Trade Chat 1980 Radio Rentals Product Range

Nice to see the model numbers are there unlike the D.E.R. brochure of the same period. The x776 cabinet was reused again when the TX10 chassis arrived, it was known as the x311. The only differences apart from the back cover was 8 small channel buttons instead of the silver touch pads and a T712 remote control. Hope an 8102 or 7102 turns up for you.

Talking about radio rentals I have a long history with them, as a kid I use to climb into there industrial dustbin looking for tv panels, all I found is cigarette ends and used tea bags.. 

Posted by: @jayceebee

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Hope an 8102 or 7102 turns up for you.

Me too, though I'm not holding my breath, I've been looking for 10-years now!

The sad thing is a 9904 series turned in with a whole load of other TVs in a barn a couple of years ago on Facebook. There were a heck of a lot of TVs, including many Telefunken's as it was during the pandemic, no chance of travelling to get. A while later, I indirectly obtained one of the Telefunken TVs from that haul when it was offered on eBay. I gather a lot of people went and nabbed sets. However, I've no idea what happened to the Thorn 9904 as it never appeared on eBay, nor on the usual forums. It's the only one I've seen emerge since I first set eyes on one back around 2013.

Steve, colourstar, had one in the 80s in white, I'd love this.

Here's the remote, waiting for the TV

Ah yes, that lovely white 9904! I owned that in 2003 (as per the date stamp on the photo) having spotted it through the window of a small tv & vcr sales & repair shop around the corner from where I lived in Gedling, Nottingham. It was the oldest set there- and priced accordingly at £30 or thereabouts. Considering its age it was giving a very good account of itself. I think I was just after a 'daily driver' and it was a little bit unusual, which appealed to me.

My memory of it was that the picture was excellent, as was the sound with a large bass speaker in the side and a tweeter on the front control panel. I believe it had separate bass & treble controls. I recall it was exceptionally heavy for a 20" set. The cabinet was very solid and made from high density chipboard, not plastic as it may appear from the photo. It was also free from any badging whatsoever- no labels or logos anywhere, but obviously ex-rental.

Although I have a very clear memory of buying the set, I haven't a clue who I passed it on to, even if you put the thumb-screws on me! It certainly wasn't scrapped, that's for sure. Would I like it back? You bet! I remember seeing these models when new and thought they looked very smart, especially in the woodgrain finished.  I think they used to have a matching pedestal stand too.

I certainly wish you the best of luck hunting one down Chris, I'm sure there will be one out there with your name on it somewhere.

Just as a side note: I have a vivid memory of a Radio Rentals full page b&w national press ad from around 1980 that showed a huge pile of broken & smashed Radio Rentals tv sets (including the same Baird 1500 model my grandmother rented). I think they were making the point that they only rent the latest models and the old ones get withdrawn and broken up. Or something like that. It was quite a striking image to me as a telly-mad ten year old. I wonder if it would be possible to track it down. Anyway, I digress...

Steve.

I'm convinced that Thorn took inspiration from & updated the 3C03 (4000-series) cabinet for the release of the 9904 series.

Not the correct stand I know, but the closest I could get. The original was a pedestal but with a rectangle base not circular.

My Gran had one of those console sets with the tambre door, not sure of the model number, it had a remote control but wasn't a teletext set.

It lasted until the picture shrank in the late 1980s.