1974 Elizabethan T-9 portable

Posted by: Boingy

Hello all,
I was just chatting with a customer after I fixed her washing machine, when I mentioned that I've taken up restoring vintage electronics. I was directed up to the bedroom to see the little portable TV (no...really!).

It really is amazing how often a young lady has something in the bedroom she wants you look at it isn't it? ? In my case it was a rather tiny wooden radiogram.

Bottom frame cramp, picture shifted to the right and line linearity cramped to the right.

That seems to be a universal problem with this kind of set? My Teleton is the same.

There doesn't appear to be any line linearity adjustment.  Neither is there a linearity sleeve on the CRT.

And likewise as above.

Well done Tony, that's quite a stylish looking set for it's year and it seems to be giving a good account of itself.  ? 

The Japanese small screen portable BW TV’s from the 70’s just worked, very rarely had to repair them. The blanking plates for a VHF tuner were quite standard, presume with some very slight alignment and component changes the basic design of the set set would have been sold around the world.

Nice addition to your collection.

Primarily sold by Littlewoods.

And very stylish too, it reminds me of the 70's computer age.  A good addition, and not too large either.  ? 

Looks familiar....made by Hitachi possibly? Either them or Sanyo.

Has the CRT got the Mitsubishi diamond on its label?

You can view it in a period publication, the 1974 Argos catalogue page 19, item 22. At £51.50 that's quite a sum for 1974.

https://www.radios-tv.co.uk/1974-argos-catalogue/

If you can't be asked to view that catalogue here's the page extract.

p.s. 

In case folk have forgotten or were not aware, under the blue menu Television | Media, you can find a whole host of 70's catalogues.

Two extremes of reliability on that page, the reliable portable and the infamous 18inch Pye CTV.

We wouldn’t stock those 18 inch Pye sets, sent them back to Pye as not up to a required standard. No doubt many were sold or rented.

Posted by: Nuvistor

Has the CRT got the Mitsubishi diamond on its label?

 

Hi Frank,

Actually no. It's a Matsushita tube.... Oops!
In my defence, the logo is a bit similar to Mitsubishi. Completely missed that one!

All the best,
Tony

Posted by: Nuvistor

Has the CRT got the Mitsubishi diamond on its label?

 

I believe the CRT was made by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., now known as Panasonic. Back then, they also had a triangular logo, a bit like Mitsubishi.

As for the rest of the set, I think it may have been made by Sanyo. It's quite a stylish little thing. I vaguely recall seeing them in different colours like red and orange as well as white.

It's also nice to be given a set complete with all the original paperwork, a guarantee from Woolworths (now also a piece of history) and a useful circuit diagram. I've been given a number of B/W portable tellies over the years. Generally they are rather unloved by other old telly collectors and the general public. As a result they are worth very little money. However, they usually work quite well, either straightaway or after a little fettling. I have a bit of a soft spot for them.

I was just wondering about the name Elizabethan. As well as portable TVs, I've also seen radios and 8-track tape players bearing that name, all seem to have been made in the Far East in the early 1970s. Was Elizabethan just an importer, or did they actually make their own products at some point in the past?

As far as I recall, Elizabethan was a manufacturer in it's own rite. The name was probably sold off in later years. They tended to make tape recorders but I don't think they were highly regarded. I saw a few in the early 70's and wasn't impressed with their quality but they worked and people bought them. I don't think they ever made TV's themselves and looking on the Trader index there are only three tape recorders listed.

I think by the 70's it was just a brand name.

Posted by: hamid_1

I believe the CRT was made by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., now known as Panasonic. Back then, they also had a triangular logo, a bit like Mitsubishi.

Thanks for your reply Hamid 🙂
Spot on there, you beat me to the picture above by a minute 🙂

As for the rest of the set, I think it may have been made by Sanyo. It's quite a stylish little thing. I vaguely recall seeing them in different colours like red and orange as well as white.

I was thinking Sanyo, but it might well be Hitachi.... See the link at the bottom. I can only remember a couple of these portables on my workbench. Blown fuses for 12 volt line.... Caravanners getting their battery wires crossed!
I only ever saw them in white, but red and orange would make sense.... Orange was one of 'those' colours in the 70's 🙂

It's also nice to be given a set complete with all the original paperwork, a guarantee from Woolworths (now also a piece of history) and a useful circuit diagram. I've been given a number of B/W portable tellies over the years. Generally they are rather unloved by other old telly collectors and the general public. As a result they are worth very little money. However, they usually work quite well, either straightaway or after a little fettling. I have a bit of a soft spot for them.

The lady also had her original receipt, but she kept that aside, which was fair do's.
I usually found that the condition of portables were either battered, or cherished. This lady cherished everything in her house, bless her 🙂

I was just wondering about the name Elizabethan. As well as portable TVs, I've also seen radios and 8-track tape players bearing that name, all seem to have been made in the Far East in the early 1970s. Was Elizabethan just an importer, or did they actually make their own products at some point in the past?

There's a little bit of history here, if you're interested. Look for Dazzlevision's post. Looks like they had been bought out by the time my little TV went to market.
There's some other models here as well. Not my little T-9 though 🙁
Thanks again for the reply, Hamid.
All the best,
Tony

I certainly remember the name on cheap record players, like Hamid does and indeed, on open-reel recorders using the Collaro 'Studio' deck.

Tape recording and a HiFi magazine 4th Nov 1959.

Euch! The thoroughly nasty BSR TD-2 deck.

Yes they were not the best tape decks but they enabled a much less expensive tape recorder to be made and apart from the record/playback spring breaking the decks gave very little trouble.

Like similar budget record players they had their place.

Those are the decks I remember them having. I knew they were BSR but couldn't remember the number. By the 1970's those decks were pretty rough....I don't think they were good when new but I suppose they worked well enough and as has been said, they had their place and were no doubt, enjoyed by many.

I believe they were all idler wheels, no belts?

Posted by: sideband

Those are the decks I remember them having. I knew they were BSR but couldn't remember the number. By the 1970's those decks were pretty rough....I don't think they were good when new but I suppose they worked well enough and as has been said, they had their place and were no doubt, enjoyed by many.

I believe they were all idler wheels, no belts?

 

Ooh BSR idler wheels!
They often had divots taken out of them if something seized (say, the autochanger) on the deck. It would then be a regular donk! donk! donk! once the seized parts were sorted.
Happy days!