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Old 17th May 2022, 3:07 pm   #1
2E1CIH Mike
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Default Good Starter Valve Set?

Hi,

Bearing in mind the dreaded live chassis aspect and my fear of shocks, could anyone please suggest valve sets which would be good to start with?

Are there any that are tricky and best avoided?

A relatively safe one would be ideal.....Is it best to always use an isolation transformer or is that not always necessary.

I'm aware of the "light bulb" start up method and discharging power supply caps. Are there any other safety tips please?

Thanks.....Mike
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Old 17th May 2022, 3:21 pm   #2
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Default Re: Good Starter Valve Set?

The best set to start on is something common-ish post war set with a mains transformer.

So the DAC90A and its kin are out

I rough case or incomplete, so that its no great loss if it goes badly wrong.

Regentone, KB, Cossor, PYE are amongst the makers often available for little money often even free.

In general if your working with a set with mains transformer for both HT and LT an isolation transformer is unnecessary as there is one built in.

Keep one hand in your pocket whilst poking around with your meter on high voltages

Cheers

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Old 17th May 2022, 3:39 pm   #3
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Default Re: Good Starter Valve Set?

The standard advice is to go for a 50s L/M/S set with a mains transformer and a wooden cabinet. Something like an Ekco A104 or A144 is ideal, but there are many others. Avoid VHF sets, particularly the German luxury models, as they can be quite complex and idiosyncratic.

Actually, live chassis sets aren't particularly dangerous to work on provided some sensible precautions are taken, especially if you use a plug-in RCD or have one in your consumer unit, and you can get a nasty belt from a transformer set too if you do something silly.
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Old 17th May 2022, 3:45 pm   #4
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Default Re: Good Starter Valve Set?

Bush sets are plentiful, well made, spacious, and have brilliant service data.
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Old 17th May 2022, 3:52 pm   #5
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Default Re: Good Starter Valve Set?

How about the Pye P75, or a Marconiphone but I agree with Mike and Paul so long as your sensible and keep one hand out the way no harm will come. Its the Volts that give you the jolts and the Mils that kill.

But welcome to the forum and good luck with the sets you encounter

Best wishes

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Old 17th May 2022, 4:18 pm   #6
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Default Re: Good Starter Valve Set?

I'd go with an Etronic RA640 worth literally nothing they're an excellent starter radio using cheap octal valves and no one will weep particularly hard if you kill it I can tell you how often they turn up I have an actual stack of them in my workshop also unlike the Dac90 / Dac90a it has a transformer so no nasty live chassis worries.
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Old 17th May 2022, 4:23 pm   #7
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Default Re: Good Starter Valve Set?

You won't go far wrong if you read and follow the guidance given here https://www.vintage-radio.com/repair...ion/index.html. Have fun! Jerry
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Old 17th May 2022, 7:41 pm   #8
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Default Re: Good Starter Valve Set?

I would also suggest a Pye P75. Great starter set, well designed, straightforward to work on and great results.
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Old 17th May 2022, 8:22 pm   #9
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Default Re: Good Starter Valve Set?

Many thanks to all for the sound advice. I'll start looking......Regards....
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Old 18th May 2022, 8:50 am   #10
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Default Re: Good Starter Valve Set?

Quote:
Originally Posted by lloydwells View Post
I'd go with an Etronic RA640 worth literally nothing they're an excellent starter radio using cheap octal valves and no one will weep particularly hard if you kill it I can tell you how often they turn up I have an actual stack of them in my workshop also unlike the Dac90 / Dac90a it has a transformer so no nasty live chassis worries.
This is really spooky! Within the last few days I have brought back to life an Etronic RA640! It has been wrapped up in cling film for over 20 years in an open fronted shed after being pulled off the dump 25 odd years ago.

It is really robust with an isolated chassis, octal valves and very easy to repair. I only had to replace three waxies, the rest were oil filled Sprague types that all measured at least 8m ohm.

Just replacement of AGC decoupling waxie and a new Y63 magic eye and it worked very well! Case needed a slight tart up.

