Setron 24 Deluxe in Malaysia - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

beery · 17th Oct 2018, 2:41 pm

Hi all,

Whilst on holiday in Malaysia a couple of weeks ago I contemplated what my hobby might look like if I decided to retire there...

Well vintage radios for sale in antique shops seem to date from the late 1950's and cost in our money about £300 or so. Given the exchange rate of £1 to MYR5.4 this is really expensive for a Malaysian, but it also reflects the throw away culture that means such items are very rare.

Vintage televisions fare even worse. The oldest ones I have seen seem to be from the late 1960s and they don't really get stocked in antique shops.
Take this lovely Setron 24 Deluxe, it forms part of a display for a trendy Cafe and sits outside in all weathers

I can't find any info on this set, but I can tell you it is black & white and VHF only. Setron themselves were a Singapore based company manufacturing television sets from the late 60s until the early 80s.

Other trendy cafe's have TV sets on display, often Setron sets and they all look very similar. On a trip a few years ago I found one in use as a fish tank. I will see if I can dig out a photo later.

Terrestrial television in Malaysia in 2018 is 625 line analogue PAL on UHF and VHF band 3.

Of course by the time I do retire such sets will probably be extinct sadly.

Does anybody have an experience of Setron sets or about exporting the hobby oversees?

Cheers
Andy

Nickthedentist · 17th Oct 2018, 2:54 pm

Sounds like somewhere not to retire to for the likes of us! Your post makes me realise how lucky we are. Pristine 1950s radios can still be had for the price of a pint or two, as can C20th mass-produced clocks (another one of my hobbies). As you imply, our culture of make-and-mend and storing away redundant stuff in the loft seems to have preserved a lot, but I can't see that situation lasting forever. How many houses have lofts full of junk nowadays, as opposed to a loft conversion or a foot of insultation?

Our local pub has changed hands and become a posh eatery recently. They have furnished it with an ever-changing selection of "junk" including some attractive fans, typewriters, reel-to-reel machines and so on. There's also a gorgeous 1940s electric cooker which like that telly, lives outside, and has gone from being utterly pristine to looking like it's been just pulled off a scrap pile

electronicskip · 17th Oct 2018, 3:36 pm

slightly off topic but the name of Setron.
I have a Setron Laserdisc player... is this related in any way to the Setron TVs?

beery · 17th Oct 2018, 6:36 pm

Hi all,
As you can see from my photo here, the rather sad Setron looked much better when I photographed it in the same spot in January 2015.

I've also attached a photo of the fish tank TV. All rather sad really.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nickthedentist

Sounds like somewhere not to retire to for the likes of us!

When I retire and can't pay the rent then I might have no choice but to go somewhere where the £ goes further. Given my family connections Malaysia would seem the place to go...

Quote:

Originally Posted by electronicskip

slightly off topic but the name of Setron.
I have a Setron Laserdisc player... is this related in any way to the Setron TVs?

Yes, but probably by then simply badge engineered. Actually I find the idea that Singapore ever had a manufacturing industry quite amazing when you consider the size of the place.
Btw, I've not yet heard of any Malaysian home grown electronics brands. All the old and new radios and TVs I have seen are imports.

Cheers
Andy

Maarten · 17th Oct 2018, 11:11 pm

Singapore might still have manufacturing industry. I'm not sure what happened after the bankrupcy of Gibson Innovations, but Philips designed and manufactured home-A/V and remote controls there.

Red to black · 18th Oct 2018, 5:42 am

Thomson/Toshiba also had a Joint Video plant in Singapore

Welsh Anorak · 19th Oct 2018, 1:23 pm

Didn't Philips have a Malaysian manufacturing plant?

TonyDuell · 19th Oct 2018, 6:34 pm

A lot of 1980s HP calculators were made in Singapore too

FERNSEH · 19th Oct 2018, 9:45 pm

Never seen any Philips products that were made in Malaysia.
Made in Singapore: Portable versions of Philips colour TVs using the CTX chassis and certain monochrome small screen TVs. Wasn't the Philips code SV used for Singapore?

DFWB.

tony brady · 20th Oct 2018, 4:48 am

Philips had an audio factory in Malaysia, I used to know a chap that worked there. I believe it changed name later to AST. I don't know if they made TVs though.

I saw a few years ago a CRT TV made or badged by Pensonic a Malaysian maker of kitchen goods. There is a Sony Audio factory in Butterworth and Bose is not far away. Panasonic also has at least one factory making household appliances but I don't know if they also make TVs

Maarten · 20th Oct 2018, 2:03 pm

SV were indeed the origin letters used for Philips Singapore. They used to make TV sets, but later mostly A/V (DVD etc) and remote controls. They also had a tuner branch there, which together with Thomson's Singapore branche formed NuTune. NuTune went bankrupt after only a few years, unfortunately.

