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General Vintage Technology Discussions For general discussions about vintage radio and other vintage electronics etc. |
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5th Sep 2022, 3:07 pm | #1 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
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The last rented radios?
Just out of interest, does anyone know the date that renting a radio became obsolete?
I would have thought some time in the late-50s/early-60s. And it would probably have been from some small corner-shop type outfit rather than the big boys like DER or Radio Rentals.
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5th Sep 2022, 3:46 pm | #2 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Fakenham, Norfolk, UK.
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Re: The last rented radios?
I'm actually surprised that Hughes, who have a large branch here, seem not currently to be offering any radios to rent - they do have a range of smart speakers available, starting at £1.62 a week.
As regards the smallest outfits, the chap who sold me a Bush SAC25 and Ekco A22 off the back of a van in 1969 told me he had only lately stopped renting them out. They've both followed me around ever since. Paul |
5th Sep 2022, 3:56 pm | #3 |
Dekatron
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Location: Rugeley, Staffordshire, UK.
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Re: The last rented radios?
I would think late 60s. By then most people would be preoccupied with TV I would have thought. But the true answer is probably going to be much later!
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5th Sep 2022, 4:42 pm | #4 |
Heptode
Join Date: Dec 2020
Location: Swaffham, Norfolk, UK.
Posts: 587
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Re: The last rented radios?
Just along the road from Paul was a cycle shop in Litcham, 'Rowe and Son' . the proprietor Fred Rowe also rented out radios, not TVs, just radios. When he passed away his son had no inclination towards either cycles or radios and the shop became a confectioners and tobacconists. The last remaining rental customers were given their sets during the early 80's I'm informed
Most of his stock were 'Bush' and I have two of them in my custody! One a DAC90 the other a VHF61. Greg. |
5th Sep 2022, 5:38 pm | #5 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,865
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Re: The last rented radios?
There was a big batch of DAC90As which turned up in a warehouse 10 or so years ago, which were apparently ex-rentals.
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5th Sep 2022, 6:15 pm | #6 |
Moderator
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Re: The last rented radios?
Mass renting declined sharply when commercial production restarted after WW2. Many people bought their first radio after about 1950, often using the 'never never' (hire purchase). People started viewing renting as throwing money away, just as happened with mono TV around 1970 and colour TV around 1980. That's why the world is still awash with 50s radios 70 years later, while only a few high end 30s sets survived - the prewar sets were scrapped by the rental companies as customers returned them.
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5th Sep 2022, 6:32 pm | #7 |
Hexode
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Ryde, Isle of Wight, UK.
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Re: The last rented radios?
Believe it or not, when I worked for Granada Tv Rental (the first time ) about 1976, they had a few, and I mean a few, two of three perhaps, Transistor Radios out on Rental dating from the Robinson Rental days, cant remember the make, but they looked very early 60`s retro, and I believe as part of their rental contract, subscribers were supplied with replacement PP9`s .
I always remember one little old granny regularly calling in the Kilburn Branch to have her PP9 fitted. Ken G6HZG.
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5th Sep 2022, 7:06 pm | #8 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2003
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Re: The last rented radios?
Quote:
I don't recall hearing at all of radios being rented in the 1920s, when radio was still a minority activity. A few familiar names in rental began in the '30s - Radio Rentals itself in 1930. It grew from modest beginnings, and some local dealerships clearly offered set rental on their own initiative, but still my guess would be at something around 10-15% of sets rented in the mid to late '30s. Paul |
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5th Sep 2022, 7:41 pm | #9 |
Moderator
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Re: The last rented radios?
There was a big market for rented battery sets in the 30s, with customers taking the LT accumulators back to the rental shop (often a bike shop) to be charged. This happened even in cities with a decent mains supply, as mains electricity was still a new thing in working class areas and people didn't understand or trust it. After the war these sets were mostly scrapped.
My mother remembered taking the accumulators to be charged as a young girl in the war years. By the early 50s the radio had been replaced by a Philips bakelite mains set, which I remember my grandad using to listen to Sports Report as a boy. I think this was typical of many working class families. |
5th Sep 2022, 8:18 pm | #10 |
Octode
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Belper Derbyshire
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Re: The last rented radios?
