Radio ID? - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

petervk2mlg · 2nd May 2015, 10:26 am

Hi Can anyone identify this radio for me. Looks to be English. Possibly Champion?
Valves used are 12K8, 12K7, 12Q7, 35L6, 35Z4

Peter

paulsherwin · 2nd May 2015, 11:12 am

I don't recognise it, but the tuning scale indicates the late 40s, as it shows the Light Programme (1945) but not the Third Programme (1946).

Stuart R · 2nd May 2015, 11:58 am

Hello Peter,

I've got something very similar, in the same case, but with different knobs, dial and rear panel. Mine is a Defiant, so was made for and sold by the Co-Op.

Mine has the same valve line up and I used Trader sheet 927 for the Champion 'Comet' and 'Meteor'.

There are some circuit and line-cord differences between Comet and Meteor according to the sheet. I decided that I had the Comet as it has two dial bulbs, but of course maybe the Co-Op variants were slightly different again. My set's line cord vanished years ago so cannot compare that feature.

Hope that helps,

Regards,

SR

I've added some pictures in 'as found' condition. Some valves may be in the wrong place. Just to add confusion, even when correct, the Defiant chassis appears to have swapped V2 and V5 positions when compared to the Champion sheet.

mark pirate · 2nd May 2015, 5:33 pm

These cabinets were used by several manufacturers, I have two Champion models in cream bakelite and a homebrew/kit set in a brown cabinet.
I have seen various different chassis and valve types fitted as well!

Some photos of the chassis may help with identification.

Mark

petervk2mlg · 3rd May 2015, 2:14 am

Many thanks for your responses Paul, Stuart and Mark
I attach some pics of the chassis.
because the set has a short wave band rather than long wave together with the label from a Pty, Ltd company, I think the set might be an export model for the Australian market.

Peter

petervk2mlg · 3rd May 2015, 5:03 am

A more careful observation shows that the radio DOES have a LW band, as well as SW.

mark pirate · 3rd May 2015, 8:35 am

The chassis looks a close match to Stuart's Defiant, it certainly is not built by Champion, these are usually very basic TRF sets.

It is possibly a british design made in Australia, export sets do not usually have long wave.

Mark

petervk2mlg · 3rd May 2015, 9:15 am

Thanks Mark
I've never seen an Australian made radio with a long wave band. I'm sure the set was made in UK as so many of the parts are English eg the Truvox speaker.

mark pirate · 3rd May 2015, 10:28 am

I notice that the label on the back of your set states that 'Electrical Services' were distributors, so very likely that the set was made in England.
The fact it has long wave would indicate the set was for the home market, rather than an export model.

Mark

petervk2mlg · 3rd May 2015, 11:14 am

I bought the radio yesterday. It has been badly mucked about with it seems.
The line cord is missing and has been replaced with 3 polyester type capacitors in parallel totaling 2.47 UF.
The 35Z4GT rectifier has an open circuit filament. The filament pins have been bridged with a 200 Ohm resistor. A 1N4004 silicon diode has been used for rectification.
The original output transformer has been replaced with one with a 15 ohm secondary.
I may end up running this radio from 115 volts.

paulsherwin · 3rd May 2015, 11:50 am

I wonder if the Australian distributor imported lots of kits and had them assembled locally. I know Australia had high import tariffs on complete radios at that time, which may be why almost all foreign valve radios seem to have arrived with migrants.

petervk2mlg · 5th May 2015, 6:38 am

It's a possibility I guess. Generally the only UK sets I've encountered have been those brought with them by immigrants.

Dave757 · 5th May 2015, 11:04 pm

Hi,

It does actually have the Third Programme,
just marked 3rd.

Kind regards

Dave

Stuart R · 5th May 2015, 11:52 pm

Hello Peter,

Have you seen the good write-ups on similar sets here?

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=53646

My set belonged to my Great Uncle, it was operated within a cupboard where the closing door chafed the dropper cord. The cord was eventually replaced with an external transformer and a selenium rectifier fitted for some reason.

I can remember as a child in the 1980s, hearing how the modified set failed and made a terrible smell. (The dog was blamed for this and sent up the garden!) The set was retired, joined my childhood radio collection and remained lifeless for around 30 years.

Inspired by Howard and Paul's write-ups, I sourced a rectifier valve for around £4 on-line, returned the wiring to normal and added a capacitor dropper with discharge resistor.

The set is now working and quite lively, especially if an external aerial is added. I really should finish the job off by adding an extra diode to help protect the valve filaments and replace that external aerial isolation capacitor! I think it is also blowing the dial lamps, but there are plenty of suggestions about that on this forum.

I don't think yours has been mucked about with that much when you compare it to my example, but the motor start capacitors do look neater!

Regards,

SR

paulsherwin · 6th May 2015, 12:46 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave757

It does actually have the Third Programme, just marked 3rd.

Well spotted Dave, I missed that. Late 40s / early 50s then.

petervk2mlg · 6th May 2015, 7:03 am

Thanks Stuart. yes I did see Howard's excellent write-up.
I'm awaiting delivery of a new 35Z4GT.
Paul, I noticed that the speaker has a Feb 1950 date stamp, so it's almost exactly the same age as me.

2nd May 2015, 10:26 am	#1
petervk2mlg Heptode Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Parkes, NSW Australia Posts: 877	Radio ID? Hi Can anyone identify this radio for me. Looks to be English. Possibly Champion? Valves used are 12K8, 12K7, 12Q7, 35L6, 35Z4 Peter Attached Thumbnails

2nd May 2015, 11:12 am	#2
paulsherwin Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 27,947	Re: Radio ID? I don't recognise it, but the tuning scale indicates the late 40s, as it shows the Light Programme (1945) but not the Third Programme (1946).

