Ferguson 3790 & Rediffusion Switcher 'saved'

[mark2collection]

My father sadly passed away some 14 months ago now. Various family members (including myself & Mrs M2C) helping mum sorting through things.

It's never a nice task, but we've been pragmatic about what to keep, what to give to charity, and what should be recycled. In fairness, an awful lot of the items for recycling were broken bits of broken appliances & bits of bits, with bits missing! This managed to fill a loft and two sheds.

Picking mum up the other day, she had another 'pile' earmarked for recycling 'when we get chance' followed by 'oh, the TV in the bedroom may as well go, and the ‘phone'. Imagine my jaw on the floor horror when it dawned on me she was referring to the very TV I now write about, a TV that’s been in my life since I was 3(!)

About a year before my father’s passing, he found the original sale receipt for this TV, & from memory (I never actually saw the receipt), he said it was purchased in the summer of 1978, from Co-Op in Reading, and cost £225.

The TV has been in regular use since new, & at one stage was our main TV for a good number of years. Touch-wood, the only time the TV failed, was when the Lorlin power switch went O/C, in 2002! A new Lorlin switch was purchased from Willowvale Electronics.

I’ve since found the original Rediffusion Channel Switch-box we used. I’m sure at the time, circa early 80’s, we had a news channel, a music channel or two, and a film channel. I must have been around 7 at the time; the switch-box lived on the lounge windowsill. From memory, it was called 'Cablevision', I have a vague recollection of seeing the 'Sky' logo too and, the Childrens Channel(?)

The TV has outlived two video recorders & two Freeview set-top boxes. The ‘system’ was all wired up ready to go (Freeview box, scart out to VCR, RF out to TV), but when we tried the system about a month ago, out of all the items, only the TV came back on.

The TV isn’t as white as it once was, same goes for the ‘phone, but being in a non-smoker house, it has aged very well. Last time I saw the set running (on Freeview) it still had a fantastic picture, with the Freeview EPG still in good focus.

Needless to say, this little TV is now in my workshop, we have since found the spare chassis given to me by a fellow engineer back in the late 90’s, from a working set with a duff tube.

There’s no way I could let this TV be ‘skipped’, if I can find the receipt, it would be nice to see it all in a museum, but not sure there’s interest as yet(?), but I’m sure saving the set is absolutely the right thing to do.

Hope you like.

Mark

[volte-face]

I believe that the label on the rear would suggest - Gosport (factory) / 1982 / Week 04. '78 is too early for a TX9.

It's nice to hang on to a bit of, not too large, family tech history. I still have the actual Thorn 950 dual standard monochrome set that I watched Playschool on as a child.

[mark2collection]

Ahhh, okey doke, that's interesting.

It must be the HiFi my father bought in 1978, which was also a Ferguson, a System 25(?) Would be nice to find the original receipt, hopefully it's still at the house.

Early 80's would certainly make sense for the telly.

Mark

[dazzlevision]

Originally Posted by mark2collection

It must be the HiFi my father bought in 1978, which was also a Ferguson, a System 25(?) Would be nice to find the original receipt, hopefully it's still at the house.

The Ferguson HiFi System 25 was quite a nice piece of kit and entirely UK designed and built - including the record deck and cassette mechanism.

[Nickthedentist]

Yes, I love those TX9 sets. The picture and reliablility gave the Japanese sets a run for their money, and the overall design and service manual were so good that repairs were a doddle too.

What does the phone say underneath? It looks like an 8746, in other words, a normal 746 phone issued complete with a grey cord terminated in a modern BT 431A plug. These were issued right up until the latter half of the 1980s.

N.

[toshiba tony]

Hello, Yes, the TX9. Early versions used a TDA4600 in the psu. This was the one that had a high value resistor from pin 4 to HT. If it went high it blew the power supply. My not be of relevance but it's worth checking. Other than that not a bad set. Pictures were nice and bright and the CRT had a fair life. Used to repair lots of them. Good sets on the whole. Ultra sonic remote on some models, have you got yours?

[dazzlevision]

Originally Posted by toshiba tony

Hello, Yes, the TX9. Early versions used a TDA4600 in the psu. This was the one that had a high value resistor from pin 4 to HT. If it went high it blew the power supply. My not be of relevance but it's worth checking.

It was the later version of the TX9 chassis that used a TDA4600 power supply, the early one used thyristors and that big choke.

[FERNSEH]

The attachment shows an earlier Rediffusion station selector switch.

The first generation TX9 used a thyristor power supply and did have a few fuse blowing problems. I do recall the modification in which the 0.1microfarad capacitor (C146?)) connected between the cathode and trigger of the crowbar thyristor was changed to 100mfd. The next version of the TX9 with the Siemens TDA4600 IC was as reliable as anything from Japan.

DFWB.

[toshiba tony]

Wrong way round, sorry.

[mark2collection]

Originally Posted by Nickthedentist

What does the phone say underneath? It looks like an 8746, in other words, a normal 746 phone issued complete with a grey cord terminated in a modern BT 431A plug. These were issued right up until the latter half of the 1980s.

Nick, you're right on the money. Had a quick look last night, and it's exactly as you describe.

Even the phone holds memories from my childhood, speaking with (now-departed) family members in deepest Cornwall, to thank them for birthday/Christmas gifts or a general chat, usually with a cartoon on the TX9 in the background

Tony, our set is the manual variety, ultrasonic would have been nice to have, cannot be many around now. I did once fix an ultrasonic model, jingling my house keys would make it change channel!

When I get 5, I shall have a look inside to see if this TV is an early, or a later one. As it stands, I've not a clue

The first company I worked for, we used to see quite a few of the larger-screen TX sets, particular the one with the chassis-wide flip-down chroma panel(?) and the stereo one, with all those LED's. TX10's perhaps?

