125 Jun 2014 - Welcome Page

Transcription

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ISSN 084-6209
The Vintage Wireless and Gramophone Club of Western Australia
RADIO-GRAM
June 2014
Issue 125
News from the Vintage Wireless and Gramophone Club, Perth. WA.
This issue comprises the February 2014 to June 2014 Meetings.
Terry Keays and Richie Bright from the Morse Codians presented the history , preservation and use of
morse code at the February 2014 meeting.
An unusual Monarch Bakelite mantle radio
auctioned at the April 2014 meeting.
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At the March 2014 meeting, Mick Powell (shown
with his wife, Jo) from the Tesla Forum, presented
the story of Nikola Tesla and his achievements..
Tony Smith and Richard Rennie gave an interesting talk at the May Meeting on the history of the 8-Track tape cartridge recorder.
Radiogram Issue 125 June 2014
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VINTAGE WIRELESS AND GRAMAPHONE CLUB
OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA Inc.
EXECUTIVE 2009-2010
President: Rob Nunn
51 St Helier Drive, Sorrento, WA 6020
Phone: 0418 922 629 (M) ; 08 94486143 (H)
Email : [email protected]
Vice President: Steve Austin
President’s Report
Welcome to Edition No 125 of our
Club magazine, “Radiogram”! This
issue covers the period from February
2014 to June 2014. The magazine
complements our Club Website, managed by Reg Gauci with up to date
information on the Club activities.
Our February meeting featured a film by Tony Smith on
the construction of the Adelaide to Darwin telegraph line,
followed by a presentation and demonstration of Morse
Code by the Morse Codians—Terry Keays and Richie
Bright. Many thanks to Tony, Terry and Richie for an interesting evening.
Secretary: Andrew Wakeman
Vince Taylor (Minute Secretary)
Treasurer: Barry Kinsella
Website: Reg Gauci : http://vwgc.org.au
Email: [email protected]
Committee: Rob Nunn, Barry Kinsella, Andrew
Wakeman, Vince Taylor, Tony Smith, Steve Austin,
Reg Gauci.
Appointments: Librarian: Paul Hansen
Editor: Rob Nunn; Publicity/Website: Reg Gauci
Meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each
month (with the exception of December) at 8pm in
the Veteran Car Club rooms at 6 Hickey Street,
Ardross. Visitors are always welcome!
In March we had Mick Powell and his wife Jo presenting a
talk on the Tesla Forum, an organization dedicated to the
great inventor, Nicola Telsa. The talk included a film “The
Inventions of Nicola Tesla”. We would like to thank Mick
and Jo for their interesting talk and film.
It was with sadness in March that we announced the passing of Len Lewis, founding member and ex-President of
our Club, and also foundation member of the Rock and
Roll Collectors Club and proprietor of Bower Bird Records.
Refer to the Obituary in this edition.
A “Mini Auction” was held during the April meeting due to
the accumulation of a substantial quantity of donated and
other items. This auction was anything but “Mini” in size
and thanks are due to Stephen and Shaun Austin for their
Although the main interests of members are wireless
work in Auctioneering a large number of items. Also thank
receivers and gramophones (or phonographs) ,
you to those people like Tony Smith and Andrew Wakemany members are also interested in amplifiers, tele- man for gathering, collating and bringing items. And not to
phones, musical boxes, tape recorders, television
forget our loyal Auction Recorders Barry Kinsella and
receivers and other associated equipment and
Rodney House!
memorabilia.
Radio-Gram is currently published twice per year, in
about February and August.
Send articles and advertisements to the editor:
Rob Nunn : 51 St Helier Drive, Sorrento, WA, 6020
Email: [email protected]
Phone : 94486143 or 0418 922 629
Please make sure your ‘copy’ is submitted by the
meeting night prior to the issue month.
Advertisements are placed FREE of charge, but
should be of a non-exploitive nature.
Subscriptions: $25 (payable in June)
(Concession rate: $20)
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Following some information from John Pascolich, we hope
to put on a display at the Perth Town Hall on 18-19 Oct
2014 to join with an Australian Historical Telephones display. Volunteers are sought for our display.
Thanks are due to Tony Smith and Richard Rennie for an
informative talk on 8 Track Tape Recorders, and a wonderful display of 8 Track machines and tapes at our May
meeting. See photos in this Issue.
Our AGM and June Auction on 24 June, are rapidly approaching. This is your chance to sell or pick up some
items, do your bit on the Committee if you like, and pay
your subs to the Treasurer (don't forget to give him a completed Membership Renewal Form with your cash or
cheque.
See you at the June meeting!
…………..Rob
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The Secretary’s Report
Our magazine’s first experiment with colour in the Issue 77, January 2001 edition.
(Rod Edwards—Editor)
The VWGC Website is proving to be
very popular and we continue to receive regular enquiries from the public, many of these enquires have resulted in radios and gramophones
being offered for sale or donated to
the Club.
The January Club meeting saw
Andrew Wakeman
our regular auction of members
goods which was followed up by a large public auction of
surplus items from the Wireless Hill Museum and then a
massive auction of quality donated and consignment
goods were auctioned off at the April Club Meeting.
Special thanks goes to all those members that helped out
on the Auction nights and to the members who collected,
stored and catalogued the radio and gramophone items.
Presentations on Morse Code, Nikola Tesla and 8 Track
machines were well received by all Club members and
guests.
Don’t forget Perth Heritage Day on 18 & 19 October 2014
and Have A Go Day on Wednesday 12th November 2014,
the Club intends to have a display at both these events.
These events are a great way to promote our Club to the
public and attract new members.
The 2014 AGM will be held at the June Club Meeting,
please consider supporting the Club by joining the Committee or taking on an office bearer’s role.
Andrew
Some of the radios on display at the
Gingin museum. Possible Club visit to be
arranged for July depending on the level of
interest by members.
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CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS EDITION
Tony Smith
Vince Taylor
Reg Gauci
Fred Franklin
James Wemm.
Richard Rennie
Rob Nunn
-Editor
Dennis Grimwood
Peter Browne
Andrew Wakeman
EXECUTIVE AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS
President
Rob Nunn
Minutes Secretary
Vince Taylor
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Vice-President
Steve Austin.
