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Did you ever come across Roly Brown , he was shop Manager from the Early 60s Croydon, Then Reigate, I last met him in the Ramsgate Kent Branch mid 90s. Really Great Guy.
22″ Dual standards are super rare and as far as I knew only 5 manufacturers bothered making them, this was a very short period of production.
They were as follows :-
Bush CTV174D
Decca CTV22C
Murphy CV2210D
Philips G22K503
Stella ST2211
The Baird 711 mentioned in the rental range above is unknown to me. I’ve never seen one, nor brochure or service data nor anyone else mentioned one for that matter. Was it a variant of the 700 series? Your guess is as good as mine. I guess we’ll never know unless someone in the trade at the time can enlighten us.
Rex Julian Smith
Guest
2 years ago
Would like to resurrect contact with former colleagues from Multibroadcast and Radio Rentals from Burton upon Trent and Leicester area.
Regards
Rex Smith
Peter Pipkin
Guest
2 years ago
I worked for Radio Rentals 1980’s – 90’s. Field Tech and various management roles . To the best of my knowledge RR didn’t make any televisions. They were badged products from other makers. Predominately Ferguson from 70’s up to the closure of Multi Broadcast, Rumbelows and DER showrooms and merged into Radio Rentals. The service and installation was rebranded Thorn Homeserve. They also at this time reduced their dependancy on Ferguson branded product and bought in other brands. Grundig, Amstrad, Sanyo to name but a few.
Not strictly true, though certainly was in the latter years as you rightly point out.
A bit of background, in 1967/68 when the colour service launched, Radio Rentals offered to the market the lowest priced colour television, the 19″ Baird M705, this employing the GEC 2028 chassis, yep the M705 was a badge engineered GEC.
However, Radio Rentals did then design and manufacture their own chassis, it was the 700 series chassis (see here) as used in the glorious Mxxx series of sets. The chassis was heavily influenced by an American RCA design, I have two in my collection (see link below). The Radio Rental engineers spent some time in the USA with RCA engineers, it’s a wonderful chassis to work on. In 1968 their main stable still centred around the 25″ 700 chassis in the Mxxx-series sets, but now a further 19″ model was added to their stable, the M718. Again using their own chassis, a modified 700 series known as the 710 series. Changes to EHT regulation doing away with the shunt stabiliser, smaller LOPT, decoder variance, detachable convergence and addition of AFC with the first use of an i.c. the RCA CA3034V1. It was used for all the signal processing components with the exception of the phase-detector transformer and contained within a 10 pin TO-5 can.
The use of their own 7xx series ceased as the following year 1969, Radio Rentals adopted the BRC 2000 chassis for their M720 model, a rare set indeed, of which none are known to have survived. By late 69 early 70, they had now adopted the very popular Thorn 3000 series chassis, I have one of these in my collection an 8724 see here, the rest as they say is history. The use of the 3000 series subsequently replaced with the use of the further Thorn versions like the 8000, 8500 and 9000 series, such as you would have seen in your time in the trade.
Trivia:
One of the Radio Rental designers who worked on the 700 series had been working on a new chassis. He left Radio Rentals and joined Decca, allegedly taking this newly designed chassis with him. Legend has it this chassis subsequently became known as the Bradford, a “cap doff” to his days at the large Radio Rentals engineering factory which was based in Bradford. Myth or truth, we’ll never know but its become something of an urban legend now.
SPOT PETER,MAN OF KNOWLEDGE WHEN IT COMES TO RADIO RENTALS.
Brian George
Guest
2 years ago
I lived at Hemel Hempstead, Fareham House in Marlowes and had a black and white Radio Rentals TV set. Large one. I transferred my job to London in 1976 and asked Radio Rentals to transfer the TV to my flat in London. They did this about three weeks after I moved.
I still remember the old fashioned look the delivery man gave me, turning up at my flat in St Marylebone, Lisson Green Estate, and asking me if I knew anything about a TV set that I had ordered.
Loses a lot in the translation, but his face was a treat as he walked in with this great big TV and plonked it down!
mark
Guest
2 years ago
My dad worked for radio rentals in muswell hill. We always had a household stocked with various gear on loan or trial. Miss the huge wood grained Baird TVs with the built in modem for prestel. We had that on trial for a bit as they wanted feedback on the service. Was always interesting growing up around av equipment.
hi mark, i was a senior engineer at muswell hill back in th 70s & 80s. what was your dad’s mame
Steve Jackson
Guest
1 year ago
Hi, Many thanks for Radio Rentals Brochure you uploaded, I have a small question that you might be able to help me with. On the brochure it shows a Baird TV model number 8736, I had a model similar to this but it had rounded corners, it didn’t have doors, but had a sliding door and it was teak in colour. It was almost exactly like the one in your brochure but not 100%. Do you know what the model number of my TV would have been? Many thanks for your help. Best wishes Steve
The 8736 above does have sliding doors as you describe. One half slides from left to centre, the other half slides from right to centre. These are know as tambour doors. The sets were produced in all manner of wood veneers so teak would have been an option. I have the earlier model 8724 version which has the same sliding doors as described
I rented from Radio Rentals in the 70s.A Baird tv console,model no8736. It was the most beautiful looking thing.It cost around £8.50. Per month.Would love one today.I had it from the Radio Rentals shop in the Main Centre in Derby.
