AVO Multimeter survey - Page 138 - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Superscope · 5th Dec 2020, 5:09 pm

Well, that blows that idea then!

How did you know that Mike ?

I can't track down exactly where those Addresses are (or were).
Winder House and Avocet House are meaningless today, as the
buildings if still standing will have been renamed.

Ian

micheal · 6th Dec 2020, 4:23 pm

Winder House is in Douglas Street and Avocet (named after the bird) House is in Vauxhall Bridge Road. I live about ten miles south of London and so London is my back garden.

Mike

micheal · 6th Dec 2020, 4:29 pm

P/S Avocet House is now a block of flats but Winder House may still be there,the buildings look quite old but with out a building number hard to locate.

Mike

AndyGilham · 8th Dec 2020, 8:31 pm

I have a map of the various locations in London for Acweeco, and I can confirm that a shadow factory did indeed exist in Stansted! How do I know, well I have photographs of it and various documents. I have also spoken to the son of the man that opened the site and ran it!

Andy

The Philpott · 8th Dec 2020, 8:39 pm

Well done Andy, do you have a timeframe and location?
Dave

AndyGilham · 8th Dec 2020, 8:49 pm

Gathering that information! But essentially it was a war dispersal factory and I believe yes between 1942 and 1947

Andy

Superscope · 8th Dec 2020, 9:01 pm

Excellent news Andy,

I assume the Shadow Factory was set up during the War ?
Probably not clever to have everything centered in London during that period.

Are you able to confirm that Vauxhall Bridge Rd was acquired in 1939 ?

What was it's location in relation to Douglas Street ?
Were they close enough to be treated as a single location ?

Ian

Barnmead · 9th Dec 2020, 10:24 am

The roads are parallel to each other if you look at A to Z map.

Superscope · 9th Dec 2020, 5:10 pm

Yes they are, but Vauxhall Bridge rd is much longer, it's about 2Km long.
Douglas Street is around 300m as I remember, so much shorter.

So depending on exactly where each Site was located on their respective Roads,
they could be meters apart, or Km's apart.

Probably not the most important thing to know, but would be interesting.

Ian

Sinewave · 9th Dec 2020, 6:02 pm

Is there a known date of the change in the Model 2, from having in large writing, Ohms above the scale and Amperes and Volts below, to the scale where ohms is only to the side of the ohms range, but still retaining the Amperes and Volts written below?

Superscope · 10th Dec 2020, 10:53 am

There are a number of Sutle changes going on with the Scaleplates,
especially the early Meters, so it is difficult to pin down specific Dates
as there is just not enough Data.

The move of the Ohms wording to the right of the Scale, instead of the
middle Top location, seems to have happened late on in the Model 2
production.
Based on the little Data I do have, I would guess it will be post 1933/4.

Ian

Andrew Sinclair · 15th Dec 2020, 2:15 pm

These two AVO meters were given to the Fareham radio club. (See items offered thread)

AVO 7 serial number 7146-24947
Movement has a horseshoe magnet and the bimetallic temperature compensator.

AVO 8X serial number 72079-C-358

Barnmead · 28th Jan 2021, 3:09 pm

First two additions for 2021
Testmeter no1(high sensitivity)
serial 1879 567
made in Dover
and
Avo Model8 Mk3
serial 58487 567
made Vauxhall Rd

barrymagrec · 28th Jan 2021, 3:12 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barnmead

First two additions for 2021
Testmeter no1(high sensitivity)
serial 1879 567
made in Dover
and
Avo Model8 Mk3
serial 58487 567
made Vauxhall Rd

Vauxhall Bridge Road

Exactly opposite my Grandmothers house...

rcw88rcw88 · 18th Feb 2021, 11:05 am

Just joined after being directed to this fascinating site by Richards Radios, I bought an AVO 8 Mk5 last week after an attack of nostalgia, but I have good reasons for having a working one. It's a bit grubby, lacking only the case front, and the battery compartment clip, got some new original leads from another vendor.
I've got some photos of the clip courtesy of Richards Radios, so I can model a replacement and 3D print it.
I also realised that the replacement battery carrier for the alternative 15V solution is also a fairly simple 3D print, Farnell list it, but have none in stock.

Serial number 01514 8V/2/80.

pmmunro · 18th Feb 2021, 5:04 pm

RCW88,

Welcome to the forum and to our little sub-section.

If you need any information which you don't find here, one of us may well be able to provide it. Parts for the Model 8 Mk V are, of course, no longer avaialable from Megger, but used and 'new old stock' parts are not too rare.

You are probably the forum member geographically closest to the childhood home of Donald MacAdie, who 'invented' the Avometer. (I prefer the term 'developed'). He was born in the Parish of Halkirk, Caithness, in 1871 to a crofting family.