Committee
Tony Smith
Secretary
Andrew Wakeman
Webmaster and Committee
Reg Gauci
Treasurer
Barry Kinsella
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Recent Events
February 25, 2014 : Morse Codians will talk about
the history of morse code in Australia, to be followed by a film from Tony Smith, on the Darwin to
Adelaide line.
Richie Bright
Terry Keays
Mick Powell
Jo Powell
March 25, 2014 : The Tesla Forum presented the
Tesla story along with a DVD on Telsa and his
achievements.
April 22, 2014 : Mini-Auction and film on valve
manufacture.
May 27, 2014 : 8-Track tape recorders.
Coming Events
June 24, 2014 : Monster auction and AGM.
Richard Rennie
July 22, 2014 : Sounds of World War 1. Richard
Rennie will present the role of the gramophone
and wireless in WW1, with demonstrations.
August 26, 2014 : Derek Wright will present an old
ABC film on the first TV broadcast by satellite.
September 23, 2014 : Richard Rennie will present
“Take this down Miss”, the story of Dictation machines, from Dictaphone cylinders to belt recorders, magnetic discs and cassette recorders. Bring
along your machines.
Richard Rennie
October 28, 2014 : Rodney House will present famous people on historical records.
November 25, 2014 : Christmas Party. Details to be
advised.
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Rodney House
Tony Smith
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Minutes of Vintage Wireless and Gramophone
Collectors Club meeting held at clubrooms
Tuesday 25 February 2014.
25 members present.
8.00pm. Meeting commenced.
The meeting was opened by President Rob Nunn. Welcome was extended to members and guests. Apologies
were received from Barry Kinsella (on a cruise!), Rodney
House and Vince Taylor. Our Membership currently
stands at 48 which is a pleasing result due in large part to
efforts by members (particularly Tony Smith) to encourage friends etc to come along to our meetings.
Garry Stoyles mentioned a his acquisition of a gramophone at auction with a magnetic pickup turntable, and a
Jensen dynamic speaker and a shortwave radio.
Meeting closed 8.25pm.
The meeting was followed by a film on the construction of
the Adelaide to Darwin telegraph line, and a presentation
by Terry Keays and Richie Bright from the Morse Codians
on the history, preservation and use of morse code today.
February 2014 Meeting
The Club magazine “Radiogram No 124” was completed
on 2 February 2014 and emailed/posted out to members
etc soon after. Rob thanked those members who made
contributions to the magazine in either a small way
(advertisement) or a large way (article). Rob reminded
members they can advertise free in the magazine. He is
looking for contributions to the next issue and asked members to contribute also to our website.
Rob reminded members that the March meeting will be a
DVD on Nicola Tesla and a presentation by Mick Powell
from the Tesla Forum on the achievements of Nicola
Tesla.
Secretary’s Report.
Andrew reported on the Wireless Hill auction of about 100
items at Donnellys, which was attended by about 7 members of our club. Many rough condition but couple of nice
radios. No reserve prices. One Airzone Tombstone 1935.
Free List, and many radios less than $50. Est. $6-7000
taken. Donations to club received from public including an
Emidicta, Ham radio gear and radios. Plan for MiniAuction at April meeting to clear large stock donations
etc. Moved as correct by Rod Edward, seconded by Merv
Thompson. Passed unanimously.
Treasurer’s Report.
Barry sent apologies for his absence. Tabled as a separate
document. Current bank balance $3862 after outstanding
debits. Moved as correct by Richard Rennie, seconded by
Tony Smith. Passed unanimously.
Some of the members present at the
February meeting.
Morse code printer unit
General Business.
Stephen Austin thanked the members who worked as auction recorders for their work in keeping track of the big
January auction. Richard Rennie said he has a number of
radio knobs for next auction.
Items of Interest
Stephen Austin – Heinz radio in shape of a bottle of Heinz
tomato sauce!
John Newman showed a morse key with a light that
flashed.
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An unusual morse code key on display
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Terry and Richie set up demonstration.
Richards’ free radio gramophone knobs party!
Morse code sender-receiver light appartatus demonstrated at February meeting.
Merv with Terry and Richie
Morse code sender
Lawrie and Tony at February meeting.
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Tony Smith set up the film on the construction
of the Adelaide to Darwin telegraph line.
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Darwin to Adelaide telegraph line
construction displays.
With thanks to Richard Rennie.
Part of the route of the WA section.
Original insulators used on the WA section of
the Intercontinental Telegraph Line in 1877.
A later style of insulator and wire used
on the Intercontinental Telegraph Line
1877-1927
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Remnants of an original 1977 telegraph
pole on the Intercontinental Telegraph
Line, damaged by fire.
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Collectors Club meeting held at clubrooms Tuesday March 25th 2014. 25 members present, 2 visitors.
The meeting was opened by President Rob Nunn. Welcome
to tonights presenters Mick Powell and his wife Jo who
will be presenting a talk on Nikola Tesla (The Man Who
Lit Up The World).
The club acknowledges the passing of founding member
and ex club president Len Lewis. Len was a gramophone
collector, foundation member of the Rock and Roll Record
Collectors Club and proprietor of Bower Bird Records.
Members are asked to submit items (stories/ photos) for
inclusion on the club website and magazine/ newsletter.
The next club meeting will feature an auction of items that
have been donated to the club.
Tony Bayliss shows his restored 1941
Philips radio
There have been a number of items donated to the club that
will be included in the next club auction. There has been
no incoming or outgoing correspondence.
The Secretary’s report was moved as correct by Merv
Thompson and seconded by Reg Gauci. Passed.
The Treasurer’s report was tabled as a separate document.
A $3 increase has been levied for the hire of the clubrooms.
The term deposit has been reinvested at 3%. Moved as correct by Paul Hansen and seconded by Richard Rennie.
Merv Thompson shows his projector from USA
General Business.
Merv Thompson-The Guildford Festival is on this Sunday
but the club will not be exhibiting due to lack of interest
from members. We will try to organise a club display for
next year.
