1953 Ultra U696 Troubadour 5 (Mullard) valve MW/LW compact table radio - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

howard · 19th Jul 2010, 7:47 pm

Hello again,

I bought this little ivory Ultra Troubadour U696 at the RADARC event on Sunday at Reading for £10. It was very grubby but totally complete and original and virtually unmarked. It's an unusual U696, it has the 1951 Troubadour ivory cabinet with the lit-up badge but is fitted with Mullard valves rather than Mazdas. I couldn't find a service sheet for it, but it turned out to be the same circuit as the U6961 released in a different cabinet in September 1953. The smoothing capacitor inside is dated July 1953 so it is one of the last U696s built. I even thought someone might have stuck a U6961 chassis into the U696 case but no, there is no hole drilled in its chassis for the dial lamp holder. I worked from Trader sheet 1151 available here ...

http://www.service-data.com/section.php/8374/1

After cleaning the valve pins/sockets, waveband switch and volume potentiometer with Servisol 10, removing the 0.05uf paper wax mains filter capacitor C22 and replacing the 0.01uf audio coupling capacitor C18 and a 0.01uf cracked Hunts capacitor C19 on top of the output transformer, I switched it on and it was working, but only on MW, nothing at all on LW. I cleaned the waveband switch contacts with Brasso till they shone but LW was still dead so I started working my way through the Hunts mouldeals, the torpedo shaped capacitors and the resistors around the UCH42 mixer oscillator valve. I replaced capacitors C3 (500pf), C6 (0.04uf), C11 (0.04uf) and resistor R1 (1M ohm which tested at over 1.5M ohms) but still no LW. I then replaced C9 (100pf), the oscillator anode coupling capacitor which is routed over the top of the chassis and bingo, LW was at last working OK. I changed the remaining Hunts mouldseal and torpedo shaped capacitors C16 (0.01uf), C17 (0.01uf) C15 (300pf) and installed a 0.047uf 275VAC class X2 mains filter capacitor (C22) and also replaced AGC decoupler resistor R7 (another 1M ohm resistor which tested at over 1.4M ohms). I tested the UL41 grid for leakage and it was up to over 1 volt and rising so I fitted a nice new Mullard UL41 (I've run out of good secondhand UL41s). Finally I fitted a new mains lead and performed RF realignment and the set peaked up well.

I cleaned the chassis with white spirit, and the case with B&Q upholstery cleaner followed by a polish with Brasso. The frame aerial had come completely away from the rear cover so I glued it back on with EvoStik.

This is the second Troubadour U696 that I have restored, the first one had Mazda valves. They have both survived well and this one also works well with good sensitivity and sound quality. They are pretty little sets too.

Now onto another Ultra radio acquired at Reading, an R825 Twin.

Howard

howard · 19th Jul 2010, 8:58 pm

Hello again,

Does anyone know if this is in fact a U6961 model ? Unfortunately it has lost its label. If one looks up the circuit diagram for the U6961 on the Vintage Radio Service data DVD, Trader sheet 1151 for the U7961 is presented with a picture of a set with the later cabinet, I assumed that the U6961 and U7961 are almost identical as suggested in the sheet - apart from year of manufacture.

Howard

JoshWard · 19th Jul 2010, 9:43 pm

That's a pretty little set

Well done, I like it!

Josh.

Tim · 19th Jul 2010, 10:16 pm

Nice one Howard.

howard · 19th Jul 2010, 10:52 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoshWard

That's a pretty little set

Well done, I like it! Josh.

Thanks Josh,

I'm glad someone else likes it, I think Ultra built very nice little radio sets in the 1950s even if they did have cheap AC/DC chassis.

If it is a U6961, and I think now that it probably is, it was only built for a few months before being replaced by U7961 so there can't be many of them around now.

Ultra is one of the few electronics companies which have survived to this day although they are involved in aerospace and defence products nowadays.

Howard

Hermit6345 · 20th Jul 2010, 12:48 am

Lovely job Howard, as usual of course.

Yes, the 7961 has the Ultra logo in the centre of the speaker fret and it is shield shaped, or at least my two are like that. The LW fault seems to be common on the 6961/7961 chassis as one of mine suffered with no long wave until the cap on top of the chassis was replaced. BTW it was nice to meet you at WB on the 11th.

