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Old 17th Mar 2019, 9:25 pm   #1
ParcGwyn
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Default Radio Exchange Bedford

I have picked up a Roamer Ten from the Wythall Radio Rally today, pictures attached. Does anyone have a copy of the instructions for this kit as I would like to rebuild it. the rally was excellent as usual and I came away with an HP8557A spectrum analyser.

Dave
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Old 17th Mar 2019, 10:11 pm   #2
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Default Re: Radio Exchange Bedford

I saw that too! Thought it looked too bodged to bother with, what with the case half hanging off. Unusually for me I didn’t ask the price.... may I ask now

If I had known what was inside I would have been more interested. Used to love reading their adverts in PW.

Sorry can’t help with any instructions but good luck, that’s a nice project there!

I have a feeling that I have a construction kit of theirs, white box, 3 knobs at the front and a choc block with components. I would also like instructions for it!

Yes, Wythall was a good rally with a good selection of weather thrown in.

Peter
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Old 17th Mar 2019, 10:21 pm   #3
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Default Re: Radio Exchange Bedford

It was for a suggested donation of 50p I gave £2, a real bargain. I purchased it because as a teenager I always like the adverts for Radio Exchange Bedford and persuaded my parents buy me eck2 vhf kit one Christmas. I used to listen to the local 2m repeater on this.

Dave
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Old 17th Mar 2019, 11:07 pm   #4
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Default Re: Radio Exchange Bedford

I'd not have recognised that one, though the internal construction has Radio Exchange Co. written all over it: the attached is the only form in which I've ever seen the model. This example is in pleasant condition, just about works (which seems to be all they ever did at the best of times), and came to me in its postal box with ten foolscap sheets covering terms and conditions, instructions for assembly and use, parts list, drawings and a schematic. My scanner is a reluctant old beast and can't handle foolscap, so probably the best I can do, if nobody has scans ready to send you, will be to iron them flat and photograph each one.

Paul
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Old 17th Mar 2019, 11:12 pm   #5
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Default Re: Radio Exchange Bedford

Grew up in Bedford and visited Radio Exchange a few times. Saving pocket money only allowed me to stretch to the Pocket Five at 42s 6d. Looking back it was pretty poor but it was a learning curve at the time.

Your Roamer Ten would have had a flimsy case (looked good in the advert) which is, no doubt, why it now resides in a more substantial box.

Alan
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Old 17th Mar 2019, 11:23 pm   #6
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Default Re: Radio Exchange Bedford

I'm very impressed by the physical condition of Paul's Roamer Ten. A rare survivor I suspect.

Alan
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Old 17th Mar 2019, 11:38 pm   #7
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Default Re: Radio Exchange Bedford

I can remember making up a Roamer 8 bought for me as a Christmas present, I thought the case was the best bit really, I don't suppose it was leather but it felt quite well made.
Best thing you could say about the rest of it was it kept me amused putting it together
Steve.
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Old 17th Mar 2019, 11:40 pm   #8
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Default Re: Radio Exchange Bedford

Quote:
Originally Posted by ajgriff View Post
Your Roamer Ten would have had a flimsy case (looked good in the advert) which is, no doubt, why it now resides in a more substantial box.

Alan
I don't doubt that with moderate use the case would come apart after a while. The mystery is why anyone would have found themselves so desperate for a radio as to have wanted to use a Roamer Ten for very long at all, especially for FM where sound quality is grim to say the least and the volume control needs constant backing-off while tuning up the band.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ajgriff View Post
I'm very impressed by the physical condition of Paul's Roamer Ten. A rare survivor I suspect.

Alan
My guess would be that someone (according to the box a Mr. Carter of Bidford-on-Avon) built it, discovered how well it worked, and in consequence consigned it to the back of a cupboard and returned to using a proper radio. I've quite a well preserved Roamer Eight too, as well as the Roamer Seven which was my father's sole venture into radio construction, circa 1969.

Paul
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Old 18th Mar 2019, 12:51 am   #9
Reelman
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Default Re: Radio Exchange Bedford

Quote:
Originally Posted by ParcGwyn View Post
It was for a suggested donation of 50p I gave £2, a real bargain.
Thanks for the information Dave, you got a great deal there. I hope you have plenty of fun coaxing it back into life.

Peter
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Old 18th Mar 2019, 2:47 am   #10
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Default Re: Radio Exchange Bedford

About what it's worth, I'd say (apart from any nostalgia factor).

I never forgot the disappointment when I realised that the "air-spaced ganged tuning capacitor" had nothing whatsoever to do with the Roamer 7 being a superhet.

It worked, was about the best I could say for it. Almost as annoying was that the second one I built for my brother worked rather better than mine, or at least the audio out was better quality.

My other kit outing was an "Elegant Seven" from a different source which was a much better set altogether.
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Old 18th Mar 2019, 7:19 pm   #11
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Default Re: Radio Exchange Bedford

Here is an advert from August 1978 Practical Wireless, it appears that mine is the new Roamer 10 in the less attractive case. Photographs of the instructions would be great thanks Paul if no one has a scan.

Dave
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Old 18th Mar 2019, 7:50 pm   #12
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Default Re: Radio Exchange Bedford

Interesting. Hadn't realised how the case design changed over the years.

Alan
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Old 18th Mar 2019, 8:51 pm   #13
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Default Re: Radio Exchange Bedford

Hi.

Back in 1977 I was given their "Pocket 5" kit for a birthday present. I enjoyed building it and I remember the tag strip style construction rather than a PCB or matrix board etc. It worked quite well on MW but I never got it to properly function on LW.
I think the transistors supplied were all unmarked other than graded for say RF or AF use, white spot, red spot, blue spot, green spot etc. I always recall the smell of the PVC sleeving supplied with the kit, I can still smell it now.

I don't know what happened to the kit, I think the tuning cap was employed in a later radio project.

Regards,
Symon
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Old 18th Mar 2019, 10:29 pm   #14
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Default Re: Radio Exchange Bedford

The loudspeaker grille shown in the very first picture in this thread was a very common site in the 60's also used on certain Elizabethan tape recorders. It was available in at least white, brown, red, grey, silver and gold. It could also be bought for your own projects. My dad used two gold ones to make a good looking cabinet for my first valve Radio. The original set was scrapped many years ago but I have most of the the components to make another. Although Drayton Manor rally provided some new silver grilles a while back I have never ever found some good condition gold ones. The ones rescued from old kit are invariably damaged in some way, the gold finish is the very shiny sort that no aerosol can ever provide. I keep on looking.....

Peter
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Old 18th Mar 2019, 10:34 pm   #15
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Default Re: Radio Exchange Bedford

The August '78 ad came as a surprise to me, I'd had no idea Radio Exchange were still in business so late in the day. Yours may be a very scarce set indeed. Not sure how useful the original Roamer 10 folder will prove for the later model, but here it is anyway: posterity deserves a copy, the Floating Wire must never be forgotten!

Quality improves after the first sheet, which is the only one printed on both sides.

Paul
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Old 18th Mar 2019, 10:59 pm   #16
ParcGwyn
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Default Re: Radio Exchange Bedford

Many thanks for that Paul, The RF side looks very similar the major difference is the AF amp, mine appears to be a complimentary output stage without the transformers.

Dave

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