The Repair Shop. BBC TV programme.

[radio69]

TRS gets across a very important message, in this throw-away society obsessed with so-called 'upgrades'; that we should give them some credit for - that old items are indeed repairable.

I'm less keen on the 're-purposing' demonstrated in other tv programmes; as this leads to useful items, such as Avos, and radios, with light-bulbs sticking out of them...

[radio69]

I forgot to say; I do find it amusing that many of the so-called treasured heirlooms brought in by punters look as if they've been dredged from the bottom of a canal after 70 years...

[Techman]

For anyone watching right now there's what looks like a GEC radiogram been brought in. The chap that's going to take it on just said that it was from the change over period from the wind up gramophone which you had to put the needles in to the later electronic reproduction types (or similar wording). Er....not wishing to be too critical, but I'm sorry to point out that this one you're looking at also has to have gramophone needles fitted and there's the pickup with the grub screw and the tin of Songster gramophone needles looking right up at you!

Let's see how this one goes.

[dsergeant]

And when he turned it on a little later it blew all the fuses in the barn and the lights went out. He fiddled with the deck, seemed to find nothing wrong, did nothing and all was fine the second time. Maybe that bit was staged? At the end they played a record but didn't show the radio was working (or not) at all.

I tend to only see the old repeats on Yesterday so the comments on here refer to episodes I haven't seen. Interesting in parts but a lot of padding.

Dave

[Charles Wallis]

I think it was all staged for good entertainment. There was no sign of a multimeter, bulb limiter or variac, he just plugged it in and turned it on after decades of disuse. Then the lights blew, supposedly. Just what you shouldn't do! No new capacitors or rewiring, much of the focus was on the tuning indicator, the last bit I would fix having sorted out the electrics first. But I guess that's just TV!

[HamishBoxer]

The programme today appears to be cancelled, understandably, there was going to be a secret wartime radio on it. Cannot find when on now, the prog next week makes no mention of said radio.

[Cobaltblue]

If its a repeat I think that's how the Ever Ready 5214 was described.

Could be wrong.

Cheers

Mike T

[kalee20]

Originally Posted by Charles Wallis

I think it was all staged for good entertainment. There was no sign of a multimeter, bulb limiter or variac, he just plugged it in and turned it on after decades of disuse. Then the lights blew, supposedly. Just what you shouldn't do! No new capacitors or rewiring, much of the focus was on the tuning indicator, the last bit I would fix having sorted out the electrics first. But I guess that's just TV!

Well, yes, it's TV... it's dramatic, it's spectacular, it's entertaining. But of course it's also educational - plugging something in after decades of use and switching on, causes lights to go out and fuses to blow.

And that's exactly the message that us lot would want to get across of course!

[Beobloke]

Originally Posted by dsergeant

And when he turned it on a little later it blew all the fuses in the barn and the lights went out. He fiddled with the deck, seemed to find nothing wrong, did nothing and all was fine the second time. Maybe that bit was staged? At the end they played a record but didn't show the radio was working (or not) at all.

I tend to only see the old repeats on Yesterday so the comments on here refer to episodes I haven't seen. Interesting in parts but a lot of padding.

Dave

Sounds like this was a repeat of an old episode featuring Tim the gramophone man. He may be good at wind-up stuff but his cavalier attitude to basic electrical safety is extremely worrying and he should not be allowed within a foot of anything electrically powered, IMHO.

[ms660]

What you see is what they want you to see.

The Capture.

Lawrence.

[The Philpott]

If TRS production team were really brave they would start experimenting at this point to shake things up a bit; lose the voiceover man (he is also working elsewhere) and delegate half of the v/over to Blades with the remainder of the preambles done by the experts straight to camera (with a second man in the background as a focus for experts not comfortable with presenting.)

(I also suggested changes to the Cotswold Company furniture commercials- the changes were made.....by coincidence i'm sure....i'm still awaiting the cheque in any case..)

Dave

[Restoration73]

The lights will be on a different circuit to the bench supply. They probably went out because the RCD tripped. It is always a good policy to test these from time to time.

[thermionic]

Originally Posted by Restoration73

The lights will be on a different circuit to the bench supply. They probably went out because the RCD tripped…….

This is exactly what happened at a BVWS swapmeet at Royal Wootton Bassett some years ago. A keen member had plugged in his new acquisition into a 13 Amp socket in the Hall and we were all plunged into semi darkness! It took a while for someone to locate the RCD, too!

I somehow think that this was staged for TV. I’m sure (hope) the Repair Shop barn won’t be protected by a main ( single)RCD!

SimonT.

[Paul Stenning]

That episode is definitely a repeat, and I suspect it was staged to discourage the public from messing with old electrical items.

I remember the incident at Royal Wootton Bassett. Rob was not happy because it took the server a while to check its disks and restart which delated auction payments.

[stevehertz]

Originally Posted by Paul Stenning

That episode is definitely a repeat, and I suspect it was staged to discourage the public from messing with old electrical items.

I remember the incident at Royal Wootton Bassett. Rob was not happy because it took the server a while to check its disks and restart which delated auction payments.

That, and to add a touch of drama to the proceedings. A break from the normal, expected, gentle karma of the repair shop. It's definitely been included for a reason as it could have easily been edited out, re-shot whatever.

[HamishBoxer]

The prog was about a radio built into a book during wartime, it does not state whether a repeat or not.

[nigelr2000]

It's a new item, Mark was working on it while I was doing the Jukebox.
The wiring and feeds are all round the barn on lots of thick cables with commando sockets on trailing distribution boards as being a proper old barn it doesn't have proper mains feeds. Everything runs on a huge silent run generator round the back. Part of the rules and regs. was that only the power sockets on the bench could be used by the experts and although there were heaters under each bench only 4 could be run at any one time. That radiogram was well before my time there.

[Paul Stenning]

I haven't seen that episode yet.

It does sound like it wouldn't take much to trip the electrics there then.

[Heatercathodeshort]

Originally Posted by Techman

For anyone watching right now there's what looks like a GEC radiogram been brought in. Let's see how this one goes.

I don't generally watch this programme but saw the edition that featured the 1947 GEC radiogram.

It was one of the worst examples. Did anyone notice the BSR X5M type pick-up apparently glued to the bottom of the heavy magnetic head?

At the end the record played was an ancient acoustic Enrico Caruso record that dated from around 1915! I think the terrible low level sound came from the head itself rather than the amplifier. The radio was never tested and probably didn't work.

These are nice simple 5 valve superhet grams and with care produce a great sound. Pity. John.

[HamishBoxer]

Certainly the wartime radio built into a book tonight. The recorder is set or to be pc, time shift is the phrase.