Definitely avoid anything AC/DC for a starter project. Keep it simple. Anything Plessey based with a proper ISOLATED mains transformer will be a success. There are thousands of similar receivers made by all the manufacturers of the time. Four valve plus rectifier superhets usually costing about £5 on the museum table top sales.

Bush models are OK but they produced millions of AC/DC models and care has to be exercised to obtain one that has an isolated chassis. The inclusion of a mains transformer does not guarantee mains isolation. You need to check this out carefully.

I don't believe it! My Etronic I repaired last week!
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Old 18th May 2022, 9:09 am   #11
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Default Re: Good Starter Valve Set?

Just because it has a mains transformer doesn’t mean the set is safe, it just takes one aspect of a problem away.
The set will still have high voltages and the 230VAC input may well be easy to touch, either fuses or on/off switch. There will also be high voltages on the secondary of the transformer and HT line.

Has noted in previous posts don’t be complacent.
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Old 18th May 2022, 9:10 am   #12
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Default Re: Good Starter Valve Set?

Depending on whereabouts in Cambridgeshire you are, it might be worth a trip to the Dunstable Downs ARC boot fair in Luton on Sunday, There's usually a fair number of sets that would meet your needs.
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Old 18th May 2022, 9:11 am   #13
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Default Re: Good Starter Valve Set?

Probably best to avoid Bush as their sets from the late 1940s/early 1950s specifically for AC mains (e.g. SUG91, AC11) were only fitted with an auto-transformer and used series heater valves - similar circuits to the DAC90 and DAC90A but with the auto-transformer replacing the dropper resistor - so the chassis remains potentially 'Live' and AC/DC precautions are necessary.
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Old 18th May 2022, 9:32 am   #14
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Default Re: Good Starter Valve Set?

The Bush AC11 and AC34 both have isolating mains transformers. A problem they do have, shared with the DAC90A, is a high failure rate of the output (not mains) transformer. They do sound good having a large speaker in a fairly large cabinet.
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Old 21st May 2022, 7:17 pm   #15
2E1CIH Mike
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Default Re: Good Starter Valve Set?

Many thanks to all for the advice.
It sounds like I've plenty to think about. I can't get to the boot sale tomorrow but will look out for others.....Great idea....thanks.
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Old 21st May 2022, 8:23 pm   #16
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Default Re: Good Starter Valve Set?

I too would suggest a Pye P75: they're less likely to kill you than a 'live chassis' design; there are no horribly-unsourceable parts involved, and when reworked their performance/sound is a good representation of the generic 1950s LW/MW/SW 5-valve superhet.

Put up a 40-foot-long outside-wire antenna [as they were intended to use: the nasty frame-antenna is only really designed for receiving 'local' stations and there aren't many of these left] and you can get good reception.

[I'll be using one tomorrow morning to listen to the various short-wave free-radio stations around 6.1-6.3MHz, just as I did as a schoolkid back in the 1970s]
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Old 21st May 2022, 8:34 pm   #17
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Default Re: Good Starter Valve Set?

Given you are scared of ht voltage shocks, why not go for a solid state set?
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Old 22nd May 2022, 8:41 am   #18
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Default Re: Good Starter Valve Set?

Quote:
Originally Posted by G6Tanuki View Post
I too would suggest a Pye P75: they're less likely to kill you than a 'live chassis' design; there are no horribly-unsourceable parts involved, and when reworked their performance/sound is a good representation of the generic 1950s LW/MW/SW 5-valve superhet.

Put up a 40-foot-long outside-wire antenna [as they were intended to use: the nasty frame-antenna is only really designed for receiving 'local' stations and there aren't many of these left] and you can get good reception.

[I'll be using one tomorrow morning to listen to the various short-wave free-radio stations around 6.1-6.3MHz, just as I did as a schoolkid back in the 1970s]
Agree completely

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Old 31st May 2022, 8:03 pm   #19
2E1CIH Mike
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Default Re: Good Starter Valve Set?

Sorry for the delay. I've been away.

Many thanks to all. Pye P75 seems the way forward.
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