1 ISSN 084-6209 The Vintage Wireless and Gramophone Club of Western Australia RADIO-GRAM February 2013 Issue 122 News from the Vintage Wireless and Gramophone Club, Perth. WA. This issue comprises the August 2012 to February 2013 Meetings! Trevor Kelly entertained members at the August meeting with his experiences at the ABC. Vice-President Steve, Secretary Rod and Treasurer Barry at the January meeting and Auction. 1 Tony Smith presented some films at the September meeting. There was a good turnout of members for the February meeting and auction, and some bargains were on offer for all. Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 2 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 : ranunn07@bigpond.com Vice President: Steve Austin President’s Report “Radiogram” is our Club magazine, published twice a year. This issue No. 122 covers the period from August 2012 to February 2013. The magazine complements our Club Website, which is very ably managed by Reg Gauci with up to date information on the Club activities. On the 30th of September the official opening of the Wireless Hill Station Centenary took place. Our Clubs contribution to this was a display of wirelesses from the 1920s to the 50s. Thanks to our members who attended and helped in these activities. Secretary: Rodney House, Email : bevnrod@westnet.com.au Vince Taylor (Minute Secretary) Treasurer: Barry Kinsella Email : barkinsella@optusnet.com.au Website: Reg Gauci : http://vwgc.org.au Email: info@vwgc.org.au Committee: Rob Nunn, Barry Kinsella, Andrew Wakeman, Vince Taylor, Tony Smith, Steve Austin, Reg Gauci and Len Lewis. Appointments: Librarian: Len Lewis 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! Although the main interests of members are wireless receivers and gramophones (or phonographs) , many members are also interested in amplifiers, telephones, musical boxes, tape recorders, television receivers and other associated equipment and memorabilia. On the 7th of October, our Club held a Valve Radio Information Day at Wireless Hill to which members of the public were invited to bring their old wireless sets to get information on origin, dating and restoration. This was well received by the public and some 60 people turned up with radios. Special thanks to Rodney, Richard, Andrew and Reg for attending and providing information to the public. A number of radios were donated to the Club. On the 14th of October at 10:30am Richard Rennie launched his book – Encyclopaedia of Western Australian Wirelesses and Gramophones, at Wireless Hill. I understand a large crowd of interested people attended and book sales were brisk. Richard has more copies available, so please see him if you are interested. Congratulations to Richard on his considerable work and success. I was unable to attend the Christmas party on 27 Nov and the January Auction on 22 January due to visiting family over East. However I hear they went very well indeed and I would like to thank those that made them a success. Some photos from the Auction are included in this issue. Radio-Gram is currently published twice per year, in about February and August. On 2 February 2013 Tony Smith organized a Club outing to a private cinema owned by Roy Mudge in Medina. Thanks are due to Tony Smith and his friend Roy Mudge Send articles and advertisements to the editor: for this very interesting film afternoon titled “This is CineRob Nunn : 51 St Helier Drive, Sorrento, WA, 6020 rama” . I have heard very favourable feedback from members that attended. Email: ranunn07@bigpond.com 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) We would like to see members come along to the Guildford Festival, Stirling Gardens, Guildford on 24 March 2013. Our Club will have a booth displaying some examples of our radios and gramophones. You could bring along one or two of your collection, or just provide support. Special thanks to the Contributors to this “Radiogram” No. 122. The stories of your restorations are very well received. Please keep up the good work, and encourage other Members to do the same! …….Rob Nunn 2 Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 3 The Secretary’s Report The November social saw the conclusion of a very successful year for the Club. About 20 members attended and demolished the food which was intended to cater for about 40 – and a good time was had by all. My thanks to Andrew (drinks), Barry (salads), Stephen (buns), Reg (cheesecakes) and the Melville meat supply who again provided some excellent roast beef. We can look forward to another programme of interesting meetings this year, with again a good mix of guest and member presentations, February will see Richard introduce the man who built the first radio in W.A. In March we welcome Don Yates with his experiences at 6PM. John Rutland will talk on his experiences in the electrical world in April and in May we have a “novelty and interesting” transistor night with a short introduction by Reg. I look forward to an enjoyable year and seeing as many members as possible at our meetings. Some interesting meetings were held in the previous months with a good balance between guest speakers and ............Rodney member presentations. A feature of this period were the Wireless Hill Centenary celebrations. The Club particiGuildford Festival pated in the main “fun fair” day with a small display of wirelesses and gramophones. A steady stream of visitors Dont forget the Guildford Festival on 24 March 2013. An annual event held at Stirling Gardens, Guildford. showed a keen interest in the items on display. A couple of weeks later we hosted the Valve Radio Information Day and again we had a good response from the public. A number of members and general public attended Richard’s book launch, which again was a success. The Club owes a debt to Richard for his part in the organization of these events. A further display was held at the Have a Go Day at Burswood, which again attracted good interest from the public. My thanks to Barry and Reg for their assistance on that day. As our exposure increases, much of which is due to the excellent work of Reg on the website, we are seeing an increasing number of donations, which eventually make their way to our auctions, and then on to our bank balance. This has produced some storage problems and we have introduced mini auctions at our normal meetings, where we do not have a guest speaker. These are intended for donated items only, with members able to sell at