Calstan Radio-Tape BSR? - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Midge_5 · 24th Jun 2019, 9:37 pm

Does anyone have any info on what model & year is? I have had a good look on the net without any luck so throw it over to you guys in the hope someone has come across it before and knows a little about it, it has 'Calstan' on the bezel and 'BSR' on a small round badge that's on the tape head cover.
Would be grateful for any info, Thankyou.

Click here for a video of it in opration ( Radio only)

Techman · 24th Jun 2019, 10:04 pm

BSR TD2 from the early 60s, a search will bring up lots of info.

It's quite unusual with its built in radio.

Don't just carry on running it as there may well be a number of leaking coupling capacitors that'll need replacing, otherwise you'll end up ruining it with a small cloud of smoke and a puddle of melted wax dripping out of the bottom from the transformer!

Paul_RK · 24th Jun 2019, 11:00 pm

The manufacturer is new to me, not too surprising as the machine looks to have found its way here from Down Under.

http://www.thebakeliteradio.com/page14/page14.html

is a page with a few details, there's a YouTube video showing a Calstan transistor radio using the same manufacturer font / logo as the Radio-Tape, and the tuning dial photographs here show the usual configuration of Australian broadcast band stations.

Paul

Midge_5 · 24th Jun 2019, 11:48 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Techman

Don't just carry on running it as there may well be a number of leaking coupling capacitors that'll need replacing, otherwise you'll end up ruining it with a small cloud of smoke and a puddle of melted wax dripping out of the bottom from the transformer!

Yes I am aware of the dangers of running it and potential bad caps spoiling the day, I only ran it the length of the video and turned it off.

Thanks for the info ;-)

P.S. this was to be a restore project for me but due to poor health I am starting to sort things out to sell as I can't manage things like I used to.

Midge_5 · 25th Jun 2019, 8:58 pm

I have requested membership of and aussie facebook group to ask if they recognise it for more info, if I get any updates I will post them.

Midge_5 · 26th Jun 2019, 7:20 pm

Nothing yet for history but I decided to take a peek inside and it is indeed Australian, going by the numbers or codes printed on the chassis could this be 5th month 1964?

usradcoll1 · 8th Jul 2019, 5:38 pm

It would be great to see a valve compliment on this unit.
Seems to be a small motor to drive the tape deck. I like the idea of the slug-tuned tuner assembly.
The mains flex looks like the kind used on an Iron or other heating appliance.

'LIVEWIRE?' · 8th Jul 2019, 5:46 pm

That motor looks like a typical BSR Shaded pole motor. I have somewhere a tape recorder which uses the BSR Tape Deck, but it's not within easy reach to check what motor it employs. If, by slug-tuned tuning, you mean Permeability tuning, where the capacitance is fixed, and the frequency altered by moving the cores in and out of the coils, thus varying the inductance, as you are no doubt aware, this was common practice in car radios for many years, but was rarely encountered in domestic receivers.

paulsherwin · 8th Jul 2019, 5:54 pm

The BSR TD2 will be very familiar to anyone in the UK who was around in the 60s. It was used by a vast range of manufacturers, everybody from man-in-a-shed startups to big boys like KB. BSR must have churned them out in vast numbers. They are a well designed solid deck perfect for their market sector.

BSR obviously exported a few to Australia too.

24th Jun 2019, 9:37 pm	#1
Midge_5 Diode Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Dudley, West Midlands, UK. Posts: 9	Calstan Radio-Tape BSR? Does anyone have any info on what model & year is? I have had a good look on the net without any luck so throw it over to you guys in the hope someone has come across it before and knows a little about it, it has 'Calstan' on the bezel and 'BSR' on a small round badge that's on the tape head cover. Would be grateful for any info, Thankyou. Click here for a video of it in opration ( Radio only) Attached Thumbnails

24th Jun 2019, 10:04 pm	#2
Techman Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Lincolnshire, UK. Posts: 5,000	Re: Calstan Radio-Tape BSR? BSR TD2 from the early 60s, a search will bring up lots of info. It's quite unusual with its built in radio. Don't just carry on running it as there may well be a number of leaking coupling capacitors that'll need replacing, otherwise you'll end up ruining it with a small cloud of smoke and a puddle of melted wax dripping out of the bottom from the transformer!

24th Jun 2019, 11:00 pm	#3
Paul_RK Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Fakenham, Norfolk, UK. Posts: 4,255	Re: Calstan Radio-Tape BSR? The manufacturer is new to me, not too surprising as the machine looks to have found its way here from Down Under. http://www.thebakeliteradio.com/page14/page14.html is a page with a few details, there's a YouTube video showing a Calstan transistor radio using the same manufacturer font / logo as the Radio-Tape, and the tuning dial photographs here show the usual configuration of Australian broadcast band stations. Paul

25th Jun 2019, 8:58 pm	#5
Midge_5 Diode Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Dudley, West Midlands, UK. Posts: 9	Re: Calstan Radio-Tape BSR? I have requested membership of and aussie facebook group to ask if they recognise it for more info, if I get any updates I will post them.

26th Jun 2019, 7:20 pm	#6
Midge_5 Diode Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Dudley, West Midlands, UK. Posts: 9	Re: Calstan Radio-Tape BSR? Nothing yet for history but I decided to take a peek inside and it is indeed Australian, going by the numbers or codes printed on the chassis could this be 5th month 1964? Attached Thumbnails

8th Jul 2019, 5:38 pm	#7
usradcoll1 Heptode Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Cedar Grove, Wisconsin, USA. Posts: 823	Re: Calstan Radio-Tape BSR? It would be great to see a valve compliment on this unit. Seems to be a small motor to drive the tape deck. I like the idea of the slug-tuned tuner assembly. The mains flex looks like the kind used on an Iron or other heating appliance.

8th Jul 2019, 5:46 pm	#8
'LIVEWIRE?' Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton) Posts: 7,306	Re: Calstan Radio-Tape BSR? That motor looks like a typical BSR Shaded pole motor. I have somewhere a tape recorder which uses the BSR Tape Deck, but it's not within easy reach to check what motor it employs. If, by slug-tuned tuning, you mean Permeability tuning, where the capacitance is fixed, and the frequency altered by moving the cores in and out of the coils, thus varying the inductance, as you are no doubt aware, this was common practice in car radios for many years, but was rarely encountered in domestic receivers.

8th Jul 2019, 5:54 pm	#9
paulsherwin Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 27,936	Re: Calstan Radio-Tape BSR? The BSR TD2 will be very familiar to anyone in the UK who was around in the 60s. It was used by a vast range of manufacturers, everybody from man-in-a-shed startups to big boys like KB. BSR must have churned them out in vast numbers. They are a well designed solid deck perfect for their market sector. BSR obviously exported a few to Australia too.