PMM

rcw88rcw88 · 19th Feb 2021, 11:28 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmmunro

RCW88,

Welcome to the forum and to our little sub-section.

If you need any information which you don't find here, one of us may well be able to provide it. Parts for the Model 8 Mk V are, of course, no longer avaialable from Megger, but used and 'new old stock' parts are not too rare.

You are probably the forum member geographically closest to the childhood home of Donald MacAdie, who 'invented' the Avometer. (I prefer the term 'developed'). He was born in the Parish of Halkirk, Caithness, in 1871 to a crofting family.

PMM

Thank you, Now that is quite remarkable, drove past Halkirk yesterday - with good reason I might add, and previously looked at a house there. Halkirk is absolutely tiny, in population terms, and I'm surrounded by crofts in the hills just west of the A9.

I've found manuals, calibration guides, and cleaning calibration videos, when I last used one, and lusted after one, the Internet didn't exist..

rcw88rcw88 · 22nd Feb 2021, 12:27 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcw88rcw88

Just joined after being directed to this fascinating site by Richards Radios, I bought an AVO 8 Mk5 last week after an attack of nostalgia, but I have good reasons for having a working one. It's a bit grubby, lacking only the case front, and the battery compartment clip, got some new original leads from another vendor.
I've got some photos of the clip courtesy of Richards Radios, so I can model a replacement and 3D print it.
I also realised that the replacement battery carrier for the alternative 15V solution is also a fairly simple 3D print, Farnell list it, but have none in stock.

Serial number 01514 8V/2/80.

Upon opening the back got that distinctive cooked PCB aroma - both the Printed Resistor, part number 6120-284 and Printed Circuit Shunt 6120-285 are toast, literally, with burnt tracks and gaps

rcw88rcw88 · 23rd Feb 2021, 2:39 pm

As I bought the skinny 15V battery consisting of a plastic wrapped stack of LR54's which of course doesn't fit the battery compartment at all, I made this carrier, fits in an AVO 8Mk5 and should fit most versions. Created and modelled with openSCAD. slide the battery in from the end, it fits either way around and there's a little hand hold to pull it out.

Hopefully someone can use this to avoid battery depression syndrome where it drops to the bottom of the compartment, and my fingers are way too big to pull it out unassisted.

Xyience · 23rd Feb 2021, 2:39 pm

Another one for the database.

Model 7 Mk II 924-A-1261F

This has a metal case finished in grey (?) crackle paint.

The back of the scale has 3 handwritten dates from 62-64 which must be from servicing or calibration. One of the dates includes the engineers name.

Modern product designers should take a leaf out of the AVO book - this thing is a beauty and exudes quality.

5th Dec 2020, 5:09 pm	#2741
Superscope Heptode Join Date: May 2017 Location: St Austell, Cornwall, UK. Posts: 972	Re: AVO Multimeter survey Well, that blows that idea then! How did you know that Mike ? I can't track down exactly where those Addresses are (or were). Winder House and Avocet House are meaningless today, as the buildings if still standing will have been renamed. Ian

6th Dec 2020, 4:23 pm	#2742
micheal Pentode Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Croydon, London, UK. Posts: 102	Re: AVO Multimeter survey Winder House is in Douglas Street and Avocet (named after the bird) House is in Vauxhall Bridge Road. I live about ten miles south of London and so London is my back garden. Mike

6th Dec 2020, 4:29 pm	#2743
micheal Pentode Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Croydon, London, UK. Posts: 102	Re: AVO Multimeter survey P/S Avocet House is now a block of flats but Winder House may still be there,the buildings look quite old but with out a building number hard to locate. Mike

8th Dec 2020, 8:31 pm	#2744
AndyGilham Pentode Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Dover, Kent, UK. Posts: 231	Re: AVO Multimeter survey I have a map of the various locations in London for Acweeco, and I can confirm that a shadow factory did indeed exist in Stansted! How do I know, well I have photographs of it and various documents. I have also spoken to the son of the man that opened the site and ran it! Andy

8th Dec 2020, 8:39 pm	#2745
The Philpott Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Colchester, Essex, UK. Posts: 3,777	Re: AVO Multimeter survey Well done Andy, do you have a timeframe and location? Dave

8th Dec 2020, 8:49 pm	#2746
AndyGilham Pentode Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Dover, Kent, UK. Posts: 231	Re: AVO Multimeter survey Gathering that information! But essentially it was a war dispersal factory and I believe yes between 1942 and 1947 Andy