My Nan had a 22"(?) Logik version, with numeric LED 'channel' display, remote control & Teletext, complete with original stand, no VCR underneath.

Am trying to think of an alternative use for the Rediffusion station selector. Seeing the Bakelite one above, wowsers, never seen one like that before.

Mark

[Studio263]

Originally Posted by Nickthedentist

Yes, I love those TX9 sets. The picture and reliablility gave the Japanese sets a run for their money

Of course the TX9 did have a Hitachi tube, a Hitachi LOPT and an NEC colour decoder IC (early / non-text versions like this anyway), along with countless other small components from Japan...

[Welsh Anorak]

I think Tim has his spoon out...
The Mk3 was good, but the earlier PSU did give headaches, especially when used with a spiky mains supply. And that yellow choke on the wrong side of the mains switch used to smoulder away merrily, though to be fair I didn't see any that had actually burnt.
I have one of these 16" TX9s with a radio and alarm built in, plus another 'Datatext 90' version. This was a viewdata terminal I got from Willow Vale to place orders using their COPS system. Worked very well (and very slowly by today's standards) but was very useful for checking parts availability and getting your order in well after the 3.30 deadline for phoned orders. It also worked on Hitachi's system, but you could scroll through thirty pages of screws and resistors before you got to the LOPT or idler you needed. Of couse it was pulse dialling, but was pretty cutting edge for the Nineties workshop!

[Heatercathodeshort]

The later versions of the TX9 were truly remarkable.

The only fault I ever encountered were dry joints on the tinned copper wires that linked the switch mode transformer to the rectifier diodes. I think they had been cut a little short. Thorn at it's very best.

It's such a pity that this standard of quality had not been taken on board a little earlier by all manufacturers. John.

[Nickthedentist]

Originally Posted by Studio263

Of course the TX9 did have a Hitachi tube, a Hitachi LOPT and an NEC colour decoder IC (early / non-text versions like this anyway), along with countless other small components from Japan...

I knew it had some Japanese components, but didn't realise the tube and LOPTx were too!

[toshiba tony]

TX9's were certainly good sets of their day, we were Thorn dealers and they did us well. We were also Sony dealers and they led the edge on sales. The 1330 and its derivatives were very kind to us though but the TX9 held it's own. Better than the crappy Nikkai's etc. The baby 10 was a nightmare.

[mark2collection]

Originally Posted by Nickthedentist

... but didn't realise the tube and LOPTx were too!

Neither did I, blimey.

Hopefully tonight, I'll remove the back and see what version this set is. I was going to do it last night, but it would be off topic to tell you why I was covered in paraffin, now have a scorched lawn and had a largely uncontrollable 5ft 'pulsing' flame! (Grandfathers 1950's blowlamp - last used circa, mid 60's).

Back on topic, I think the 'speaker in these sets were Philips, along with one or some of the TDA I.C's(?) Rubycon capacitors too, highly regarded I gather.

Mark

[Welsh Anorak]

I imagine Thorn just wanted to get it right with the new TX series. After all, the idea of a single panel TV was novel for them. The 9600 was the last of the more traditional Thorn designs with easy access and unusual design features. I discount the 9800 which I saw as a vehicle for getting rid of all the old 8000 series panels!
They had a huge advertising campaign featuring Andre Previn extolling the virtues of the TX series. It backfired slightly when Hitachi let it be known that Mr Previn actually was very pleased with his Hitachi TV...

[toshiba tony]

It's good how posts like this develop into "sagas". A few years ago a lowly TX9 wouldn't have made compulsive reading. I full appreciate the original post has sentimental reasons to advertise his wares, but anybody else!!!!
That's what's so good about this site, someone wakes up other peoples memories about an old set and all hell breaks loose. Good on you all.

[1100 man]

Originally Posted by Welsh Anorak

I imagine Thorn just wanted to get it right with the new TX series. After all, the idea of a single panel TV was novel for them.

There is a fascinating film on one of the BVWS DVD's showing the design and production of the TX9 & TX10 at both the Gosport & Enfield factories.
Granted, it's a promo film, but the whole emphasis is on quality and testing. The amount of testing of PCB's & components throughout the production process is amazing:- quality & reliability, both concepts hitherto unknown in British products, were finally acknowledged as being of paramount importance!

I loved both chassis- by far the best Thorn had ever produced. I saw relatively few of either as they so rarely went wrong!

It must be 30 years ago that my Uncle asked me to get him a TV & VCR. Being some distance away, I wanted the most reliable units that I could get. I selected a 20" TX9 and a 3v29 VCR. He still has both!

All the best
Nick

[slidertogrid]

Originally Posted by Welsh Anorak

I imagine Thorn just wanted to get it right with the new TX series.
They had a huge advertising campaign featuring Andre Previn extolling the virtues of the TX series. It backfired slightly when Hitachi let it be known that Mr Previn actually was very pleased with his Hitachi TV...

I hope it wasn't a Hitachi Instavision… if it was he wouldn't have been pleased with it for long!

I agree with all the comments on the TX9 being a very good set. I sold loads new and had very little problems. Yes agreed the early ones could randomly blow mains fuses if the supply was a little rough but at least it was just a fuse, early G11s took out the bridge rectifier, the line output transistor and sometimes more silicon in the power supply and frame circuits if you upset them!

We sold Ferguson sets right up to the time they did the dirty on dealers by suppling Dixons with TX 100s badged as Logic.

We along with a lot of other small retailers then fell out with Thorn and moved on to other makes. We started selling Toshiba and found them excellent. ( we also sold Sharp for a while but the least said about that the better!)
The Tx9s and 10s we had out on rental slogged on for years sometimes 10 or more with very little in the way of repairs usually what wrote them off was the tube becoming worn out.