Fidelity Radio Ltd

[ukcol]

There seems to be very little information on the internet about the Fidelity company.

There is a very short piece in Grace's Guide

"Fidelity Radio Ltd, 11 Blechynden Street, London, W11 (in 1947 and 1964). The “Trader” 1964 yearbook also lists: Mersey Works, Mersey Street, London, W10 and Archdale Works, Belchynden Street, London, W11.
In 1967/68, at Olaf Street, London, W11 (factory). Fidelity Radio Limited, Victoria Road, London NW10 6ND (final location).
Radio manufacturer, founded by Jack Dickman in 1946 (still the MD in 1967)."


Radiomuseum discribe early 1980s models as being "made in Hong Kong for Fidelity Radio Ltd".

The same source shows that early 1990s models were being made by Amstrad.

Does anyone no more about the Hong Kong story? Were Fidelity just outsourcing manufacture or had the name been bought by a far east manufacturer?

When did Amstrad take over the Fidelity name and how long did that last?

I see also on the radiomuseum website a company called "Musical Fidelity Limited, Wembley, Middlesex" but I suspect that may have been a completely different company?

[barrymagrec]

Musical Fidelity, often known as MF is a Hi Fi company, quite unlike the old Fidelity items I remember.

[G6Tanuki]

Amstrad bought Fidelity in 1989.

[ukcol]

Thank you for those quick replies.

Any more?

[Nickthedentist]

I'm sure Dazzlevision will know...

[McMurdo]

There's a decent bit in The Setmakers about Fidelity.

[stevehertz]

To me their name is synonymous with early 60s record players. My older sister had one and it was the 'family record player' that took us through every Beatles record (and more) until 1970 when we got a cast off but very nice stereo Pye radiogram. Did Fidelity make any wooden cased table model radios? In fact what was their range of products?

[ukcol]

Originally Posted by McMurdo

There's a decent bit in The Setmakers about Fidelity.

Thanks Kevin, I never thought to look in there.

[ukcol]

From The Setmakers page 433:

"They [Fidelity] had subsequently moved over to television, and survived as unspectacular but seemingly quite successful setmakers until 1984, when they were bought for £14 million by a large manufacturing group, Caparo......."

So clearly the Fidelity name had not been sold to a Hong Kong manufacturer in an earlier part of the 80s.

and on page 434:

"...and in May 1988 the brand name and trade mark were sold to Amstrad for £3.1 million; the factory closed at the end of July."

A rather interesting fact came to light when I read on page 410 of the same book:

"By the time Thorn Consumer Electronics became Thorn EMI Ferguson, following the Thorn Group's acquisition of EMI in 1979; they were using neither of the two names they had acquired from EMI in 1957; Marconiphone had been dropped and HMV sold off to an independent manufacturer, Fidelity Radio."

I had no idea of this. Did Fidelity ever get round to manufacturing anything under HMV brand name?

[McMurdo]

The take-over of Fidelity by Caparo in 1984, a huge anglo-indian steel producer, was interesting. Struggling against the new wave of cheap far east small-screen tvs, whose import duties had been cut as part of trade agreements that ensured healthy uk exports, Fidelity's profits had been falling steadily and Caparo, spying an investment opportunity, bought them out with a view to taking the brand upmarket in the large-screen sector which was less ravaged by imports. Unfortunately, Fidelity's accountants had been creatively embellishing the potential of the company and once Caparo found out they'd need to invest rather more than they'd budgeted, sued Fidelity's accountants.
Caparo unfortunately lost the case and brought them to the brink of bankruptcy.

[Paul_RK]

Originally Posted by stevehertz

Did Fidelity make any wooden cased table model radios?

There was this one, but they're very thin on the ground:

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...29&postcount=4

Curiously, that's said to be from 1947, but while I've seen Fidelity record players from, I think, the mid to late 1950s, as far as I know there wasn't another radio until the little transistorized Ayr in 1960. Many more after that, though.

The first I met was a Rad 11 portable bought by my grandmother in about 1967 to take the place of a valved Westminster. The 11 began the Rad series: the latest I've seen is the Rad 30, a little early '80s (?) plastic job from Hong Kong. A few moderately nice portables in between, including the five waveband Rad 18 in quite a decent teak cabinet with 8"x5" Elac 'speaker.

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/fidelity_rad18rad_1.html

The marque in general was always low to mid market, but that one retailed in the region of £30.