I don't think Philips Malaysia ever manufactured TV sets.

Nickthedentist · 20th Oct 2018, 4:13 pm

I had a Pye radio/cassette (SX8103) in about 1982 which was made in Malaysia AFAIK.

Nick.

chriswood1900 · 20th Oct 2018, 7:59 pm

Just found this on the Web:-
Setron TV:
Led by Steven Tan Sek Toh, a group of enterprising local businessmen formed Setron in 1964, and produced the first ever Singapore-made television set in May 1965 at its temporary factory in Leng Kee Road.
In April 1966, Setron moved to its new factory at Tanglin Halt Close. At its new factory, Setron produced almost 1 000 televisions sets a month.
By 1971, Setron developed into the largest television manufacturer in Southeast Asia. The major shareholding of the company was acquired by Haw Par Brothers International in 1979, but Setron continued its manufacturing of televisions sets until the late 80's, when it shifted its production base to Johor.

winston_1 · 20th Oct 2018, 11:02 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by beery

Terrestrial television in Malaysia in 2018 is 625 line analogue PAL on UHF and VHF band 3.

There are also some band 1 transmitters, unless they have been closed down. In KL DVB-T has been testing for years on ch44, but no one seems to have sets (except me when I go there with a pocket DVB-T set). I have also received DVB-T from Singapore in Johor in the south.

Sadly the throw away culture is much in evidence all over SE Asia, especially Japan. Everyone buys new, no one wants second hand goods.

beery · 22nd Oct 2018, 1:50 pm

Hi all,
thanks for your comments and thanks to chriswood1900 for the info.
Of course I'm keen to see what the circuit of the Setron Deluxe 24 is like, but where would I find such info?

Regarding storage space. Older houses in Malaysia tend to be bungalows. They have no usable loft space and garages are rare.
Newer accommodation is in the form of luxury flats, so no storage there either.
Old items of hardware in Malaysia tend to find their way into spare bedrooms and probably end up on the market after the original householders have passed away.

Cheers
Andy

17th Oct 2018, 2:41 pm	#1
beery Heptode Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Ware, Hertfordshire, UK. Posts: 988	Setron 24 Deluxe in Malaysia Hi all, Whilst on holiday in Malaysia a couple of weeks ago I contemplated what my hobby might look like if I decided to retire there... Well vintage radios for sale in antique shops seem to date from the late 1950's and cost in our money about £300 or so. Given the exchange rate of £1 to MYR5.4 this is really expensive for a Malaysian, but it also reflects the throw away culture that means such items are very rare. Vintage televisions fare even worse. The oldest ones I have seen seem to be from the late 1960s and they don't really get stocked in antique shops. Take this lovely Setron 24 Deluxe, it forms part of a display for a trendy Cafe and sits outside in all weathers I can't find any info on this set, but I can tell you it is black & white and VHF only. Setron themselves were a Singapore based company manufacturing television sets from the late 60s until the early 80s. Other trendy cafe's have TV sets on display, often Setron sets and they all look very similar. On a trip a few years ago I found one in use as a fish tank. I will see if I can dig out a photo later. Terrestrial television in Malaysia in 2018 is 625 line analogue PAL on UHF and VHF band 3. Of course by the time I do retire such sets will probably be extinct sadly. Does anybody have an experience of Setron sets or about exporting the hobby oversees? Cheers Andy Attached Thumbnails __________________ www.youtube.com/user/andyvalve100

17th Oct 2018, 2:54 pm	#2
Nickthedentist Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Oxford, UK. Posts: 17,844	Re: Setron 24 Deluxe in Malaysia Sounds like somewhere not to retire to for the likes of us! Your post makes me realise how lucky we are. Pristine 1950s radios can still be had for the price of a pint or two, as can C20th mass-produced clocks (another one of my hobbies). As you imply, our culture of make-and-mend and storing away redundant stuff in the loft seems to have preserved a lot, but I can't see that situation lasting forever. How many houses have lofts full of junk nowadays, as opposed to a loft conversion or a foot of insultation? Our local pub has changed hands and become a posh eatery recently. They have furnished it with an ever-changing selection of "junk" including some attractive fans, typewriters, reel-to-reel machines and so on. There's also a gorgeous 1940s electric cooker which like that telly, lives outside, and has gone from being utterly pristine to looking like it's been just pulled off a scrap pile

17th Oct 2018, 3:36 pm	#3
electronicskip Nonode Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Gloucester, Glos. UK. Posts: 2,150	Re: Setron 24 Deluxe in Malaysia slightly off topic but the name of Setron. I have a Setron Laserdisc player... is this related in any way to the Setron TVs?

