Emerson radiogram.

[Beatlebacker]

Hi all - Beatlebacker here (Steve in reality) ... I've just acquired two project items after clearing out my M-in-L's property The first is a portable Emerson combined 3 band radio and record player, the record playing side in need of much TLC with not much of a scooby what to do! The second is a Ferguson 3224 reel-to-reel tape deck that plays but again needs much TLC (see attached).

The Emerson I don't have a model number for so any help with that would be a start ... it powers up and the radio works so we're half way there. The pots naturally need some electrolube / servisol or similar to eradicate the dust crackle, but my main want is a 'how to' guide for removing the turntable and servicing the entire mechanical element, especially in getting the deck to spin and everything else that follows (I've already part read the comprehensive guide on another of your pages and that's what prompted my registration).

The Ferguson is pretty much in same boat - strip-down procedure and servicing guide required to bring it back to it's former(ish) life.
Thanks for having the patience to read this (if you've gotten this far that is!?) and I welcome any advice / suggestions (clean ones only ) / pointers / diagrams / etc., etc.

ATB,

Steve (aka Beatlebacker)

[Station X]

Hello and welcome to the forums.

Please start a new thread relating to the tape recorder in the appropriate forum section.

Things will get very confused if both items are discussed in the same thread.

[Records]

I thought Emerson where Canadian or American? or is there a British company as well?

[Beatlebacker]

Thanks Graham - will do

[julie_m]

First thing will be to check the valve line-up in the Emerson. That will tell us if we're dealing with a live chassis. The autochanger is a BSR UA14, and ought to be easy enough to get going again. Where there is enough gain for a radio, there will be enough gain for a medium-output cartridge (even the generic under-£5 red stylus type).

There will be at least one part that absolutely will need replacing before the player is used, in order to prevent costly damage; but we'll need to know the valve types to say for sure.

[Edward Huggins]

The record player only verson of this Emerson used "U" series valves so this may be the same. If this so it will be UCH81, UF89. UCL82 and UY85, be careful as this is a "live chassis" type. This has 2 wavebands (not 3) LW and MW. The UA14 will need the platter removing so you can check out the idler (rubber wheel) drive to the rim on the inside of the platter.

These players sound good, it has an 8" x 5" speaker.

[paulsherwin]

I didn't know the Emerson brand was ever used in Britain - as has been said, they were a major American manufacturer. The valve lineup is typically late 50s British, as is the waveband coverage, so I wonder if the brand was licensed to somebody?

[Grubhead]

If it uses the UK mains it must have been made for the UK market. As the Americans use the lower voltage mains to us. Unless that was done later?

[vidjoman]

Originally Posted by paulsherwin

I didn't know the Emerson brand was ever used in Britain - as has been said, they were a major American manufacturer. The valve lineup is typically late 50s British, as is the waveband coverage, so I wonder if the brand was licensed to somebody?

I have a friend who worked for Emerson in the UK. I know they made record players and radios. He worked on fault finding at the end of the production line on transistor radios. I'll ask more details from him when I see him next. Incidentally his name was Emmerson, no relation and had a double M in his name.

[ms660]

There were a fair few Emerson transistor radios in the UK in the 1960's that used Mullard transistors, repaired quite a few back in the day.

The radiogram looks similar to the E501 but with a radio added.

Lawrence.

[Beatlebacker]

I've only seen one other player like this one on the interweb so far and that went up at a Bristol auction some time ago, the E501 seems a more common unit with the same variant of coverings.

[Beatlebacker]

Ok, I've now located the model number - E601 For what its worth the valves listed are V1 - UCH81 / V2 - UBF89 / V3 - UCL82 and V4 - UY85 as per the label behind the speaker grille.

Thank you all for your cooperation and information so far, and I'm thinking this might be a new hobby I'll update with more pictures and maybe a short audio / video clip when all is 100% (if permitted of course).

Steve

[Edward Huggins]

It's a UCH81. I advise again, just be careful when working on this, make sure the chassis is connected to Mains Neutral. Your Radiogram was made in 1961/62.

[kirstyd]

I was given an Emerson record player [about 1972] by a neighbour. It looked exactly the same as this one but as I said it was just a record player. It had a very good sound and would play very loud.

Yours appears to be in lovely condition. The one I had only had three controls on the front, On Off volume combined and Bass/Treble.

[Beatlebacker]

Hi Kirsty - Thanks, you can't see what I can however! LOL. So far all I've done is part clean the outer covering, a fair bit of work yet to be done to (hopefully) get it singing again

Steve

[Records]

Here is a picture of my Emerson Console i owned when i lived in Canada