Help needed Identifying this vintage radio - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

marconi_pete · 14th Apr 2012, 9:34 pm

Hi there,
I have just acquired this radio, and have no idea about its origin. There are no identifying marks on it that I can see other than the word "Metres" to the left of the dial. It's battery powered and uses a mixture of 3 Ediswan valves and 1 Mullard valve. Any help regarding this, would be greatly appreciated.

Pictures attached as thumbnails below, much better than links to remote-hosted image sites.

'LIVEWIRE?' · 14th Apr 2012, 10:09 pm

Something about those knobs, plus the colour of the rexine says 'Ever Ready' to me, though
I'm prepared to be wrong. No idea what model it is though. Most E.R. sets were 'Sky........' (e.g. Emperor, King, Queen, Prince, etc.) though none of those, IIRC, were 'attache case' types.

Peter.N. · 14th Apr 2012, 10:48 pm

Could be although the outside looks Vidor-ish, not I set I ever remember seeing.

Peter

paulsherwin · 14th Apr 2012, 11:10 pm

If it's full of Ediswan valves it's probably an export set, possibly a Berec which was the Ever Ready export brand. The circuits of these 1950s battery sets are all much of a muchness. The only real difference is the use of a frame or ferrite rod aerial.

marconi_pete · 15th Apr 2012, 12:44 pm

Thanks for all your help. I think it's an Ever Ready set. the set has two dead batteries, one is a 90 volt battery and the other is an 11 and a half volt LT, which I assume is for the valve heaters. Does anyone know what would be a suitable modern equivalent power supply for this, as I've given up all hope of finding original replacements. Thanks in advance.

Darren-UK · 15th Apr 2012, 1:53 pm

Are you sure the LT battery is 11½V? That seems rather peculiar to me for a radio with, presumably, four valves with 1½V heaters; 1½V or 7½V is more the norm for LT batteries.

Anyway, whatever, you won't find replacements as they became obsolete donkey's years ago. Battery eliminators or home-made repro batteries (10 x PP3 for HT, for example) is the usual course of action. There's ample information in the forum about that.

Paul_RK · 15th Apr 2012, 2:59 pm

I just knew we'd been here before, but had to dig out an old Practical Wireless to put a name to the set and find the thread: http://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=48933

Paul

(EDIT : Added scans. This looks more like the exact set than does the earlier ad I found last time)

marconi_pete · 15th Apr 2012, 6:02 pm

Thanks for your help. That is indeed the correct set. I can now stop calling it an Ever Ready set and Start calling it an SRS set. I have come across Battery eliminators before, and they seemed rather large in size. I think my chances of being able to retain the battery eliminator in the same space as the original batteries will be slim. The closest match I could find to the original spec, was a 90V HT/ 1.4V LT. Will this be any good, considering the original LT battery is 1.5v? Thanks in advance.

Paul_RK · 15th Apr 2012, 7:25 pm

No problem there at all. Battery voltages are always nominal, falling as the batteries age - particularly so for the zinc-carbon cells which all radios of this vintage were used with - and 1.4 is actually the specified filament voltage for all battery valves of this vintage (though 1.5 or so, as obtained from new cells, won't hurt them).

14th Apr 2012, 9:34 pm	#1
marconi_pete Triode Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: London Posts: 24	Help needed Identifying this vintage radio Hi there, I have just acquired this radio, and have no idea about its origin. There are no identifying marks on it that I can see other than the word "Metres" to the left of the dial. It's battery powered and uses a mixture of 3 Ediswan valves and 1 Mullard valve. Any help regarding this, would be greatly appreciated. Pictures attached as thumbnails below, much better than links to remote-hosted image sites. Attached Thumbnails

14th Apr 2012, 10:09 pm	#2
'LIVEWIRE?' Octode Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton) Posts: 1,847	Re: Help needed Identifying this vintage radio Something about those knobs, plus the colour of the rexine says 'Ever Ready' to me, though I'm prepared to be wrong. No idea what model it is though. Most E.R. sets were 'Sky........' (e.g. Emperor, King, Queen, Prince, etc.) though none of those, IIRC, were 'attache case' types.

14th Apr 2012, 10:48 pm	#3
Peter.N. Octode Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Charmouth, Dorset Posts: 1,694	Re: Help needed Identifying this vintage radio Could be although the outside looks Vidor-ish, not I set I ever remember seeing. Peter

14th Apr 2012, 11:10 pm	#4
paulsherwin Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 6,991	Re: Help needed Identifying this vintage radio If it's full of Ediswan valves it's probably an export set, possibly a Berec which was the Ever Ready export brand. The circuits of these 1950s battery sets are all much of a muchness. The only real difference is the use of a frame or ferrite rod aerial.

15th Apr 2012, 12:44 pm	#5
marconi_pete Triode Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: London Posts: 24	Re: Help needed Identifying this vintage radio Thanks for all your help. I think it's an Ever Ready set. the set has two dead batteries, one is a 90 volt battery and the other is an 11 and a half volt LT, which I assume is for the valve heaters. Does anyone know what would be a suitable modern equivalent power supply for this, as I've given up all hope of finding original replacements. Thanks in advance.

15th Apr 2012, 1:53 pm	#6
Darren-UK Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Blackpool, Lancashire. Posts: 4,216	Re: Help needed Identifying this vintage radio Are you sure the LT battery is 11½V? That seems rather peculiar to me for a radio with, presumably, four valves with 1½V heaters; 1½V or 7½V is more the norm for LT batteries. Anyway, whatever, you won't find replacements as they became obsolete donkey's years ago. Battery eliminators or home-made repro batteries (10 x PP3 for HT, for example) is the usual course of action. There's ample information in the forum about that. __________________ Darren.

15th Apr 2012, 2:59 pm	#7
Paul_RK Octode Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Durham Posts: 1,675	Re: Help needed Identifying this vintage radio I just knew we'd been here before, but had to dig out an old Practical Wireless to put a name to the set and find the thread: http://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=48933 Paul (EDIT : Added scans. This looks more like the exact set than does the earlier ad I found last time) Attached Thumbnails Last edited by Paul_RK; 15th Apr 2012 at 3:10 pm.

15th Apr 2012, 6:02 pm	#8
marconi_pete Triode Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: London Posts: 24	Re: Help needed Identifying this vintage radio Thanks for your help. That is indeed the correct set. I can now stop calling it an Ever Ready set and Start calling it an SRS set. I have come across Battery eliminators before, and they seemed rather large in size. I think my chances of being able to retain the battery eliminator in the same space as the original batteries will be slim. The closest match I could find to the original spec, was a 90V HT/ 1.4V LT. Will this be any good, considering the original LT battery is 1.5v? Thanks in advance.

15th Apr 2012, 7:25 pm	#9
Paul_RK Octode Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Durham Posts: 1,675	Re: Help needed Identifying this vintage radio No problem there at all. Battery voltages are always nominal, falling as the batteries age - particularly so for the zinc-carbon cells which all radios of this vintage were used with - and 1.4 is actually the specified filament voltage for all battery valves of this vintage (though 1.5 or so, as obtained from new cells, won't hurt them).