Andrew Wakeman-A briefcase has been donated to the
club by Phil Oxwell.
Reg Gauci-The next meeting will feature a film on the
Phillips valve factory and auction of donated items. The
following month will still be the subject of 8 Track.
Items of Interest
Tony Bayliss- 1940-41 Phillips Bakelite Radio.
Merv Thompson- Magic lantern. American Micromidoscope, 2 globes and reflectors.
Phil Oxwell- 1954 Tesla Radio Model 308U. 1953-58
Czechoslovakia, Bakelite, 110-120v, 4 valve, External aerial. ....also its baby brother made in resin.
Close-up of Merv’s projector from USA
A film and presentation on Nikola Tesla.
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More photos from 25 March Meeting
Tesla presentation at March Meeting
by Mick Powell from Tesla Forum
Some of the members at March meeting.
Phil Oxwell shows and demonstrates his 1954
Tesla radio (model 308U), 4-valve, 110/220V
from Czekoslovakia
Merv chats with Mick Powell from Tesla Forum.
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Collectors Club meeting held at clubrooms Tuesday April 22nd 2014. 28 members present. 4 visitors.
Auctioned at the April meeting.
The meeting was opened by President Rob Nunn. Apologies were given for Richard Rennie. A committee meeting
was held on the 15th and the schedule for guest speakers
was discussed. The next issue of Radiogram will be out
early in June. Contributions are needed. Thanks in advance
to our auctioneer Steve Austin for his work tonight on the
club auction.
1948 Astor portable battery radio
There was no incoming or outgoing correspondence. The
committee meeting discussed badges, insurance, club trips
etc.
The secretary’s report was moved as correct by Laurie
Bugeja and seconded by Merv Thompson. Passed unanimously.
Tabled as a separate document. $90 hire was paid for the
clubrooms for the next quarter. Moved as correct by Steven
Austin, seconded by Dennis Grimwood. Passed unanimously.
1948 Monarch portable battery radio
General Business.
John Pascolich- Australian Historical Telephone has decided to put on a display later this year at the Perth Town
Hall (18-19 Oct 2014). Was wondering if the VWGC
would like to join in. Would be a great opportunity for public exposure. Lockable cabinets and a 9 x 3m space are
available. Insurance for volunteers is available but no specific insurance for items. Have copies of the registration
documents etc. Does the club wish to do this?
David Littley- Has discovered that the rifle range at Swanbourne is about to be removed and that there is a telephone
switchboard there that someone may be interested in. If so
get in touch.
1948 Peter Pan portable battery radio
Colleen Tourney- left old club badges 12 months ago at the
club as samples. They are wished to be returned...If someone could track them down.
Items of Interest.
Norbert Tourney- Edison Standard Phonograph. Bought
from Len Lewis at Bowerbird Records in 1983.
An auction was held after the meeting.
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1950 Conlon mantle battery radio.
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More photos from 22 April Meeting and auction
Norbert talks about his Edison phonograph.
A vintage home-made (?) wireless in very
good condition (donation for auction)
Some of the items up for auction
Inside the cabinet of the above vintage
home-made (?) wireless
Need some valves?
An AWA multi-band receiver in very nice
condition
A nice old HMV console radio was popular
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Collectors Club meeting held at clubrooms Tuesday May 27th 2014. 25 members present, 1 guest.
The meeting was opened by President Rob Nunn and
welcome extended to new members Ray Pedri and Eric
Cowans and guest Peter Lomax. Many thanks were
given to those who helped with last month’s film presentation and auction (especially auctioneers Steve and
Sean Austin).
It is noted that there has been some confusion when bidders go to collect auction items, so we ask that bidders
keep a record of what they have successfully bid on so
as to speed payment and collection.
Tonight’s meeting will feature a presentation on the 8
Track by Richard Rennie and Tony Smith. Radiogram
#125 is in preparation for distribution early June and we
appreciate your advertisements and contributions for the
magazine or website.
Annual subs are due in June- All members are asked to
fill in a membership form when renewing so as to keep
our records up to date.
James Wemm- is restoring a wood cabinet 1938 STC
radio and needs to know of a correct product for use in
refinishing the cabinet. Richard Rennie recommends Mirrortone cellulose acetate sealer if it is still available.
Items of Interest.
Dennis Grimwood- After 105 years of trading AWA has
gone into administration. Part of the business had gone
to a Healthcare organisation that may use the name for
electronic healthcare monitoring instruments.
Steve Austin- Gramophone, English Dousona 1925-9.
Interesting wooden tone arm with full bearings and floating horn.
Merv Thompson- Demonstration gramophone, external
horn with transparent plastic sides, Thorens 4 spring motor. For use as a demonstration machine at exhibits.
David Fisher- Selection of interesting records from local
manufacturers. Martin Clarke recordings, Colored Flexi
discs, Cardboard records.
Tony Smith and Richard Rennie presented the story of
the 8 Track.
Incoming correspondence; Information package from
Polytech West on the Bentley Pines Restaurant. There
was no outgoing correspondence. There were some enquiries for help in selling items; a gramophone and a radiogram (these have been advertised on the web to
members).
The deadline for confirmation of attendance at the Perth
Heritage Day event at the Perth Town Hall in Oct expires
at the end of the month. Rodney House enquired if registration info has been received for the clubs participation
in the Seniors Have a Go Day. Andrew replied he will
follow that up to ensure our participation. The secretary’s
report was moved as correct by Tony Barbartano and
seconded by Merv Thompson. Passed unanimously.
At the May meeting, Merv Thompson gave a demonstration of his learning-aid kitset gramophone.
Tabled as a separate document. The auction raised $859
for the club. The Save the Children fundraiser raised $54
that has been sent on to the organisation. At present
there is about $4600 in the bank and $6000 in the Term
deposit. Moved as correct by Tony Smith, seconded by
Richard Rennie. Passed unanimously.
General Business.
Tony Smith- Forthcoming auction next month is to be
member’s items only. Information is needed for preliminary listing and publicity...please send info to Tony Smith.
Tony Barbartano- Donnelley’s are having an auction on
the 6th July that features many radios and a gramophone...refer to their website for info.
