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Where To Get Sets and Parts For discussions about swapmeets, rallies, NVCF and BVWS, car boot sales, antique and charity shops, dealers, newspaper adverts, the local tip and just about any other source of equipment (other than eBay).

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Old 30th Jan 2012, 6:19 pm   #1
greenstar
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Default Lesta budget shop 1 - Hong Kong radio

I've just picked up a nice little LW/MW radio in Leicester. First new thing I've had for ages. Made by 'Mosan', possibly Nairobi (google, no details). Back held on with poppers. Works well. Mains/battery. Retro tec, no chips, 7 transistor. £2. Not tried it yet. Had to get the back off.
Might make it into a signal tracer - anyone tell me if it will work with valve circuits, a la All American Five adaptation? Might get another one to keep intact, and another one for parts ...
Shop is 58 Halford St, town centre, Leicester. Known as Lesta. Shop called something like 'Worthit', but most of the sign is missing.

Tony
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Old 30th Jan 2012, 6:25 pm   #2
paulsherwin
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Default Re: Lesta budget shop 1

My, that's a blast from the past. This style of radio was made in huge quantities in Hong Kong in the 70s. They were sold under umpteen different brands, often by mail order or from market stalls.

You can attach an external signal across the volume control, but the input impedence will only be the resistance of the volume control (10k or 5k) and this is too low for most valve circuits.

I'd hang on to it. These things aren't collectible yet, but they might become so sooner or later, and you seem to have an unused pristine one. I wonder where the shop is getting its stock from?
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Old 30th Jan 2012, 7:17 pm   #3
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Default Re: Lesta budget shop 1

Yes, it certainly looks like old stock, but perhaps it's a case of a third-world manufacturer using an obsolete design and tooling (for the case).
Does the box have any clues to age - ROHS, recycling instructions etc?
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Old 30th Jan 2012, 7:22 pm   #4
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Default Re: Lesta budget shop 1

Hi,
I found the empty shell of one of these in my Grandad's shed when we cleared it out!! I think I remember him saying something about he tried to turn it into a battery charger (he had a thing about making battery chargers out of old stuff..) I never did find the PCB for it! I think it had the name 'Shan' on the front. Unfortunately it made its way into the skip

Regards,
Lloyd.
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Old 30th Jan 2012, 7:48 pm   #5
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Default Re: Lesta budget shop 1

Noticed it does say 'Made in Hong Kong' on the box. Nothing about recycling. Model 1025.
There's a slip of paper inside with instructions, but no date or details of manufacture there. Only one transistor seems to have markings, F S 9014. Output? No dates on anything. It is tempting to take one apart. They also have the talkie walkie type lw/mw radios, but those are a bit more money.
Tony
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Old 30th Jan 2012, 8:00 pm   #6
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Default Re: Lesta budget shop 1

As Paul says, these were very common in the 1970's, seems strange to have a quantity of these now, did it come in a sealed box?

At £2 a pop, I would have bought 20!

Mark
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Old 30th Jan 2012, 8:03 pm   #7
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Default Re: Lesta budget shop 1

These are normally absolutely standard six transistor superhets inside, with transformer coupled amplifiers. I can only see 6 transistors in your photo, despite what it says on the box. The maximum output is typically 300-500mW but you probably wouldn't want to listen at that volume

They actually work quite well for what they are, though the sound quality is nothing to write home about because of the cheap speakers used.

£2 will give you a driver and output transformer (useful if you want to play around with transistor projects) and a mains transformer too. There's also a ferrite rod and MW/LW coils, plus 6 silicon transistors and a germanium diode, so you can't lose out really.
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Old 30th Jan 2012, 8:27 pm   #8
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Default Re: Lesta budget shop 1

Paul, I too counted six this time! And a tuning condenser, and could the IF coils be used with a mini valve set? Will certainly get another, it's down to carrying them on my bike.
Does this mean a valve sig tracer won't do for transistors?
The inner packing is bubble wrap - I wonder when did this become widespread? Was sealed in it's cardboard box with a bit of yellowed sellotape. They have maybe another 5/6 on the shelf. Will ask for origin, but staff somewhat gormless. The shop's been closing since November, and these are reduced.
Tony

Last edited by greenstar; 30th Jan 2012 at 8:33 pm. Reason: xtra bit
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Old 30th Jan 2012, 8:39 pm   #9
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Default Re: Lesta budget shop 1

I think these radios have been sitting in a warehouse or stockroom for 40 years. Somebody will have discovered them recently and they are now being sold off. It's unusual for stuff like this to appear in standard retail outlets though, rather than being sold off on eBay.

