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Old 31st Mar 2019, 9:07 pm   #1
jimbo2019
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Default GEC 2811 Soundeck 1974 hifi - help needed please

Hello everyone. This is my first post.

I am feeling a bit confused at present given that my mum died two years ago in January (it's Mother's Day)! and my dad died on 27 February this year and I have been absolutely edevostated since then as I loved them both vry much.

I used to have until 2012 a GEC Soundeck stereo hifi. We had it in our old house in Bebington where we lived until 1978. We had it at home until 2000 before I had it in my flat while I did not live at home. It was only given to a charity shop when I returned home. I now wish I had kept it.

My earliest memories of it was when my dad played an LP of Sweet Trumpets and some other songs that he had in his collection - one of which was used at his funeral.

Anyway, the only thing I do not know about the GEC Soundeck we had was the actual model number. The one we had is as in the two pictures attached.

My memory of it was on front panel (black with silver buttons and knob)

ON/OFF; TONE, (two buttons only, then the silver buttons were

DISC, TAPE LW, MW, SW, VHF, AFC, AUX.

The first 5 were press in and the last two were clickable in and out. AFC would lock the tuned station (rather it made it harder to tune and if AFC was off, it acted like a regular radio on VHF, but with AFC on all the stronger stations seemed to have a wider "spread".

The tuning knob was on the right with a black centre and silver surround.

The radio dial had frequency in metres, plus some place names. For VHF this was found behind the panel, which illuminated. The text on VHF read

BBC1-2, BBC3, BBC4 Local and then dots for the rest of the band. MW was the usual 522 to 1620 kHz, LW was 150-279kHz, SW was 49 to 16m bands inclusive, and VHF was unusually 87.5 to 104 Mhz (not 108)!

On top was a turntable (with silver and black mat) with speeds of 33 45 and 78 but NOT 16. The controls for Volume, Tone, Bass and Treble were on a silver panel on the right with four sliders.

The red square lit up when the power was on, and the orange stereo light illuminated if stereo detected.. I either heart Radio 2 or 4 and I had fond memories of listening to Terry Wogan before I went off to school, plus in the school holidays I would hear Pete Murray's Open House, Jimmy Young, and in the Evening John Dunn. Mummy would also listen to The Archers at 1345, Woman's Hour at 1400 and Listen With Mother at 1445 (I think it got a repeat in the afternoon)! If not it was on around 1045. I was brought up listening to Radios 2 adn 4 and I did remember quite a lot. My mummy was called Margaret - and one of the contributors on a Friday on Pause for Thought at 0845 was someone called Margaret, with a signature tune for her ONLY of "he Happening" by Herb Alpert. This was always on a Friday. Another contributor had Concerto De Aranjuez Adagio - Joaquin Rodrigo - I think on a Wednesday.

I am trying hard not to break the rules by asking for something however, if you know what model number this GEC is that I have attached pictures of I really would want one back like I had when I was very little. I Hope in the circumstances I am allowed to say if anyone ever sees one available please can you let me know (without breaking the rules of the forum!)

I hope this post was OK with nice memories of 70s Radio 2 etc. If I have inadvertantly broken the rules in the last sentance, sorry. But I have tried very hard not to as I hope you will realise. Having lost both my parents who I loved to bits in the last 2 years, (Mummy was 72 and Daddy was 92). I am 48 now but it is such a hard time for me everything going through my head at present has been reminiscent of the 1970s and how it used to be. I am in tears most of the time and am struggling and every day blends into each other with nothing much to remember in each day.

I hope you can understand my anguish and apologise if any of this message is not allowed. But I hope circumstances will allow it as I had to put the issue into context.

Your help is most appreciated and I look forward to hearing from you.
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Old 31st Mar 2019, 9:52 pm   #2
Alistair D
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Default Re: Gec soundeck 1974 hifi - help needed please

According to the RTVS books there were two Soundeck models, the 2816 and the 2820. I don't which yours is or even if there were other GEC models having the Soundeck name.

Hope it helps

Al
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Old 31st Mar 2019, 9:55 pm   #3
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Default Re: Gec soundeck 1974 hifi - help needed please

I'm sorry for your loss. Losing your parents is a huge thing and affects you for years.

I'm puzzled that you think you may have broken some forum rule. Your post is absolutely fine.

I can't give you specific details about this model, but it is normal for European radios of the 70s to have a restricted FM frequency range. In the 50s and 60s most radios only tuned to 100MHz.
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Old 31st Mar 2019, 9:59 pm   #4
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Default Re: Gec soundeck 1974 hifi - help needed please

First, my condolences to you at such a difficult time. I too lived on Wirral, lost my father not so long ago and grew up with a GEC music centre at home*! All I can say is, it does get easier over time. Grief is a strange phenomenon which every individual has to get through as best they can.

The nearest I can find is this A4022h, think it´s a slightly later model. Unfortunately, the forum it is from gives me an 'Forbidden - Visitors from your country are not permitted to browse this site' message when I try to view. Maybe they think I'd give UK 1970s manufacturing secrets to the Spanish government or something So I cannot explore further.