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Richard Rennie displayed an Akai 8 Track
Stereo cartridge palyer Model CR-81D in
excellent condition.
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The dial glass was missing. The remnants of a bit of
string that served as the dial cord and a rusting rear dial
assembly that looked far worse that it was. It was a
pretty sorry sight.
Restoration of AWA 712 C
Console Radio- circa 1947
On 20 November 2006 I won an auction
on eBay for an AWA 712C console radio. The price paid was $122.50 including the delivery charge.
Reg Gauci
The manufacture date of the 712C
(C for con
sole) is listed as 1947 and the
valves are of this period :6J8G, 6SK7GT, 6SQ7GT, 6V6GT
& 6X5 GT.
When I told my daughter that I had bought it – she heard
me say $22.50 – she thought I was nuts. When I clarified that it was $122.50 and I had spent well over that
again for the paint stripper, varnish, capacitors etc. etc.
She said that her initial thought had been confirmed!
The manufacturer’s circuit for the
AWA 712C console Radio
A few things that were original were on the radio. The
blue AWA badge on the front, the original knobs (dirty
but in sound condition), the remains of the speaker with
the blue AWA nameplate intact. Except for the poor
state of the veneer, the case appeared to be quite sound
and repairable.
I started by removing the speaker and chassis from the
case and brushing the internal of the case and washing
the inner and outer surfaces and an extended drying
period in the sun.
The case was in a terrible state as it had been stored in
an agricultural shed for many years. In that time multiple
generations of greeblies had been hatched, reproduced
and died in and around the unit. The underside of the
knobs had the remnants of insect nests and larval
stages cocooned in the crevices. A good brushing and
washing of the knobs removed all evidence of them.
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This was followed by gluing the veneer that had lifted
and generally repairing the cabinet.
In the meantime, I removed the valves and dial assembly from the chassis, brushed it down well and washed it
and the components underneath with a garden hose and
stiff brush. I was careful not to get too much water into
the coil assemblies. This wash was also followed by a
The re-wiring completed and the live wires on the underside sealed with ‘hot glue’, it was time to replace the Electrolytic capacitors. I found that none of the normal suppliers had any 450V+ Electros nor did they have any high
voltage polyester capacitors. The only place that stocked
them was RS components in Osborne Park. They sell
these smaller items in packs of 5 units. I
duly drove down and bought ‘a bunch of bits’ and proceeded to replace the duds and suspect items under the
chassis.
Checking with the multimeter, I could see no shorts and
things seemed to be as they should be so I felt that it was
time for the ‘smoke test’. With the valves removed I
plugged the radio into the mains – ready for a quick removal of the plug.
lengthy drying period in the sun.
Once dry, it was time to spray the surface of the chassis,
the dial back and the dial drum with some silver paint.
This has several functions. It makes it look nice, stops
rust and seals the original cadmium coating. I am told
that cadmium can be absorbed by the skin and may be
I then unplugged the unit and fitted the 6X5 rectifier and
switched on again. This time there was a problem. The
first new filter capacitor had plenty of volts on it but the
second one that was after the filter choke had only a few
volts. A sad state of affairs.
Unplugging the unit and checking that the capacitors
were discharged, I discovered that I had wired the second
capacitor back to front. Luckily no damage was sustained and reversing the wiring fixed the problem. Powering back up gave me a healthy bunch of volts across it. I
let it run in this state for some time to make sure that it
would not disintegrate.
toxic.
Next was the replacement of cracked and very dangerous wiring. This included the mains wiring that was
badly deteriorated. I went to Blackwoods Atkins in Banister Road Canning Vale to buy a cloth covered brown
flex that approximated the flex of the period.
They also had some 6.3 volt dial lamps that I used in the
unit later in the restoration phase. Unfortunately, no bakelite 3 pin plugs have been stocked for many years so I
used one rescued from and old mantle radio. The flex
used was three core that allowed me to earth the chassis (the original was only 2 core and did not provide an
earth).
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Nothing happened so I got the meter out and did some
tests around the mains area and the power transformer.
All was well.
Satisfied that all was well, I risked plugging in the 6V6
output valve with the speaker transformer attached to a
one inch speaker for an old transistor radio. Touching the
grid sparked some life from the speaker. All was still well.
Time to plug in the rest of the valves, pop an aerial wire
on the terminal and power up. Lo and behold stacks of
static emanated from my baby speaker. Turning the variable capacitor shaft, I was greeted by bunches of AM
radio station. Switching to short wave showed that the
switch was in great need of lubrication. This was also
true of the volume and tone controls. A spray of an appropriate lubricant and rotating the pots and switch settled the whole thing down – sweet music!
The speaker had an intact voice coil and spider and the
audio output transformer was ok. When I plugged it into
the radio, it blared away – scratchy and distorted but
working.
.
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I did a hunt around for a speaker repairer as I wanted
to keep the original speaker in the unit. Some had
gone out of business or did not answer the phone.
When I finally got hold of one chap, he said that he
would call around to see if he could find a cone or fix
it.
The nearest cone that he had was not suitable so I
decided that I would have a go myself. At worst, I
would mess it up completely and have to replace it
with a vintage speaker of the same era.
I began by inserting a bit of plastic from a laminating
machine pouch to centralise the voice coil. This was
followed by gluing strips of inkjet photo paper (acid free)
to the remnants of the cone and using household
clothes pegs and clipped the other ends to the outer
frame. However, the coating on the speaker has seen
better days and had several patches of surface rust. I
decided that I would stop and repaint it.
Patching the missing bits of veneer, and other blemishes
and holes to the cabinet was followed by an initial coat
of stain and then a mask up and spraying of the painting
bits such as the dial surround, vertical speaker columns,
surrounds and cabinet base.
An appropriate cloth was purchased at half price from
Textile traders in Balcatta just before they moved to their
new store. An 800mm strip was only $6.00 or so.
A dial glass was cut by Balcatta glass for $5.00 and I set
about to design an overlay (underlay) to show the re
Thinking that silver was a bit ho-hum, I would paint it
GOLD.