8th Dec 2020, 9:01 pm	#2747
Superscope Heptode Join Date: May 2017 Location: St Austell, Cornwall, UK. Posts: 972	Re: AVO Multimeter survey Excellent news Andy, I assume the Shadow Factory was set up during the War ? Probably not clever to have everything centered in London during that period. Are you able to confirm that Vauxhall Bridge Rd was acquired in 1939 ? What was it's location in relation to Douglas Street ? Were they close enough to be treated as a single location ? Ian

9th Dec 2020, 10:24 am	#2748
Barnmead Pentode Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Norfolk, UK. Posts: 167	Re: AVO Multimeter survey The roads are parallel to each other if you look at A to Z map. __________________ Richard

9th Dec 2020, 5:10 pm	#2749
Superscope Heptode Join Date: May 2017 Location: St Austell, Cornwall, UK. Posts: 972	Re: AVO Multimeter survey Yes they are, but Vauxhall Bridge rd is much longer, it's about 2Km long. Douglas Street is around 300m as I remember, so much shorter. So depending on exactly where each Site was located on their respective Roads, they could be meters apart, or Km's apart. Probably not the most important thing to know, but would be interesting. Ian

9th Dec 2020, 6:02 pm	#2750
Sinewave Octode Join Date: May 2016 Location: Oxfordshire/Bucks borders, UK. Posts: 1,512	Re: AVO Multimeter survey Is there a known date of the change in the Model 2, from having in large writing, Ohms above the scale and Amperes and Volts below, to the scale where ohms is only to the side of the ohms range, but still retaining the Amperes and Volts written below? __________________ Avometer, vintage Fluke and Marconi collector. Also interested in vintage Yaesu and KW.

10th Dec 2020, 10:53 am	#2751
Superscope Heptode Join Date: May 2017 Location: St Austell, Cornwall, UK. Posts: 972	Re: AVO Multimeter survey There are a number of Sutle changes going on with the Scaleplates, especially the early Meters, so it is difficult to pin down specific Dates as there is just not enough Data. The move of the Ohms wording to the right of the Scale, instead of the middle Top location, seems to have happened late on in the Model 2 production. Based on the little Data I do have, I would guess it will be post 1933/4. Ian

15th Dec 2020, 2:15 pm	#2752
Andrew Sinclair Tetrode Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Fareham, Hampshire, UK. Posts: 90	Re: AVO Multimeter survey These two AVO meters were given to the Fareham radio club. (See items offered thread) AVO 7 serial number 7146-24947 Movement has a horseshoe magnet and the bimetallic temperature compensator. AVO 8X serial number 72079-C-358

28th Jan 2021, 3:09 pm	#2753
Barnmead Pentode Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Norfolk, UK. Posts: 167	Re: AVO Multimeter survey First two additions for 2021 Testmeter no1(high sensitivity) serial 1879 567 made in Dover and Avo Model8 Mk3 serial 58487 567 made Vauxhall Rd __________________ Richard

18th Feb 2021, 11:05 am	#2755
rcw88rcw88 Diode Join Date: Feb 2021 Location: Sutherland, Highlands of Scotland, UK Posts: 4	Re: AVO Multimeter survey Just joined after being directed to this fascinating site by Richards Radios, I bought an AVO 8 Mk5 last week after an attack of nostalgia, but I have good reasons for having a working one. It's a bit grubby, lacking only the case front, and the battery compartment clip, got some new original leads from another vendor. I've got some photos of the clip courtesy of Richards Radios, so I can model a replacement and 3D print it. I also realised that the replacement battery carrier for the alternative 15V solution is also a fairly simple 3D print, Farnell list it, but have none in stock. Serial number 01514 8V/2/80.

18th Feb 2021, 5:04 pm	#2756
pmmunro Octode Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Dundee, UK. Posts: 1,734	Re: AVO Multimeter survey RCW88, Welcome to the forum and to our little sub-section. If you need any information which you don't find here, one of us may well be able to provide it. Parts for the Model 8 Mk V are, of course, no longer avaialable from Megger, but used and 'new old stock' parts are not too rare. You are probably the forum member geographically closest to the childhood home of Donald MacAdie, who 'invented' the Avometer. (I prefer the term 'developed'). He was born in the Parish of Halkirk, Caithness, in 1871 to a crofting family. PMM

23rd Feb 2021, 2:39 pm	#2760
Xyience Tetrode Join Date: Dec 2020 Location: Chelmsford, Essex, UK Posts: 61	Re: AVO Multimeter survey Another one for the database. Model 7 Mk II 924-A-1261F This has a metal case finished in grey (?) crackle paint. The back of the scale has 3 handwritten dates from 62-64 which must be from servicing or calibration. One of the dates includes the engineers name. Modern product designers should take a leaf out of the AVO book - this thing is a beauty and exudes quality.