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Vintage Radio (domestic) Domestic vintage radio (wireless) receivers only. |
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22nd Feb 2018, 10:48 pm | #1 |
Octode
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Southampton, Hampshire, UK.
Posts: 1,049
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Unidentified radio. (Identified as a Roamer 8).
Hi folks. Here's an unidentified radio. It isn't working but has SW, MW in two parts and LW.
The outer case is leather and it has 8 metal case transistors and a glass diode inside, presumably all germanium. It even has two sockets on the side for a car aerial and tape recorder. Any ideas please as to what it might be ? |
22nd Feb 2018, 10:59 pm | #2 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,783
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Re: Unidentified radio
It looks like a kit to me.
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22nd Feb 2018, 11:02 pm | #3 |
Moderator
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Location: Exeter, Devon and Poole, Dorset UK.
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Re: Unidentified radio
Looks a bit like the Roamer 7
Cheers My Mistake wrong Roamer its the 8 Mike T
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22nd Feb 2018, 11:04 pm | #4 |
Octode
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: St. Albans, Hertfordshire, UK.
Posts: 1,477
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Re: Unidentified radio
It's a "Roamer Eight".
https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/radioe...ht_mk_imk.html
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22nd Feb 2018, 11:08 pm | #5 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cornwall, UK.
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Re: Unidentified radio
Could be a Roamer 8:
http://www.americanradiohistory.com/...h=%22roamer%22 EDIT: Post crossed. Lawrence. |
22nd Feb 2018, 11:11 pm | #6 |
Octode
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: St. Albans, Hertfordshire, UK.
Posts: 1,477
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Re: Unidentified radio
Absolutely dreadful things. I remember buying a Roamer 6 as a teenager and being very disappointed.
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Regards, Richard, BVWS member |
22nd Feb 2018, 11:46 pm | #7 |
Octode
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Southampton, Hampshire, UK.
Posts: 1,049
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Re: Unidentified radio
That's great. Many thanks to you all for the quick identification. Shall see if I can get the circuit etc.
from Radio Museum or elsewhere. |
23rd Feb 2018, 8:27 am | #8 |
Heptode
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: West London, UK.
Posts: 865
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Re: Unidentified radio
Here is a circuit for the Roamer 7 might be similar.
John |
23rd Feb 2018, 9:11 am | #9 |
Hexode
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Essex, UK.
Posts: 370
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Re: Unidentified radio
Looks like a TRF design but the RadioMuseum says its a SuperHet.
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23rd Feb 2018, 9:44 am | #10 |
Heptode
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK.
Posts: 641
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Re: Unidentified radio
Given that there is no sign of any IFTs in th OPs photo I'd say its a TRF.
Also The RadioMuseum says the Roamer 7 is a superhet but is clearly a TRF according to Johns circuit diagram #8 so its info on the Roamer 8 may also be in error.
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23rd Feb 2018, 11:33 am | #11 |
Heptode
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Brentwood, Essex, UK.
Posts: 687
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Re: Unidentified radio
I remember getting the kit to make up one of these as a Christmas present , I had got the kit for another set from them (Transona 5?) a year or so before and wasn't very impressed with that but thought one of these more expensive models was going to be much better - it wasn't though
Steve. |
23rd Feb 2018, 12:56 pm | #12 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Horsham, West Sussex, UK.
Posts: 19
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Re: Unidentified radio
Absolutely amazed that any of these Roamer kit radios have survived!
I must have bought mine around 1965. It certainly was not a superhet, it was a TRF, and I think it may even have had a "reaction" wire that provided some level of positive feedback from one of the rf transistors to the ferrite rod (you moved the wire within the box for best sensitivity, while trying to avoid feedback). The knobs on Jolly 7 model do not look original. Mine were just like the advert posted by cobaltblue. I just plugged £7 into the MeasuringWorth website and was horrified that this may represent between £116 - £367 in todays money. How could I have been so stupid? And where did I get that kind of money, at the age of 13 years old? Verdict: A very expensive faux-leather handbag. |
23rd Feb 2018, 1:52 pm | #13 |
Rest in Peace
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Solihull, West Midlands, UK.
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Re: Unidentified radio. (Identified as a Roamer 8).
I built a Roamer TRF many years ago; not certain which one, but the circuit was probably similar. Mine was in a plastic case. It worked, after a fashion. Triumph of marketing over substance, or merely the ignorance of youth?
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23rd Feb 2018, 2:18 pm | #14 |
Heptode
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Brentwood, Essex, UK.
Posts: 687
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Re: Unidentified radio. (Identified as a Roamer 8).
They are not getting a very good review are they! - I see the copy of the advert on the RadioMuseum link now - Radio Exchange of Bedford was the company selling the kits, the other one I had from them was a "Transona 5" - at least that was only 47/6
Steve. |
23rd Feb 2018, 3:50 pm | #15 |
Guest
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Re: Unidentified radio. (Identified as a Roamer 8).
I had a Roamer 7 for my birthday ages ago, nice case.
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23rd Feb 2018, 4:51 pm | #16 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Leominster, Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 16,526
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Re: Unidentified radio. (Identified as a Roamer 8).
I built two of the horrible things. One for myself and one for my younger brother. His for some reason worked better than mine (maybe the output pair were better matched) but neither was much use except on medium wave.
Definitely misleadingly advertised- "air spaced ganged tuning capacitor" was part of the blurb but just about the first instruction in the build was to parallel the sections! TRFs as charged. They were a bit cheaper than the real deals like the Elegant Seven, which although not exactly elegant was at least a standard superhet with acceptable LW/MW performance.
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23rd Feb 2018, 5:45 pm | #17 |
Octode
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Southampton, Hampshire, UK.
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Re: Unidentified radio. (Identified as a Roamer 8).
It certainly seems that this kit radio didn't receive much love in its time and even now. However, in spite of the unspecified Ge transistors and the dodgy design, not to mention the three shortwave coils rolled on twigs, I will give it a go at repairing or improving. If all else fails, I will remove its innards and replace with a TA7642-based circuit, which is already working satisfactorily for me on a separate radio I built last year. Thanks John for finding the closest match of circuit diagram for me.
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