Following the paint job, I continued to add strips – repeating the steps until the cone was rebuilt. I then got
my wife (a wiz with scissors) to trim the excess paper to
form a circle just shy of the edge of the frame.
I then purchased a strip of rubber insulation material that
was pre-glued on one surface. This was cut to form a
suspension for the ‘new’ cone and secured under the
speaker gasket which was, in turn, glued to the frame.
maining AM stations and with their current spacing and
location whilst trying to keep the design as close to what
I imagined the original dial glass may have looked like. I
used Adobe Photoshop for this task and printed the
‘back to front’ image onto an overhead transparency
sheet which was secured to the underside of the glass
with gaffer tape. A dial pointer was manufactured from a
piece of wire that was painted red.
The blue AWA badge was polished up using car polish
and glued to the front of the unit with superglue. A final
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EMIDICTA DICTATION MACHINE—DONATION
A 1948 Emidicta Dictation disc recorder has been kindly
donated to the Club by Bob Barham, of Barham Electronics. It will be shown at our September meeting and
later auctioned off to members.
coating of Cabot’s low sheen stain followed by a polish
with liquid Marveer (inherited from my mother Esmeralda’s cupboards) completed the case.
1948 Emidicta dictation disc recorder on
a trolley, in need of some TLC.
I think the unit looks pretty good and Kaye is happy to
have it in the house.
Reg Gauci
13 December 2006
(This article is Copyrighted. Many thanks to Reg for allowing us to use this in “Radiogram” magazine.)
Bob Barham in his workshop—Emidicta donor.
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An Email from Dennis Grimwood
regarding the mystery unit shown
on page of “Radiogram” 124.
this equipment was custom made for either
a broadcast station studio, a cinema or a school
The incorporation of a VU Meter and monitor shows the
speaker may have been some distance
from the amplifier suggesting any of the above
However the microphone input socket rules out broadcast station application, which leaves either
a cinema or school. My guess is a cinema
The output transformer secondary is likely to be a high
impedance value to reduce transmission line losses
That would clinch the diagnosis (if in a broadcast situation would be 50 or 600 ohm output)
Hello Rob,
Many thanks for another great issue of
The Radiogram
(Edition 124).
Nice selection and
variety of articles
This is the first received from the club
so I am thrilled (was
only added to the
mailing list relatively recently)
There is another option - suggested by the carry handles
- and that is some sort of portable PA system - would not
be needed in a cinema, broadcast or school situation
Thanks again for a great issue
Regards,
Dennis Grimwood
Good day from Darwin,
You ask on page 23 "Can you identify this radiogram?"
I have never seen such a beast before but there are a
few clues
Recently I journeyed to Perth,
stayed at the Bayswater Hotel and
met some members of our club.
Tony lives near by and took me to
Rob's house for dinner. Rob's wife is a terrific cook.
1. It appears to be made from an aluminium frame with
Laminex type insulated front panels maybe even painted aluminium
Peter Browne and I had lunch in the Hotel's bistro. The
tucker is good, plentiful and reasonably priced.
2. It is quite old - indicated by the type of wire used likely 30's to 40's vintage
At Andrew's place I admired some very nice radios and
learned about some things that had stumped me in the
past. I took four valves from a 1930 Weldon mantel radio
with me. Andrew tested them on his valve tester and
they came up 90% or better.
3. It has an inbuilt amplifier with a speaker output socket
(The note says "Warning - do not
switch on unless the speaker is plugged in"
4. It has a separate output socket for a monitor - that
label looks like "24V mon" suggesting
maybe a telephone style headphone
5. It has a separate input socket for a microphone
6. It has a VU meter above the tone control knob
7. It is designed for 78 rpm records (see the needle
tray). Appears to be a windup type drive (see
turntable brake). That rules out the 1950's
8. The big giveaway is the set of porcelain fuseholders
at the front - suggesting an industrial
construction.
This impressed me as the dilapidated radio was found in
an old railway house that had been transported from
somewhere in the Territory to Adelaide River railway
museum without being stowed.
We spoke of the history of radio in the Northern Territory. This history revolves around the Australian Inland
Mission, the Flying Doctor, Flying Padre and the Schools
of the Air in Katherine and Alice Springs. Alf Traeger
pioneered much of this transceiver equipment. Codan is
the other brand that is popular with the Territory cattle
stations.
I like Perth. It is easy to get around in and the weather at
the time was like Darwin in the dry season.
See you again.
Fred
Together with the overall construction the inference is
18
19
An Email from Peter Browne regarding the mystery unit shown
on page of “Radiogram” 124.
extraction tube for removing the swarf and were driven
by a 300 watt amplifier. I also remember lesser units for
domestic use. They were few and far between and not
very popular.
Hope this helps.
Peter Browne
Hi Rob…
Your picture from the
Collie Museum of
the 'unknown' item
rang several bells
which prompted me
to offer this suggestion.
I believe the unit is a disc cutting lathe for cutting sixteen
inch transcription acetates.
Or possibly smaller sizes. It is not as substantial as the
ones I remember from my broadcast days but it does
appear to have similar attributes. Its appearance is not
something one might find in a (conventional)
lounge room.
It seems to be a standard nineteen inch rack mount. The
Two fuses in the bottom panel, I believe, would be one
for a decent (say quarter horsepower) motor to drive the
over-sized platter, the second for the amplifier
in the top panel.
NEWS ITEM :
Calvin Rickson, an engineer from Texas A&M University,
has designed a bra that keeps women's breasts from
jiggling, bouncing up and down, and stops nipples from
pushing through the fabric when cold weather sets in.
I was able to make out the words "prog" and "mic" on
the top panel. This panel would house a decent power
amplifier of about 100 to 200 watts, enough to drive the
cutting head.
After a news conference announcing the invention, a
large group of men took Mr. Rickson outside and just
kicked the shit out of him.
Unfortunately, that part seems to be missing. It would
normally be mounted just above the platter and carry not
only the cutting head but also the gearing for the pitch
and also the equalising slide.
The gearing would be driven from the platter spindle
beneath. The only remains of all of this are a few leads
hanging down the back and perhaps a mounting screw
on one side.
