'yellow light' AM/FM radio?

[bertfam]

1) Does the AM/FM mono *U69* radio have an indicator lamp??  if so, what color?   I'm suspecting no lamp...

You're correct if by "indicator lamp" you mean the "Stereo" light.

2) Does the blue/yellow lights on the stereo radios indicate 'stereo' reception, or is it a 'signal strength' indicator?

Stereo reception

3) How many speakers did the AM/FM mono (U69) radio come standard with, and where located?

One speaker under the dash

4)  Was the rear speaker optional for all the radios, or just the monaural radios (ie. U63 and U69)??

RPO U80 was available with RPO U63 (AM Radio) and U69 (AM/FM Radio), but NOT available with RPO U57 (Stereo 8 track tape) or U79 (AM/FM Stereo)

Ed

[Steve Shauger]

U79 am/fm stereo had a blue indicator with an external multiplexer mounted in the wiper well as James photo shows. Later in production the yellow indicator (still U79) was introduced. I have never seen a yellow light installed in a 69, but there is enough evidence that they were installed. The rub is that I always thought the yellow indicator radios had an integrated multiplexer (that was the difference and change)and no longer needed the external multiplexer.

U69 mono am/fm was available throughout the year, and doesn't have a blue or yellow stereo indicator.

Question for James, is the multiplexer still hooked up, or was the radio possibly replaced at a later date with the yellow lite and multiplexer bypassed.

[69Z28-RS]

Ed,

Thanks for your answers which cleared up some questions I had (and possibly for others)! 

Steve wrote:  "Question for James, is the multiplexer still hooked up, or was the radio possibly replaced at a later date with the yellow lite and multiplexer bypassed."

Steve, I had that same question when I read James' post... If the 'yellow light' unit didn't eliminate the 2nd electronics unit, it made me wonder WHY they did a mid-year change???  but after 47 yrs, *many parts* have moved from one car to another..

[bertfam]

The rub is that I always thought the yellow indicator radios had an integrated multiplexer (that was the difference and change)and no longer needed the external multiplexer.

I agree. The yellow light stereo was a self contained system. No separate multiplex unit like the old(er) blue light.

Dave's car was built in very early May, 1969 (05A), so it "should" (I say "should" because that's in a gray area) have come with the Blue light stereo and the separate multiplex unit. If it now has a yellow light stereo AND the multiplex, then the stereo's been replaced and the multiplex isn't hooked up. It can't be! There's no place to hook a separate multiplex adapter to a yellow light stereo.

James, are you positive he has a YELLOW light radio in the car???

Ed

[69Z28-RS]

Is there another possibility??   ie. that the lamp/lens in a blue light unit was replaced with the lamp/lens from a yellow light unit???

[Steve Shauger]

My understanding was that the yellow light stereo introduction was very late, Sept of 69.

[KurtS]

1) Does the AM/FM mono *U69* radio have an indicator lamp??  if so, what color?   I'm suspecting no lamp...
2) Does the blue/yellow lights on the stereo radios indicate 'stereo' reception, or is it a 'signal strength' indicator?
3) How many speakers did the AM/FM mono (U69) radio come standard with, and where located?
4)  Was the rear speaker optional for all the radios, or just the monaural radios (ie. U63 and U69)??

It would be good to see some photographs of the various AM/FM radios, as I suspect most of us have only the standard AM radio (U63 with one speaker in the dash) as I do...

Most of the questions are answered in the option sheet: http://www.camaros.org/options.shtml#RPOSpreadsheet
1. no
3. front
4. mono. Kinda hard to add 3 speakers in the back with the stereos.
http://www.chevelles.com/radiotech/

[Danzo]

Ed, respectfully I disagree. I have a yellow light stereo with the separate multiplex unit. This setup definitely came in this car( 1 owner 1969-2013). As I stated in a previous post, the transistor on the back of the radio is dated 6916. The back of this radio has the round receiver for the multiplex unit and the multiplex unit was plugged in! Let me know what pics you would like to see. Never say never.

Doc.

