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Old 11th Jun 2012, 7:13 pm   #1
G6Tanuki
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Default "Loyds" valves.

Sorting through a box of junk, I've come across several TV-esque valves (EF80/EF85 type) that are branded "LOYDS".

Are these a known quantity, or just another of the ubiquitous rebranded-Eastern-European-Imports from the 1960s (like Pinnacle, Zaerix, Trigon etc)?

The branding-artwork looks decidedly ordinary.

--G6Tanuki
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Old 11th Jun 2012, 7:47 pm   #2
G8HQP Dave
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Default Re: "Loyds" valves.

Rebrander, perhaps less well-known than some of those you mention.
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Old 11th Jun 2012, 7:54 pm   #3
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Default Re: "Loyds" valves.

They were a chain of TV rental shops owned by Philips according to this link (near the bottom). Many chains rebranded their valves in the forlorn hope of stopping "shrinkage"

http://www.alanstepney.info/radio.html
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Old 11th Jun 2012, 8:09 pm   #4
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Default Re: "Loyds" valves.

One slight correction, Loyds started in the 1930's in Manchester, as a retailer and gradually became a sort-of co-operative, sharing bulk buys, workshop facilities etc.
Eventually Philips bought them, adding them to the retail and rental chains they had acquired when they took over Pye/Ekco et al.

They grew to have nearly 1,000 shops, some rental only, but most were retailers, often part owned by their original owners, who had gone that route when they needed more capital, especially with the advent of colour tv.
The majority of their valves came from Mullard (no surprise there!) but some were sourced elswhere.
The boxes were (from memory) a plain dark-ish green colour, with only the type number on the outer.

And, yes, the object was to discourage "shrinkage".
But, it didnt work!

They had one depot adjacent to where I worked (also for part of Philips) and there was never any reluctance on the part of the staff there, to part with valves irrespective of the packaging.
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Old 11th Jun 2012, 8:59 pm   #5
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Default Re: "Loyds" valves.

Pardon my ignorance but what is "shrinkage"?
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Old 11th Jun 2012, 9:08 pm   #6
Brian R Pateman
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Default Re: "Loyds" valves.

Service engineers doing private repairs using spares purloined from their employer.

This is not the thread to discuss such dubious activity though.
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Old 12th Jun 2012, 12:18 am   #7
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Default Re: "Loyds" valves.

I thought Alan Stepney sounded familiar
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Old 12th Jun 2012, 8:54 am   #8
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Default Re: "Loyds" valves.

Fascinating - thanks for all this! I never knew of the existence of this kind of "TV-shops co-op" organisation.

Reference to Manchester kinda makes sense: the box of valves containing the Lods ones originated in Wigan.

If the Loyds valves are essentially 'house-brand' Mullards then this is good news: I am planning to use a couple of the EF80s as VFO and buffer in a clone of the Codar AT5 transmitter (a pair of Brimar 6BW6 will be the PA and modulator).

--G6Tanuki.
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Old 12th Jun 2012, 9:27 am   #9
Alan Stepney
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Default Re: "Loyds" valves.

I saw some of their depots, service centres and regional offices whilst I was with Philips, and although I don't remember one in/near Wigan, there may well have been one there, or perhaps one of their engineers lived there.

The locations I do recall are:
Grays, Essex,
Wembley, Middx
Kingston-New Malden, Surrey
Chichester, & Fareham, later combined to Waterlooville, Hants
Aldershot, Hants
Salisbury, Wilts,
Weymouth, Dorset
Plymouth, Devon
Taunton, Somerset

Head Office at the time was Droylesden, Manchester

They also had all the ex-Civic workshops, some of which remained open, plus others that were still partly privately owned, and a few other chains that had become part of Philips, but used Loyds as a "central stores".

So, valves in that packaging could have come from a variety of routes.
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Old 12th Jun 2012, 4:08 pm   #10
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Default Re: "Loyds" valves.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian R Pateman View Post
Service engineers doing private repairs using spares purloined from their employer.

This is not the thread to discuss such dubious activity though.
Thanks Brian,
Jim
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