UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Powered By Google Custom Search Vintage Radio and TV Service Data

Go Back   UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum > Specific Vintage Equipment > Vintage Radio (domestic)

Notices

Vintage Radio (domestic) Domestic vintage radio (wireless) receivers only.

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 30th Nov 2017, 3:04 pm   #1
radioman
Heptode
 
radioman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Ayr, Ayrshire, UK.
Posts: 630
Default Transistor radios made in Scotland

Hello folks,

I was just wondering if there were ever any commercially produced transistor radios made in Scotland ?

Andy
radioman is offline  
Old 30th Nov 2017, 3:22 pm   #2
Nuvistor
Dekatron
 
Nuvistor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Wigan, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 9,427
Default Re: Transistor radios made in Scotland

Did the Timex factory produce some for different makes? They made more than watches, perhaps worth investigating.
Apologies if I am completely wrong.
__________________
Frank
Nuvistor is offline  
Old 30th Nov 2017, 3:35 pm   #3
Norman Raeburn
Heptode
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Leven, Fife, Scotland
Posts: 823
Default Re: Transistor radios made in Scotland

Hi Andy, When I was an apprentice in the early 70's there were guys from the Philips factory in Dunfermline in college at the same time. They were making radios then but I don't know which models. This factory is of course closed now. Norman
Norman Raeburn is offline  
Old 30th Nov 2017, 5:05 pm   #4
radioman
Heptode
 
radioman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Ayr, Ayrshire, UK.
Posts: 630
Default Re: Transistor radios made in Scotland

Frank, I do know Timex made Sinclair computers in the early 80's but haven't heard what else (apart from watches) that they did.
Norman, thanks for that information about Philips - I didn't even know they had a factory in Scotland !
Would love to know which radio models were made there but unless they had a 'Made in Scotland' sticker on them I doubt we'll ever find out.

Andy
radioman is offline  
Old 30th Nov 2017, 7:39 pm   #5
Richard_FM
Octode
 
Richard_FM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Stockport, Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 1,999
Default Re: Transistor radios made in Scotland

Some parts for the Sinclair TV80 pocket television were made by Timex in Scotland, but final assembly was at EMI in Enfield.
Richard_FM is offline  
Old 30th Nov 2017, 7:51 pm   #6
Nickthedentist
Dekatron
 
Nickthedentist's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,820
Default Re: Transistor radios made in Scotland

See here: https://vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=126879
Nickthedentist is offline  
Old 30th Nov 2017, 7:54 pm   #7
mark_in_manc
Octode
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Manchester, UK.
Posts: 1,872
Default Re: Transistor radios made in Scotland

I was looking at an (Ekco, I think?) bedside clock radio from the 60s at Mikey66's house the other night, when I picked up my PB189. On the back was a big 'made in Scotland' sticker...
mark_in_manc is offline  
Old 1st Dec 2017, 10:08 am   #8
radioman
Heptode
 
radioman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Ayr, Ayrshire, UK.
Posts: 630
Default Re: Transistor radios made in Scotland

Thanks to everyone for their replies, most interesting.

Regards,
Andy
radioman is offline  
Old 1st Dec 2017, 11:22 am   #9
terry123
Pentode
 
terry123's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Rosyth, Fife, UK.
Posts: 204
Default Re: Transistor radios made in Scotland

The former Philips factory was aqquired by Selectron who in turn then sold the factory onto the Fife Self Store people in the mid 2000s who are the current owners of this site (just 5 mins from me).

I'm told Philips also made TV tuners at this site as well. The buildings are still there (and expanded) and are located at Pitreavie, overlooking FMCs wind turbine facility. See link below for further info.

http://dunfermline.info/news/index.p...TEGORY2=1-News


Kind regards

Terry
__________________
Terry Martini-Yates
BVWS Committee Vice Chair

Last edited by terry123; 1st Dec 2017 at 11:28 am.
terry123 is online now  
Old 1st Dec 2017, 12:27 pm   #10
Alistair D
Nonode
 
Alistair D's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Edinburgh, UK.
Posts: 2,008
Default Re: Transistor radios made in Scotland

I used to pass by that factory often between 1981 and 1988 when my in-laws lived in Dunfermline. Before or during that time the plant changed to Philips MEL which was part of the Philips/Mullard component supply chain. I presume that manufacturing had ceased before then. Sorry I cannot be more specific but it was 30+ years ago and even then the detail was not that important to me.

Al
__________________
I won't tell you how I discovered that.
Alistair D is offline  
Old 1st Dec 2017, 1:04 pm   #11
Norman Raeburn
Heptode
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Leven, Fife, Scotland
Posts: 823
Default Re: Transistor radios made in Scotland

I remember having a tour of the factory in the early 70's. They were manufacturing pcb's although I don't know what they were for. I remember them on an assembly line before finally going into a solder bath. The guys I went to college with were repairing radios off the production line that didn't work. I remember some of the guys were selling car cassette players to us as these were highly sought after at that time. My memory isn't great at the best off time but that is the best I can remember. Norman
Norman Raeburn is offline  
Old 1st Dec 2017, 11:41 pm   #12
radioman
Heptode
 
radioman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Ayr, Ayrshire, UK.
Posts: 630
Default Re: Transistor radios made in Scotland

Thanks guys for the further information regarding the Philips factory.
All very interesting.


Andy
radioman is offline  
Closed Thread

Thread Tools



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 10:50 pm.


All information and advice on this forum is subject to the WARNING AND DISCLAIMER located at https://www.vintage-radio.net/rules.html.
Failure to heed this warning may result in death or serious injury to yourself and/or others.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2002 - 2023, Paul Stenning.