Recommend a good early valve VHF/FM radio - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

wheresthetubes · 1st Oct 2009, 7:28 pm

Hello, can anyone recommend a good VHF valve radio? I've just a few requirements.... Its got to be an early set, preferbly pre 1960, should have a reputation of working reasonably well in comparison with other radios of the period, and should look very nice. It'll get regular use on the sideboard. I almost had my hands on a Fenman 2 but sadly she slipped away.

For some reason VHF valave radios are a bit thin on the ground. Many thanks.

Steve_P · 1st Oct 2009, 7:31 pm

Most Grundigs work well. Or Phillps. They had the valves sooner you see, and had more development time as a result. Fenman 2's are a little bit deaf, especially on AM.

Cheers,

Steve P.

Leon Crampin · 1st Oct 2009, 7:59 pm

If you live in a marginal reception area I would go for either a Bush VHF61/2 (bakelite/wood) or a VHF64 (get a later model to avoid hum) if you also want good sound. You would need to fix the tweeter in the '64.

Apart from an excellent build standard, the Bush sets have an extra IF stage which makes all the difference under marginal conditions. A tuning indicator is always good to have on an FM set without AFC. The Bush sets are useless on AM.

If reception conditions are favourable, the early Murphy sets are good - although they have less gain than the Bush models. I have an A272C console baffle set with an octal output valve and a 10" Celestion 'speaker. It sounds very good when well set up and the AM is much better as Murphy fitted proper aerial coils. A non-rotatable ferrite rod on a big mains set is a joke - most of the German makers realised this.

Leon.

Nickthedentist · 1st Oct 2009, 8:11 pm

Grundigs are superb, but a bit of a fiddle to restore.

The Bushes are wonderful to work on, in comparison.

But don't forget the Hacker Mayflowers. The MkII can be had for about £25 if you're lucky. Output is about 7W rms into a huge Goodmans elliptical speaker. FM only, so no compromises or unreliable switches.

Nick.

wheresthetubes · 1st Oct 2009, 8:12 pm

I like the look of the Bush VHF61, I have half a dozen vintage radios but none of them are bakelite cased. I'd need a high gain one too as reception can be a bit poor so this one is looking favourite.

Nickthedentist · 1st Oct 2009, 8:14 pm

They're slightly let down by their small speaker, but otherwise great.

I've used one as my main set for 6 months and really grown to like it.

Nick.

howard · 1st Oct 2009, 8:19 pm

Hello,

It depends on how much room you've got !

You can't really beat a mid 1950s German built AM/FM radio for build quality, sound quality and impressive looks but then they are big ! The Grundig Hastings and Marlborough models are both good. The Cossor 524 Melody Maker is a fairly big set too, it works well and sounds excellent and is housed in a gorgeous bakelite case.

For a medium sized AM/FM set, I'd go for a Philips, the B3G63A has a nice bakelite case, is easy to restore, works very well and sounds very good too. The Bush VHF61 or VHF62 are very good looking sets, are very well built but IMHO don't work quite as well as the Philips set.

Finally if you can only accomodate a small radio then any of the pretty little German Philips Philetta models or the Dutch equivalent B3X72U model are all excellent, they are AC/DC sets so do run hot and are not easy to work on, but once working their performance is astonishing.

If you could stretch to 1960 then the Bush VHF80 and VHF81 sets are IMHO the best of the lot, in their compact bakelite cases they're not particularly good looking but they are very reliable, more sensitive than any of the above and they sound good too. They're also the cheapest among this selection.

Howard

georgesgiralt · 1st Oct 2009, 8:58 pm

Hi !
As a French, I own :
A 1957 Ducretet Thomson LP472 radiogram. Superb quality and sound. Limited to 100 MHz.
A couple of 3397 Grundig with stereo decoder fitted. They are gorgeous if you use them to power a couple of external loudspeakers; They go up to 104 Mhz.
A collection of little Braun SK (SK2; SK2/2, and SK25 all before the 60's) Brilliant bakelite design, object of art. MW and VHF only going up to 104 MHz. I've given all of them except the oldes SK2.
A couple of valve portable from Telefunken (a Bajazzo from 1955 and one from 1956) limited to 100 MHz Very good and nice.
A chassis from a Blaupunkt Arkansas 1957 with 100 Mhz VHF
All these sets are really good, and use ECC85 or US equivalent for the Thomson. (of course the portable use the DC90 and battery valves !
So choice is not so difficult. German sets are more easy to find as they were made in bigger numbers. The Grundigs may be fitted with a stereo decoder and give a very good sound.
All my VHF sets are in constant use in my house (my wife complains...) and frankly, I can't tell which one is the best !

wheresthetubes · 1st Oct 2009, 9:23 pm

The Cossor 524 has a mottled brown bakelite case making it look more vintage than its 1955 release date, very nice looking set and I'd have room for one of those.