Paul

[stevehertz]

Thanks Paul, love that wooden set! Re the trannie, I may be wrong but I recall reading somewhere once that it was a good performer with quite good sound quality. But I may be getting mixed up with another set. Certainly, around that time there was a lot of competition to create 'good sounding trannies' from the likes of Hacker, Roberts, Grundig, Tandberg etc

[AJSmith625]

If you go to rbkclocalstudies.wordpress.com/tag/latimer-road/, then scroll down to the very bottom of the page. Then slowly scroll back upwards counting the photos you will find the 19th and the 22nd photos from the bottom of the page are the Fidelity Radio factory in Olaf street, North Kensington, London W11. When you click on the photos you will see in the address bar the words Fidelity Radio.
On one of my many travels down to London years ago, usually to visit the electronics shops in Edgware Road, I went and had a look at the factory as it was only a few stops away on the tube. This was early 1970s.

Alan

[dazzlevision]

Originally Posted by Nickthedentist

I'm sure Dazzlevision will know...

Well, here's what my researches a few years back found out:

Radio manufacturer, founded by Jack Dickman in 1946 (still the MD in 1967). Later also tape recorders, stereo systems and TVs. For a time, in the late 1970s/early 1980s, they also made sets under the HMV brand name. Radio Ltd, 11 Blechynden Street, London, W11 (in 1947 and 1964).

The “Trader” 1964 yearbook also lists: Mersey Works, Mersey Street, London, W10 and Archdale Works, Blechynden Street, London, W11.

In 1967 & 68, at Olaf Street, London, W11 (factory).

Fidelity Radio Limited, Victoria Road, London NW10 6ND (final location).

Taken over by Caparo Industries in the mid 1980’s and closed down in the late 1980’s.

Alan Sugar’s Amstrad plc bought the rights to the Fidelity brand name.

[AJSmith625]

To see some footage of Fidelity's TV factory in North Acton London NW10, go to Youtube and type in 'equinox zen and the art of tv manufacture'. This was shown on Channel 4 here in the UK back in the 1980s.

Alan

[hamid_1]

Originally Posted by ukcol

Did Fidelity ever get round to manufacturing anything under HMV brand name?

Yes! I have a 12" portable black and white television with infra-red remote control (a rarity in itself). It's branded HMV and has the dog and gramophone logo, but was made by Fidelity in the early 1980s. I've also seen the same TV with the Fidelity brand. I don't know what other HMV products they may have made.

After the takeover of Fidelity by Amstrad, some satellite receivers appeared carrying the name "Amstrad Fidelity". Their SRX100, SRX200 and SRD400 receivers were very popular in the early days of Sky TV, though they were made overseas, so not really Fidelity products. Ironically, Amstrad was itself taken over by Sky TV, who had become their biggest customer.

Personally I will remember Fidelity for their cheap and cheerful products. My first record player was a Fidelity HF42 - a briefcase size portable. It was about the cheapest record player on the market at the time (1970s). Pretty poor quality when I listen to it now, but as a child, it gave me a lot of enjoyment.

[ukcol]

That's very interesting, I had always thought that the HMV brand (ignoring the record industry) had finished with the Thorn group. I don't believe I have ever seen a B/W TV with an infra red remote control either. As you say "a rarity in itself", was this TV of there own design?

Alan,
Thanks for the "link" I'll have a look.

[Nickthedentist]

Let's have a pic of it, Hamid, please.

[hamid_1]

OK, here's a couple of pictures from the Spring-Summer 1982 Argos catalogue. This shows the Fidelity TVR120 portable B/W television with infrared remote control. The HMV version which I have is identical except for the branding. I'll try and photograph it this weekend. It's made in England. I'm pretty sure it's Fidelity's own design.

Also on the same page of the Argos catalogue, there is a Pye 12" remote control monochrome TV. I have the Philips version (TX chassis), again made in England, with the same sort of functionality as the Fidelity set, only the Philips / Pye remote control is ultrasonic. There was a later version of that Pye portable TV equipped with infrared remote control, made in Taiwan. Although they look a bit similar to the Fidelity / HMV TV and were almost the same price (about £80 in 1982) I don't think there is any connection between them.

[Nuvistor]

Originally Posted by hamid_1

Personally I will remember Fidelity for their cheap and cheerful products. My first record player was a Fidelity HF42 - a briefcase size portable. It was about the cheapest record player on the market at the time (1970s). Pretty poor quality when I listen to it now, but as a child, it gave me a lot of enjoyment.

Fidelity in the 70’s were known for being cheap and cheerful, but they filled a niche and like you, many enjoyed their products.