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Forum 135

Radio Hurry before it is no more!!

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Boater Sam
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Self explanatory post on the other forum.

Hurry before this 12 valve beauty is no more.

"" I have a Ferguson 773 wireless in the garage it doesn't work.  Does it have any value or use to anyone or should I take it to the tip?""
Its in Hull area.

Ferguson 773 is a beautiful art deco console with 12 valves, push pull output and a massive speaker.

Sam.

Boater Sam

 
Posted : 16/04/2024 4:15 pm
Cathovisor
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@boater-sam Good heavens Sam, if I was nearer Hull I'd be up there - one for @lloyd perhaps? I think I even have the catalogue with it in.

 
Posted : 16/04/2024 4:17 pm
Lloyd
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12 valves?! Good grief, It is a beast! If no one else goes for it, I may see about saving it. It would end up going straight into the lock up due to its size. I’ll wait for a few photos of it to see if it’s saveable..

On another note, I have a Ferguson table radio which has a very similar look to it! It has all the buttons, and the same dial surround, but doesn’t use 12 valves!

 
Posted : 16/04/2024 5:10 pm
Nuvistor
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@lloyd The 772 looks very similar but doesn’t have 12 valves. The 773 has a SW band that covers the Alexander Palace TV sound frequency, I wonder if the extra valves were for that purpose?

Frank

 
Posted : 16/04/2024 6:37 pm
Lloyd
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@nuvistor

Found it! it's a 771, but mine is in much better condition than the one on Radiomuseum, and that's despite finding it at a car boot sale in north Wales, on a very rainy and windy day, when only 3 stalls bothered to set up! I think the fact the set was coated in what seemed like oil robably saved it from the weather..

The extra valves could be for the TV sound, but the Ekco A23 manages to do it with just 5!

 
Posted : 16/04/2024 7:31 pm
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Cathovisor
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Posted by: @lloyd

The extra valves could be for the TV sound, but the Ekco A23 manages to do it with just 5!

...as long as you could have seen the mast at AP from your bedroom window, I suspect!

I think the 773 has AFC, which would account for some of them.

 
Posted : 16/04/2024 10:17 pm
Boater Sam
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Posted by: @cathovisor

I think the 773 has AFC, which would account for some of them.

Don't all motor tuned sets have afc Mike?

Sam.

 

Boater Sam

 
Posted : 17/04/2024 9:16 am
Cathovisor
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Posted by: @boater-sam

Don't all motor tuned sets have afc Mike?

Sam.

No Sam, believe it or not they don't. I give you the Ekco PB510/515 and associated models.

These sets used what Ekco called their "high-speed" mechanism, in which the segmented selector disc dispenses with the usual thin raised strip of paxolin and instead has two contact rollers in a recess. The mechanism also has a reverse-vernier drive fitted.

When a button is pressed, the motor turns the disc as normal (but quickly) and when the contact reaches the recess, the momentum carries the disc past the segment and overshoots, causing the contact to hit the roller on the other segment. This forces the motor to go into the reverse direction, but now via the reverse vernier, thus turning the disc slowly until it de-energises. This, combined with the ridiculously low (for an all-wave receiver) IF of 126.5 kHz allowed Ekco to claim that AFC wasn't necessary.

I'll try and find a link to the patent. I might even have a mechanism I can photograph.

 
Posted : 17/04/2024 10:53 am
slidertogrid reacted
Boater Sam
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Posted by: @cathovisor

No Sam, believe it or not they don't.

Learnt something again, thanks Mike.

Boater Sam

 
Posted : 17/04/2024 12:06 pm
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Lloyd
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There was a photo of the set in question posted today, and it looked in fairly good condition! Someone has also made an offer on it, so it’s saved! It wasn’t me though! Maybe it’s time I dug out the 771 and had a go at getting it going… 

ADD49FDA 9DFC 42A2 A4D7 8001A4D4510C
 
Posted : 18/04/2024 5:11 pm
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slidertogrid
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That's a relief! I wonder if it would have been saved by someone who works at the tip? I also wonder how much collectable stuff ends up on the tip every week?

When my mate took some VCRs to the tip recently one of the workers nabbed them asking for the remote handsets with them and enquiring as to if they worked. So it looks as if some stuff it least is diverted if it is saleable... 

If our Government are keen to recycle as much as possible there should be a instruction that Councils' should offer stuff to the general public and or charities. I realise there are safety concerns with electricals but they could sell to the 'Trade'. 

All it needs is someone with a bit of common sense at the tip to divert suitable items...

 
Posted : 18/04/2024 5:33 pm
Cathovisor
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Posted by: @slidertogrid

If our Government are keen to recycle as much as possible there should be a instruction that Councils' should offer stuff to the general public and or charities. I realise there are safety concerns with electricals but they could sell to the 'Trade'. 

Mmmm.... I picked up a model railway controller recently from a shop, which had a sticker saying it was accepted for sale. In no particular order, it had:

  • A mains plug with unsleeved pins;
  • Said plug was fitted with a 13A fuse;
  • The mains lead was joined with heatshrink;
  • The mains lead was gouged, exposing the conductors in the neutral lead.

Now, it was lucky I bought it and subsequently it has been properly re-wired, fitted with a correctly fused plug with sleeved pins and safety tested. Can you imagine what could have happened if someone less savvy than me had bought it?

It is noticeable that when I have bought vintage electrical items from auction houses in the past, they have been marked "trade only". Some - like a model railway controller I have here to test the thermal cutouts on - are marked that they are "for display or study purposes only".

 
Posted : 18/04/2024 6:46 pm
slidertogrid
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@cathovisor Yes in the case of selling electrical items I can understand the council being nervous about selling to the public. It would be best restricting items to genuine trade customers that they have a contract with, liability free.

As you say though Mike, some places take a very laid back attitude.  I bought something, I can't remember what, It had a ropey old frayed mains lead, the top of the plug was taped on with a PAT test pass label stuck over the tape. The tape had gone all sticky and was unravelling so just out of interest I plugged it into a socket on an unplugged extension cable and then tried to pull the plug out. As I expected the top came off the plug body stayed put. Exposing what could have been live connections.  Ohhh! I flashed back to poor old Valerie Barlow! 😪 

I get on with the auction house so I didn't mention it But it seems their PAT test consists of plugging it into a tester and green light means safe! No checks are made for physical defects.... 

 
Posted : 19/04/2024 1:28 pm
Cathovisor
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Posted by: @slidertogrid

I get on with the auction house so I didn't mention it But it seems their PAT test consists of plugging it into a tester and green light means safe! No checks are made for physical defects.... 

They don't have a sideline in MoT tests for ageing Toyotas by any chance? 🤣 

 
Posted : 19/04/2024 8:02 pm
slidertogrid reacted
slidertogrid
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@cathovisor  That reminds me of my mate at the garage, he used to have some amusing sayings " Body by Isopon, Paint by Duplicolour, MOT by Blind Pew!"  A customer once asked of one of the £100 bangers "Oh has it got an oil leak?" To which he replied " Don't worry about that, If there's oil under it there's oil in it!"  I once took a car for a bit of welding to be done. I dropped it off saying there was a small hole in the driver's floor. I got a phone call to say he couldn't find the small hole but he had found a F***ing big one!  Apparently he pulled up the carpet and most of the floor came up with it! 

 
Posted : 21/04/2024 9:41 am
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