There was a very similar looking model to the 3C03, it was much. The model was a 9904 and was a 9K chassis. I've equally had zero luck hunting that one down too.
I think it would have been the 4k one. Apparently the cat would sit there for hours if it was allowed to. I think even the most agile of cats might struggle to cling onto that 9k in the brochure image, though I do remember seeing the advert in the papers. I may have seen an actual set in the local "Comet Electrical" store in York, but I wouldn't be 100% certain of it. I rather liked the sloping anti-pet front, and the detachable remote control handset.
At first glance it looks like a set from 1984, not 1974. Rather more in the "monitor" style that caught on in the '80s, so ahead of it's time perhaps. Not everyone's cup of tea, but certainly rare and a very worthy addition to a collection.
To understand the black art of electronics is to understand witchcraft. Andrew.
I recall my grandmother having a Baird-badged rental version of the 9904, or something very like it, with that chunky remote that slid into the front slot, it struck me as stylish and appealingly different at the time. ISTR that the remote used an odd tablet-style 6V alkaline battery. She also had a Baird table radiogram that she'd rented since year dot (typical ECC85, ECH81, EF89, EABC80, EL84, EZ80 line-up)- one day back in the early '70s they let her purchase it outright for £1, obviously they'd twigged that it would be climbing the bathtub failure curve in the near future!
ISTR that the remote used an odd tablet-style 6V alkaline battery.
I think it was designated 4R25 - it was used in the remote control for the Grundig V2000 video recorders, and a remote control unit for these could be bought as a plug-in accessory: I remember Sendz Components selling them off. I bought one to try and adapt to my Sony C5 in my sole attempt at programming microprocessors (8048), which I failed at.
We always referred to that as the "camera battery", square with one corner cut off, as I think it was mainly used for certain Polaroid instamatic cameras, the ones that developed their own photos.
We saw versions of the 9904 series sets in white, the woodgrain version shown earlier, and black, the front escutcheon always being silver grey, they did not come up that often even then so must have been a fairly limited model.
That's the fella- a cut-off corner and keying notch.
It would have been nice to keep both Bairds (CTV and valve radiogram)!- not necessarily for sentimental reasons, simply that they struck me as functional, no-nonsense/frills sets.
@crustytv I remember throwing 2 of those in the skip just before I moved up to the north east , but that was 20 years ago now ,I haven’t seen one since , didn’t sell well customers didn’t like them for some reason , I thought they looked pretty cool .
There was a very similar looking model to the 3C03, it was much. The model was a 9904 and was a 9K chassis. I've equally had zero luck hunting that one down too.
Well, must be my month for finding unicorns, I now have the remote for the above.
Last time I bought a remote for a TV I didn't have, it was the ultrasonic for the Thorn 4000. Then just a few months later, managed to finally get an HMV 2726 4000 series. Now I have this remote, let's hope the same mystical forces send a Thorn 9904 my way.
When the 9000 series was first introduced in 1975 the cabinets for the Ferguson 3722 and the Marconi 3722 were box like. In 1978 Ferguson introduced the very smart looking model 3740. Also an Ultra badged model for distribution through wholesalers. Later models were equipped with UK made Mullard A51-570X in lieu of the RCA developed PIL CRT.
With regard to the CRT in the 3C03. Is the A51-152X a 90 degree deflection angle PIL gun tube?
With regard to the CRT in the 3C03. Is the A51-152X a 90 degree deflection angle PIL gun tube?
No, the 4000 series chassis was designed for 110° Delta gun tubes. A very rare set of CRT's, and a very advanced design for 1974. Rare as hens teeth now, so no replacements whatsoever.
So in fact the A51-152X is a delta gun 110 degree tube. Can't find any information about it anywhere. It's possible the tube was given the Pro-Electron code by Thorn-EMI and there might be an USA RETMA code for the same tube. The tube in your set was made in Japan so the original type designation would have started with 510. Would be interesting to discover which Japanese manufacturer made the tube. Didn't Sharp fit a 20" 110 degree CRT in one of their sets?
I think Grundig were fitting 110 degree delta gun CRTs at that time. They had a strange commutating thyristor line output stage.
At the time (1974?) Mullard announced the 20AX in-line gun series of CRTs, there was mention 18" and 20" tubes would be available along with the more popular 22" and 26" sizes. The 20" tube was installed in the Bush BC6240.
