Identify Vidor radio?
 

One of the first sets I had as a child was a Vidor mains radio. I've been trying to find a picture of it with no luck. I wonder if anyone knows the set I am on about?

It was a wooden table top set with an unusual 'speaker arrangement. It had two 'speakers, one energised and the other a PM. The 'speakers were at an angle of some 45 degrees at each side of the cabinet.

On the front it had a 'letterbox' illuminated tuning dial which had no protective glass on it. I.e. you could touch the tuning pointer. There were three controls, volume band and tuning.

Any ideas?

Re: Identify Vidor radio?
 

Hello,
This Burndept 201 radio is similar:- https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/burndept_201.html . It has an energised and a PM speaker but has four not three knobs.
According to radiomuseum Vidor bought Burndept.
Yours, Richard

Re: Identify Vidor radio?
 

Thanks Richard, that could be the one and I may be wrong about how many knobs it had. I do remember it had an oddball output valve in it which this one has. The set was at some point sent to Vidor for servicing and they didn't have the correct output valve so another one was fitted on a rewired base to get the set working.

Re: Identify Vidor radio?
 

There appears to be many variations of this Burndept radio. This one has a lift up lid with the tuning scale, tuning and wavechange controls concealed underneath.

It has been resting for many years in my collection. A nice product. Quality Burndept. John.

Re: Identify Vidor radio?
 

The first one looks far more like my one and it never had a lift up lid. There doesn't seem to be a maker's mark on Richards one so it's not certain that this is the one but it sure looks similar but I don't recall a tone control.

I know it had gram input which never went via the volume control, i.e. the gram was full volume overload at all times. One of the first things I learnt was how to wire an external volume pot' up to tame the thing. I was told that the reason the gram input was always at full was that some record decks had their own volume pots' built in.

Re: Identify Vidor radio?
 

That smacks of a quick thinking bean counter or a lazy designer......

Re: Identify Vidor radio?
 

Could well be. It seems that the way to stop hearing the radio while using the gram input was to tune it to a dead spot or unplug the aerial.

From what I can tell this way of doing things wasn't unique to this set or make.

Re: Identify Vidor radio?
 

Hello,
Looking at the Mullard valve replacement guide there were three versions of the Burndept 201 from circa 1934 to 1936.
I found the picture below of one with with three knobs.
Burndept was bought by Vidor in 1934 so the 201 could have gone back to Vidor for repair as I think both Vidor and Burndept radios were produced in the same factory in Erith.
It is possible that there was a Vidor badged version.
Yours, Richard

Re: Identify Vidor radio?
 

That is it!!! :)

P.s. It seems there was a major fire at the Vox/Burndept/Vidor factory in 1965 and one floor was completely destroyed.