Radio_Dave · 1st Oct 2009, 9:56 pm

Only my opinion, of course, but the Fenman II is the best

It's the only radio in my collection who's sound truly amazes me!

David

mark pirate · 1st Oct 2009, 11:02 pm

I would recommend a grundig, i have a 2045 3D fitted with 4 speakers!
It sounds excellent on am, but stunning on fm

these sets were among the very best available in the late fifties & are still an supurb wireless.

Mark

igranic · 1st Oct 2009, 11:31 pm

If you can find a good example, the Cossor 524 takes some beating. At 18"w x 12"h x 8"d it is somewhat smaller than the Grundigs, but is very sensitive, and in my opinion sounds excellent and is just as good-looking.

Edward

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...6&d=1253033850

avro · 2nd Oct 2009, 7:07 am

I would go for the Hacker Mayflower I, VHF up to 108. I have one and use it for my office radio.

hamid_1 · 2nd Oct 2009, 2:31 pm

I would also recommend the Bush VHF61 - mine has been amazingly reliable. I bought it for 10p (!) in a jumble sale back in the late 1980s. It had a big sticker on it saying NOT WORKING. When I got it home, it all lit up and the tuning indicator moved but there was no sound. The "fault" was amazingly simple. At the back, there are terminals for connecting an external speaker. When these are unscrewed, the internal speaker is disconnected. One of the screws was missing - I just put in another screw and the set worked beautifully.
I replaced the EM80 "Magic Eye" valve with a new one about 20 years ago - th original one was looking a bit dim. Other than that, everything else is original, even the capacitors! The set continues to work - I last used it 2 days ago. (Yes, I should change "that" capacitor, and the dial lamp has now blown. Time to open it up...)

My grandfather had a huge wooden Grundig FM/MW/LW/SW valve radio with 3D Sound and a graphic equalizer! Can't remember the exact model number but it looked like this one
I coveted that radio - it sounded awesome! I remember the lovely bass sound, due to the massive wooden cabinet. When my grandfather died in 1989, my aunt immediately claimed the set, but she never used it, saying it didn't work. I offered to get it going for her but she wasn't interested. My aunt has since died 2 months ago. I have no idea what her family will do with all her stuff (probably send it straight to the tip

That's one set I would love to have back again, if only for sentimental reasons.

Nickthedentist · 2nd Oct 2009, 6:17 pm

Those Grundigs were very modern for their time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hamid_1

My aunt has since died 2 months ago. I have no idea what her family will do with all her stuff (probably send it straight to the tip

That's one set I would love to have back again, if only for sentimental reasons.

Sorry to hear about your aunt. Maybe a polite and tactful note to the relatives asking to bear you in mind if the Grundig is surplus to their requirements, would be in order? I'm sure they'd rather it went to a member of the family than the tip.

Your Bush will be a doddle to restore. Change all the wax/paper caps while you're in there, you will probably notice a huge improvement in performance.

Nick.

Nickthedentist · 2nd Oct 2009, 6:22 pm

Some pics of the Hacker Mayflower II and the Bush VHF61/2 (re-capped).

Coincidentally, the Hacker belonged to my late grandfather. I recently rescued it when his relatives were clearing his bungalow. It too was going to be binned

Nick.

wheresthetubes · 3rd Oct 2009, 7:29 pm

Many thanks to all of you for your useful responses. I've decided to obtain a Bush VHF 61 when one becomes available. Infact there are four of these models currently available via eBay, though the 3 better condition ones are collection only

. I accept that the output on one of these is not that of a Hacker 2 or a grundig, but I do like the look of them, it really does look of its time/era, and nice bakelite housing. From what I understand they're fairly reliable and easier than a philips to put right if it needs repairing. So I guess I'll be keeping an eye out for one of these, best regards.

1st Oct 2009, 7:28 pm	#1
wheresthetubes Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Reading, Berkshire, UK. Posts: 135	Recommend a good early valve VHF/FM radio Hello, can anyone recommend a good VHF valve radio? I've just a few requirements.... Its got to be an early set, preferbly pre 1960, should have a reputation of working reasonably well in comparison with other radios of the period, and should look very nice. It'll get regular use on the sideboard. I almost had my hands on a Fenman 2 but sadly she slipped away. For some reason VHF valave radios are a bit thin on the ground. Many thanks.