I remember the 8736 and it’s very heavy
I was a engineer in the late 1960s and early 1970s before becoming a branch manager at various branches Wrexham, Ellesmere Port and finally at Shrewsbury
I went on to join Radio Rentals Contracts which was the commercial arm
All the above positions were when it was owned by Thorn EMI
Steve
Guest
1 month ago
Hi there, I’ve been trying to find out which was out 1st colour TV set for years.
I knew it was from Radio Rentals in Perry Barr, Birmingham in the early 1970’s, ‘teak looking’ 26″ with sliding doors.
On opening the Radio Rentals Colour TV booklet here, there it was !
It’s the Baird Model 8736.
What I’m still not sure of though, is the year of this particular model.
Does anyone know because I’m trying to work out how old I was ?
I know that loads of school mates used to pop over on a Sat & Sunday to watch ‘World Of Sport’ & ‘Star Soccer’ on a Sunday as many of my mates still only had B&W tellies.
We lived in Handsworth Wood, so were served by the Sutton Coldfield transmitter & was able to get a superb signal & picture as the transmitter lights were clearly visible in the distance at night from the rear of the house.
Ant ideas about the model year ?
Cheers, Steve in Central Brum.
Hi Steve, thanks for taking the time to drop by, and post a comment.
In answer to your question, the 8736 was the current model for 1973. A very splendid looking set. It would have set your parents back a sum of £25 up front 3-monts rental, and £1.96pw thereafter.
Internally the TV used the Thorn 3000 or 3500 television chassis, Radio Rentals did not by this time make any of their own TVs, they made their own cabinets and installed other manufacturers’ electronics.
Did you ever come across Roly Brown , he was shop Manager from the Early 60s Croydon, Then Reigate, I last met him in the Ramsgate Kent Branch mid 90s. Really Great Guy.
It’s interesting to note how the brands market their technical know how.
Radio Rentals make their own.
Pye make the transmitters
RBM heavily involved with the BBC in design.
I am sure other makes did the same.
All true, they were just highlighting the items that they think will persuade the buyer, nothing wrong with that, I just find it interesting.
Can’t help with the Croydon Branch but I did know a couple of engineers in the Wigan area, long since lost touch and forgotten their names.
They list a dual standard 22″ model, the 711. There weren’t many 22″ DS around at all – was this their own or badge engineering?
22″ Dual standards are super rare and as far as I knew only 5 manufacturers bothered making them, this was a very short period of production.
They were as follows :-
Bush CTV174D
Decca CTV22C
Murphy CV2210D
Philips G22K503
Stella ST2211
The Baird 711 mentioned in the rental range above is unknown to me. I’ve never seen one, nor brochure or service data nor anyone else mentioned one for that matter. Was it a variant of the 700 series? Your guess is as good as mine. I guess we’ll never know unless someone in the trade at the time can enlighten us.
Would like to resurrect contact with former colleagues from Multibroadcast and Radio Rentals from Burton upon Trent and Leicester area.
Regards
Rex Smith
I worked for Radio Rentals 1980’s – 90’s. Field Tech and various management roles . To the best of my knowledge RR didn’t make any televisions. They were badged products from other makers. Predominately Ferguson from 70’s up to the closure of Multi Broadcast, Rumbelows and DER showrooms and merged into Radio Rentals. The service and installation was rebranded Thorn Homeserve. They also at this time reduced their dependancy on Ferguson branded product and bought in other brands. Grundig, Amstrad, Sanyo to name but a few.
Not strictly true, though certainly was in the latter years as you rightly point out.
A bit of background, in 1967/68 when the colour service launched, Radio Rentals offered to the market the lowest priced colour television, the 19″ Baird M705, this employing the GEC 2028 chassis, yep the M705 was a badge engineered GEC.
However, Radio Rentals did then design and manufacture their own chassis, it was the 700 series chassis (see here) as used in the glorious Mxxx series of sets. The chassis was heavily influenced by an American RCA design, I have two in my collection (see link below). The Radio Rental engineers spent some time in the USA with RCA engineers, it’s a wonderful chassis to work on. In 1968 their main stable still centred around the 25″ 700 chassis in the Mxxx-series sets, but now a further 19″ model was added to their stable, the M718. Again using their own chassis, a modified 700 series known as the 710 series. Changes to EHT regulation doing away with the shunt stabiliser, smaller LOPT, decoder variance, detachable convergence and addition of AFC with the first use of an i.c. the RCA CA3034V1. It was used for all the signal processing components with the exception of the phase-detector transformer and contained within a 10 pin TO-5 can.