2UW in Sydney ran two AWA cutting lathes. They stood
nearly chest high, mounted in rubber with a flywheel on
both the motor and the platter shaft. They also had an
19
20
Remembering the Americans, why not give the nail
through the socket a belt with a hammer - after all
something has to be done! Sure enough, after a few
blows out the valve came - and intact but with the envelope now well and truly loose in the base, and a bit
of repair work needed on the base.
“TECHNICAL TIPS”
THOSE ROTTEN PHILIPS “P”
VALVE SOCKETS.
The following is s saga that may assist in
the future when dealing with these monstrosities.
Tony Smith
A nice mantel radio was in to be restored. It was using a EBF2 Philips
valve in the line-up.
It is usual to firstly take out
the valves and check their
heaters, even if not going
through the full testing gambit.
Could the EBF2 come out ? -No.
Firstly some gentle working of the
valve envelope to see if the base
could come out did no good. A bit
more effort and suddenly "crack"- the valve glass came
away from the base.
Now this is not good, but often the
jointing can be re-sealed with Araldite so not all was lost, or so all was
thought. But the base was still stuck in the socket, with no
sign of budging. Inspection of the base to valve showed
that the joint between the base and the metalic shielding on the outside of the valve was now broken. This
shielding is normally connected in the base to pin number one.
So the next idea was to get two small screwdrivers on
opposite sides of the base and try to lever up the base
out of the socket.
After some levering and applying gradually more
leverage there was a "crack". A decent bit of the
base had broken off. So now we were in real trouble.
What to do?
There came flash. Don't Americans fix everything with a
hammer? Up-turning the chassis it was time to "get into
it". A 6mm hole was drilled into the middle of the upturned socket ready to apply some downward force.
A folded rag was put under the valve to catch it in case it
does come out. Steady pressure by means of a large
nail with a flat head was used through the hole but
to no avail. What next?
20
Looking at the pins of the valve and the now empty
socket, it became obvious that a previous repairer had
done some component changes at the socket, and
some solder had got down and lightly attached two of
the pins to the socket contacts - [overly!] Now what to
do about the loose joint and the break in the metallic shield
connection?
First some soft 10 amp fuse wire was put around the valve
about half way up and twisted tight, making sure you have
one end long enough to reach the base pins. The roughness of the metallic shield tends for the moment to keep the
wire in place.
Using the ohmmeter to check that the wire was actually
making contact with the shield a few judicious drops of Tarzans Grip glue was all that was needed to effect a seal of
the wire to the shield.. Soldering the wire to the pin was all
that had to be done.
By the way - Why oh why did Philips number their
valve pins anticlockwise? Can someone figure it out?
TIP Do not solder connections to a P socket with a valve
in place!!
In relating this problem to Graham Swan,a member
of HRSA in Melbourne, he came back with the following information and suggestions:
You mentioned P-based valves/sockets — horrors — I
found that using WD40 or equivalent helped in removing
long stuck/frozen units & prevented them sticking when replaced in the sockets, but almost every time the electrical
connection between the metallic spray & earth pin was broken when removing the valves.
If the coating itself was OK, I found the best cure for the broken connection was to clean the fine copper wire at the
glass/base join & then run a bead of the silver conductive
varnish available from Jaycar around the join. Not only is this
conductive & very low resistance when dry, but it acts as
quite strong glue if the glass/bakelite bond is broken. It also
dissolves & mixes with the remaining resin based glue, so
one achieves a double strength bond.
The two products he recommended are :
#NS3030—Silver Conducting Varnish and
#MN2831—Wire Glue 9mm
Both products are available at JAYCAR………….Tony
21
Photos from the 27 May Meeting
Members present at the May meeting, enjoy
Merv Thompsons demonstration gramophone.
Vince Taylor examines an English Dousona
gramophone on display at the May meeting
Some of Richard Rennies wonderful display
of 8-Track cartridges.
21
22
PHILIPS 2516
designed to drive? Measuring the resistance of the output winding of the final output transformer indicated that
probably a high impedence speaker would be right.
(circa 1929)
(Made in Holland)
Tony Smith
At a recent auction of radios from the Wireless Hill Museum there was included a metalbox with a tag on it quoting - "Philips three valve radio". Not having any idea
about it a bid was made and I became the proud owner of
something I did not have the vaguest idea about.
Fortunately on hand was a horn type diaphragm speaker
of about 1000 ohms resistance. - just might do! The set
is of very solid construction and the layout made the
thought of trying to draw out the circuit a difficult one.
With this in mind a request was sent off to the HRSA to
see if they might have a circuit. Whilst waiting for a reply
we moved on.
Putting in the rectifier tube only, AC was applied to the
set firstly at low voltage, and then up to full 250. There
was immediately high tension of about 100 volts, indicating that the rectifier was good, and the power side of the
set was working. Next the output tube was added, and
by connecting up the horn speaker and using a signal
generator we got audio out through the output stage.
The set was obviously made for 250volt AC (at least
according to the power plug attached) Opening the
back of the box revealed the valve line-up - An E424, a
B443 and a 506.
Before going any further one had to identify the controls.
One was obviously the main tuning control, varying the
tuning capacitor - one the unique reaction control - one
the on-off switch - another was a series of four positions
with a two pin plug - and the final one turning out to be a
Checking my Philips valve data book - there they were!
- listed! E424 is a 4volt heater triode, the B443 is a
4volt filament power output pentode, and the 506 a
4volt filament full-wave rectifier. Miracle! - all the
valves' heaters were intact. First guess was that the
circuit was a reaction detector followed by the output
pentode, and the rectifier providing the B+.
switch in some way connected to the main tuning coil.
First thought - this is a mains set, incorporating a filament output valve. Surely there would be tremendous
audio hum generated by the filament being driven by
an AC source. At least the detector stage uses a cathode/heater type tube.
Then - what type of speaker would this set have been
22
The reaction control was that of a seperate coil former
mounted on a shaft so that it could be turned, either
with it's axis inline with the main tuning coil - or for
minimum reaction, turned so that it was at right-angles
to the main coil.
This set-up can be seen clearly in the photos.
