Heathkit Oxford Transistor Radio.

[John12868]

Hi Chaps,

Can anyone comment on the comparative rarity of the Heathkit Oxford?

I picked one up for a fiver at the weekend and was wondering about its history. I realise they were a kit build in the early '60s, but how popular are they?

Regards

John

[Paul_RK]

Hi John,

I think they were available for a few years, and there are a reasonable number still around. I have one here that turned up locally, and I'd guess I've seen a dozen or so on eBay in five years. Many commercial models from established UK manufacturers don't appear nearly so often. If pressed for a rough and ready estimate of how many were made I'd say about five thousand.

Paul

[igranic]

The Heathkit Oxford UXR-2 transistor radio appears to have been a UK-only product (hence the "U" prefix) made at the Gloucester factory. Although there was a USA product designated XR-2, it appears to have had little if anything in common with the UK version which, unsurprisingly, featured LW as well as MW, 7 transistors, an additional audio stage with a tone control, car aerial socket, tape recorder output socket, a headphone jack, and a gold-blocked leather case.

I can't locate any precise manufacturing information, but the assembly manuals carried a 1963 date code, there was a review of the radio, as a kit, in the October 1963 issue of Radio Constructor, and it appears in the 1964 Gloucester catalogue (priced at £14 18s). So it would seem fair to assume that it was first released in 1963.

Although available as a kit, many products were also available "factory built", but in reality a significant proportion were assembled at home by Heath/Daystrom employees working on a piecework basis in their spare time.

Sadly, my example has lost its serial number label, but my guess is that they were popular because of their quality, and for the economy that could be made by building it oneself thus avoiding purchase tax. But it should also be borne in mind that, at that time, transistor radios were still very much the "new thing" and £14 18s was more than many people could earn in one week.

Edward

[Paul_RK]

There's no serial number visible on mine either, but the large electrolytic near the case back is dated Dec. '66.

Paul

[John12868]

No serial number here either, but the electrolytic is dated April 64, so it's reasonably early. Just need to coax it back to life.

[Brian R Pateman]

Strangely, I have just read the review in RC, October 1963 - what a co-incidence!

It has the dreaded AF117 lurking within so that should be your first suspect. The article has the circuit diagram and components list. If you would like a scan of the article, please let me know.

Regards,