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Old 18th Feb 2018, 7:07 pm   #1
David Simpson
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Default Tottenham Wireless Society

Just been given a lovely old gem. See pictures. Tottenham Wireless Society is etched in white on the faceplate.
There are two calibration charts with it - dated 7/June/26 & 7/7/26 - provided by "Experimental Wireless & the Wireless Engineer". Titled "Test of Buzzer W/M" . Details of test - "Absorbtion Method".
I'm guessing a 1920's Wavemeter.
Any info most welcome, please.

Regards, David
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Old 19th Feb 2018, 12:15 pm   #2
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Default Re: Tottenham Wireless Society

This ancient piece of test equipment has raised many questions :-
a) Who were the Tottenham Wireless Society ? Perhaps they were a forerunner of the London WS who eventually became the RSGB ?

b)Did enterprising WS's back in the 1920's make their own T/Eq. ?

c)Who were "Experimental Wireless" ? Did they make T/Eq. back in the 1920's ? As well as offering a calibration service.

c) On the rear of the Ebonite panel in the bottom R/H corner is Registered Trade Mark - RADION (ACE) PANEL the "ACE" is actually etched inside an Acorn Logo.

d) The Dial was made by the AMERICAN HARD RUBBER Co. New York, and is stamped RADION No10 .

e) Perhaps the Tottenham WS, or Experimental Wireless imported the wavemeter from RADION in the USA ?

f) The mahogany wooden case seems to be bespoke made just for this item. No evidence of it being altered from some other use.

Regards, David

PS. Googled "RADION" - Seemingly it was the trade name for the Ebonite-like panels produced by the American Hard Rubber Co. of New York back in the 1920's. Then there was the American RADION Valve manufacturer. Were they one & the same, perhaps ?
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Old 19th Feb 2018, 1:29 pm   #3
Nickthedentist
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Default Re: Tottenham Wireless Society

Loads of results re. TWS on Google e.g. from Wireless World 1922:
Quote:
Tottenham Wireless Society.

Hon. Secretary, Mr.R. A. Barker, 22, Broadwater
Road, Bruce Grove, N.17.

The inaugural meeting was held on September 21st
at 10, Bruce Grove, and the evening was spent in a
general discussion regarding the future of the
Society.

The second meeting was held on September 28th
at the same address, when Mr. Fred Boui'ne was
elected Chairman. Mr. R. A. Barker, Secretary, and
Mr. Baker, Treasurer. The first half-hour was spent
in buzzer practice, after which the Chairman opened
a discussion on " Wireless " in general. Business
was discussed and several new members enrolled.

The Chairman is drawing up a syllabus of lectures,
demonstrations, etc.

Meetings will be held every week on Thuisdays,
8 p.m. sharp, at 10, Bruce Grove (temporary head-
quarters), and the Secretary will be pleased to
welcome prospective members of either sex.
10 Bruce Grove is now the Bruce Grove Youth Space:
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Old 19th Feb 2018, 2:41 pm   #4
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Default Re: Tottenham Wireless Society

That's a wonderful find of great historical significance, especially as it has the sort of provenance so many items lack. The "Anniversary" of that Society is only four years away.

Dave W
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Old 19th Feb 2018, 3:04 pm   #5
David Simpson
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Default Re: Tottenham Wireless Society

Thanks Nick for that info.
Further internet research has revealed an article in the BVWS's Bulletin dated Dec 1981 - Vol.6 No3. about RADION's valve manufacturing & the Pattison family in Bollington nr Macclesfield, Cheshire in the 1920's. I guess this shouldn't be confused with the American Ebonite product.
I'd just like to zero in on who was making early test equipment for the wireless fraternity back in the 1920's.
Cant find any gen in my third edition of Radio! Radio!, nor in my 2001 edition of Tickling the Crystal. I've a Scott-Taggart book & some other 1920's wireless books, so will delve into them.
Perhaps those guys in Bruce Grove back in 1922 were serious innovators & went on to manufacture bespoke early test equipment.

Regards, David
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Old 19th Feb 2018, 6:46 pm   #6
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Well, before I treat myself to a pre-dinner swally of a tumbler of cheapo British sherry - thought I'd supply the latest info I've uncovered on the internet :-

The Experimental Wireless & the Radio Engineer - - (see http://www.americanradiohistory.com/...l_Wireless.htm) was a British Publication which started out in October 1923. They also provided a Calibration Service. From page 70 of the Nov.1923 publication there can be seen an article on Wavemeters. Page 306 from their March 1924 Mag reveals an article on their Calibration service.
I've printed off copies for my own use, but not sure weather attaching copies to this post infringes the American website's copyright rules. Even though we're talking about an original 1920's British publication. Perhaps a Moderator would like to advise, please.
Still haven't found any gen on this particular Buzzer Wavemeter.