[bertfam]

Kurt brought up a remembrance in the deep, dark recesses of his mind, and after he said it, it kind of jogged my memory too (although I'm FAR from an authority on 1969 radios), that there were actually 3 AM/FM stereo radios used in 1969.

1. The early to mid Blue light (with the separate Multiplex adapter)
2. The mid Yellow light (again, with the separate Multiplex adapter)
3. The late Yellow light (self contained, and actually designed for the 1970 model year)

Mark has yet to reply, but I also seem to remember something about the heat fins on the self contained (1970) yellow light rubbing against the dash??? (Old age is a BITCH!)

And of course I would never speak for Kurt, but this would explain the yellow light radios we're seeing with the separate multiplex adapter.

Ed

[Mark]

Been trying to dig thru old posts, my Delco service manuals and some Sams Radio manuals to find out what the story is or was.  Came up with the following summary of 69 radio part numbers.

AM radio is 91APB1
 AM/FM is 91BPB1 (P/N 7307321)
 AM/FM Stereo is 91BFM1 (P/N 7307331)
 AM/FM Yellow light is 91BFM2

 Numbers decode as:

 9=model year (1969)
 1= GM Division, Chevrolet, 2= Pontiac
 A= A-Body Chassis, B= B body Chassis
 PB= Pushbutton, F= AM/FM
 B= Pushbutton (FM only), M= Multiplex
 last number = release number

 The multiplex unit is 91FMP11
 The under dash multiplex is 91BMP21 (dealer installed only)
 The under dash 8 track is 91BT411
 The under dash multiplexed 8 track is 91BT421
 The console mounted 8 track is 91FT221

The 91BFM2 shows up in the March Sams Radio Repair manuals around March or April of 69 and it does have an external multiplex unit attached to it.  The only differences I can see between the FM1 and FM2 is the transistors change to DS-74s from DS-27s,the dial lens and the stereo indicator lens part numbers change (they are the same part numbers used in Cadillac multiplex units at tis point).  The part number on the lenses change and while the parts list don't identify color I'm ASSUMING the indicator lens changed from blue to yellow at this point.  As a running change with no other apparent installation differences I would guess that it would be possible that a late March car could get one, while later cars could still get a 91BFM1 radio unit the original units were used up.  As a low production option, I don't know if the assembly plant would have a stockpile of them, or if they were delivered to the plants in small batches over time.  I can not find another radio part number for the multiplexed stereo that was specifically identified for the 69 Camaros later in production that did not have the external multiplexor.  If there is a non separate multiplex unit radio used, it must carry the 1970 model year tags.

[69Z28-RS]

thank you very much Mark!   Between this great information that you dug out, and the info provided by others in this thread, we can probably put together a pretty complete story re the 1969 radios available throughout the year...

The only things we didn't address in this thread were the antennas...  I *think* the radios with FM capability required a different antenna than the base AM radio??

[Steve Shauger]

Gary the FM equipped cars had a fixed length mast and AM equipped cars had a adjustable length mast. The rear antenna option was not available on FM equipped cars and D80 (spoiler equipped cars).

[Kelley W King]

For those who want sound and look, the 70 Monte Carlo and Chevelle fit and look like the 69 yellow light.

[bertfam]

Thank you Mark. That does support what Kurt and I seemed to remember.

I believe we've also discussed the 1970 AM/FM being installed in the very late 1969 Camaro because of the extended production, but it appears there's no conclusive data (proof) regarding this?

Ed

[Mark]

Just for the record, none of my manuals that I have are for late 69, so there could be another part number out there that got added to a September parts manual, or radio service manual for an AM/FM stereo radio that had an internal multiplexor. So there may still be one out there, I just can't find it. 

My Delco manual is from early 69 and my Sam's radio manuals are issued monthly and I have them for most of the 67 to early 70 production periods, but they don't tell me specifically vehicle each radio would go in.  Sams manuals are kind of a pictorial guide to components on various different radios used in all Car lines in the late 60's and early 70's.  They were probably used by radio repair shops to repair broken radios back before we just threw a piece of broken electronics in the trash. They have pictures of the individual board inside the radios and identify the part numbers or model of the components on the board, much like the Delco manual do, but they cover a ton of different models, and probably not all of ones that interest us.