the main auctions in June and January. Initially it was intended that the mini auctions be limited to 10 items, but we have found that we can dispose of up to 30 without undue stress, and this has helped keep the backlog of items under some sort of control. Thanks are owed to Tony Smith for his work in attracting, storing, and organizing auction goods. Our Club will have an exhibit of vintage wireless and gramophones. Will be under cover or inside. Come along and promote our Club to the public, and help round up some new members! Or come along to support those members who are bringing along parts of their collections. This is a fun day out, and there are many other Clubs and activities on show. 30th Anniversary of our Club in February! The January auction saw 61 Club items offered and 45 members items with most selling and on their way to good homes. Early in February a number of members attended a screening of “This is Cinerama” at a private cinema. This event was organized by Tony Smith, to whom thanks is due, and from reports it was a successful afternoon 3 Richard Rennie and Len Lewis pose for a photo at the February Meeting to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of The Vintage Wireless and Gramophone Club. Richard and Len were two of the founding members of the Club. Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 4 CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS EDITION Tony Smith Vince Taylor Fred Franklin Richard Rennie Phil Oxwell James Wemm Rodney House Alex Koppen EXECUTIVE AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS President Rob Nunn Minutes Secretary Vince Taylor 4 Vice-President Steve Austin. Secretary - Rodney House Committee Tony Smith Committee Andew Wakeman Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 Treasurer Barry Kinsella Webmaster and Committee Reg Gauci 5 Recent Events August 28, 2012 : Trevor Kelly will tell of his experiences working at the ABC. Trevor Kelly September 25, 2012 : Brian Peachey will present his experiences working for C.H Baty and as proprietor of a record store in Perth. October 23, 2012 : a demonstration of a variety of internal horn Edison phonographs. Rodney House November 27, 2012 : Annual Social Evening, starting at 6.30pm at our Clubhouse. December— no meeting in December. January 22, 2013 : Monster auction for Members. Grab a bargains or two! February 26, 2013 : The man who built the first radio in WA, or did he? Presented by Richard Rennie. Coming Events March 26, 2013 : Don Yates will give a talk on his experiences at radio 6PM. April 23, 2013 : John Rutland will present his experiences in the Perth electrical industry. May 28, 2013 : Reg Gauci will introduce a Transistor Night. Bring along your novelty, interesting and unusual radios. June 25, 2013 : AGM and Auction. 5 Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 Richard Rennie 6 A Restoration Story by Fred Franklin HEARWELL RADIO BUILT BY HEACO (ENGLAND) Many years ago I bought a three valve radio from a PMG technician. He had a "cathedral window" type of radio too. I preferred it to the Heaco, however, he insisted on parting with the Heaco. In hind sight I am glad that I bought the Heaco as it may be the only one in Australia. It worked well but deteriorated over the years The radio had no speaker or head phones so I bought a small Stirling horn speaker with an resistance of two thousand ohms. It was in dirty condition but the electrics were excellent. I cleaned the horn and noted that it still had some of the original paint on it. Armed with this important information I went to an automotive spare parts shop that matched, mixed and packed their own spray cans of paint. I polished a brass ring around the small end of the horn and masked it before hanging the horn on the clothes line and painting it with a recommended primer, undercoat and the Holden Commodore burned copper top coat. Heaco Hearwell chassis from rear view. The same treatment was given to the speaker's base. It contains the electrics that work on the same principal as a head phone, but somewhat larger. The headphones that I bought for the radio were in very good condition. Both the phones and speaker required new 1/4 inch plugs with PLASTIC bodies. The insulated body is important as the B+ 60 volts is present on the plug body because of the use of 1/4 inch PMG telephone jacks. The speaker and headphones are connected directly between the B+ rail and the anode of the relevant valve. The phones and the speaker coils are polarized and should be connected positive to positive and negative to the anode. Heaco Hearwell chassis from front view. There are three balloon shaped valves used in the radio. These are all 01A described in the Phillips Miniwatt data book as detector amplifier triodes and used as audio amplifier valves. Similar part numbers are UX-201A. The "UX" describes the base and 2 describes the manufacturer. Two valves were good and one was open circuit filament. A replacement was obtained from the valve bank. The pins are viewed from the bottom with the two fat pins lower and the two thin pins above them. Starting at the lower left fat pin that is pin1 filament (+5 volts @ 0.25 amp), pin2 anode (+90 volts @ 2.5mA), pin 3 grid and pin 4 filament negative. The anode is also capable of using 135 volts @ 3.0 mA or 90 volts @ 2.5 mA. I will use 60 volts as indicated on the battery connections label. The two inter stage Western Electrics 3:1 audio transformers were open circuit. I will pull them to pieces and rewind them. Oh no! "Ten million" turns per coil of one thousandth of an inch winding wire. I have neither the patience nor winder Heaco Hearwell battery compartment, showing the batteries. for this job so they were replaced with Antique Electronics transformers, part number P-T156. They stand out like a sore thumb amongst the genuine, original, antique parts. 