1st Oct 2009, 7:31 pm	#2
Steve_P Dekatron Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester, UK. Posts: 6,644	Re: Recommend a good early valve VHF/FM radio Most Grundigs work well. Or Phillps. They had the valves sooner you see, and had more development time as a result. Fenman 2's are a little bit deaf, especially on AM. Cheers, Steve P. __________________ If we've always had it, why is the Car Boot open? You're not sneaking another Old TV in are you...?

1st Oct 2009, 7:59 pm	#3
Leon Crampin Octode Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Surrey, UK. Posts: 1,874	Re: Recommend a good early valve VHF/FM radio If you live in a marginal reception area I would go for either a Bush VHF61/2 (bakelite/wood) or a VHF64 (get a later model to avoid hum) if you also want good sound. You would need to fix the tweeter in the '64. Apart from an excellent build standard, the Bush sets have an extra IF stage which makes all the difference under marginal conditions. A tuning indicator is always good to have on an FM set without AFC. The Bush sets are useless on AM. If reception conditions are favourable, the early Murphy sets are good - although they have less gain than the Bush models. I have an A272C console baffle set with an octal output valve and a 10" Celestion 'speaker. It sounds very good when well set up and the AM is much better as Murphy fitted proper aerial coils. A non-rotatable ferrite rod on a big mains set is a joke - most of the German makers realised this. Leon.

1st Oct 2009, 8:11 pm	#4
Nickthedentist Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Oxford, UK. Posts: 17,865	Re: Recommend a good early valve VHF/FM radio Grundigs are superb, but a bit of a fiddle to restore. The Bushes are wonderful to work on, in comparison. But don't forget the Hacker Mayflowers. The MkII can be had for about £25 if you're lucky. Output is about 7W rms into a huge Goodmans elliptical speaker. FM only, so no compromises or unreliable switches. Nick.

1st Oct 2009, 8:12 pm	#5
wheresthetubes Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Reading, Berkshire, UK. Posts: 135	Re: Recommend a good early valve VHF/FM radio I like the look of the Bush VHF61, I have half a dozen vintage radios but none of them are bakelite cased. I'd need a high gain one too as reception can be a bit poor so this one is looking favourite.

1st Oct 2009, 8:14 pm	#6
Nickthedentist Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Oxford, UK. Posts: 17,865	Re: Recommend a good early valve VHF/FM radio They're slightly let down by their small speaker, but otherwise great. I've used one as my main set for 6 months and really grown to like it. Nick.

1st Oct 2009, 8:19 pm	#7
howard Nonode Join Date: May 2005 Location: Godalming, Surrey, UK. Posts: 2,593	Re: Recommend a good early valve VHF/FM radio Hello, It depends on how much room you've got ! You can't really beat a mid 1950s German built AM/FM radio for build quality, sound quality and impressive looks but then they are big ! The Grundig Hastings and Marlborough models are both good. The Cossor 524 Melody Maker is a fairly big set too, it works well and sounds excellent and is housed in a gorgeous bakelite case. For a medium sized AM/FM set, I'd go for a Philips, the B3G63A has a nice bakelite case, is easy to restore, works very well and sounds very good too. The Bush VHF61 or VHF62 are very good looking sets, are very well built but IMHO don't work quite as well as the Philips set. Finally if you can only accomodate a small radio then any of the pretty little German Philips Philetta models or the Dutch equivalent B3X72U model are all excellent, they are AC/DC sets so do run hot and are not easy to work on, but once working their performance is astonishing. If you could stretch to 1960 then the Bush VHF80 and VHF81 sets are IMHO the best of the lot, in their compact bakelite cases they're not particularly good looking but they are very reliable, more sensitive than any of the above and they sound good too. They're also the cheapest among this selection. Howard

1st Oct 2009, 8:58 pm	#8
georgesgiralt Hexode Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Toulouse, France Posts: 406	Re: Recommend a good early valve VHF/FM radio Hi ! As a French, I own : A 1957 Ducretet Thomson LP472 radiogram. Superb quality and sound. Limited to 100 MHz. A couple of 3397 Grundig with stereo decoder fitted. They are gorgeous if you use them to power a couple of external loudspeakers; They go up to 104 Mhz. A collection of little Braun SK (SK2; SK2/2, and SK25 all before the 60's) Brilliant bakelite design, object of art. MW and VHF only going up to 104 MHz. I've given all of them except the oldes SK2. A couple of valve portable from Telefunken (a Bajazzo from 1955 and one from 1956) limited to 100 MHz Very good and nice. A chassis from a Blaupunkt Arkansas 1957 with 100 Mhz VHF All these sets are really good, and use ECC85 or US equivalent for the Thomson. (of course the portable use the DC90 and battery valves ! So choice is not so difficult. German sets are more easy to find as they were made in bigger numbers. The Grundigs may be fitted with a stereo decoder and give a very good sound. All my VHF sets are in constant use in my house (my wife complains...) and frankly, I can't tell which one is the best !

