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1st Jun 2006, 11:50 am | #1 |
Rest in Peace
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British Wireless Set Database
Anybody any idea what happened to the British Wireless Set Database that used to be at
http://www.classaxe.com/wireless/dat...ase/index.html ?? |
1st Jun 2006, 3:10 pm | #2 |
Rest in Peace
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Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyneside, UK.
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Re: British Wireless Set Database
Very usefull source of information; Just seems to have vanished?
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1st Jun 2006, 3:16 pm | #3 |
Octode
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Near Stowmarket, Suffolk, UK.
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Re: British Wireless Set Database
I have no idea where it's gone. Maintenance? Josh.
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1st Jun 2006, 6:29 pm | #4 |
Administrator
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Re: British Wireless Set Database
I am planning to open a vintage radio identification gallery site in a couple of months (as soon as the current web design project I'm doing for a client is finished). It won't have as much information about wavebands and valve lineups etc (though people can add them as comments if they wish). However it will allow anyone to sign up and post images, leave comments etc. There will be a search facility.
I have the basics set up using the Coppermine open source gallery scripts here http://www.vintage-radio.info/gallery/index.php with a load of images that John Pether kindly sent me. I am waiting for a CD full of images from Richard at Past Times Radio too, and have a number of my own to add. There is no customising done yet (not even a banner). It is currently set so that nobody can register or post (as I haven't sorted out the posting approval arrangements yet). If anyone has a load of photos of their sets which they would like to add, please PM me and I will set up a login for you. Also if anyone wants to help by filling in wavebands, valve lineups and years for the sets there, please contact me. Unlike the above mentioned database I am not going to require that all sets are photographed at specific angles and distances, with a white background etc. Any good clear photo of the set, preferably at least 600 pixels wide, is fine. I wasn't going to mention this just yet, but with this thread and Josh's one on McMichael recently, it seems an appropriate time to at least say what is coming soon. |
1st Jun 2006, 6:52 pm | #5 | |
Rest in Peace
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Re: British Wireless Set Database
Quote:
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1st Jun 2006, 7:00 pm | #6 |
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Re: British Wireless Set Database
Excellent Paul.
Are you just looking for front views, or can pictures of backs, sides and insides be posted in addition? Do the pictures have to be of sets in prestine condition? Is the site just for radios, or are record players, TVs and tape recorders allowed. Is it just for domestic sets or is military and amateur stuff allowed. How about non-UK sets. Lots of questions. Sorry.
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1st Jun 2006, 7:44 pm | #7 | ||||
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Re: British Wireless Set Database
Quote:
For example, if a manufacturer produced a number of different models in identical or very similar cabinets, then internal photos would help to differentiate the models. But if the cabinet is unique to the one set then there is no point in posting it. An exception wold be if there is something unusual or interesting about the chassis etc that makes it worth posting just for general interest. The insides of many 4V+R sets don't show anything unusual so there is no point in clutting the site with loads of those. Quote:
If the set in the photo is non-standard then the differences should be noted in the "comments" section, so as to avoid confusion. In particular we don't want people to think their set is incorrect on the basis of a photo on the site, when in fact it is correct but the photo isn't. I don't want to apply too many restrictions, as I would rather encourage people to post photos of sets that are not already there. Photos can always be replaced if a better one is posted later. Quote:
What I don't want is for it to become a bit of everything and not much use for anything. Quote:
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1st Jun 2006, 7:49 pm | #8 |
Hexode
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Higham-on-the-Hill, Leicestershire, UK.
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Re: British Wireless Set Database
I've got about half my sets photographed for my website (which is progressing slowly). Once they are all done I will hapily contribute them to the database of photographs too. They will mostly be 'before' pictures though.
Sam
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1st Jun 2006, 9:21 pm | #9 |
Nonode
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Coulsdon, Surrey, UK.
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Re: British Wireless Set Database
I contributed some sets to Martin's website a while back. The last lot I sent never made it, so I assume he may have lost interest ( he has a very wide selection of hobbies ) But its gone for the moment ....
Paul, I would be happy to upload many pictures I have taken of sets over the years, a lot of which I no longer have. I would also be happy to add details like valve line ups etc. One feature I found useful in Martin's database was "known serial numbers" or whatever it was called. This gives an indication of how many sets still exist and also a vague notion of how many may have been made. ( DAC90's probably excepted as these would fill a whole site on their own ) Spreadsheet and camera poised ! Andy |
1st Jun 2006, 9:25 pm | #10 |
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Re: British Wireless Set Database
Thanks Andy. I'll send you a PM in a few minutes.