Regards, David
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Old 19th Feb 2018, 8:56 pm   #7
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Default Re: Tottenham Wireless Society

Hello,
The coils look like they were made by Gambrell (http://www.valve-radio.co.uk/coils/g...-plug-in-coil/) which came out circa 1923.
Gambrell did produce a similar wavemeter in 1923 https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/gambrell_wavemeter_a.html and here is another similar one by Bower-Lowe https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/bowyer...ave_meter.html
You can see the marking out lines on the underside of the ebonite sheet which suggests that it might be "homemade" as you might have expected a manufacturer to use a template etc for drilling.
Yours, Richard
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Old 20th Feb 2018, 3:34 pm   #8
David Simpson
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Default Re: Tottenham Wireless Society

Right enough Richard, I had forgotten to mention that the coils were Gambrell's.
Reason for slurping sherry yesterday evening - managed, at last, to get the 90 odd year old buzzer mechanism sorted & working. Drew 80 - 100mA between 4 & 6V DC, and 110 to 120mA at 9V.
Briefly checked the resonance of the tank circuit using the 'A' Coil, and my wee h/held counter revealed "approx." frequencies between 800KHz & 1.2MHz. But its hit & miss, as folk ken - the buzzer's wee spark-gap will give an infinite bandwidth of EM radiation, and the LC tuning circuitry is rather basic. So the wee counter just couldn't lock-on to a specific steady frequency.
It might well be that the enterprising Experimental Wireless Magazine perhaps became agents for a specific wavemeter manufacturer. This set is too well made for a 1920's homebrew project. Shall delve further.

Regards, David
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Old 20th Feb 2018, 4:35 pm   #9
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Default Re: Tottenham Wireless Society

David, that sounds like a useful pantry transmitter for crystal sets!
Sorry, (slaps wrist hard)
On a more serious note, they certainly knew how to make stuff impressive back then.
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Old 20th Feb 2018, 5:43 pm   #10
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Default Re: Tottenham Wireless Society

According to

http://www.dokufunk.org/upload/g_callbook_20-34.pdf

they held a pre-war amateur licence as 5TT

73 Fred
G4BWP
quite post war
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Old 21st Feb 2018, 6:22 pm   #11
David Simpson
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Default Re: Tottenham Wireless Society

Bit more progress :- Thought I'd try & replicate one of the 1926 calibration graphs using coil A's original graph. The wee hand-held Watson Freq. Counter was tried first, but the digital display would just not lock on to a frequency long enough to read. Only managed to get one decent reading with the Condenser dial set at midway - (50), which came in at approx. 910KHz. (Close to the Lowe's result).
Then tried using my wee hand-held GDM - a Lowe FX-1 in wavemeter mode. More success, but that tiny edge meter was a sod to read. Anyway, the results more or less followed the old graph, but neither the Lowe's 'A' or 'B' plug-in coils gave any readable results at the higher freq. end. Coupling issues, I suspect.
The heffing buzzer didn't help, would run at a constant buzz for 3 or 4 seconds, then stutters for a bit. ( Bit like a WAAF I used to know).

Regards, David
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Old 13th Mar 2018, 9:51 pm   #12
David Simpson
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Default Re: Tottenham Wireless Society

Well, I guess this project is complete. Major cleaning, rubbing-down & re-varnishing has been completed on the scratched & crud encrusted cabinet. Had to make a replacement brass strap for the leather handle. A couple of sections of the m & t corners had loosened & required pinning & gluing, and clamped in a sash clamp. Another lovely old mahogany boxed working item from the 1920's to add to my collection.
Must get back to re-cupboarding the scullery, and finishing the painting.

Regards, David
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Old 14th Mar 2018, 12:21 am   #13
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Default Re: Tottenham Wireless Society

Really nice David. If only the distinguished members of the Tottenham Wireless Society were around to give you Dinner and an Honourary Membership [preceded by a Sherry Reception of course],

Dave W
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Old 14th Mar 2018, 2:55 am   #14
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Default Re: Tottenham Wireless Society

I have a few random copies of Experimental Wireless etc. complete with covers and adverts, somewhere in the loft, acquired in a Plessey library clear-out. It was not cheap, 2/6d an issue if I remember correctly. The ones I have include a regular page written in Esperanto (unfortunately without an English translation).
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Old 14th Mar 2018, 11:55 am   #15
David Simpson
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Default Re: Tottenham Wireless Society

Perhaps Emeritus, next time you're up in your loft, you wouldn't mind locating the old magazines, please. Just in case there is any info on this WM. Of particular interest to this test eq. sub forum would be info on early 1920's test equipment used in their calibration service.

Regards, David
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Old 14th Mar 2018, 10:49 pm   #16
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Default Re: Tottenham Wireless Society

Experimental wireless is available on American radio history site, First issued Oct 1st 1923, possibly a little later than you wanted but other earlier British mags on same site. I just Googleg "Experimental Wireless"


John
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