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Vintage Audio (record players, hi-fi etc) Amplifiers, speakers, gramophones and other audio equipment.

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Old 15th Jun 2017, 5:31 pm   #1
astro63
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Default E.A.R Battery radiogram

Does anyone know the model this is. Many years ago I saw just a gram / record player version, is this the Autobat transistor battery operated.
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Old 15th Jun 2017, 5:47 pm   #2
Edward Huggins
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Default Re: E.A.R Battery radiogram

This is extemely rare and was actually made by Perdio, but with an EAR badge.

The cabinet was from an (identical) CIVIC badged mains record player, also built by Perdio.

The RF stages on this are based on a 2 Band Perdio Transistor portable which was cobbled onto the baffle. I don't know what the battery life would be like given it has an autohanger. It dates from 1962.
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Old 15th Jun 2017, 7:15 pm   #3
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Default Re: E.A.R Battery radiogram

That is the Radiogram version of the EAR 'Autobat' record player, one of which I owned over 50 years ago. I also had the add-on stereo amplifier to go with it. Both units were powered by 6 U2 batteries as they were then called ('D' cells in modern parlance). As can be seen from picture #3 of Astro63's post, these were fitted with a BSR Autochanger that was equipped with a 9vDC Motor ( I still have the motor from mine somewhere!) A 4 or 5 transistor amplifier was used, described at the time by EAR as a 'powerful new 1000mW amplifier' and a quite large (5 or 6" round) speaker. No provision for mains operation was made, though a 9vDC PSU (aka 'wallwart') could no doubt be used, provided it was capable of supplying the relatively high current demanded by the player. BTW I didn't know that the 'Autobat' series was made by Perdio)
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Old 15th Jun 2017, 8:09 pm   #4
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Default Re: E.A.R Battery radiogram

Glad I won it waiting for it to come, it needs a bit of a repair I expect capacitors as seller said some hissing can be heard, I will possibly need advice / circuit imfo at a later date, will keep you informed
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Old 15th Jun 2017, 11:20 pm   #5
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Default Re: E.A.R Battery radiogram

The service Data for the Autobat is available from 'up top' for £1.99. This may not include the radio section, but will help with servicing the amplifier. It's worth pointing out that the autochanger will almost certainly need servicing, as it will suffer from the hardened grease problem. If it sti
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Old 16th Jun 2017, 8:50 am   #6
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Default Re: E.A.R Battery radiogram

For some reason (gremlins in the works!?), the last part of my comment in post #5, wasn't included. What I said was 'If theoriginal TC8 or TC8s Cartridge is still fitted, that will also need replacing with something like a SC11M, as, like almost all crystal cartridges, it will almost certainly have failed. Even if it is working, should it be a TC8M (Mono) it will wreck stereo records.
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Old 16th Jun 2017, 5:15 pm   #7
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Default Re: E.A.R Battery radiogram

Thanks for the imfo, i will keep it with a mono ful-fi as i only have mono albums and mainly play 60s singles, will keep ya updated
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Old 22nd Jun 2017, 8:32 pm   #8
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Default Re: E.A.R Battery radiogram

Well it arrived safe n sound, the cartridge is BSR Ful-Fi stereo ( grey colour ) works great, the motor was a surprise as ive not seen one for years and was used in the Tara Twin portable radiogram and made by the company Greencoat which staar used But a smaller unit housed in complete metal casing.

The hiss is present on radio and gram, ive sprayed the pots and made no difference so most likely capacitors. the deck BSR UA14 after stripping the motor and cleaned works perfect and the motor doesn't come to a halt during auto change.