I think that renting a radio would have died off in the 50’s as smaller, lower cost sets became available, with simpler 3 valves and a rectifier circuits established as an industry standard by this time, the requirements for regular repairs soon started drying up. With most of the radio sets I have had from this era and later, I find that most of the valves and components are the originals. With the odd replacement component here and there.
Christopher Capener
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5th Sep 2022, 10:15 pm | #11 |
Nonode
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Stockport, Cheshire, UK.
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Re: The last rented radios?
I remember reading that Michael Caine bought his parents a radio when he started to make enough money from acting, so they wouldn't have to rent a set.
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5th Sep 2022, 10:31 pm | #12 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Brentwood, Essex, UK.
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Re: The last rented radios?
In the summer of 1962 when I was a schoolboy, I spent a week's holiday at Caister holiday camp in Norfolk with my cousin, and we hired a transistor radio from the camp for the week. That was the only example of radio hire I encountered.
Last edited by emeritus; 5th Sep 2022 at 10:32 pm. Reason: typos |
5th Sep 2022, 10:48 pm | #13 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Wellington, New Zealand.
Posts: 653
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Re: The last rented radios?
A year or two back here in NZ I saw ads on TV for renting whiteware (Washing machines, dryers, fridges etc) and still TV's/radios. I'm not sure if they are still out there though as they've got so cheap here that few would want to - but places like hotels, motels might I suppose.
My favourite rental story was from the early days of colour TV here (1980's). Virtually all sets were rented and those in motels had special alarms to prevent theft. Anyway a company suddenly stopped getting rental from a woman and in the end sent a collection agent to pick up the colour TV. The woman was at home when they arrived and she happily explained the set had stopped working - so she'd converted it to a tropical fish tank. Their reaction was sadly NOT mentioned. |
6th Sep 2022, 8:24 am | #14 |
Heptode
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: West London, UK.
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Re: The last rented radios?
In 1966 at Rediffusion we still had a few rental radios they were valve models and I recall they had a printed circuit board, plastic dark red case.
John |
6th Sep 2022, 9:22 am | #15 |
Nonode
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, UK.
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Re: The last rented radios?
Renting worked while in the customer's mind reliability was poor and they would have to pay for service if it went wrong.
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6th Sep 2022, 9:25 am | #16 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Rugeley, Staffordshire, UK.
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Re: The last rented radios?
Not to mention the off-putting effect of purchase price.
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A digital radio is the latest thing, but a vintage wireless is forever.. |
6th Sep 2022, 9:25 am | #17 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,865
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Re: The last rented radios?
Were the RNIB radios essentially rented?
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6th Sep 2022, 8:16 pm | #18 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Greater Manchester, UK.
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Re: The last rented radios?
Quote:
I remember that 6BW6's were availible from Central Stores, but I can't recall any TV we dealt with that used them, so maybe they were a legacy from radio hire. A few of them found their way into my Topband transmitters.
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6th Sep 2022, 10:52 pm | #19 | |
Heptode
Join Date: Dec 2020
Location: Swaffham, Norfolk, UK.
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Re: The last rented radios?
I Believe so, there was at least an agreement with the end user as a means of retaining ownership even if the beneficiary themselves didn't pay any rental.
The sets would also be prominently labeled that they were supplied on behalf of the institute. Quote:
The price of buying a set would have indeed put off many from ownership: a battery portable in 1940 costing £8-10-0 was to the average wage earner equivalent to 160 hours of work. People would have to had to save a long while for that, and the battery would be probably a days wage when it needed to be replaced. |
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7th Sep 2022, 6:34 am | #20 | |
Hexode
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Ryde, Isle of Wight, UK.
Posts: 419
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Re: The last rented radios?
Quote:
I also came across one of those, I am also pretty certain they were Thorn 850`s. I didn't know about the 6BW6`s, you done very well to get any thing out of Granada Central Stores other than bottles of that useless white polish. Ken G6HZG.
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