*I'm pretty sure my old man got our GEC from a place calle Leo's superstore, where Arrowe park Asda now is on the A552. Like you, I used it when I lived away from home, it served our student house living room well for a few years. I also gave it to a charity shop when I moved sometime around 2000. It still worked apart from some of the plastic waveband selectors being flaky.
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Old 31st Mar 2019, 10:04 pm   #5
jimbo2019
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Default Re: Gec soundeck 1974 hifi - help needed please

Thanks you for the kind words.. This one definitely went to 104. There were markings for MW stations also including BBC3 at around 48, BBC4 around 700 (693 of course!), and BBC1 at 1200 (1214! etc. There was also however BBC3 marked around 1550 (1546kHz). This was what became Capital Radio or Radio City etc. Radio 3 closed on that frequency on 9 December 1972. Therefore the hifi in question I would think pre-dates December 1972 but we got it in 1974.

I thought I had broken the rules as I asked if anyone had one - I thought that may have broken the rules. If not that is fine.

I must also point out that the AUX button would blend Aux and the radio output to the speakes at the same time if you had something plugged into AUX.

AUX socket was a 5 point DIN socket on the back of the unit. Sadly I could not get stereo recordings out of a Philips tape recorder as that was mono. If you plugged in DIN to DIN it would only send each way a mono sound track but the radio and record player would send out stereo sound.

I seem to remember the Philips tape recorder if I accidentally touched the DIN socket on that with an earphone jack, it blew a 6 AMP fuse in the tape recorder!

Anyway if anyone knows of this GEC model please let me know.

Thanks.
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Old 31st Mar 2019, 10:08 pm   #6
jimbo2019
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Default Re: Gec soundeck 1974 hifi - help needed please

Quote:
Originally Posted by ben View Post
First, my condolences to you at such a difficult time. I too lived on Wirral, lost my father not so long ago and grew up with a GEC music centre at home! All I can say is, it does get easier over time. Grief is a strange phenomenon which every individual has to get through as best they can.

The nearest I can find is this A4022h, think it´s a slightly later model. Unfortunately, the forum it is from gives me an 'Forbidden - Visitors from your country are not permitted to browse this site' message when I try to view. Maybe they think I'd give UK 1970s manufacturing secrets to the Spanish government or something So I cannot explore further.
The 4022H is a slightly different one. It had 4 buttons mine had 2 so it may ghave been a slightly earlier model. Would I PM with the link be permitted or send it as an e-mail? Thanks.
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Old 31st Mar 2019, 10:15 pm   #7
Nuvistor
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Default Re: Gec soundeck 1974 hifi - help needed please

Are any of these the one?
https://www.radios-tv.co.uk/1970s-ge...tre-offerings/
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Old 31st Mar 2019, 10:27 pm   #8
jimbo2019
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Default Re: Gec soundeck 1974 hifi - help needed please

Sadly no none of those I'm afraid. The 4022H has four knobs to the left of the silver buttons but the one I am after had 2 knobs and a headphone socket.

It is similar to the 4022H but it is not it.

Thanks.
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Old 31st Mar 2019, 10:30 pm   #9
paulsherwin
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Default Re: Gec soundeck 1974 hifi - help needed please

If you are seriously trying to buy one of these you should post a request in this section: https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...splay.php?f=28

There are no restrictions on what you can send in a PM (within reason).
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Old 31st Mar 2019, 10:40 pm   #10
jimbo2019
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Default Re: Gec soundeck 1974 hifi - help needed please

Thanks very much. I have put a request in that forum. Thank for your help.
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Old 31st Mar 2019, 11:00 pm   #11
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Default Re: Gec soundeck 1974 hifi - help needed please

Hi. After a bit of searching I found this pic of the back and it appears to be a 2811. Oddly enough, my Dad had a 2810.
Hope this helps.

David.
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Old 1st Apr 2019, 10:26 am   #12
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Default Re: GEC Soundeck 1974 hifi - help needed please

Hi, welcome and very sorry for your loss. As has been said it does get easier with time & you'll get through it, hopefully the system has been identified now as the 2811?

If this is the case, I'll keep my eyes open at the local weekly auction. they get all sorts of music centres in from time to time & I tend to snap them up if I can since I enjoy them a great deal, if on the off-chance the exact model comes up though I'll bear your post in mind and you'd be welcome to it at what I pay for it.

Will fire a PM your way if I see one anywhere, cheers,
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Old 1st Apr 2019, 3:16 pm   #13
jimbo2019
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Default Re: GEC Soundeck 1974 hifi - help needed please

Thank you very much. Yes I remember the back of this unit but never knew the model number. My eye sight was not that good when we had it and the back always was against the wall so never had much chance to check.

Yes I remember the 5 point DIN socket which is cleaqrly visible and yes it looks as if this is definitely the one.

Thank you very much. If you do see one please let me know.

Thanks for the kind words about Daddy.
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Old 21st Apr 2019, 2:12 am   #14
teetoon
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Default Re: GEC 2811 Soundeck 1974 hifi - help needed please

Hi Jimbo. I've put a link to one for sale in your wanted thread. https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...81#post1138581

David.
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Old 21st Apr 2019, 9:54 am   #15
jimbo2019
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Default Re: GEC 2811 Soundeck 1974 hifi - help needed please

Thank you very much for that. It most definitely is the correct model so thank you very much. Will keep an eye on it. Thanks.

I am still missing my mum and dad every day and it is very hard for me at present.
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Old 26th Apr 2019, 8:35 pm   #16
jimbo2019
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Default Re: GEC 2811 Soundeck 1974 hifi - help needed please

I got this item for £13.79. Hope I can get it going again. We will see when it arrives. Thanks very much for letting me know.
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