Decca MS2000 series b&w sets- any left?

[Colourstar]

Hello all, I wondered if anyone here had in their collection an example of the Decca MS series hybrid single standard b&w sets. I've not seen one for ages!

I recall they were rather smart sets in either teak or a dark wood finish, with 4 button varicap tuners and a very compact horizontal chassis that looked somewhat lost in the cabinet- even in the 20" version. There was a rather odd-looking 17" transportable which I guess used a variant of the chassis.

I owned a couple of 20" Deccas around 1986 when they could occasionally be found in the ubiquitous 'reconditioned' tv shops, alongside ITT-KBs, BRC1500s and RBM A774s enjoying their last years of service. £25 with 3 months guarantee was the usual deal!

Any other memories of ownership or servicing? I was hoping to illustrate this thread with a memory-jogging picture of the sets in question but a google image search draws a blank so they must be rare old beasts.

Steve

[dazzlevision]

Originally Posted by Colourstar

Hello all, I wondered if anyone here had in their collection an example of the Decca MS series hybrid single standard b&w sets. I've not seen one for ages!

I recall they were rather smart sets in either teak or a dark wood finish, with 4 button varicap tuners and a very compact horizontal chassis that looked somewhat lost in the cabinet- even in the 20" version. There was a rather odd-looking 17" transportable which I guess used a variant of the chassis.

Steve

Hello,

I think you are actually referring to the Decca MS2001 series, which used the chassis you described (with a very large mains dropper). The 20" MS2001 model used a four position pushbutton mechanical tuner, whereas the 20" MS2020 used a 4 pushbutton varicap control unit and varicap tuner. I have an MS2020 and it does produce a very bright and crisp picture.

The MS2000 series used a different chassis, which was much like its dual standard Decca predecessors, with an MJE340 power transistor used as the Class A audio output stage (on the rather compact IF panel).

The MS2000 tuner mechanism had four pushbuttons and the fifth "button" was for tuning the other four (as used in the Decca Bradford chassis hybrid colour sets).

[Colourstar]

Hi Dazzlevision, thanks for the interesting information on the sets and chassis used. I wasn't aware of the MS2001 with mechanical tuner, having only seen the later varicap type. If you have a camera handy next time you are passing your MS2020 it would be great to see a photo of it.

Steve

[Heatercathodeshort]

I sat on the fence with these models. Reasonably reliable and a fair picture but had that slightly uncomfortable 'Decca' feel that is difficult to explain. A massive mains dropper yes but it still failed! Regards, John.

[AC/HL]

That's a drawing of the transportable from the SM.
At a glance the timebase circuitry bears a distinct similarity with the Baird 660.

[hamid_1]

There's a few nice pictures from a 1972 Decca catalogue here : https://www.radios-tv.co.uk/1972-som...w-televisions/

I've never actually come across the large-screen models. Were they hybrid (valve/transistor)? I have a couple of the portable sets MS1211 and MS1212, one in a white metal cabinet and the other in a stylish wooden cabinet, which looks like a miniature version of a large screen set. Both of these are all solid state (transistors and ICs) designed for mains or battery operation. I imagine the large-screen sets would have been very different internally.

Someone on this forum has offered a Decca MS1700 so there must be at least one of those in existence.

[Focus Diode]

In the early '80s I was given a 24" MS2420 model with a frame time base fault. I corrected that and the set worked very well but needed a new CRT.

The PCB looked lost in the large cabinet! The print was also rather fragile which could explain why very few, if any examples still exist.

Like many of the Bradford colour sets the sound quality is/was superb. Also in common with the Bradford is their return to a valved audio stage in place of solid state in the predecessor chassis.
Brian

[dazzlevision]

Here are a couple of scans from contemporary Decca Radio & Television catalogues, showing the MS2000 and MS2020.

[Welsh Anorak]

Oddly enough I'm just on my way to see a customer that I sold an MS2020 to many years ago, though this call is to a flat screen LG. I did peer into his garage to see whether the old TV is still there last time I called to the house but no luck!
I liked the last of the hybrids, though was less enamoured of the 2000 series with the mechanical tuner and unreliable sound output stage.
You might recall Telefusion rejigged this chassis (as they did with the Bradford) to make it easier to service. The dropper was replaced by an array of transformers and chokes and there were now two redesigned PCBs, ISTR. They rarely performed well with IF instability. I bough several when renovating TVs as they were very handy CRT donors.
Glyn

[Hybrid tellies]

I repaired a lot of the MS1700, MS2001, MS2401 and the newer 20 series in my younger days. As Bristol Wireless had the main Decca dealership in Bath I think these were as common to us as the BRC 1500.
They had a few failings the worst being the main smoothing block leaking over the main PCB and they were not the easiest of sets to repair but these sins were forgiven because of their excellent pictures, with very good black level, and excellent sound quality thanks to a well designed PCL82 sound output stage feeding a large forward facing elliptical speaker.
The later 20's was stuffed with more fuses and fusible resistors. The anode load fusible resistor to the video output section of the PFL200 would sometimes spring open for no reason this would starve the CRT cathode of voltage driving it hard on, loading up the line output stage until the fusible screen feed resistor to the PL504 would also spring open.
Another thing to watch out for especially on all these sets was an open circuit 500mA HT fuse. If it blew due of due to a line output fault the live side of the fuse holder would stay up to 300v DC for ages because there was no discharge path for the HT smoothing cap once this fuse had blown.
The other common failings was the top 2.5k section of the mains dropper going open circuit causing loss of the 25v LT line causing no sound and a blank raster. The 0.1uf mains filter cap would also fail in a spectacular fashion on these sets with the customer saying they heard an explosive bang with a big bright blue flash from the back of the set. I have seen a few where the mains fuse completely vaporised and the fuse holder blown wide open. But as I said before we got to like and respect these sets and the customers were very happy with them.

[dazzlevision]

Originally Posted by Hybrid tellies

I repaired a lot of the MS1700, MS2001, MS2401 and the newer 20 series in my younger days.
They had a few failings the worst being the main smoothing block leaking over the main PCB and they were not the easiest of sets to repair but these sins were forgiven because of their excellent pictures, with very good black level, and excellent sound quality thanks to a well designed PCL82 sound output stage feeding a large forward facing elliptical speaker.

I too found these sets gave/give a very good picture and sound (no intercarrier buzz, unlike most chassis). I made a TV sound tuner from a scrap chassis (cut away everything except the IF and detector stages), plus a varicap tuner and power supply. Very useful for high quality UHF/625 TV sound recordings.

You can clearly see the Baird (Bradford) influence in the circuit and chassis design.

[Welsh Anorak]

I'd agree that these sets gave a much better picture than the ubiquitous 1500. They seemed to have a really good black level, helped by the Mullard CRT.
Unfortunately my elderly customer's garage was locked so i couldn't see if it was still there!
Glyn