Next the detector valve was added, and after it's heater
warmed up - lo and Behold a station. In fact several of the
locals were picked up straight away. My concern regarding the possiblity of serious audio hum proved unfounded, and will be touched on further down.
23
A day or so later a reply came from HRSA to the effect that yes, they were able to supply a circuit, which
is reproduced here. From this circuit some interesting
features became clear.
With no volume control as we know it today, the set relied on two features. One was the use of the reaction
control. Not by using a variable capacitor to control the
feedback, but varying the coupling between the reaction
coil and the main tuning coil (a system used on many
very early "coffin radios")
The third control was a switch to utilize all or part of the
main tuning coil. Looking at the tuning capacitor and it's
wide spacing of the plates it would appear that to tune the
main coil to cover the whole AM band the capacitor did not
have the range of value to achieve the frequency coverage, as we know sets today.
Thus by tapping and using only part of the coil the coverage was achieved in two stages. Use of the signal generator indicated that in one position of this switch the coverage was from 650 Kcs. to 1000 Kcs. whilst the other position using only part of the coil gave a coverage of about
850Kcs. to 2000Kcs. As seen in the photo there was some
damage to this main tuning coil but fortunately the wire
was intact.
It must be noted that the selectivity of the set does leave
a lot to be desired, with only the one tuned circuit. The
reaction system does assist but in my location close to
6IX it is not easy to stop that signal interfering with the
adjoining stations.
It is also interesting to see that even in those early
days the set uses the principle of "back-bias" to
provide bias for both the detector stage and the
output tube.
The next control was the two pin plug system on the front
of the set, it's purpose now revealed by the circuit. The
plug system varied the capacitor connected betweeen the
antenna terminal and the set, so varying the signal input.
One position connected the antenna input to the mains
through two capacitors. Not a recommended system today!
In regard to the possible audio hum, there was
certainly some. This could be because the
smoothing capacitors of the HT are relaticley
small in valu, and also a diaphragm speaker has a
very poor bass response.
From the point of view of the output filament being
AC driven, the heater winding on the power transformer was centre-tapped to earth.
This presumably meant that there was a balancing of potential at each end of the filament as far
as the earth return of the grid circuit was concerned. This would possibly limit hum injection by
the filament. (This is a guess!)
A final interesting feature is the provision of input
connections to have the set act as an audio amplifier, presumably tuned off a statio! Could it be an
early example of a set to take an electric pickup?
The set now makes a good companion for my
Pilot.
………………..Tony
23
24
Is Electronics dead?
By James Wemm
Is electronics dead given the fact that
we live in a ‘throwaway society’? Well
you would have to think so given the amount of electronic gadgetry that appears on the verges at each council hard rubbish pickup. Everything from computers, CD
players, radios, old CRT type televisions and even flat
panel TV receivers.
It is not that these items cannot be repaired, it just not
economically feasible to even contemplate given current
labour costs. The most common fault in flat panel TVs is
the power supply and a replacement PCB can cost upwards of $200 each, add labour to that and most people
would opt for a new upgraded one.
Electronics is certainly widespread in its use and is embedded in just about everything we use these days including the humble toaster right through to our new motor vehicles. It seems that we cannot survive without
electronics infiltrating our very existence. Most of the
electronics, although may have been designed in Australia, are mostly manufactured overseas and mainly in
China, the powerhouse of the manufacturing industry.
rock surfaces. There is always the danger following a
blast that some or all of the wall or underground drive
will collapse when the loader goes in and attempts to
extract the rocks that hopefully contain the ore the company is engaged in looking for. See picture below –
imagine if the loader operator was sitting in the cabin
when this happened!
Sometimes these machines just have to be left there as
is it too costly or too dangerous to try and retrieve them.
The operator here may have been lucky as the cabin
appears to be intact but hopefully, it may have been remotely controlled.
Equipment designed and manufactured by RCT allows
the operator to be distanced from the machine and can
even be on the surface controlling the machine by observing images transmitted via on board video cameras.
Add to this the technology of Laser Guidance to keep
the machine in the centre of the drives which provides
automatic steering, speed and braking control then our
mining industry is becoming a safer place for our workforce.
So how does it all work?
Well the main components are the transmitter which
sends the operator commands, the receiver located on
the ‘bogger’ (LHD) which decodes all the received data
and an Interface which contains relays etc. which allow
the machine to either operate manually or via remote
control.
The transmitter contains switches and joysticks to completely take over all functions of the machine.
For you radio guys out there, the transmitter sends data
out on a 470MHz carrier using a form of FSK
(Frequency Shift Keying) which has been around for
many years.
So where does that leave us in Australia and in particular West Australia?
This data includes Logic or on/off functions such as
brakes, lights engine start etc. and also sends out proportional data that reflects the position of the joysticks.
The joysticks are used for forward and reverse throttle,
left and right steering, raise and lower the bucket and
also curl and dump the bucket. The transmitter can be
hand held using a harness for what is termed Line of
Sight operations or it can be installed in a remote cabin
where television equipment is used to monitor machine
Well there is one company that all Australians and even
more so, us Perthonians should be duly proud of and
that is Remote Control Technologies Pty. Ltd. or RCT
which is the trade mark.
RCT not only design complex electronic equipment that
is used in the mining industry but also manufacture it
here in Perth and sell it to worldwide markets. No, we do
not manufacture remote controls for VCRs, DVD players
or even garage doors. RCT is engaged in, amongst
other things, in providing equipment that allows the operation by remote control of both surface and underground machinery used in the mining industry.
Mining whether underground or on the surface is inherently dangerous even more so following blasting of the
24
The Transmitter
movements. The heart of the transmitter is a micro-
25
The receiver also transmits data back to the operator’s transmitter to provide confirmation that the machine is responding correctly to the commands sent
from the operator. If there is a discrepancy, the machine will be shut down with the service and park
brakes applied.
The receiver connects to the machine specific interface via specially manufactured looms and provides
all signals to switch on and off various relays and
also the proportional data from the joysticks. The
joystick information is converted to PWM (Pulse
Width Modulation) to control electronic solenoids
which in turn open and close, to varying degrees the
hydraulic valves.
