Tunes VHF/MW/LW
These things will soon be as rare as hen's teeth. Why? Because they're too bulky for people to give them house room. Too big to put in the loft. Too large and heavy to transport to a new home. Add to that the styling that would look out of place anywhere except a 1960's house and the fact that a replacement stylus or cartridge is getting difficult to purchase. No longer are these to be seen on racks in the local Radio and TV shop, now a specialist has to be commandeered to source one.
Even the VHF/FM tuning is disappointing. In those days the part of the band starting now with Radio 1 used to be the province of the local police and few if any manufacturers' included coverage beyond 98 or 100MHz.
One used to place one's entire collection of records on the centre spindle, sit back and listen to the complicated mechanical arrangements plonk each record on the platter then play, hopefully to the end, without getting stuck on one section because of a crack. Even the mechanical noise of the autochanger was amplified by the sensitive cartridge on cheaper versions so it was always with a sense of expectation that we waited to see what was next in store.
Just think of the remains of hundreds of thousands of these now rotting in land-fill sites?
This must be one of the first Japanese Transistor equipments imported to the UK and it was still in its box with all the original packing and handbook.
I think it must have been in the bottom of a box of stuff I bought at an auction. That street auction alas is no more as the Company running it couldn't make ends meet. I discovered though the biggest of the vendors was the local recycling centre although it wasn't called that then. Whenever I call at the nearby computer wholesaler's to pick up stock I call in to see what's on offer. Unfortunately prices are rising and electrical equipment is now stored in a presentable "building" with mains power so the chap in charge can check the various things. On the last visit (mid-2001) I saw half a dozen new Pace "analogue" satellite receivers presumably dumped by a dealer, and a nice looking CTX 17" computer monitor for which I paid £5, and later fixed.
This miniature radiogram or to call it by the maker's name "8 Transistor Solid State Radio Phonograph", plays 33 or 45 rpm records and has a medium wave receiver. The stylus is called a "needle", there's a preventative maintenance schedule, a complete circuit diagram and a list of transistors (presumably a hang-over from the valve era when one needed to replace the latter regularly). The English in the handbook is full of errors. The instructions for the radio are headed "TO OPERASSET RADIO". Anyone know when it was made or who "Rio" is?
My friend Norman in Liverpool
brought this set the best part of 300 miles for my collection.
The photo could be better but the set was a bit heavy to carry
down four flights of stairs to the dining table where I took the
last lot of pictures. The set was probably made in 1953. The Coronation
in that year probably accounts for speeding up the widespread
popularity of TV. In Liverpool where I lived we had to use the
"Sutton Coalfield" transmitter before "Holme Moss"
was built. Sets could tune to only one channel, being preset by
the local dealer and even when new had to be viewed in darkened
rooms. Before the start of transmissions the BBC used to show
you how to watch your TV by drawing the curtains etc...
It's complete except for the centre knob that tunes the built-in VHF radio.
The missing back piece is inside waiting to be restored. The set has a 13 channel turret tuner and with the radio option tunes Band I, II and III. It will be set to 405 lines of course so I won't be using it. I thought it would make a nice ornament though. These type of sets used to be two-a-penny when UHF started with the result that they are now very scarce. The cabinet is lovely and shiny and would still look nice in anyone's front room. I'm not allowed to have it in mine though!
An old valve amplifier
See some wind-up gramophones