Ian

19th Jul 2010, 7:47 pm	#1
howard Nonode Join Date: May 2005 Location: Godalming, Surrey, UK. Posts: 2,593	1953 Ultra U696 Troubadour 5 (Mullard) valve MW/LW compact table radio Hello again, I bought this little ivory Ultra Troubadour U696 at the RADARC event on Sunday at Reading for £10. It was very grubby but totally complete and original and virtually unmarked. It's an unusual U696, it has the 1951 Troubadour ivory cabinet with the lit-up badge but is fitted with Mullard valves rather than Mazdas. I couldn't find a service sheet for it, but it turned out to be the same circuit as the U6961 released in a different cabinet in September 1953. The smoothing capacitor inside is dated July 1953 so it is one of the last U696s built. I even thought someone might have stuck a U6961 chassis into the U696 case but no, there is no hole drilled in its chassis for the dial lamp holder. I worked from Trader sheet 1151 available here ... http://www.service-data.com/section.php/8374/1 After cleaning the valve pins/sockets, waveband switch and volume potentiometer with Servisol 10, removing the 0.05uf paper wax mains filter capacitor C22 and replacing the 0.01uf audio coupling capacitor C18 and a 0.01uf cracked Hunts capacitor C19 on top of the output transformer, I switched it on and it was working, but only on MW, nothing at all on LW. I cleaned the waveband switch contacts with Brasso till they shone but LW was still dead so I started working my way through the Hunts mouldeals, the torpedo shaped capacitors and the resistors around the UCH42 mixer oscillator valve. I replaced capacitors C3 (500pf), C6 (0.04uf), C11 (0.04uf) and resistor R1 (1M ohm which tested at over 1.5M ohms) but still no LW. I then replaced C9 (100pf), the oscillator anode coupling capacitor which is routed over the top of the chassis and bingo, LW was at last working OK. I changed the remaining Hunts mouldseal and torpedo shaped capacitors C16 (0.01uf), C17 (0.01uf) C15 (300pf) and installed a 0.047uf 275VAC class X2 mains filter capacitor (C22) and also replaced AGC decoupler resistor R7 (another 1M ohm resistor which tested at over 1.4M ohms). I tested the UL41 grid for leakage and it was up to over 1 volt and rising so I fitted a nice new Mullard UL41 (I've run out of good secondhand UL41s). Finally I fitted a new mains lead and performed RF realignment and the set peaked up well. I cleaned the chassis with white spirit, and the case with B&Q upholstery cleaner followed by a polish with Brasso. The frame aerial had come completely away from the rear cover so I glued it back on with EvoStik. This is the second Troubadour U696 that I have restored, the first one had Mazda valves. They have both survived well and this one also works well with good sensitivity and sound quality. They are pretty little sets too. Now onto another Ultra radio acquired at Reading, an R825 Twin. Howard Attached Thumbnails Last edited by howard; 19th Jul 2010 at 7:57 pm.

19th Jul 2010, 8:58 pm	#2
howard Nonode Join Date: May 2005 Location: Godalming, Surrey, UK. Posts: 2,593	Re: 1953 Ultra U696 Troubadour 5 (Mullard) valve MW/LW compact table radio Hello again, Does anyone know if this is in fact a U6961 model ? Unfortunately it has lost its label. If one looks up the circuit diagram for the U6961 on the Vintage Radio Service data DVD, Trader sheet 1151 for the U7961 is presented with a picture of a set with the later cabinet, I assumed that the U6961 and U7961 are almost identical as suggested in the sheet - apart from year of manufacture. Howard Last edited by howard; 19th Jul 2010 at 9:05 pm.

19th Jul 2010, 9:43 pm	#3
JoshWard Octode Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Near Stowmarket, Suffolk, UK. Posts: 1,962	Re: 1953 Ultra U696 Troubadour 5 (Mullard) valve MW/LW compact table radio That's a pretty little set Well done, I like it! Josh.

19th Jul 2010, 10:16 pm	#4
Tim Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, UK. Posts: 3,310	Re: 1953 Ultra U696 Troubadour 5 (Mullard) valve MW/LW compact table radio Nice one Howard. __________________ "Nothing is as dangerous as being too modern;one is apt to grow old fashioned quite suddenly."

20th Jul 2010, 12:48 am	#6
Hermit6345 Rest in Peace Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: North Wiltshire, UK. Posts: 638	Re: 1953 Ultra U696 Troubadour 5 (Mullard) valve MW/LW compact table radio Lovely job Howard, as usual of course. Yes, the 7961 has the Ultra logo in the centre of the speaker fret and it is shield shaped, or at least my two are like that. The LW fault seems to be common on the 6961/7961 chassis as one of mine suffered with no long wave until the cap on top of the chassis was replaced. BTW it was nice to meet you at WB on the 11th. Ian