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Old 5th May 2018, 2:44 am   #1
kurtm--
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Default Bell Radio-Television Corp (NZ) - history site

I have collected a lot of history of the Bell Radio-Tv Corp, New Zealand, company. If you are interested check the link.
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Old 5th May 2018, 11:03 am   #2
Argus25
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Default Re: Bell Radio-Television Corp (NZ) - history site

Thanks for that.

On the subject of NZ made Bell Television sets. Bell produced a monochrome TV, one of their first, that was affectionately called "The Bell Box" it was pretty well a cube shape and I think had something like a 90 deg deflection 17" CRT, but not 100% sure it might have been 14". I think the IF chassis was a masterpiece sub-assembly. The tuner was a giant American made type with rotary switches rather than a drum (I have some in my stuff somewhere) My brother in NZ had one of these sets a few years back and sold it I believe.

It would be good to see a photo of the Bell Box added to the website. I wonder if anyone in NZ still has a Bell Box.

Those dial images bring back a lot of memories.

Last edited by Argus25; 5th May 2018 at 11:19 am.
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Old 9th May 2018, 12:58 am   #3
kurtm--
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Default Re: Bell Radio-Television Corp (NZ) - history site

Interesting.

I'm ploughing through the old newspaper archives on microfilm looking at Bell adverts. So far up to 1953. Unlike most of the other manufacturers, Bell didn't appear to have many, if any, franchised radio dealers because most of their adverts were from Bell itself at that time. When I have more time I'll start looking at the early Tv adverts from the late 50's. Bell had a lot of competition from the bigger manufacturers with strong UK partners.

I haven't come across "The Bell Box" but am very keen to know more about it. I'd love to get some photos and stories.

The rarity that I'm trying to get images of is the Bell car radio. Someone in Dunedin contacted me to say they had put one in their inorganic rubbish after clearing out their old father's garage. When I asked for a better photo they came back and said that it had been taken away by someone. So who knows where that is now. It was a very competetive field where Bell were the 'also-ran' so there weren't many made.

Have fun!
Kurt
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Old 13th May 2018, 10:45 pm   #4
Synchrodyne
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Default Re: Bell Radio-Television Corp (NZ) - history site

A most interesting site – thanks.

I recall that the Bell experimental TV station in Auckland was the subject of some controversy about its “educational” content. In the end I think that it occupied a Band III channel. I remember some houses around Auckland that had both channel 2 and Band III aerials on the same mast.

I think that those 1960s Bell TV chassis were representative of general NZ practice of the era – three-stage IF strips (EF183 & 2 x EF184), black level (gated) AGC with a preset control, reasonable black level retention/restoration at the picture tube, and isolated power supplies.

Surprising though was that the Bell TV1 chassis was of the non-isolated type. That might not have been illegal back then, but it would have been frowned upon by the electrical utilities (“Power Boards” as they were in those days), and inconsistent with established practice. NZ had adopted MEN distribution as its standard as early as 1920, so proper earthing – including the MEN link - at each dwelling/building and the use of 3-pin outlets and 3-core leads was well-entrenched. As some of the Bell “General” radio receiver schematics show, even when AA5 circuits were used, an isolating transformer was included. I am not sure when the regulations were “hardened” to eliminate what we now call class 0 and class 0I appliances. But it might have been with the 1962 revision of NZS 1678 Safety requirements for electric mains supplied radio or other electronic apparatus for acoustic or visual reproduction – at least that would have been an opportune time to eliminate any imported less safe practices in respect of TV receivers before they became widespread.


Cheers,
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Old 13th May 2018, 11:29 pm   #5
Argus25
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Default Re: Bell Radio-Television Corp (NZ) - history site

Quote:
Originally Posted by Synchrodyne View Post
at least that would have been an opportune time to eliminate any imported less safe practices in respect of TV receivers before they became widespread.
One irony of all this is that a hot chassis set is now for one reason safer than a transformer isolated one, to work on at least ! Because of the dwellings RCD's, which are now mandatory. But its a nuisance connecting test instruments.

The isolation provided by the power transformer in a supposed safer TV with a power transformer, isolates the dwelling's RCD, so you can get electrocuted working on the set, standing on ground and touching many of the high voltage connections in the set (its chassis earthed), with no RCD protection.

But in a hot chassis set, any significant currents from any of the high voltage circuits that don't go back via the neutral, and say pass through your body to ground, will trip the RCD. (assuming its working)
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Old 14th May 2018, 6:45 am   #6
arjoll
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Default Re: Bell Radio-Television Corp (NZ) - history site

The Antone Cadet tuning scale on the site looks suspiciously like a photo of mine* before restoration, but touched up to remove the marks I removed from the physical object. Would you like a clearer one?

(*I could always be wrong of course...)
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