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Vintage Radio (domestic) Domestic vintage radio (wireless) receivers only.

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Old 27th May 2010, 8:06 pm   #1
McMurdo
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Default Lease-a-Radio

I have a radio here, 3-band superhet, looks late 30's/early 40s, circular printed card dial with aero-style pointer, the dial is marked in wavelengths but no station names. The dial has 'Lease-a-Radio' on it in red writing in an arc. The cabinet is plain, heavily veneered oak, almost austere. On the plywood back is a small brass plate with 'Wembley Radio' on it. The chassis is a little crude, uses 30's american-base valves (Tung-Sol, RCA etc) and unbranded passive components...it lacks the finesse of a british main line radio, for example earth wires are soldered direct to the chassis rather than with a solder tag. It uses a mains-field loudspeaker, unbranded. It has a conventional 240V mains transformer.

I just wonder what people thought it might be, is it just a lend-lease radio, or maybe a made-for-rental thing? Owning a very large collection of radios indeed, I've not come across anything like it; when I acquired it, there were no knobs, I restored it some 20 years ago and it performs well.

I'll post a pic just as soon as I can get to my parent's house which is where my collection lives.
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Old 4th May 2018, 9:19 pm   #2
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Default Re: Lease-a-Radio

Thread reopened at member's request.
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Old 5th May 2018, 10:17 am   #3
Valvepower
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Default Re: Lease-a-Radio

Hello All,

Firstly, thanks Graham for reopening the thread.

A friend of mine has come by a Radio made by Wembley Radio and going by the description of the radio in the original 2010 post it sounds very similar. Since the last post in 2010 has anymore become known about these radios?

I’ve attached a picture of the Radio.

Any service data etc. would be useful.

Regards
Terry
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Old 5th May 2018, 6:30 pm   #4
Ian B
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Default Re: Lease-a-Radio

I've seen several exactly like this badged as "Derwent". I had a console version some years ago; it used American valves and worked well. I believe they were generally rental sets.

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Old 7th May 2018, 9:33 pm   #5
McMurdo
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Default Re: Lease-a-Radio

The consensus is that's it's essentially a Central Equipment Ltd product, sold as the 'Derwent International Five' or, in my and your case, badged 'Lease a radio' which may simply be a custom dial for a rental company.
My example is on radiomuseum with a substitute speaker cloth (and missing dial escutcheon) after I replaced the one that resembles yours due to what looked like a garden implement puncturing both it and the speaker cone, which I was able to repair.

Considering the hurried way they appear to be constructed, mine at least works very well.
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Old 13th May 2018, 10:00 pm   #6
Valvepower
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Default Re: Lease-a-Radio

Hi,

Thanks for the replies and the info.

This has also helped with the unearthing other threads on forum relating to Central Equipment and Derwent, which has also helped with a background to the radio and its manufacturer.

I feel a circuit is rare as hen’s teeth, but saying that, I figure it’s a fairly simple affair so it should be easy to sort out without a circuit.

Regards
Terry
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