Re: "Universal" valve radio
Oliver,
The dial markings are a clue to the date of your radio. In this case "BBC 3" appears a two points of the medium wave scale - representing the Third Programme, which began in 1946 and became Radio Three in 1967.
If the set is not a well-known one, the valve line-up gives some indication of the design philosophy and the valve types will also relate to the time the set was made. Octal, Mazda Octal and similar sized valves were used up until the early 1950s and began to be replaced by types with B7G, B8A and B9A bases from the late 1940s. More exact dating can be set by codes on some components, especially electrolytic capacitors which usually are marked with the date of manufacture. Obviously this depends on their being the originals.
In default of a service sheet, a circuit diagram or a sales brochure, photographs of the inside would help with dating.
As you are fairly new to the Forum, I hope you won't mind being reminded that any radio intended for AC or DC mains will have a live chassis and needs careful safety precautions when working on it to prevent possibly fatal shocks. You radio is very likely to be "Universal" in this respect too.
PMM
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