6 Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 7 However, in our hot, humid climate I seem to be getting more than my fair share of transformers with open circuit coils as a result of humidity induced corrosion. I want the radio to go reliably for ever with out constant tinkering every time that I turn it on. The aerial transformer seems to be original and in good condition but the regenerative coil was corroded and needed rewinding. The two windings share the same former. The regeneration coil consist of twenty-five turns of 5/44 B&SPF litz wire. The aerial coil has one hundred turns of about 15/1000 inch ordinary enamelled wire tapped at three, six and nine turns from the bottom of the former. I did not unwind it to find out accurately as I prefer to leave sleeping dogs lay. Litz winding wire consists of five strands of enamelled winding wire bound together with a cotton covering. The equivalent is to wind the coil with "five conductors in hand". The wire has special magnetic properties that are excellent for radio frequency coils. When using litz wire leave a fair amount left over at each end of the coil as cleaning off the enamel insulation ready for soldering is a real task on wire that is this thin. Now to the cabinet that consists of the coffin with its lift up lid and a small cupboard underneath with normal doors. The lid appears to have been upholstered as a foot stool at one stage as there are upholstery pin marks all around the edge. Inside the battery cupboard the Heaco Hearwell radio ready for listening amount of filth reminds me that the family chook was living there. Inside the coffin where the radio lives it was all smashed up and was probably a storage place for kindling wood for the lounge room fire. What a cosy little box! For the power supply I have used a number of small 12 volt sealed lead acid batteries and a similar 6 volt battery. All available from J-car. After stripping out the electronics and cleaning and scrubbing everything, I applied eleven coats of shellac and linseed oil. Now the cabinet looks really good, except for the pin marks all around the edge of the lid. Heaco Hearwell radio with battery compartment open There is only one thing to do now re-assemble it and listen to the news on it. On the A.M. scale we have ABC Radio National, Radio, 8 T.A.B., the aboriginal station and the Greek community station. Happy collecting and restoration. Fred Heaco Hearwell radio circuit diagram 7 Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 8 Minutes of Vintage Wireless and Gramophone Collectors Club meeting held at clubrooms Tuesday August 28th 2012. Reg Gaucci- Silicone Chip mags for sale. 5 for $1. Dennis Grimwood- Sharing of information on Leake Amplifiers. Items of Interest 8.00pm. Meeting commenced. Merv Thompson- Ace Pathescope 9mm film projector. Mid The meeting was opened by President Rob Nunn. Welcome 1930s. was extended to our guest speaker Trevor Kelly. Issue121 of the Radiogram is now available (28 pages, May to AuMeeting closed at 8.50pm. Trevor Kelly spoke on his exgust) and thanks were given to contributors. Subs were due periences with ABC radio. in June so if you haven’t paid then do so. The minutes of the previous meeting were moved as correct by Laurie Bugeja and seconded by Richard Rennie. Passed unanimously. Secretary’s Report. There has been a continual trickle of enquiries regarding memberships etc. Coming events.... Sep 30th Wireless Hill Centenary, Domestic Radio Exhibit at the cottage (top of Wireless Hill). Oct 7th Valve Radio Information Day at same venue as above. Oct 14th . Richards encyclopaedia of Western Australian Radios and Gramophones will be launched at Wireless Hill 10.30am. Nov 14th Have A Go Day at Burswood. Club Exhibit. March 24th 2013 Guildford Heritage Day, Stirling Square. Club Exhibit. The Secretary’s report was passed as correct by Merv Thompson and seconded by Richard Rennie. Reg Gauci with table record player for restoration Treasurer’s Report. The treasurer’s report was tabled as a separate document. The club has 35 members. The Treasurers report was moved as correct by Reg Gauci and seconded by Paul Hansen. Passed. General Business. Tony Smith- Needs some Beta cord cassettes to test a machine he is working on. Dennis Grimwood- AWA Veterans Association is having centenary celebrations 28th July 2013 at Burwood RSL. Please pass info to all former workers and interested parties. See Tony Smith for details. Richard Rennie- Suggested a meeting is scheduled for next year on AWA. Rob Nunn- Wishes to reiterate the proposal regarding donated items being auctioned after regular meetings (as opposed to the Jan and June auctions) as there had been some confusion. It was moved that; a maximum of 10 Donated Items (those donated to club for sale and in storage) be auctioned after the presenter has spoken at the regular meetings (not Jan, June or Nov). This was moved by Merv Thompson and seconded by Vince Taylor. Passed. Rod Edwards- Stromberg Carlson shortwave radiogram. Working, free to good home. Pick up Labouchere Rd, South Perth. 8 Close-up of the record player Merv Thompson- Ace Pathescope 9mm film projector. Mid 1930s. Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 9 Minutes of Vintage Wireless and Gramophone Collectors Club meeting held at clubrooms Tuesday September 25th 2012. Steve Austin- Found on eBay NSW. Self inking Morse code machine to enable a paper copy of Morse messages to be made. Meeting closed 8.20pm. 22 members present. Tony Smith showed some films on early radio and some interesting advertisements from the 1950s. 8.01pm. Meeting commenced. The meeting was opened by President Rob Nunn. Apologies were given for Richard Rennie and Norbert Tourney. A committee meeting was held on Sept 18th and discussed membership, the magazine and programme for meetings. Support was given for a larger format club magazine and the extra cost entailed (copies are forwarded to the state archives and contributions are welcomed). Congratulations formally extended to Reg Gaucci for his work on the Club website. Oct meeting is Amberola night and Nov is the Club Christmas wind up. Due to the unavailability of Brian Peachy, Tony Smith will be presenting some short films tonight. After tea break a small auction of donated goods will held. Vice-President Steve and Secretary Rod preparing for an Auction Secretary’s Report. Incoming correspondence. There was no formal correspondence received. There was no outgoing correspondence. A flyer is available regarding upcoming Wireless Hill Centenary events. The secretary’s report was moved as correct by Merv Thompson and seconded by Laurie Bugeja. Passed unanimously. Treasurer’s Report. Tabled as a separate document. Money in the 4% Term deposit has been reinvested. Moved as correct by Rod Edwards, seconded by Steven Austin. Passed unanimously. A 1940’s STC valve mantle radio on the auction list at our February meeting General Business. Tony Smith- 3 speed HMV Transistor console needs a home. Rob Nunn- Has been questioned re circuit manuals, Barry says we have them...Paul Hansen is cataloguing the club library so we know what we have. Steve Austin- has given Barry K. $45 for sales of needles and asked if we should purchase a copy of Richards Encyclopaedia of WA wireless and Gramophones for the club library. Passed by show of hands. Items of Interest. 