25″ M702W here
19″ M718 here
The use of their own 7xx series ceased as the following year 1969, Radio Rentals adopted the BRC 2000 chassis for their M720 model, a rare set indeed, of which none are known to have survived. By late 69 early 70, they had now adopted the very popular Thorn 3000 series chassis, I have one of these in my collection an 8724 see here, the rest as they say is history. The use of the 3000 series subsequently replaced with the use of the further Thorn versions like the 8000, 8500 and 9000 series, such as you would have seen in your time in the trade.
Trivia:
One of the Radio Rental designers who worked on the 700 series had been working on a new chassis. He left Radio Rentals and joined Decca, allegedly taking this newly designed chassis with him. Legend has it this chassis subsequently became known as the Bradford, a “cap doff” to his days at the large Radio Rentals engineering factory which was based in Bradford. Myth or truth, we’ll never know but its become something of an urban legend now.
SPOT PETER,MAN OF KNOWLEDGE WHEN IT COMES TO RADIO RENTALS.
I lived at Hemel Hempstead, Fareham House in Marlowes and had a black and white Radio Rentals TV set. Large one. I transferred my job to London in 1976 and asked Radio Rentals to transfer the TV to my flat in London. They did this about three weeks after I moved.
I still remember the old fashioned look the delivery man gave me, turning up at my flat in St Marylebone, Lisson Green Estate, and asking me if I knew anything about a TV set that I had ordered.
Loses a lot in the translation, but his face was a treat as he walked in with this great big TV and plonked it down!
My dad worked for radio rentals in muswell hill. We always had a household stocked with various gear on loan or trial. Miss the huge wood grained Baird TVs with the built in modem for prestel. We had that on trial for a bit as they wanted feedback on the service. Was always interesting growing up around av equipment.
hi mark, i was a senior engineer at muswell hill back in th 70s & 80s. what was your dad’s mame
Hi, Many thanks for Radio Rentals Brochure you uploaded, I have a small question that you might be able to help me with. On the brochure it shows a Baird TV model number 8736, I had a model similar to this but it had rounded corners, it didn’t have doors, but had a sliding door and it was teak in colour. It was almost exactly like the one in your brochure but not 100%. Do you know what the model number of my TV would have been? Many thanks for your help. Best wishes Steve
The 8736 above does have sliding doors as you describe. One half slides from left to centre, the other half slides from right to centre. These are know as tambour doors. The sets were produced in all manner of wood veneers so teak would have been an option. I have the earlier model 8724 version which has the same sliding doors as described
Hi Steve, the set you are describing could have been one of four models having similar styling.
8132 22” CRT, full Infrared remote control but no Teletext
8133 as above with Teletext
8142 and 8143 are the 26” versions of the above.
Hope this helps.
John.
Picture in this thread of the DER version, model 5133. https://www.radios-tv.co.uk/community/black-white-tvs/thorn-9650/
The foam over the loudspeakers replaced with wood on the RR versions.
I rented from Radio Rentals in the 70s.A Baird tv console,model no8736. It was the most beautiful looking thing.It cost around £8.50. Per month.Would love one today.I had it from the Radio Rentals shop in the Main Centre in Derby.
I remember the 8736 and it’s very heavy
I was a engineer in the late 1960s and early 1970s before becoming a branch manager at various branches Wrexham, Ellesmere Port and finally at Shrewsbury
I went on to join Radio Rentals Contracts which was the commercial arm
All the above positions were when it was owned by Thorn EMI
Hi there, I’ve been trying to find out which was out 1st colour TV set for years.
I knew it was from Radio Rentals in Perry Barr, Birmingham in the early 1970’s, ‘teak looking’ 26″ with sliding doors.
On opening the Radio Rentals Colour TV booklet here, there it was !
It’s the Baird Model 8736.
What I’m still not sure of though, is the year of this particular model.
Does anyone know because I’m trying to work out how old I was ?
I know that loads of school mates used to pop over on a Sat & Sunday to watch ‘World Of Sport’ & ‘Star Soccer’ on a Sunday as many of my mates still only had B&W tellies.
We lived in Handsworth Wood, so were served by the Sutton Coldfield transmitter & was able to get a superb signal & picture as the transmitter lights were clearly visible in the distance at night from the rear of the house.
Ant ideas about the model year ?
Cheers, Steve in Central Brum.
Hi Steve, thanks for taking the time to drop by, and post a comment.
In answer to your question, the 8736 was the current model for 1973. A very splendid looking set. It would have set your parents back a sum of £25 up front 3-monts rental, and £1.96pw thereafter.
Internally the TV used the Thorn 3000 or 3500 television chassis, Radio Rentals did not by this time make any of their own TVs, they made their own cabinets and installed other manufacturers’ electronics.
Hope that helps
(Radios-TV founder)