2nd May 2015, 11:58 am	#3
Stuart R Heptode Join Date: May 2011 Location: Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, UK. Posts: 693	Re: Radio ID? Hello Peter, I've got something very similar, in the same case, but with different knobs, dial and rear panel. Mine is a Defiant, so was made for and sold by the Co-Op. Mine has the same valve line up and I used Trader sheet 927 for the Champion 'Comet' and 'Meteor'. There are some circuit and line-cord differences between Comet and Meteor according to the sheet. I decided that I had the Comet as it has two dial bulbs, but of course maybe the Co-Op variants were slightly different again. My set's line cord vanished years ago so cannot compare that feature. Hope that helps, Regards, SR I've added some pictures in 'as found' condition. Some valves may be in the wrong place. Just to add confusion, even when correct, the Defiant chassis appears to have swapped V2 and V5 positions when compared to the Champion sheet. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by Stuart R; 2nd May 2015 at 12:08 pm. Reason: Pictures added

2nd May 2015, 5:33 pm	#4
mark pirate Dekatron Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK Posts: 5,185	Re: Radio ID? These cabinets were used by several manufacturers, I have two Champion models in cream bakelite and a homebrew/kit set in a brown cabinet. I have seen various different chassis and valve types fitted as well! Some photos of the chassis may help with identification. Mark

3rd May 2015, 2:14 am	#5
petervk2mlg Heptode Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Parkes, NSW Australia Posts: 877	Re: Radio ID? Many thanks for your responses Paul, Stuart and Mark I attach some pics of the chassis. because the set has a short wave band rather than long wave together with the label from a Pty, Ltd company, I think the set might be an export model for the Australian market. Peter Attached Thumbnails

3rd May 2015, 5:03 am	#6
petervk2mlg Heptode Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Parkes, NSW Australia Posts: 877	Re: Radio ID? A more careful observation shows that the radio DOES have a LW band, as well as SW.

3rd May 2015, 8:35 am	#7
mark pirate Dekatron Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK Posts: 5,185	Re: Radio ID? The chassis looks a close match to Stuart's Defiant, it certainly is not built by Champion, these are usually very basic TRF sets. It is possibly a british design made in Australia, export sets do not usually have long wave. Mark

3rd May 2015, 9:15 am	#8
petervk2mlg Heptode Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Parkes, NSW Australia Posts: 877	Re: Radio ID? Thanks Mark I've never seen an Australian made radio with a long wave band. I'm sure the set was made in UK as so many of the parts are English eg the Truvox speaker.

3rd May 2015, 10:28 am	#9
mark pirate Dekatron Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK Posts: 5,185	Re: Radio ID? I notice that the label on the back of your set states that 'Electrical Services' were distributors, so very likely that the set was made in England. The fact it has long wave would indicate the set was for the home market, rather than an export model. Mark

3rd May 2015, 11:14 am	#10
petervk2mlg Heptode Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Parkes, NSW Australia Posts: 877	Re: Radio ID? I bought the radio yesterday. It has been badly mucked about with it seems. The line cord is missing and has been replaced with 3 polyester type capacitors in parallel totaling 2.47 UF. The 35Z4GT rectifier has an open circuit filament. The filament pins have been bridged with a 200 Ohm resistor. A 1N4004 silicon diode has been used for rectification. The original output transformer has been replaced with one with a 15 ohm secondary. I may end up running this radio from 115 volts. Attached Thumbnails

3rd May 2015, 11:50 am	#11
paulsherwin Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 27,947	Re: Radio ID? I wonder if the Australian distributor imported lots of kits and had them assembled locally. I know Australia had high import tariffs on complete radios at that time, which may be why almost all foreign valve radios seem to have arrived with migrants.

5th May 2015, 6:38 am	#12
petervk2mlg Heptode Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Parkes, NSW Australia Posts: 877	Re: Radio ID? It's a possibility I guess. Generally the only UK sets I've encountered have been those brought with them by immigrants.

5th May 2015, 11:04 pm	#13
Dave757 Heptode Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Scratby, Norfolk, UK. Posts: 650	Re: Radio ID? Hi, It does actually have the Third Programme, just marked 3rd. Kind regards Dave

5th May 2015, 11:52 pm	#14
Stuart R Heptode Join Date: May 2011 Location: Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, UK. Posts: 693	Re: Radio ID? Hello Peter, Have you seen the good write-ups on similar sets here? https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=53646 My set belonged to my Great Uncle, it was operated within a cupboard where the closing door chafed the dropper cord. The cord was eventually replaced with an external transformer and a selenium rectifier fitted for some reason. I can remember as a child in the 1980s, hearing how the modified set failed and made a terrible smell. (The dog was blamed for this and sent up the garden!) The set was retired, joined my childhood radio collection and remained lifeless for around 30 years. Inspired by Howard and Paul's write-ups, I sourced a rectifier valve for around £4 on-line, returned the wiring to normal and added a capacitor dropper with discharge resistor. The set is now working and quite lively, especially if an external aerial is added. I really should finish the job off by adding an extra diode to help protect the valve filaments and replace that external aerial isolation capacitor! I think it is also blowing the dial lamps, but there are plenty of suggestions about that on this forum. I don't think yours has been mucked about with that much when you compare it to my example, but the motor start capacitors do look neater! Regards, SR

6th May 2015, 7:03 am	#16
petervk2mlg Heptode Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Parkes, NSW Australia Posts: 877	Re: Radio ID? Thanks Stuart. yes I did see Howard's excellent write-up. I'm awaiting delivery of a new 35Z4GT. Paul, I noticed that the speaker has a Feb 1950 date stamp, so it's almost exactly the same age as me.