A mystery KB Model seen today

[David G4EBT]

We visited a National Trust house and gardens today (Beningborough Hall, NW of York). They had a radio in one room, and as is often the case, it had been 'customised', as in, it had an MP3 player inside, and a large chrome push button on the top LH front, which at first sight, looked like a magic eye. (Maybe it was the location of a magic eye before the N.T. doctored it). You could press the button to hear a narrative on the internal MP3 player, except that it wasn't working, so whether it was hooked into the set's speaker, I've no idea.

It always strikes me as rather ironic, that an organisation supposedly dedicated to conservation, will cheerfully find some willing individual to desecrate old radios in this way, and what's more, why it should be in a house that's 300 years old.

The radio in question was a rather attractive KB 'woodie' model, which - until I got close up to it - looked to me like maybe a Grundig. I couldn't decipher the badge on the front, but I'm sure someone on the forum will recognise the model. Late 50s I guess - it had LW,MW and FM. Rather a shame that such an attractive set in quite good cosmetic condition has been jiggered about with in this way.

Apologies for the poor quality of the pics. The badge looks like 'Tesla' but I'm sure it isn't.

[crackle]

Hi David
It is a KB NR30 https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/kolsterbr_nr30nr_3.html
I really must add the Tri Fi name into the model on Rmorg.
The same chassis was used in the KB OG10 "Minor gram" https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/kolsterbr_og10og_1.html
Mike

[David G4EBT]

Thanks for the info Mike - who else but you would know the answer!

There's an interesting well illustrated thread on the forum (now closed) by 'Dazzlevision' of the restoration of an NR30 back in 2013, of a set he says he got 'cheaply' at the Wooton Bassett Auction. Out of curiosity I checked the auction list and there it was at £5.00, (described as ''working') so yes, it certainly was cheap for such a high end set!

Doing a bit of research I see that when it came onto the market in Nov 1956 it cost £25.15s 6d. plus Purchase Tax. Hard to say now what the P.T. was because cabinets were classed as furniture and sometimes taxed at a different rate from the rest of the set (radiograms were classed as 'musical instruments', and comms sets such as Eddystone carried no tax if they had a BFO). That said, it's most likely that the P.T. on the set would have been about 40%, making the full retail price £36.00. When adjusted for inflation, that equates to £900 today. In 1956 I was a second year apprentice on £2.11. 0 a week, and the take home pay of the guys I worked with was around £8.00.

That year, to buy such a set on H.P required a 50% deposit, and to rent a set (typically a DAC90A), required 9 months rental in advance. Hence, the KB NR30 would be out of the reach of many, but would have graced any living room.

Thanks for clarifying that the badge is 'Tri-Fi' Mike, based on the fact that the set has three speakers, - two 4" ones at each end of the cabinet and a 10" one in front. Interesting to note that the chassis was stood on end. They look quite a challenge to restore, with quite a high component density, and the dial stringing looks something of a challenge too, should it break. I see from Trader Sheet 1327 that it did indeed have an EM34 where - in the National Trust set a push button for the MP3 player has been fitted - so whoever did the conversion probably pocketed a decent EM34!

All in all, what a lovely set.

[Nanozeugma]

That looks to have been a receiver entirely worthy of restoration. However, it does beg the question what condition the innards were in when the trust acquired it, and thus whether restoration was possible.
If it was complete, the logic defies me, as you say, what possible relevance could this have in a 300 year old house?
I've been an NT member above 30 years and their properties and gardens have given me much pleasure down the years, but I'm stumped to see the logic behind some of their decisions... Upcycling? I detest it.

[Nuvistor]

The NT sometimes theme a room with objects that would have been in the house when the owners lived there. So 60-70 year old radios are quite possibly in keeping with that theme. Another room may display something quite different.
Whether that’s the case at this property I don’t know.

Admit I would rather see the radio as a prop but with the works undisturbed than messed around with. There was a Bush DAC90/A at Rufford Hall Lancashire that had been got at. It fitted in with the room theme but didn’t require it to appear to be working.