Agavox - Thermionic Products

[brenellic2000]

I'm updating the history of Thermionic Products ('A Truvox Product') and wonder if anyone has a Thermionic Products assembled Swedish 'Agavox' / 'Agaphone' of mid/late 1950s? Model number, decent photo etc. TP abandoned the contract in theory in December 1960.

Also, does anyone have other British-made Agavox wire and magnetic disc office recorders? Remarkably little is known of Agavox.

Barry

[ricard]

I've got two Agavox magnetic disk dictaphones. One is in regular use as it part of my telephone answering machine setup, the other one is for spares.

Like this one here: http://johansoldradios.se/dictating-machines/agavox-2

I remember seeing them in doctor's offices in the mid-1970's here in Sweden so they seemed to be in regular use then.

(Johan who runs the site linked above also has an 'Agafon' wire recorder, but I doubt that it is British made: http://johansoldradios.se/wire-recor...-nast-1-agafon)

[brenellic2000]

Thanks Ricard,

I'm aware of Johans site. Do you know the when the Agavox 2 and its predecessor the Agavox 499415 magnetic disc recorder was made? They seem to be unknown in the UK!

Barry

[ricard]

No, sorry, as you've noticed too it's remarkable how little information there is on the Agavox. I don't have any documentation for mine. There may be a date on the machine somewhere; I haven't checked, here's a view of the insides, judging from the style of transistors I would guess mid-to-late 1960s, or even later. (The grey cable emanating from the right hand side and associated relay board at the back is my modification for being controlled by my answering machine).

On mine there is a sticker on the left side saying "as selected for the DESIGN CENTRE LONDON", I'm not sure what that implies, but it would seem to indicate that they were marketed in the UK at least.

Radiomuseum.org has an entry for Agavox 499415 which claims it was made in 1955.

[Bobsound]

This post has taken me back. As a teenager in the '60s, I bought an old Agavox magnetic disc dictating machine. It had a grey metal body with a sloping front. The disc was grey plastic with a spiral groove on one sde and the magnetic coating on the other. It was a valve machine of course! The microphone had controls on it for play, record and 'rewind'.It had apparently come from the Aldermaston nuclear site.

I built a simple automatic telephone exchange at the time and converted the machine to provide a crude 'speaking clock' system. Like much of the equipment I got from government surplus shops, it did not survive!

Happy days.


Bob D

[brenellic2000]

Thanks Bob and Ricard,

The 'Design Centre' award was a very prestigious award in the 1960s/70s for Industrial design - many of today's classic designs (from electric kettles to electric irons, to chairs to wall-paper and even Brenell's 3-Star) were awarded these prizes. The Design Centre is in the Haymarket, London and well worth a visit.

There is confusion over whether T-P assembled the original Agavox wire- and/or magnetic disc recorder (the angled design and the more modern, flat design) hence the need for a photo of an Agavox carrying a TP plate... ! Logically the magnetic disc may have met demand from those brought up on the (defunct) Recordon!

[terry123]

Hello Barry

I believe some of the design Council archives are with Brighton Uni there is a web site with more info. I have used them for past enquiries regarding industrial design. Bear in mind though that they are geared up more for academic enquiries. I have got dates and some other basic info from them in the past. The design awards had to be applied for so if the original application forms still exist in archive form sometimes this can reveal information useful to the researcher!

Unfortunately while I have one or two other makes of wire recorder in the collection , The only thing I have for the Agaphone is the wire magazine that sits on the top of the machine.

You can have a picture of this if you like !



kind regards

Terry