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Old 14th Feb 2013, 9:16 pm   #41
recordamus
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Default Re: Bygone radio traders

1950s and 60s

Derby: Bob Potts' shop on Babbington Lane was a veritable treasure chest for local radio amateurs, selling both new radio/hi-fi stuff and - upstairs - government surpus, which you could trawl through at your leisure. Nearby, on The Spot, was Norman Birkett's (G3EKX) shop. Norman sold aerials (remember Birkett's Better Beams?) and Eddystone equipment, amongst others.

Over in Nottingham, you headed down Alfreton Road to find Eddy's Government Surplus stores. Eddy's also had another shop almost opposite who specialized in gramophones - the wind-up kind!

We were lucky in those days. There were even more shops in Chesterfield (Jack Tweedy), Newark and many nearby towns. Of course, this was really the only way you could get hold of a decent receiver or parts with which to construct your (AM) transmitter in those days without recourse to London and a trip down Lisle Street or the Edgeware Road.
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Old 14th Feb 2013, 10:53 pm   #42
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Potts on Babington Lane in Derby is still there and thriving.

In Cardiff when I were a lad we had Marks in Wyndham Arcade, Glix (or was it Glixor) at the bottom of Westgate Street, and a stall whose name I forget on the top balcony of the market hall.
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Old 14th Feb 2013, 11:21 pm   #43
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Re post #4 Ted Bird's in Gloucester. Gosh, that brings back some memories, especially of the almost Art Deco clock that hung in the street above the door. I took a couple of valves to be tested there when I was about twelve and can still see him inserting the cards into the machine and declaring them both to be good.
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Old 15th Feb 2013, 10:46 am   #44
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WHere was that, John. Not Garratt Lane?
Barmouth Road, Wandsworth.
John
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Old 15th Feb 2013, 10:55 am   #45
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Ah, just out of my patch - we were the other side of the railway.

Anyone remember HiFi and Components in Clapham Junction? Friendly and helpful staff, even to a kid with only 50p to spend. Only new goods, no surplus though. Bought my first soldering iron there in the early 80s. I can still remember the look on some poor customer's face when being told that he'd effectively written-off his girlfriend's huge and expensive Marantz receiver by connecting mains to the speaker outputs! Recently closed down according to Google Street View.

N.
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Old 15th Feb 2013, 3:20 pm   #46
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Hi. Gosh, I did not reckon on that many replies.
My main memory is that of when my (now late) father worked for a Philips dealer in Headingley (not far from the cricket/rugby grounds). His main repair speciality were Projection screen televisions. The actual repair workshop was off Chapeltown Road, Leeds (now long gone), and the shop in Headingley now is a "Mind" charity shop. Unfortunately, there are no photos available of either the shop or workshop. I am not sure if they sold components to the public (probably not!) as I was too young then, but I definately remember all the service vans (Fordson E83W, Fordson E494C, Commer Express delivery Van, & Austin A55).
Leeds certainly had its fair share of electronic component shops later in the 1970's. I remember Teleservicecentre in Headingley (now an Estate agent shop), Leeds Amateur Radio in Leeds City Centre, Leeds Radio in Hunslet (near old Tetley's Brewery), and M & B (now in Stourton, formerly under the railway station). Most of these useful shops are no longer about.
Cheers
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Old 15th Feb 2013, 4:23 pm   #47
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Slightly obscure to this thread but once upon a time I worked for CES, Combined Electronic Services, the Philips group service company. For a time I was based at the Leeds branch, in Crossgates a little way out of Leeds itself. They had a trade shop which was mainly concerned with supplying parts to the radio & TV trade in the area. Most of the business was exchange panels and other parts for the prevailing models at that time, so G8 chassis etc. However they also kept many small components, resistors, caps, transistors, IC's, fuses, etc, etc. Resistors and caps tended to be supplied in small plastic boxes in 5 to 10 off, except for the larger values of caps. Also, although valves were virtually obsolete by then, we still stoked a wide range. So with most of those parts being Mullard we had regular hobbyist customers popping in for bits and bobs.
The shop did a roaring trade at the time with 5 full time staff! I can still see the layout of the entire place in my mind, it was massive with about 15 or so full time bench engineers and further 10 field engineers. Strange to think it's all long one.
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Old 15th Feb 2013, 7:39 pm   #48
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Originally Posted by Nicklyons2 View Post
Could it be P.F. Ralfe of Chapel St. London NW1. ?

