Mullard radio identity?

[Blake88]

Hi everyone hope you're all healthy and good. I have found from my aunt an old radio and was going to the trash so I took it because it looks nice and pity to waste it. I can't find on the net from the model number. I cleaned it from dust. Only two small lamps are working. hope to hear from you. Thanks.

[Stuart R]

Hello & Welcome,

Nice to have rescued that from the trash.

Radio Museum is a good resource. The tuning dial looks very similar to the Mullard MAS257.

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/mullard_mas257.html

But the case looks like it's shared with a MAS256

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/mullard_mas256mas_25.html

A further entry with an MKB prefix shows a Mullard radio that looks very much like a Philips/Stella set and a note points out that many Mullard sets were actually manufactured by Philips and would be an 'Export' model, not available in the UK.

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/mullardval_mkb_2043.html

The light brown back panel is typical of Phillips sets of that time.

If you can show a photo of the inside (with power not connected) that might help someone recognise the set.

Kind Regards,

SR

[Maarten]

This set was manufactured in the UK by Philips, according to the letters BA in the serial number, but it could certainly have been an export set. Do you have some pictures of the chassis in general? Possibly showing code numbers and date codes on the IF cans and/or transformer?

[G6Tanuki]

Mullard and Philips/Stella [and Pye/Pam/Pamphonic] were indeed very much in-bed-with-each-other regarding radio manufacture.

My "Pye" PCR WWII radio is badged as made by "Philips Lamps Ltd". it's always worth browsing collections of such associated brands when trying to ID a radio, as the same chassis may well have carried several different brandings according to local marketing policy..

[Wellington]

Hello Blake88 and welcome to the forum

Well done on rescuing this radio. It seems quite unusual - it doesn't look like a 'typical' Mullard, somehow. And the type/model number (MKZ6360) also seems quite strange.

I browsed through the 1950s Mullard models listed on RadioMuseum and, like Stuart, spotted the similarities with the MAS256 and MAS257.

An image search led me to this South African auction site, where you can see some interesting photos of a radio very similar to yours. The chassis looks weird with that big hole in the middle!

Given the link with Philips, one would expect an 'equivalent' Philips model to exist.

[Blake88]

Hello everyone thank you so much and sorry for my late reply. I know it's very unusual radio because I had looked also at the radio museum but didn't find something similar. I'm surprised you found Wellington at the African site is exactly the same. I will take more pics to send and hope can identify this weird radio. Thank you all from your answers. I will upload more pics.

Here are some pics inside when I was cleaning.

[ms660]

Looks like mains and also a battery converter input for the supply.

Lawrence.

[G6Tanuki]

The 'angled' ferrite-rod mounting is really rather Philips - I've got a couple of their radios here with similarly-angled ferrite-rods, to keep the rod and coils clear from hesat rising off the heater-dropper resistor, the HT rectifier and the UL41 output-valve.

That's an example of the quiet-but-sensible attention-to-detail Philips engineers went to.

[Philips210]

Hi.

In the second pic (post #6) is that the "Type No" plate riveted to the chassis? It looks the same style as used by Philips models but this has red colour printing. The usual Philips Type No plates have black printing. Perhaps the red printing was unique to Mullard badged models?

Regards,
Symon

[Blake88]

Hi everyone and thanks for your replies and useful information. Philips210 if you check my first post at second pic you will see the number plate info is riveted and in red colour.

[Cobaltblue]

Originally Posted by Philips210

Hi.

In the second pic (post #6) is that the "Type No" plate riveted to the chassis? It looks the same style as used by Philips models but this has red colour printing. The usual Philips Type No plates have black printing. Perhaps the red printing was unique to Mullard badged models?

Regards,
Symon

Mullard used red but in the same style as normal Philips models as an example
https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/mullard_mas_231.html

Cheers

Mike T

[Wellington]

The chassis for this set struck me as quite odd. Apart from the 'hole' in the middle of it, I thought there were too few valves.

Looking at Blake88's second photo in post #6, I could clearly see the rectifier, the output valve and the tuning indicator, but apart from those I could only see two more. It took me a while, but eventually I saw another, which I believe is the frequency changer sitting in that 'hole'

I wonder what the full line-up is? The valves all look to be 'Noval' types, except for the one 'Rimlock' next to the output valve. The label stuck to the inside of the back of the set is partly damaged. It has MW and SW×3 (which is as expected for an export set). If we eliminate the 'obvious' ones…

Rectifier: EZ80
Output Valve: EL84
Tuning Indicator: EM81
Frequency Changer: ECH81

…then we're left with an EBF80 and the mystery Rimlock (Exx4x - and it doesn't look like an 'EBC' type). I wonder if it's an EAF42 - weren't Philips quite fond of those? But then, where is there a triode for AF amplification?

How confusing

Blake88 - any chance you could list the valve numbers?

[Blake88]

Hi Wellington 😊 thanks for your info. When weather here will be better soon I will disassemble and carefuly will take photos your request and also the rest of it and also under.

[Blake88]

Hello everyone hope everyone is having a nice weekend. Wellington I take pics and most of the bulbs sadly the letters are worn out. I see under them some letters like D and T. I also take pics under to see in detail.

[Blake88]

And some more pics.

[Wellington]

Thanks for the additional photos, Blake88. It's a shame some of those valves have lost their markings.

As others have already said, although this radio is branded 'Mullard', it was made by Philips. Often, you will find that a Philips radio and a Mullard radio may look different but they contain an identical (or very similar) chassis. For example, the Philips 170A and the Mullard MAS281. I was hoping that someone would recognise your radio and be able to identify an equivalent Philips version. This might aid you in obtaining a circuit diagram.

I find the valve line-up in this set curious. The EBF80 has an external screen - I wonder if this valve is being used as a RF amplifier. Was there an expectation that export sets needed a RF amp in order to be sensitive enough to receive distant stations? If it is being used in this way, would Philips use the two diodes in the EBF80 and trail a wire under the whole width of the chassis to get the signal to the audio stage(s)? There appears to be quite a lot of yellow, screened wire around! This being Philips, I reckon they would!

I would propose:

EBF80 RF Amplifier and Detector
ECH81 Frequency Changer
EF41? IF Amplifier
EL84 Output Valve
EZ80 Rectifier
EM81 Tuning Indicator

There is a paper label affixed to the back of this set. I wonder, Blake88, if you could check and see what the name of the valve is that I have circled below. I looks a bit like 'EBF'. Was there Rimlock EBF valve?

[Maarten]

The valves will have a small 2 line code near the bottom that is slightly more durable. You could post that here so the regular valve type can be found.

[Blake88]

Hi wellington and Maarten. Thanks for your replies. Wellington your information is very interesting. I'm curious to find out also. I will check the diagram paper and take pics. For the valves Maarten only I see it's at the bottom a letter and number. D9 and T2. Everything else is worn out.

[Blake88]

Wellington I check the diagram paper. Sadly near the EBF the numbers are missing.

[Blake88]

Hi everyone 😊 what's the use on that thing and what can connect on these small holes? Is it normal from the company or modified?