound system would make your ears bleed and his high level brake lights were stroboscopic to entertain the following driver. He fitted an aftermarket airbag system - bags fitted just below the sun visors - he was safety conscious. He also fitted a TV that he could watch whilst driving. It was about a 6 inch screen - a cathode ray tube so it was about 10 inches deep. It was mounted on a spike screwed to the top of the dashboard.  He could remove the TV which left this spike pointing straight at the him - but at least he had an airbag.