I wonder if perhaps this: http://www.ralfe-electronics.co.uk/ is the successor business of P.F. Ralfe? I'm tempted to drop them an email and ask them; after all, they could be interested in this thread !

--G6Tanuki.
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Old 15th Feb 2013, 7:58 pm   #49
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Hi johnlees, remember the radio shop in lower High Street. The chap there had a black greyhound, a lovely dog, also on the opposite side a largish shop stuffed with ancient radios, there were hundreds regards Alan.
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Old 15th Feb 2013, 11:02 pm   #50
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Hello, Phasedout. Do you mean High Street, Cheltenham? If so it's still there as far as I know - Hardings- though I haven't been that way for a while. An absolute goldmine for all the old stuff and as young son has taken over from father it looks like it will continue to trade.
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Old 15th Feb 2013, 11:15 pm   #51
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Technical Trading Co were well represented in the Brighton area also in the 1960s, Devonshire Place I seem to think and later in North Road near the bottom.

Tony
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Old 15th Feb 2013, 11:33 pm   #52
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CES, Combined Electronic Services, the Philips group service company. For a time I was based at the Leed's branch, in Crossgates a little way out of Leeds itself.
Was it not at Seacroft near the Old Coal Road? I remember a lady with jet black hair who worked on the trade counter all the time I went there and indeed she was on duty the last time I went which was, if I remember, to pick up a new head drum for an N1700 VCR.
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Old 15th Feb 2013, 11:43 pm   #53
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Anyone else remember Logan's in Hitchin, Herts? They had two shops, and one of them had a room upstairs stacked with original, boxed record decks and changers. Collaro, Garrard, BSR.... absolute heaven!

Barry
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Old 16th Feb 2013, 12:27 am   #54
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I remember a lady with jet black hair who worked on the trade counter all the time I went there and indeed she was on duty the last time I went which was, if I remember, to pick up a new head drum for an N1700 VCR.
I always called it Crossgates but it was very close to Seacroft, CES was just by the Walls Ice Cream depot. The lady you mention was almost certainly Jean.
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Old 16th Feb 2013, 8:26 am   #55
Alan Stepney
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Technical Trading Co were well represented in the Brighton area also in the 1960s, Devonshire Place I seem to think and later in North Road near the bottom.
Technical Trading had a place in Fratton Rd Portsmouth, for many years.

Oddly enough, I recently found some valves marked with their brand and address. Not sure who actually made them.
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Old 16th Feb 2013, 10:51 am   #56
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Does anyone remember Queensway Radio Petts Wood where I used to work in the '50s or City Sale and exchange in Cheapside where I worked before that?

Peter
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Old 16th Feb 2013, 4:36 pm   #57
telstar
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Hi. I remember C.E.S on the Ring Road, Seacroft. My dad once worked there after leaving Ferranti (1950's). I used to shop at the trade counter there in the 1970's for Philips spares for car radios (my hobby used to incorporate car radio & audio). The industrial estate looks a bit "run-down" nowadays, many derelict buildings!
Cheers
Mike
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Old 16th Feb 2013, 5:12 pm   #58
threeseven
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Just realised why I think of it as Cross Gates, that is the railway station I used when I travelled there by train ! Then I discovered motorcycles !
Disappointed to read that the area is run down, although the Seacroft was always seen as a deprived area of Leeds.
I will have a trip down memory lane the next time I'm up there.
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Old 17th Feb 2013, 1:09 am   #59
Peter.N.
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Anyone remember the Radiospares trade counter in Maple street off Tottenham Ct Rd?

Peter
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Old 17th Feb 2013, 8:45 am   #60
Alan Stepney
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Yes. Went there often.

A quick (or slow) diversion to TCR itself to look in the radio shops there made it more emjoyable.
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