9 Keith Rutherford from the Motion Picture Museum prepares to record Richard Rennies February presentation on the first radio in WA. Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 10 Minutes of Vintage Wireless and Gramophone Collectors Club meeting held at clubrooms Tuesday October 23rd 2012. Minutes of Vintage Wireless and Gramophone Collectors Club meeting held at clubrooms Tuesday January 22nd 2013. 23 members present. 26 members present. 8.00pm. Meeting commenced. The meeting was opened by President Rob Nunn. 8.00pm. Meeting commenced. The meeting was opened by vice president Steven Austin. Apologies were given for Rob Nunn and John Newman. A welcome was given to Bill & John Gaynor (of The Australian Museum of Motion Picture Technology) and Tom and Rose Constant. Secretary’s Report. Incoming correspondence; there was no formal correspondence received. There was no outgoing correspondence. The 2 days at Wireless Hill (Centenary Celebration Exhibition and Valve Wireless Information Day) were well organised and patronised. Thanks were given to Richard Rennie for the organisation and publicity for these events. Thanks were also extended to Steve Austin (as page 3 girl) publicising the event in the Melville paper. Richards book launch went well and copies are available for purchase after the meeting. The Seniors Have a Go Day is on at Burswood on Wednesday 14th Nov. If members wish to contribute they need to be there at 7am (information and maps are available after the meeting). The secretary’s report was moved as correct by Steven Austin and seconded by James Wemm. Passed unanimously. Secretary’s Report. Acknowledgement was made of the successful end of year function and thanks given to Barry Kinsella, Steven Austin, Reg Gaucci and Andrew Wakeman for their efforts in organising the event. A reminder that an invitation was extended to the club and we have agreed to exhibit at the Guildford Heritage Festival on Sunday March 24th 2013. A large oscilloscope and a chart recorder (with nice clockwork motor) have been donated to the club; these items are available free to whoever wants them. There was no incoming or outgoing correspondence. Treasurer’s Report. Tabled as a separate document. The club currently has 42 financial members. Moved as correct by Richard Rennie and seconded by John Rutland. Passed unanimously. Treasurer’s Report. The treasurer’s report was tabled as a separate document. Moved as correct by Reg Gaucci, seconded by Tony Smith and passed unanimously. General Business. James Wemm- His son living in Byron Bay is in a band called Indigo Parade. They have produced a cd and copies of it are available free to good homes. General Business. Richard Rennie- Places are available for children to attend the school holiday Movie Magic activities. The City of Melville is looking for volunteers to man the new Wireless Hill Museum. See Richard for details. Tony Smith- The club event on Saturday 2nd February, This is Cinerama is booked out. Tony also introduced Bill Tony Smith- Gentleman in Bassendean has a 12 valve Mar- Gaynor. Bill is a committee member of the Australian Museum of Motion Picture Technology (and former president coni communications receiver for sale. Price $150. Unit of the RSL). The AMMPT is dedicated to the preservation weighs 18kg. See Tony Smith for details. of items relating to cinema technology and is very active in WA with approx 70 members (as opposed to 30 members in Richard Rennie- Has had a phone call from a person in QLD who is looking for a circuit diagram for a Palec model the eastern states). Like the VWGC, this group is without a CM multi tester. There is also a Ferris 6 valve 250 volt radio permanent home and is presently looking for space to store their collection of cinema projectors. Meetings are held on free to a good home. the 3rd Wednesday of the month at the RSL Hall, Fred Bell Pde, St James, 7pm (visitors welcome).. Items of Interest. Paul Hansen- Is looking to purchase a cassette walkman. Dennis Grimwood- Purchased some resistors in a box of goods at the last club auction. They were red carbon types. When used they burst into flame and continued to burn. Warning to those who purchased others in box lots. Tom Constant- Thinks that it may be wise to investigate the idea of a number of the communication groups amalgamating in obtaining a plot at Whiteman Park to form a space for a permanent home. There is funding to support such projects and would solve the problem of collections display and storMeeting closed 8.28pm. Guest speakers Rodney House, Richard Rennie and Steve Austin with a presentation on the age. Edison Amberola cylinders and machines. Reg Gaucci- Had a discussion with the general manager of 10 Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 11 Altronics, Brian Sorenson. Brian is willing to open a trade account for club members to enable them to access trade discounts on purchases. See Reg for registration forms. Items of Interest. There were no items presented. Meeting closed 8.25pm. An auction was held after the meeting. Minutes of Vintage Wireless and Gramophone Collectors Club meeting held at clubrooms Tuesday February 26th 2013. 25 members present. 2 visitors. 8.01pm. Meeting commenced. The meeting was opened by President Rob Nunn who apologised for his recent absence. Acknowledgements were given; to visitor Keith Rutherford from the Australian Museum of Motion Picture and Television, and Tony Smith and Roy Mudge for the wonderful film afternoon experienced by the club members last month. Radiogram 122 will be out next week. Submissions from members are always welcome for both the club newsletter and website. Tonite a small auction of donated items will be held after the talk. Barry Kinsella thought that it is not productive to worry over the future. Rob Nunn advised that recruitment is ongoing and the committee is aware of the clubs lack of permanent tenure. John Newman- has a bunch of Radiowaves magazines to give away. Steven Austin- Due to the volume and amount of lots passed in at the last general auction, the auction is restricted to items of genuine collectable interest pertaining to wireless and gramophones. Items of Interest. Steve