There is no fundamental difference between transistor and valve components, but transistor circuits are generally low impedence designs and valve circuits are high impedence. Valves and transistors can be used together (hybrid TV designs were very common in the 60s and early 70s) but special matching arrangements must be used.
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Old 30th Jan 2012, 8:39 pm   #10
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Default Re: Lesta budget shop 1

The SS9014 transistor is actually a relative latecomer, they were used quite extensively during the mid-late 80's.

I can remember them being popular in kids walkie-talkies of the era.

Dave.
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Old 30th Jan 2012, 8:42 pm   #11
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Default Re: Lesta budget shop 1

I've never come across one, but it looks like a standard general purpose small signal silicon transistor. You could use them in all 6 stages of a set like this.

http://www.alldatasheet.com/datashee...LD/SS9014.html
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Old 30th Jan 2012, 9:12 pm   #12
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Default Re: Lesta budget shop 1 - Hong Kong radio

Thanks to Paul, I should be well supplied with silicon, it's more the other bits that look tempting - and curiosity. I took apart some lovely radios in the 70's. Not much space to keep.
Tony
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Old 30th Jan 2012, 9:43 pm   #13
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Default Re: Lesta budget shop 1 - Hong Kong radio

The walkie talkies they were used in ran/run at 49.8MHz, outputting a few mW from the final stage, so they are definitely usable at high frequencies.

Other common ones are the SS9012 and SS9013, not sure what the differences are.

Dave.
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Old 30th Jan 2012, 10:17 pm   #14
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Default Re: Lesta budget shop 1 - Hong Kong radio

hi,maby the large blue cap has a date-code?
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Old 30th Jan 2012, 10:53 pm   #15
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Default Re: Lesta budget shop 1 - Hong Kong radio

One of my aunts had one in the 70s and it was branded Kingsonic. Awful sound quality though
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Old 30th Jan 2012, 11:38 pm   #16
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Default Re: Lesta budget shop 1 - Hong Kong radio

That looks like new old stock from the 1970s - quite an unusual find! The shop may have discovered them as they were closing down and clearing out their storeroom, or they may have got them as bankrupt stock from another shop.

Back in the early 1990s there was a shop called Dansonic on Edgware Road, London, that still sold a lot of 'new' 1970s electronics like that. I found it fascinating, but their prices weren't cheap.

It looks like there is a date code printed on the loudspeaker, underneath the word "TAIWAN". I can't see it clearly in the photo but it seems to say 7930 which would mean it was made in week 30 of the year 1979. I certainly remember that style of radio was popular in the 1970s, and yes, the sound quality was pretty awful. Due to the small speaker, they sound 'tinny' and distorted at high volume. Some names I remember those radios were called : Kingsonic, DSC, Shira, Nentone and Cheiza.

I'm fairly sure that nothing modern says "Made in Hong Kong" anymore - it's all "Made in China" since Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997.

Last edited by hamid_1; 30th Jan 2012 at 11:56 pm. Reason: spelling mistake and added brand names
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Old 31st Jan 2012, 3:00 pm   #17
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Default Re: Lesta budget shop 1 - Hong Kong radio

...and also anything modern has a moulded plug attached.
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Old 31st Jan 2012, 4:10 pm   #18
greenstar
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Default Re: Lesta budget shop 1 - Hong Kong radio

Nothing on the cap but 'Dartcon' and the value. The code on the 'speaker does look like 7930. The '3' is smudged. So maybe 1979. Time capsule!
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Old 31st Jan 2012, 4:15 pm   #19
paulsherwin
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Default Re: Lesta budget shop 1 - Hong Kong radio

A 1979 manufacturing date is very plausible given both the design of the case and the internal components used.
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Old 1st Feb 2012, 6:33 pm   #20
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Smile Re: Lesta budget shop 1 - Hong Kong radio

I just bought a couple as I happened to be in Leicester today - thanks for the tip-off

Btw, it looks like they have about 8 left.

Rob
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