Weben Vintage Wireless

	Pye Model P/B - Five valve battery set from 1933. Internal frame aerial. Walnut cabinet has the speaker grille cut in the shape of the well-known "Rising Sun" design - used by Pye Radios of Cambridge since 1927. Base of the cabinet includes a turntable so the set can be easily rotated. Awaiting restoration.
	Ultra Model 47 from 1936. In need of major restoration work - missing all six valves! These were Mazda AC/VP1 and similar. Like the Bush EBS4 below, it has an RF amplifier before the frequency changer, so reception should be good once it has been restored. The picture shows the Art Deco style tuning scale.
	Pye QAC38 tabletop set from 1938 in a beautiful Art Deco walnut case. Three wavebands, five Mullard valves. Looks to have all original components in very good condition, including the original Bakelite knobs, but not yet tested. The top of the cabinet features the Pye "rising sun" logo:
	HMV Model 1115 with internal frame aerial - a common set from 1946. Six valves. Recently restored and now fully working. The top of the wooden case has the classic "His Master's Voice" logo featuring Nipper the dog listening to a gramophone:
	Bush EBS4 table-top radio from 1948. The very large wooden cabinet holds a big 10 inch speaker and a chassis with six Mullard valves. Six wavebands give continuous coverage from 540 kHz to 30 MHz. One of the valves is an RF amplifier before the frequency changer - this ensures good performance on distant shortwave stations. As well as six conventional linear tuning scales, it has a "Bush Teleflic" in the centre of the controls - circular scales of letters and numbers for accurately locating stations. Although made in London, it was intended for export, so none of the usual BBC stations are shown on the tuning scales. In the photograph, the audio cassette at the bottom left allows you to judge the size of the set. After minor restoration work, it is now working loud and clear on all six wavebands.
	McMichael 502 4-waveband radio in floor-standing walnut cabinet. Seven valves. This was first produced in 1949, though I believe this particular example was built in 1950. The lid lifts to reveal the controls inside the top. An unusual feature of this set is that when you turn the tuning knob to the location of the old BBC "Light Programme" or "Home Service", a large letter "L" or "H" lights up next to the tuning dial.
	Ekco U245 table-top mains radio in Bakelite case (1957). Five valves of the Ux41 series. Made by the well-known manufacturer of Bakelite radios, E.K.Cole Limited of Southend. Although this was one of their cheaper sets, it still produces a good sound (after minimal restoration work).
	Thermionic Products Soundmirror reel-to-reel tape recorder in walnut case (1952). Six valves plus Magic-Eye level indicator. Single record/playback head and a permanent magnet used for erasing. The tape transport is operated by a kind of joystick control. A hinged lid covers the reels when not in use, and two doors on the front of the cabinet cover a storage space for connecting leads on the left, and the control panel on the right. Manufactured by Thermionic Products Ltd of Southampton, UK, who also made magnetic disk recording machines. Currently being restored.

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Vintage Valve Equipment

Photographs © Copyright Weben, 1998-2002.