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Old 24th Jul 2020, 6:30 am   #1
petervk2mlg
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Default French Wellington radio

I have a French Wellington radio which has a piece of paper stuck to the inside of the cabinet with the heading "Tres Important"
I can see that the instructions are regarding the cathode bias adjustment on the back of the chassis, but the exact nature of the issue being explained escapes me.
I wonder if someone with better technical French than mine can have a go at a translation. Many thanks. I attach a pic of the instructions.
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Old 24th Jul 2020, 8:39 am   #2
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Default Re: French Wellington radio

Some of the instructions are not legible. What it's saying is more or less that the receiver is equipped with a patented assembly for removing BF distortion caused by large modulation depths and advises a qualified person to mend it.
In case of "snoring", lack of noise with silence between strong stations, lack of sensitivity you should check that the detector cathode is at zero volts. There is a potentiometer at the back of the chasis for adjusting it. Check with a voltmeter between cathode and earth, otherwise adjust for maximum noise.

Don't try to mend the assembly. They will provide you with further information if you ask.
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Last edited by bluepilot; 24th Jul 2020 at 8:51 am. Reason: clarified first paragraph
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Old 24th Jul 2020, 1:52 pm   #3
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Default Re: French Wellington radio

Thanks Stuart. I wondered what BF distortion was. The snoring thing puzzled me too.
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Old 24th Jul 2020, 2:15 pm   #4
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Default Re: French Wellington radio

Presumably an idiomatic translation of 'ronflement' in this context would be buzzing or humming, or perhaps motorboating.

Odd for a French manufacturer to name a model after Wellington - it's a bit like Ekco or Murphy naming a set after Napoleon
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Old 24th Jul 2020, 3:25 pm   #5
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Default Re: French Wellington radio

Quote:
Originally Posted by paulsherwin View Post
Presumably an idiomatic translation of 'ronflement' in this context would be buzzing or humming, or perhaps motorboating.
Buzzing sounds about right. I just found it amusing that a radio should snore. It's clear what sort of noise is meant. It probably doesn't really matter as in the end the only bit of the instructions which actually tell you to do anything just boil down to "twiddle the pot on the back until the detector cathode is at 0V wrt. earth." Once you've done that then you can't do anymore. If you still hear weird noises and/or you can't adjust it to 0V then you need to mend something.
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Old 24th Jul 2020, 4:45 pm   #6
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Default Re: French Wellington radio

I've seen the word 'ronfleur' used on a French telephone circuit diagram to label what I would call a 'buzzer'. So 'buzzing' seems a possible translation.
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Old 24th Jul 2020, 5:08 pm   #7
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Default Re: French Wellington radio

I wonder what this patented assembly involved?- a tweak of AGC delay or detector standing bias?

Quote:
Originally Posted by paulsherwin View Post
Odd for a French manufacturer to name a model after Wellington - it's a bit like Ekco or Murphy naming a set after Napoleon
That was my thought, too- was it an attempt to break into the Antipodean market by choosing a famous and quintessentially British figure as a brand, or did "Wellington" sets also exist in the home market. I have seen "Lord Nelson" tea in Lidl stores- a slightly clunky Continental marketing wheeze to appeal to Britons, perhaps

When marketing to different countries/cultures, you need to be aware of sensitivities and choose your "heroes" carefully- just occasionally, it can go badly wrong (whatever the taxi drivers tell you!);

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/loca...99/11/23/11877
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Old 24th Jul 2020, 6:09 pm   #8
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Default Re: French Wellington radio

I suppose it may have been a model intended for the NZ market but that seems unlikely. Presumably it arrived in Oz with a migrant, as with other European radios that turn up there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington
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Old 25th Jul 2020, 1:29 am   #9
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Default Re: French Wellington radio

Many thanks for all the replies. I haven’t found a schematic for the radio, but it should be straightforward enough. Valves used are; ECH3, EBF2, EF9, EL3 and a rectifier that has lost its marking. Possibly an 1883.
French radios were never sold in Australia directly. This set was given to me to repair by a collector who found it in a nearby old wares shop. The proprietors make annual trips to Europe and bring interesting items back to sell in the shop. My contact also bought and brought a Philips BF 281U for attention.
I too was surprised to see a French radio branded Wellington. Radio Museum list a few sets of the marque, but not mine.
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Old 25th Jul 2020, 4:19 am   #10
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Default Re: French Wellington radio

BF (Bas frequence) - Low Frequency
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Old 25th Jul 2020, 9:43 am   #11
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Default Re: French Wellington radio

Many thanks for l’explication, Nigel.

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Old 27th Jul 2020, 6:16 am   #12
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Default Re: French Wellington radio

The repair turned out not to be so straightforward. Reception was as weak as the proverbial. I got better performance by touching the grid cap of the second valve. Aligning was difficult with the first IF not peaking much at all and adjustment was vague and unrewarding. I ended up replacing the first IF transformer and on powering up, performance was almost too good.
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