Hello robertor,

Still button = MUTING the noise between stations in FM.
In case of weak stations / low signal strength you must switch it off, otherwise it will also mute weak signals.

3 bulbs under bass, treble, volume: I guess they indicate reception of the signal from the remote control, when the respective button on the remote control is pushed.

"Pegel" (level control) on the back...don't know, I never saw the back of this unit. Someone else help, please!

Best Regards
Reinhard

Es ist einfach der FB Telecommander G, die 69 steht für 69 Transistoren, das gehört nicht zur Modellbezeichnung.
Die Funktion der Pegelsteller muss ich nachsehen, ich glaube es ist der Eingang von TA/TB.

Gruß, Dieter

Hello robertor.

The bulbs below the controls will light up when the corresponding control is adjusted by the supersonic remote control. still = Muting on FM, see Reinhard's post.
Monitor button and jack on rear is for tape monitoring, will say tape reproduction with 3-Head-Tape Decks.
With the PEGEL-Controls (Pegel is German für Level), the Input sensitivity of the Phono Input resp. the Monitor Input ca be adjusted to achieve same sound level on all sources.
Btw. The correct name of your set is "SABA Freiburg Telecommander G" (not G 69), made in 1971-72.
To this set the "telecommander 50" remote control was included. It allows to swith off/on, select FM-Preset buttons and control Vol/Treble/Bass. All functions are driven by motors.

Regards Stefan

Hey robertor,
looks beautiful, congrats!
What happened to the 3 lamps? They look black instead of orange (or is black the new orange hah)? And why the replaced decoder? Didn't you get the original one working?

However, have much pleasure with the Freiburg.! I have one in my sleeping room, listening to it every night and controling it from bed with the remote control.
It is called Freiburg telecommander G, not G 69. And the Freundenstadt is Freudenstadt, without the n. These horrible german words, must be awful for a non-German. All these names are names of cities in the Black Forest in South Germany. Search Freiburg, Freudenstadt, Villingen and all the others on google maps! Villingen was the city the SABA company and works was located.

Best regards Stefan

That's interesting, because normally only the "H"-model (one year later) is known with the green lights. But yours is an "G", it has the mechanical station memory unit.

The remote control is named "telecommander 50" Maybe this helps you in finding one. It makes much fun, because all functions are motor-driven with beautiful rrrrrrrrr-noises when operated.

BR Stefan

Hi Robertor,

Good work - may I enquire about the serial number of your receiver ?

I also own an early G model with the green lenses (s/n G95211).

Thanks Robertor, There are several threads on the native German part of this forum that describe (partial) refurbishment or life-cycle extension of these type receivers. Experts have differing opinions, which can generally be distinguished in three streams.

1. Corrective replacement only – Only the parts that have developed a defect are or measure outside their electrical ratings are replaced by new part(s) with similar electrical specifications.
   
2. Preventive replacement - All parts with a limited operational life are replaced by a new parts with similar electrical specifications.
3. Resto mod – All parts with a limited operational life are replaced by a new parts with similar or improved electrical / audible specifications.
   

From a historical perspective, those who prefer originality are in favour of the first option, however this doesn’t improve the reliability because after decades of service It is hard to tell when parts with a limited shelf life will fail. That leaves the second or third option. With your polypropylene suggestion, you seem to follow the third route. Whether this makes sense is open to debate between many forum members because this is subject to personal interpretation.

Personally I believe that translating user requirements in technical requirements (i.e. bandwidth, power output, distortion) alone will not necessarily result in the best audible result. Some niche companies have made this a science by defining user criteria like timbre, transparency, spaciousness etc. and empirically adjust parts to achieve the best audible result. However this requires an additional phase in the development process which is time consuming and expensive and does will affect time to market, hence why most development companies in the market (have) omit(ed) this step and rely on tangible requirements for their Quality Management Systems alone. A good example of a company with a clear vision of optimising the listener experience is the Japanese Spec Corporation ( spec-corp.co.jp/e/ ).

Personally, I also believe that the quality of parts can improve the (subjective) listener experience. That is the reason why I have ensured that all capacitors of 10uF and below are replaced with foil capacitors. Although polypropylene is an excellent material, capacitors of this type are generally large and won’t fit in the sometimes small and contained space of said PCBA, incl. the Phono Module.

Another excellent candidate is the Wima MKS2 range which has a pitch of 5mm and will fit in most positions without modifications. Attached you find a picture of the Phono module of one of my Freiburg’s (H model). I replaced the six coupling caps with Wima MKS2 or Nichicon Muse UES series (>10uF). Additionally, the bulk capacitors have been replaced with Elna Silmic II.