1st Oct 2009, 9:23 pm	#9
wheresthetubes Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Reading, Berkshire, UK. Posts: 135	Re: Recommend a good early valve VHF/FM radio The Cossor 524 has a mottled brown bakelite case making it look more vintage than its 1955 release date, very nice looking set and I'd have room for one of those.

1st Oct 2009, 9:56 pm	#10
Radio_Dave Nonode Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK. Posts: 2,543	Re: Recommend a good early valve VHF/FM radio Only my opinion, of course, but the Fenman II is the best It's the only radio in my collection who's sound truly amazes me! David

1st Oct 2009, 11:02 pm	#11
mark pirate Dekatron Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK Posts: 5,185	Re: Recommend a good early valve VHF/FM radio I would recommend a grundig, i have a 2045 3D fitted with 4 speakers! It sounds excellent on am, but stunning on fm these sets were among the very best available in the late fifties & are still an supurb wireless. Mark

1st Oct 2009, 11:31 pm	#12
igranic Rest in Peace Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: North Bedfordshire, UK. Posts: 395	Re: Recommend a good early valve VHF/FM radio If you can find a good example, the Cossor 524 takes some beating. At 18"w x 12"h x 8"d it is somewhat smaller than the Grundigs, but is very sensitive, and in my opinion sounds excellent and is just as good-looking. Edward https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...6&d=1253033850

2nd Oct 2009, 7:07 am	#13
avro Heptode Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Kapellen, Belgium Posts: 656	Re: Recommend a good early valve VHF/FM radio I would go for the Hacker Mayflower I, VHF up to 108. I have one and use it for my office radio. __________________ Avro in Belgium __________________ BVWS member

2nd Oct 2009, 2:31 pm	#14
hamid_1 Heptode Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: High Wycombe, Bucks. UK. Posts: 811	Re: Recommend a good early valve VHF/FM radio I would also recommend the Bush VHF61 - mine has been amazingly reliable. I bought it for 10p (!) in a jumble sale back in the late 1980s. It had a big sticker on it saying NOT WORKING. When I got it home, it all lit up and the tuning indicator moved but there was no sound. The "fault" was amazingly simple. At the back, there are terminals for connecting an external speaker. When these are unscrewed, the internal speaker is disconnected. One of the screws was missing - I just put in another screw and the set worked beautifully. I replaced the EM80 "Magic Eye" valve with a new one about 20 years ago - th original one was looking a bit dim. Other than that, everything else is original, even the capacitors! The set continues to work - I last used it 2 days ago. (Yes, I should change "that" capacitor, and the dial lamp has now blown. Time to open it up...) My grandfather had a huge wooden Grundig FM/MW/LW/SW valve radio with 3D Sound and a graphic equalizer! Can't remember the exact model number but it looked like this one I coveted that radio - it sounded awesome! I remember the lovely bass sound, due to the massive wooden cabinet. When my grandfather died in 1989, my aunt immediately claimed the set, but she never used it, saying it didn't work. I offered to get it going for her but she wasn't interested. My aunt has since died 2 months ago. I have no idea what her family will do with all her stuff (probably send it straight to the tip That's one set I would love to have back again, if only for sentimental reasons.

2nd Oct 2009, 6:22 pm	#16
Nickthedentist Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Oxford, UK. Posts: 17,865	Re: Recommend a good early valve VHF/FM radio Some pics of the Hacker Mayflower II and the Bush VHF61/2 (re-capped). Coincidentally, the Hacker belonged to my late grandfather. I recently rescued it when his relatives were clearing his bungalow. It too was going to be binned Nick. Attached Thumbnails

3rd Oct 2009, 7:29 pm	#17
wheresthetubes Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Reading, Berkshire, UK. Posts: 135	Re: Recommend a good early valve VHF/FM radio Many thanks to all of you for your useful responses. I've decided to obtain a Bush VHF 61 when one becomes available. Infact there are four of these models currently available via eBay, though the 3 better condition ones are collection only . I accept that the output on one of these is not that of a Hacker 2 or a grundig, but I do like the look of them, it really does look of its time/era, and nice bakelite housing. From what I understand they're fairly reliable and easier than a philips to put right if it needs repairing. So I guess I'll be keeping an eye out for one of these, best regards.