Austin- 2 Brass plaques to go with his Amy Johnson Aviatrix record and a beautifully reconstructed 1907-8 Klingsor gramophone. Meeting closed 8.40pm Richard Rennie presented a talk on The First Radio in WA? –G.P. Stevens. Secretary’s Report. There was no incoming or outgoing correspondence. The club will be exhibiting again this year at the Guildford Heritage Festival from 9am- 4pm on Sunday 24th March. The exhibit will be in the Hall at Stirling Square. If anyone wishes to help out then be there by 8.30am. The report was moved as correct by Len Lewis and seconded by Tony Smith. Passed. Treasurer’s Report. The treasurer’s report was tabled as a separate document. The term deposit has been reinvested at 4.1%. Report was moved as correct by Seven Austin and seconded by John Rutland. Passed. A beautiful valve-tester at the February auction, which attracted some spirited bidding General Business. Len Lewis- Today is the Clubs 30th Birthday. Len and Richard Rennie are the only foundation members left. A round of applause was given for the club. Merv Thompson- A vote of thanks to Tony Smith for the film event at Medina; This is Cinerama. Bill Oxwell- proposed a motion that at club auctions the vendor advise reserve prices via a separate list with the auctioneer so the auctioneer can know whether the item has reached reserve. Also that in the event the reserve is not reached that the vendor be able to sell to the highest bidder. This was seconded by Rodney House. Carried. John Rutland- that the committee discuss and develop a 10 year plan to ensure continuinity of the club and tenure of club premises. 11 Richard discusses some finer points on the first radio in WA, with Merv Thompson, at the February meeting. Tom Newsome on left. Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 12 CARING FOR YOUR DISC RECORDS Based on information supplied by the National Film and Sound Archive Canberra. How should discs be handled and stored? Sound recordings need to be handled correctly to avoid contamination or other damage. Even when your hands appear clean, traces of sweat and oil are present which can attract dust or promote mould growth when deposited on a recording. Unless being played or cleaned, recordings should be kept in their sleeves/boxes, which also offer physical protection and resistance to damage. Zip-lock plastic envelopes will protect against dust, moisture and mechanical damage. Discs should be stored in cool, dry conditions with a minimum of dust and pollutants, and shelved upright in sturdy shelves with dividing supports every 100 mm 150 mm. Changes in temperature or humidity, direct sunlight, local heat sources, moisture, and dust should be avoided. How can you clean or restore discs? Before playing, discs with light contamination (such as airborne dust) should be cleaned by hand using a suitable brush. Keep a separate brush for 78's and LP's if you have both. ing solution is a 1% solution of cetrimonium bromide in distilled water (available from well stocked pharmacies). Rinse and dry with a soft cloth. If that is not available a couple of drops of washing up detergent in luke-warm water and a very soft brush will help get any grit out of the grooves. They can be dried on a well washed tea towel or just allowed to dry in a dish rack. Try not to get the paper label in the middle of the disc wet. What precautions should you take with discs? Any disc has a finite number of times it can be played before the groove is damaged to some audible extent. The turntable and pickup arm should be properly adjusted and maintained as well as having the correct stylus type for the discs. Any surface dust should be removed before playback. A quality turntable and pickup cartridge will cost several hundred dollars, although there are cheaper turntables with a USB connection available quite cheaply. These allow the audio signal to be directly recorded onto a computer as mp3 files and burnt to CD or transferred to an iPod or similar. Electronic filtering can sometimes be effective in removing unwanted noise and the effects of wear or damage. These cheap turntables are not of the highest quality and repeated playing of a record will lead to groove wear, but they can be useful for a one-off transfer to a digital format. More information about caring for your audio-visual collection can be found at http://www.iasa-web.org/tc04/audio-preservation Please note - The advice given here in regard to the care of audio material is based on best international experience and the best information available to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. However, given the different circumstances applying to the condition of any particular audio item we cannot be responsible for the application of this advice in any particular circumstances. To be sure of the best care of your audio item you may wish to seek specialist advice. Clean extensive contamination, including mould, from disc surfaces before further handling. An effective clean12 Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 13 Old Valve Information Day—Sunday 7 October 2012 On 7 October 2012 the Vintage Wireless and Gramophone Club conducted an “Old Valve Radio Information Day” at Wireless Hill, inviting the Public to bring in any old valve radio sets for identification and dating. The function was a great success with about 65 people attending with about 29 radio sets, which kept your Club Reps very busy. Representing our Club were Rodney House, Reg Gauci, Andrew Wakeman, Rob Nunn and Richard Rennie. Thanks to these members for their great work and for bringing along some radios and gramophones for display. We also had the following items donated to the Club: Bag of valves 60s Kreisler radio STC Bakelite radio Home made 1 valve receiver Astor car radio with cable controls Early Sharp 10 transistor radio Some of the sets brought along for display 13 Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 14 Restoration of a 1928-30 Console Radio By Phil Oxwell Following on late last year from the restoration of my 16 valve Midwest Radio, I tackled another project being a small console radio. I had called to see the seller in Carlisle as he had described it on Gumtree as a” large mantle” radio and I was looking to do another restoration on wood radio. When I arrived it was indeed the size of a large mantle radio,as someone in the distant past had done major surgery on the legs by removing them .He advised me he had purchased it 20 years ago