Question now is where i can get the audio side repaired, ive had the guts out but not confident to do the job as it looks very compact and the red colour capacitors are put in that i cant read the voltages etc. Any recommendations of repair people would be great, as its a fab gram in top conditon
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Old 22nd Jun 2017, 8:39 pm   #9
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Default Re: E.A.R Battery radiogram

Can you explain a bit more about the hiss, not something ive come across thats associated with bad caps. Bad caps usually means hum and distorted sound, i maybe wrong.
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Old 22nd Jun 2017, 9:43 pm   #10
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Default Re: E.A.R Battery radiogram

can only describe it like the back ground sound between stations on MW just a constant hiss with bit of crackling the audio isnt distorted in sound when playing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHvGTWcJqM8
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Old 22nd Jun 2017, 10:04 pm   #11
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Default Re: E.A.R Battery radiogram

Possibly noisy carbon resistors or maybe transistors- if it is present in both radio (as per the youtube sample) and disc modes, in the audio amplifier, which uses, IIRC, OC71, OC81, transistors. The cicuit is quite simple, being a typical, for it's time, 4 or 5 transistor transformer coupled push-pull amplifier. The MW/LW radio is also typical of it's day, too. Does the noise and crackling vary with the setting of the volume and/or tone control(s)?
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Old 22nd Jun 2017, 10:48 pm   #12
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Default Re: E.A.R Battery radiogram

the noise doesn't change when adjusting the volume i.e turn volume up max the the hiss sound stays the same volume, sometimes it does crackle with the hiss, when i had the circuit board out there is a silver resistor or capacitor as in pic 3 if you touch that its hiss / crackle
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Old 23rd Jun 2017, 9:15 am   #13
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Default Re: E.A.R Battery radiogram

If you are referring to the component at the bottom centre of the PCB in your photo, that's an electrolytic capacitor. It could be faulty, after all, it, and all the other parts, are by now about 55 years old, but it could simply be a dry solder joint or fractured printed circuit track. I'd be inclined to check all components for dry joints or loose connections before changing anything, though I still feel that noisy carbon resistors are likely to cause the crackles and hiss.
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Old 23rd Jun 2017, 5:09 pm   #14
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Default Re: E.A.R Battery radiogram

thanks livewire will have a look and check weekend and if no joy look for a repair person who knows what there doing
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Old 28th Jun 2017, 9:19 am   #15
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Default Re: E.A.R Battery radiogram

From 'The Gramophone' July 1958. J.
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Old 28th Jun 2017, 11:51 am   #16
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Default Re: E.A.R Battery radiogram

Neither of the players in that advert is the 'Autobat', which, as it's name implies, and as 'astro63's' pictures show, was fitted with a BSR Autochanger, probably the only battery operated record player so equipped. The players in the ad. are 'Playbat' portables, the one on the right being for 45rpm records only. What is interesting to note is the prices, 20gns £21.00) & 18gns. (£18.90) respectively, probably more than mains powered players, and equal to maybe £600-£700 of today's money. The Autobat came out about4 or 5 years later. I don't remember what it cost, only that I had to buy mine on HP!
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Old 28th Jun 2017, 7:13 pm   #17
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Default Re: E.A.R Battery radiogram

a Playbat sold on ebay few months ago, i was out bid :-( nice to see this advert livewire
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Old 4th Jul 2017, 8:23 am   #18
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Default Re: E.A.R Battery radiogram

Did you solve the problem with your Autobat, astro63?
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Old 4th Jul 2017, 6:06 pm   #19
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Default Re: E.A.R Battery radiogram

well, ummm nah, been a few issues with the motor speed going fast then slow so stripped it again, think oil had soaked into the brushes, i soaked them over night in surgical spirit, then held them over a flame and let them burn evaporate the spirit / oil, which funny enough seems to cure the problem, i also cleaned the copper part on the motor where the brushes touch to make it spin, and generally remove all oil.
played it 2 nights running for couple hours without and speed issues, As for the hum/hiss ive not attempted that as its beyond my ability so when the novelty rares f being a new player i'll ask around who can completely service the radio/ amp part of it.

when its playing the hiss isnt that audioable, thou i have one question and have looked on here, it has a BSR TC8 stereo my question is what wires go on the cartridge pins, and what pins, it has red black yellow ( does yellow go in the center pin or on left / right ) p.s cartridge works great
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Old 4th Jul 2017, 6:20 pm   #20
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Default Re: E.A.R Battery radiogram

How strange to have a stereo cartridge fitted into this? The black is for the common ground. The red and yellow are for the seperate channels. These must be bridged on the tag strip under the turntable so you can hear both channels combined.
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