I've managed to acquire some D|E|R company magazines covering 1965 thru 1972. When they arrive they will be scanned, cleaned and loaded into the data library.
I'm quite a fan of D|E|R you can see some of their products in the brochure, also thanks to Jayceebee I have a D|E|R TV engineers service case, you can see all this in the Blog pages here.
These magazines should have a mine of interesting features, facts and insider information. What I'm particularly excited about is one page shows the D|E|R 3000 (see engineer with little girl and TV) that our family had in 1975 and a set I have been longing to find for my collection.
p.s.
Still looking for my childhood D|E|R 3000 TV as shown above, if anyone can help with locating it there is a Wanted advert here.
What an excellent find Chris, I look forward to seeing these.
The building shown on one of the covers was our HQ, Apex House in Twickenham road, Feltham, Middlesex. Fans of the Michael Caine version of The Italian Job will have seen it many times. It was used in the outside scenes of the Italian traffic control centre. If you turn up the brightness where they are breaking through the fence the DER logo can clearly be seen on the wall of the building.
I never had any dealing with DER but will enjoy the read. From the pages shown it seems there are a few pep talks in the magazine.
D|E|R trade mags just arrived, pretty darn quick seeing as they were only purchased Saturday morning. I'll schedule in some time to start scanning. Nice bonus they arrived in a box with an original D|E|R carrier bag, little things please....... ?
In the later mags there are some good D|E|R articles covering the 2000,3000, 8000 and 8500 with plenty of field engineer stock faults. Plenty of other articles covering the earlier 1500,1400, 900, 950 etc.
I also note in a staff notice in March 1971 issue, 15 engineers won a holiday to the Canary Islands and each could take a guest. This was for the success they had achieved in getting customers to switch to colour. One of the winners being a chap from Bishop Auckland (small world) a Mr A.Henderson, I wonder if he enjoyed it and if he's still about the town.
I remember those large colour telly's with the doors, (issue 5) were they 24 or 26 inch ones.
I had to carry them into the customers houses.
ps. I may be mistaken, that issue 5 is much earlier than when I worked for DER, it was the early 70s when I worked there as a rep.
I had no idea you worked for D|E|R, well I never. ?
Re the TV screen sizes; on initial release at the start of the colour service in 1967 (issue 5), only 19" or 25" CTV's were available to market. The 26" tube came later in the 70's, that as you say would have been when you were likely lugging 26" tube sets about.
I can just about manage to move an early CTV table 26" but its a struggle. As for the early 25" Thorn 2000 or 3000 or Baird M702, forget it, these sets were and still are a two man lift. As for the behemoth Decca CTV25, both men shifting that end up huffing, puffing and wheezing. I once moved the Philips 25" G6 on my own.....never again! This all changed when sets advanced, I can with relative ease and comfort, move a large 26" TX10.
Now what really surprises me is the sheer weight of early VCR's like the Philips N1500 and N1700, these beasts are ridiculously heavy. I have full respect for those who worked in the trade as often I've heard tales of them having to move all manner of electrical equipment be it TV, VCR etc on their own, day in, day out for years. Often up flights of stairs in blocks of flats and up slippery icy paths, they were made of stern stuff back then and no doubt in part due to their three weetabix. ?
Magazine Info
For everyone's information, it would seem the magazines were not consistently produced monthly but as and when it was possible, the next was often thicker. In later years they seemed to manage a couple a year. For example issue three was July 1965 and a whole year passed before issue 4 was published in July 1966. There are various notices in the editorial section of the magazines apologising for the delay and this is evident in issue 4 where the editor acknowledges the huge delay between 3 & 4.
Issue No.1 January 1965
issue missing
Issue No.3 July 1965
Issue No.4 July 1966
Issue No.5 June 1967
issue missing
Issue No.7 January 1969
Issue No.8 May 1969
Issue No.9 March 1971
Issue No.10 June 1971
Issue -"Digest Edition" June 1972 ( large packed edition covering all Thorns chassis 850, 900 etc thru to colour 8500)
Issue No.11 July 1972
The Baird M700/710 ranges were 'fun'. I know I've written about this before but I can't remember where, so forgive me if I'm repeating myself. Working on these console models with the chassis at the bottom was OK if you were crawling around on the customer's fitted carpet but, on the bare wooden floorboards of our workshop, no way!
Putting one on the bench was a no-no because, apart from the risk of it running off the front edge on its castors, any attempt to turn it round - to see the screen, for example - would almost certainly have resulted in irreparable damage to the cabinet when it collided with the edge of the shelf above the back of the bench!
However, I found a solution. At some time we had 'gained' from somewhere - I've no idea when or where - and old, solidly built table that might once have graced a pre-war kitchen or scullery. It was a few inches lower than our benches and had a top which was a bit larger than the footprint of one of these sets, which gave me an idea.
I went to see the electrician downstairs and borrowed his electric drill and a hole saw, then drilled four holes - about 2½" or 3" in diameter. Then we lifted up a set and placed it on the table with one castor down each hole - perfect! The table sat at right angles to the right of my bench, conveniently next to mains, aerial, soldering iron, scope, etc. - it might have been made for the job!
I later had to drill a couple more holes when the narrower 19" M708 was released.
