Sparks of Resilience: The Electrifying Tale of the Geracord GC 6022

Once upon a time, in the magical land of the future DDR (East Germany), a company called Elektronik Gera, VEB, Ostd. (also known as RFT) embarked on an electrifying adventure. It all began in 1938 when Siemens & Halske AG, Berlin's capacitor connoisseurs, decided to set up shop in the former shoe factory of the late Gera manufacturer Kobitzsch. Little did they know that their capacitor production facility would become the birthplace of a cassette recorder legend.

But fate had other plans for RFT. The war came and went, leaving the company feeling a bit dismantled—twice, in fact, by the Soviet occupying forces. It was a tough period, but undeterred, RFT rose from the ashes in 1948 as VEB RFT Capacitor Works Gera. They were determined to bring the world their electrifying creations once again.

In 1973, RFT decided to crank up the excitement by venturing into the world of cassette tape recorders and dictation machines. They thought, "Why limit ourselves to capacitors when we can capture people's voices and musical melodies?" And thus, the Geracord Portable Selection series was born.

Now, picture the chaotic era of German reunification around 1990, with markets collapsing left and right. RFT found itself teetering on the brink of collapse for the second time in its storied history. It was a dire situation, and the company needed a cure—no, not just any treatment, but a drastic one!

With bated breath and an ample supply of wound capacitors, RFT spun off into a new venture in 1992. They called it Electronicon Condensers GmbH, a name that could make even the most serious electricians crack a smile. This daring move proved to be a success, and Electronicon Condensers found themselves thriving on the world stage. They had gone from almost collapsing to becoming one of the largest and trend-setting companies in their sector. It was like a true underdog story, but with capacitors instead of Rocky Balboa.

Now, let's turn our attention to the star of our tale—the Geracord GC 6022 Portable Selection Mono Cassette Recorder. This little marvel was made in the DDR specifically for export, ready to conquer the hearts and ears of people worldwide. It was a close cousin to the Geracord GC 6020, but with one quirk that made it truly stand out—a mischievous internal microphone.

On August 27, 1989, amidst the picturesque landscapes of Luxembourg, a young tourist from Holland found himself drawn to Pierre Moulis Radioshop, located at 2 Av. de la Gare. Little did he know that destiny awaited him in the form of the Geracord 6022. The young man had a burning desire to study English, and what better way to do it than with a trusty and cheap tape recorder by his side? Pierre Moulis could not sell this tape recorder for almost 7 years, so the Dutch tourist have git a big discount.

Excitedly, he purchased the Geracord GC 6022, clutching the box as if it held the secrets of language mastery within its cardboard walls. The tape recorder traveled back to Holland, carrying the hopes and dreams of its new owner. Finally, 34 years after these events, this GC 6022 in the same box along with the original instruction manual and schematic found its forever home in the Retro Audio Museum in Lelystad, where it would be cherished as a relic of a bygone Eastern Bloc era.

And there you have it—a tale of resilience, reinvention, and a tape recorder's journey to help a young man conquer the English language. It reminds us that even in the face of uncertainty, laughter can spark from the most unexpected places. So, the next time you see a humble cassette recorder, remember the Geracord GC 6022 and the electrifying adventure it embarked upon.

 

I do not know! I have the original manual instructions, but nothing there about the batteries. Finally, I can not open the battery pocket, it is blocked due to its age, and I do not want to break it, sorry!

 

If somebody is interested - https://www.kleinanzeigen.de/s-anze...ono-kassettenrekorder-ddr/2311243751-172-3364

 

I had an RFT boombox, it had very strange capacitors. Bigger than normal.