from a lady in Dalkeith and he was to restore it but never got around to it and it had sat in his back-shed for all the time Being new to the radio collection scene I was not even aware the legs had been removed until it was pointed out to me by Andrew Wakeman when I sent him a photo to help identify the set. Good news was that Andrew did indeed have a set of legs from the same model case radio that he was willing to part with. The make of the radio is a New Systems Radio (Hollingsworth) and it has a plaque at rear of case that the case was made by a company in Sydney called Ricketts and Thorpe who was a very high end furniture maker company from 1912 until mid 50s or so the description goes based on internet information. New Systems Radio (Hollingsworth) before restoration The chassis was removed for restoration and then I started on the case by stripping back the old varnish and perhaps the original stain which was used to “darken” the original wood. This took a lot of manual labour (they all do) as I don’t like to use a great deal of heavy grade sandpaper starting with 120 and then finishing on 240 and then, 000 steel wool. I had by then re-attached the 4 replacement legs and they now look great. The wood cabinet itself did not require any wood repair so this was a good thing .After applying several coats of Feast Watson sanding sealer and then taking back again with fine wet and dry paper I then lightly stained the wood with a shade of light teak and maple, again using Feast Watson proofing product as I find that this brand colour matching is pretty well spot on. 14 Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 15 The final process was 3 coats of Polyethylene The end result shows grain of wood and the veneer that would never have been seen under the original staining varnish and looks a beautiful radio and also plays like a beautiful radio and now sits in our formal lounge area of our home. Phil Oxwell Cabinet after removal of old varnish, and completion of sandpapering Final product of restoration project! Final product of restoration project! Good as new in 1928! 15 Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 16 Amplifiers and interesting equipment from club member, Alex Koppen, in the U.K. One is of a V24 valve with the original box which is very rare. The item that looks like a morse code key (but is not) apparently I've been told is the same item as in some pictures of the Titantic's radio room, but of course I have not seen this and I don't think its true but its quite an interesting piece. Obviously not the one from the Titantic! Theres also here a Greives Cotton and Co of Bombay Electrical Engineers item - Its called a full wave magnetic rectifier. 230 volts, 50 cycles. Quite an interesting lump of iron! Made in Bombay. 16 Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 17 The amplifiers have 2x Eimac 100TH valves in each. I had them made in Western Australia. Originally each amp had round toroidal transformers. Both didn't last long at all and I never liked them, they were made in Sydney. Steve tells members about his restoration on this very unusual beautifully reconstructed 1907-8 Klingsor gramophone. Amplifier valves at night! I ordered 2 from Magestic Transformers, of Dorset. Not round ones, and they seem to have been working fine since. Each amp has a name, once's called Love, the pre-amp is called 'N' and the other amp is called Peace. The sound is wonderful. No base or treble, just 2 volume controllers. An RCA Oscilloscope that went for the princely sum of $2 at the February auction Alex in UK. (definitely not an Australian backdrop!) 17 At the February meeting, From left: Morse code register that records morse code on paper tape; Morse code register without paper tape reel; 1890’s Ericsson telephone; Rear: Paper cone speaker cone for radio. Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 18 Exhibition of 1920—1950’s radios at Wireless Hill Reg Gauci brought along some radios Our Club display generated a lot of interest from the public Wireless Hill premises where our Club display took place 18 Some of the radios, valves etc on display An early Batyphone radio was part of the Club display Rodney discussing vintage radios and gramophones with the public Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 19 avenues to come up with a solution but suspected, it was due to one of our rectifiers. My Favourite Wireless by James Wemm Before I start on about my favourite wireless from my collection, I would like to share with you an experience I had many years ago when I used to work for a living, that is, prior to going into teaching. This memory was prompted after attending the film afternoon arranged by Tony Smith which turned out to be a great experience. Now I originally worked for a company you all would be familiar with and that is Standard Telephones & Cables (STC). When I started with them back in 1967, they no longer manufactured consumer products such as radios, fridges, vacuum cleaners Television sets etc. They were taken over by ITT (actually IT&T International Telephone and Telegraph) and the company then concentrated on three main products, Telephone, Mobile Radio and Industrial Electronics. The main factory was located on Botany Road in Alexandria, NSW where they manufactured large and small telephone exchanges or PABXs and their range of mobile radio units. I was located in the Melbourne office where I worked in the Industrial Electronics section. Now this section encompassed everything from PA systems, sound reinforcement, pocket paging systems, rectifiers and power supplies etc. In other words, everything that was not telephone or mobile radio related. One of the jobs we were involved with at the time was to provide the large rectifiers for the new Xenon projectors at Hoyts Cinema Centre in Bourke Street Melbourne, which was under construction at the time in 1969. The rectifiers were manufactured by STC at their Liverpool factory in NSW. From memory the rectifier provided 25 volts at around 160 amps and there were two installed in each of the three cinemas in the complex. One rectifier for each xenon projector in each of the Bio boxes. Now the problem related to an audible ‘hum’ in the amplifying system when using one of the projectors which was not present in any of the other units. So arriving at the Bio box in Cinema 2, I was met by the head projectionist and some heavies from Hoyts who indeed were pointing the finger at