Sam, let me know when you ready and we'll sort yours out too (if it's not fully live by then). |
1st Jun 2006, 10:03 pm | #11 |
Nonode
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Location: Godalming, Surrey, UK.
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Re: British Wireless Set Database
Hello Paul,
What a good idea ! I hope youve got lots of disk space ! I have hundreds of pics of my collection which youre welcome to. Howard |
1st Jun 2006, 10:18 pm | #12 |
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Re: British Wireless Set Database
Excellent - thanks Howard! Do you want to upload them yourself, or do you want to send them to me to do?
Disk space isn't a problem. The images there so far I have resamples to 1000 pixels wide if they were originally wider than 1100 pixels. Having images much bigger than that doesn't really add anything. So target size is between 600 and 1024 pixels wide, really (or the same dimensions high if it's taller than it's wide). Cropping fairly close to the set is sensible, as nobody is interested in whatever is in the background, and it makes better use of the available image area. |
2nd Jun 2006, 11:19 am | #13 |
Nonode
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Location: Godalming, Surrey, UK.
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Re: British Wireless Set Database
Hello Paul,
Theyre nearly all 933x700 pixels and compressed down to 70-80k or I have the originals which are over 130k apiece. Some will need cropping. I can upload them myself. Howard Last edited by howard; 2nd Jun 2006 at 11:28 am. |
2nd Jun 2006, 12:02 pm | #14 |
Retired Dormant Member
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Re: British Wireless Set Database
Hi,
I'm wondering if it might be worth combining the "set identification database" with the "radio inventory" - going back to my thoughts and ideas expressed on the Radio Inventory thread... ...An upshot of setting up the FothTV website is that I'm now getting the hang of driving a rather nice CMS which could lend itself to something like this; I've PMed Paul with more detail of my thoughts... Regards, Kat |
2nd Jun 2006, 12:30 pm | #15 |
Octode
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Location: Near Stowmarket, Suffolk, UK.
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Re: British Wireless Set Database
I'll be contributing and i'll stick a CD in the post Paul. You might want to make the McMichael section very large for they way my product list is going . Josh.
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4th Jun 2006, 6:38 pm | #16 |
Triode
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Dorchester, Dorset, UK.
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Re: British Wireless Set Database
Great to hear your setting this up, I was thinking of doing something similar myself and would be happy to help if you need it. I would encorage you to have as comprehensive set of fields as possible for each entry, so details like date of manufacture original price valve lineup and even details of common faults and perhaps even a brief history of the particular set can be entered.
Time to get the camera out!! |
4th Jun 2006, 7:26 pm | #17 |
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Re: British Wireless Set Database
Kat is investigating the Durpal software she will be using for her FothTV project website to see how it will work for my gallery site. The software I am testing at the moment does about 70% of what I want, and there is no easy way of adding the other 30%. It would involve finding someone who understands PHO and MySQL to customise it (without it costing too much money).
If Kat's software does better them we'll move it to that. It would mean it will take a bit longer to get it online, but it will be better when it is. I received a CD-R containing over 2800 photos from Richard Booth at Past Times Radio yesterday, and I am in the process of going through those to get the best photo of each set. There are obviously a few photos of each set on it, as they are all the ones he has ever used on their website. I think after sorting it will provide good photos of several hundred more sets. With the ones I already have, these, the offers above and the offers via PM, we will have plenty of sets on the site. Obviously I will have a number of photos of the more common sets to choose from, but even so I'll be disappointed if we don't have at least a couple of thousand sets shown within a few months. I am happy for people to send me photos on CD for adding (PM me for the address). Please make sure the filename contains the make and model of the set, or include a separate index file. Otherwise they will be like the 400+ photos I have of BVWS auction lots (as on the BVWS website), where I have no idea what many of them are. Last edited by Paul Stenning; 4th Jun 2006 at 7:35 pm. |
5th Jun 2006, 7:45 am | #18 | |
Octode
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Location: Near Stowmarket, Suffolk, UK.
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Re: British Wireless Set Database
Quote:
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5th Jun 2006, 10:55 am | #19 |
Dekatron
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Location: Seaford, East Sussex, UK.
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Re: British Wireless Set Database
Sorry to throw a spanner in the works but I wonder if the British Wireless Set Database has been pulled as it was costing too much bandwidth to run the site?
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5th Jun 2006, 12:19 pm | #20 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: West Yorkshire, UK.
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Re: British Wireless Set Database
Hi,
That is a point... I suppose there's one way to find out... Kat |