In conclusion, operating a mining machine using remote
control technology
is like playing the
ultimate video game
except there are no
second chances in
the event of a
crash.
RCT have supplied equipment to the majority on minesites in Australia that have converted to remote operations and have exported to over 60 countries worldwide
including Africa, Russia, North and South America,
China, New Guinea plus a host of others. Not bad for a
company located right here in Perth.
James Wemm, Member VWGC
25
26
Tribute to Len Lewis.
by Rob Nunn (This is the text of my contribution to the
Memorial Service for Len Lewis held at Bethanie Joondanna on 20 March 2014.) Richard Rennie and Sue
Wilkins (Chaplain, Bethanie) also gave speeches remembering Len.
“My name is Rob Nunn
and as President of the
Vintage Wireless and
Gramophone Club, I am
here to honour Len as a
long-serving member of
our Club and as a friend.
I know Len from my association with the Vintage
Len Lewis. (1951-2014)
Wireless and Gramophone
Club.
My first visit to the VWGC monthly meetings was in
January 2006 and I recall being warmly greeted by some
members and in particular by Len, who, even though
quite busy with the meeting under his control, singled
me out for a chat. It does impress you when someone
makes you welcome amongst a group of strangers, and
Len was that sort of guy.
I understand Len was a founding member of the VWGC
Club back in the 1980’s before my time with the Club.
He became Vice-President in 1998 and President in
2001. He then served the Club as President until 2009,
at which time Len became ill. He was made Life Member of the Club at the AGM in 2009.
Len’s long service to our Club is well-known, and he was
well known also in the Rock and Roll Club and through
his record shop Bower Bird Records.
I am sure that Lens enthusiasm and cheerful nature was
responsible for attracting so many people to join and
stay a member in our Club. Len was well-liked and will
be really missed.
Despite Len’s deteriorating health he still managed to
come along to many of our monthly meetings. My wife
and I visited him is hospital during his illness and were
impressed by Len’s courage and positive attitude in
making the best of things even though his mobility was
severely reduced.
Len always had a joke or story to tell and was a happy
fellow. My wife Anne and myself were very upset to
hear of Lens ‘s death.
I would like to read a few emails I have received from
Club members regarding news of Len’s passing:
26
Norbert Tourney
I met Len for the first time in 1986 in his rather cute record shop at Mount Lawley, apart from records he also
had a couple of old radios there.
When he realized I was a fellow collector, he suggested
to join our club. I could not at the time, because I was
working for Hamersley Iron in Dampier.
The following year we moved to Mandurah and I visited
Len's shop regularly to get all those early records I
missed out on in my formative years. Len kept on pushing me to join the club.
As soon as I had settled in Mandurah I met George
Plant and found out he also was a member of the
Gramophone and Radio Club. George picked me up at
the following club night, stopped in Kwinana and picked
up Derwent Brown on the way. This happened from then
on for many years.
In the early days I wrote regular technical advice notes
for the club magazine. At that time Len did only now and
then attend club meetings, this changed later on.
In early 1987 just before I decided to move to Mandurah
I saw a beautiful early Edison Standard phonograph at
Len's shop, we negotiated a price and it is still the most
prominent item in my collection.
I've been visiting his record shop usually once every
second month until he gave up. I always enjoyed my
cuppas there, including the chats about collecting and
the club gossip. Len supplied his regular customers with
coffee, there was always a cettle with hot water, sugar
and milk.
Udaya Halim
I am sorry to learn the death of our dear Friend, Len
My deepest condolences to the family and the club to
have lost such an honorable Gentleman. My apologies
that I can't attend the funeral as I am still in Indonesia till
22nd March.
Please pass on my deepest sympathy to the family.
Steven Saville.
Very sad Rob - my condolences to any family Len be
sadly missed good fellow Very sad, he was not that old
Alex Koppen
Morning Rob, sorry to hear about Len. Like most people
I knew him years ago.
He was always good to have a chat with, about records,
Grams, Vintage cars etc: Great guy.
Stephen Quiterio
I'm very sorry to hear of Len's passing. Len kindly introduced me to the club in 2007 and made me feel very
welcome when I had developed an interest in gramophones. I remember our lengthy chats at Bower Bird
Records and at the club. Please convey my sincere condolences to Len's family. Len will be missed.
Len you will be missed by many.
Thanks for the memories.
27
More of the auction items from the April meeting.
1952 Philips mains mantle radio Model 135B
1948 Philips mains radio Model 115.
1950’s Pye mains radio Model 917
Unknown portable gramophone.
Do you recognise it? If so, let me
know! (Ed.)
1948 Philips mains mantle radio Model 115
Some interesting bits and pieces for auction.
27
Unknown portable battery radio 1950’2
Do you recognise it?
28
ENCYCLOPAEDIA
OF
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN
WIRELESSES AND GRAMOPHONES
WANTED
Acetate records
'Acetate records' are aluminium discs coated
with a thin layer of
Cellulose acetate.
They were used for one-off recordings by radio
stations and private individual.
Contact Richard
Ph 9330 1636
email [email protected]
The stories and catalogues in this book
were largely produced by documenting those
Western Australian wirelesses and gramophones that exist
in local museums and private collections,
and by interviewing, over the past 20 years,
many of the people who actually built and/or sold them.
Free to any home :
Rare 1960’s Astor 3-in-1 TV Radio Turntable
with new stylus.
Contact Richard
Ph 9330 1636
email [email protected]
207 pages
400 illustrations, most in colour.
The book may be purchased through:
Richard Rennie 9330 1636
CLASSICAL RECORDS WANTED
12 inch 78s
Columbia Faust Ballet L1794
Columbia Cello Concerto No 1 buy Piatigorsky
Columbia Bethoven Op 61 Violin
HMV Casse Noisette Stokowski
HMV Bach Toccatta in G Major Casals
or ANY 78 RPM SOLO PIANO RECORDING (eg Bach)
ALSO WANTED
HMV suitcase portable
Contact James Berlin
Ph 0410 033 199
Note : Advertisements are placed free-of-charge, but
should be of a non-exploitive nature. (Editor)
28

125 Jun 2014 - Welcome Page

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