17th Oct 2018, 11:11 pm	#5
Maarten Dekatron Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Haarlem, Netherlands Posts: 4,199	Re: Setron 24 Deluxe in Malaysia Singapore might still have manufacturing industry. I'm not sure what happened after the bankrupcy of Gibson Innovations, but Philips designed and manufactured home-A/V and remote controls there.

18th Oct 2018, 5:42 am	#6
Red to black Nonode Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, UK. Posts: 2,474	Re: Setron 24 Deluxe in Malaysia Thomson/Toshiba also had a Joint Video plant in Singapore __________________ I don't suffer from Insanity. I enjoy every minute of it.

19th Oct 2018, 1:23 pm	#7
Welsh Anorak Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: North Wales, UK. Posts: 6,918	Re: Setron 24 Deluxe in Malaysia Didn't Philips have a Malaysian manufacturing plant? __________________ Glyn www.gdelectronics.wales

19th Oct 2018, 6:34 pm	#8
TonyDuell Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK. Posts: 5,208	Re: Setron 24 Deluxe in Malaysia A lot of 1980s HP calculators were made in Singapore too

19th Oct 2018, 9:45 pm	#9
FERNSEH Dekatron Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, UK. Posts: 7,444	Re: Setron 24 Deluxe in Malaysia Never seen any Philips products that were made in Malaysia. Made in Singapore: Portable versions of Philips colour TVs using the CTX chassis and certain monochrome small screen TVs. Wasn't the Philips code SV used for Singapore? DFWB.

20th Oct 2018, 4:48 am	#10
tony brady Hexode Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Peacehaven, East Sussex, UK. Posts: 278	Re: Setron 24 Deluxe in Malaysia Philips had an audio factory in Malaysia, I used to know a chap that worked there. I believe it changed name later to AST. I don't know if they made TVs though. I saw a few years ago a CRT TV made or badged by Pensonic a Malaysian maker of kitchen goods. There is a Sony Audio factory in Butterworth and Bose is not far away. Panasonic also has at least one factory making household appliances but I don't know if they also make TVs

20th Oct 2018, 2:03 pm	#11
Maarten Dekatron Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Haarlem, Netherlands Posts: 4,199	Re: Setron 24 Deluxe in Malaysia SV were indeed the origin letters used for Philips Singapore. They used to make TV sets, but later mostly A/V (DVD etc) and remote controls. They also had a tuner branch there, which together with Thomson's Singapore branche formed NuTune. NuTune went bankrupt after only a few years, unfortunately. I don't think Philips Malaysia ever manufactured TV sets.

20th Oct 2018, 4:13 pm	#12
Nickthedentist Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Oxford, UK. Posts: 17,844	Re: Setron 24 Deluxe in Malaysia I had a Pye radio/cassette (SX8103) in about 1982 which was made in Malaysia AFAIK. Nick.

20th Oct 2018, 7:59 pm	#13
chriswood1900 Octode Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Dorridge, West Midlands, UK. Posts: 1,481	Re: Setron 24 Deluxe in Malaysia Just found this on the Web:- Setron TV: Led by Steven Tan Sek Toh, a group of enterprising local businessmen formed Setron in 1964, and produced the first ever Singapore-made television set in May 1965 at its temporary factory in Leng Kee Road. In April 1966, Setron moved to its new factory at Tanglin Halt Close. At its new factory, Setron produced almost 1 000 televisions sets a month. By 1971, Setron developed into the largest television manufacturer in Southeast Asia. The major shareholding of the company was acquired by Haw Par Brothers International in 1979, but Setron continued its manufacturing of televisions sets until the late 80's, when it shifted its production base to Johor.

22nd Oct 2018, 1:50 pm	#15
beery Heptode Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Ware, Hertfordshire, UK. Posts: 988	Re: Setron 24 Deluxe in Malaysia Hi all, thanks for your comments and thanks to chriswood1900 for the info. Of course I'm keen to see what the circuit of the Setron Deluxe 24 is like, but where would I find such info? Regarding storage space. Older houses in Malaysia tend to be bungalows. They have no usable loft space and garages are rare. Newer accommodation is in the form of luxury flats, so no storage there either. Old items of hardware in Malaysia tend to find their way into spare bedrooms and probably end up on the market after the original householders have passed away. Cheers Andy __________________ www.youtube.com/user/andyvalve100