one of our rectifiers! Where to start? Well I quickly deduced that the ‘hum’ in the audio system was a 50 hertz signal so straight away it ruled out interference from rectified DC. I also was of the opinion that our rectifier was in the clear unless it was due to electro-magnetic radiation from the large power transformer contained within. I also ruled this out as none of the others suffered the same problem and it was contained in a pretty sturdy metal cabinet which should act as a shield. Back to the projector and peering into the section where the audio amps were with all their connections I was at my wits end and was probably hoping for some divine intervention. I was about to recite Ohm’s law to the projector to let it know it was in fact dealing with a qualified Electronics techo when I noticed that there was something different in the base of this projector compared to the others. The difference revolved around how the 240 volt power was brought into the base of the projector. Originally, both the Xenon projectors were apparently fed from the one circuit breaker where it was supposed to have a breaker for each unit. Makes sense really. So the contracting electricians left the parallel connections in situ and just disconnected the active and ran a separate active in a conduit from the fuse box without the neutral. Seemed unlikely that this could be the problem however, the radiation from the active conductor without the cancelling effect of the neutral and vice versa can be quite significant. Contracting electricians installed the units along with all required cabling for both the projectors and the rectifiers. We were merely required to commission and test the rectifiers with the Hoyts personnel being present for the handover. There were also people there from Gaumont Kalee theatre supply company, the makers of the xenon projectors. All went well and the handover was completed and signed off. This was not done by me but some of the more senior personnel at STC down from Sydney. About three months later when I had taken up the position of senior service technician, I received a call from the Cinema centre saying they had a problem with one of the projectors in Cinema 2 and although they couldn’t confirm if the problem was ours, they were exploring all 19 The foyer in the new cinema centre. Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 20 Clutching at straws I asked if the electricians were still working in the complex and if so, could they be contacted to come over with some heavy duty twin and earth. All the heavies in the Bio box looked at me like I was from outer space and I must admit I was starting to sweat as I was not really sure if it was going to work. The electrician duly arrived and was clearly not pleased with what I wanted him to do. I wanted him to totally disconnect the projector from the 240 volts in the base of the unit including the Neutral and earth and run a temporary feed from the fuse box over to the projector. I don’t think the people from Hoyts including the Head projectionist had much faith and were actually quite amused at what I was doing, however didn’t say much as they were unable to come up with a solution to the interference. Time for the big test, breaker on, projector on, amps on and lo and behold, absolutely no hum!! Not convinced, they loaded a film onto the projector, turns out it was the Thomas Crown affair with Steve McQueen and then started the movie. Still no hum through the headphones on the projector! Then all went down into the Auditorium – same result no hum. Upon their return I was congratulated on my efforts and was told Hoyts would be in touch with me personally. After a couple of weeks I received a year’s supply of free movie tickets which was a nice touch however all in a day’s work for the electronics tech eh! PS I don’t think the electricians were too popular with the Hoyts people. So getting back to my favourite radio! Looking at my collection of wirelesses and radios (they seemed to change the name sometime in the late 1930s) my favourite unit would probably be the Airzone ‘AirPlayer’ console model. Now I am only assuming it is an Airzone as the name does not appear on it anywhere apart from the Airplayer nameplate on the dial escutcheon. The main reason I am assuming it is an Airzone is that the circuit is identical to the Airzone 505/515 from around 1932 and the details being printed in Silicon Chip in their antique radio section back in July 2002. I purchased this radio from the ‘Restorer’s Barn’ in Castlemaine Victoria. This place sells everything you could possibly want when restoring an old house or furniture etc. Original brass and ceramic light switches, old taps plus thousands of other bits and pieces. They also operate as an antique shop selling a lot of items on consignment such as radios, furniture and all the other junk that seems to be in every antique shop. Wandering through I spotted this console radio looking forlorn and clearly in need of serious restoration. Incidentally STC also provided all of the lamp dimmers for all three theatres and the foyer areas. So what you might say, lamp dimmers have been used in theatres probably dating back to silent movies! However, the interesting thing about this was the fact that we were dimming fluorescent lights which to my knowledge, had not Further inspection revealed that the cabinet was in reabeen done in a theatre before. sonably good order apart from a hole that had been punched through the front by the only knob left on it when Now we know that you cannot successfully dim fluoresit apparently had fallen cent lights as they will just flick off when the voltage goes over on its face. The below a certain point. To overcome this problem the filaspeaker cone had disinment needs to be kept on and suppled with full voltage to tegrated but all valves keep the tube warm. This would allow the tube to be were present. The dimmed right down to virtually blackout. However keeping asking price was $220 the filaments at full voltage severely reduced the life of from memory but they the tube and Hoyts were therefore regularly replacing the eventually settled for fluorescent tubes. $180. Also purchased Eventually all tubes were replaced with incandescent was a now beautiful types with the dimmers being modified along with the wir- AWA grey and cream ing. Didn’t appear to be too successful although I guess it mantel radio which I was a good experiment. (Fluorescents give off some spotted on the way out strange effects when being dimmed right down, one be- and which I couldn’t do ing a spiral of light travels along the tube) any better than $120! 20 Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 21 The main reason that I wanted the wooden console unit was that my partner had enrolled in a French Polishing course and as part of the training she was encouraged to bring along something to work on. So after getting them home I quickly stripped down the unit ready for some pretty serious cabinet work. So while my partner took the unit off to night school I started to restore the actual radio. . commenced to rotate the tuning dial and to my pleasant surprise, in came 6PR loud and clear! Now although this unit hails from around 1932, it is a Superheterodyne with an IF of 455KHz where most units around this time had an IF of 175KHz or were still TRF types. The circuit does not have a volume control and instead, uses a gain control in the aerial circuit. This leads to loud clicks and pops emanating from the unit when turning on lights etc. Also the audio is a bit distorted as it uses an anode bend detector which compared to today’s detector circuits leaves a bit to be desired The Airzone 505 circuit diagram. Sent the Speaker off to a chap in NSW for a re-cone and test having first deduced that both the field, and voice coils were ok along with the output transformer. The speaker assembly came back looking like brand new. I did a general clean up and rust removal on the chassis and then replaced all capacitors and any resistors that measured suspect. I also replaced the 80 rectifier which was cracked and also the 3 core flex and power plug with some new brown cotton covered cable and a near new brown Bakelite 3 pin plug. Now with the rectifier removed I connected the unit to a Variac and slowly increased the supply voltage while measuring the secondary HT voltage. All good with the filaments and dial lights alive. Reducing the supply voltage back to zero and plugging in the 80 rectifier again, repeated the process, this time measuring the main HT voltage and was pleased to see it climb to around 400 volts. Even more pleased to hear a slight hum in the speaker. Then connecting a 2 metre wire for the aerial 21 There is also no AGC so when tuning to different frequencies, the gain control needs to be worked on to provide a satisfactory output from all radio stations. Now this radio is allowed to reside inside the house whereas the others are relegated out of sight. Might have something to do with the French polishing!! PS Please let me know if you think this unit is not an Airzone but another brand of a company operating in the 1930’s, bearing in mind that the unit was purchased in Victoria. ....... James Wemm Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 22 This system was, I understood, used before such converters as pentagrids (as 6A7) and triode-heptodes (as 6J8) came along. AIRZONE 300 By Tony Smith I had never had to deal with one of these but tracing the circuit, and having a vague idea of how they worked enabled the front end to be worked out. One day I noticed an old radio in the corner of the garage of one of our members. It was an Airzone 300 in a wooden cabinet, the cabinet looking as though it had just been re-furbished. With a Once the set was out of the cabinet the speaker was removed. It was an electromagnetic speaker whose magnet coil winding was fortunately intact - but - Boy! There was this repair made to the speaker cone to cover some obvious insect holes with newspaper. I had never seen a repair like this before, and it turned out that the member owner had done the repair. Airzone 300 rush of blood to the head I said to the member - I would love to have a go at getting that old set going. Before I could say "electrolytic" the set was in my car's boot! Talk about a big mouth! The line up of valves in these sets are 57 - 58 - 59 - 80 With no circuit one could be forgiven for thinking that it might be a TRF as there appeared to be no frequency converter. Top view of chassis Rear view of chassis He explained that to prevent the voice-coil from touching the central magnet when the paper and glue dried some shims had been placed around the core - to be removed later. Would you believe that this worked and the speaker was useable! A close look at the paper used indicated that it was part of a published cartoon strip by the artist "Sots". Maybe someone could date this bit of paper! Taking the set out of the cabinet and endeavouring to draw out the circuit soon indicted that the set was in fact an early superhet, with a standard pentode valve as a frequency converter, an IF stage, and an output stage acting as a detector-amplifier. The converter was what we used to know as an "autodyne" utilizing a standard pentode as a combined oscillator and mixer. A new trend in speaker repairs! Heres a complicated chasis! 22 Continuing to trace out the circuit was not all that easy as connections to the coils and IFs were not identified - although with the use of an ohm-meter and the valve connections a rough circuit was finally done. Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 23 The set was designed before AGC became the norm, and tracing out the circuit showed that the "volume control"was in fact a "gain"control, consisting of a combination wirewound rheostat that partially loaded up the aerial input and at the same time increased the bias on the IF stage. The bias voltage came from a resistor divider network from the screen supply putting a positive and adjustable bias on the IF cathode. All the wire-wound resistors had an opened circuit, probably due to corrosion over the years. As it was calculated that the currents involved in the appropriate circuts were relatively low it was decided to use high rating carbon An early console wireless that was up for auction at the February meeting Showing the wire-wound resistors, the “gain” control and the aerial/oscillator coils resistors as replacements. The accompanying under chassis photo shows the original wire-wound resistors, and also the aerial and oscillator coils and cans mounted under the chassis. Also seen in this photo is the gain control rheostat. In the meantime a request was sent to the Historical Radio Society and their circuit diagram service, and sure enough back came the exact circuit of the set, originally drawn in January 1933. Plenty of spare parts up for auction at the February meeting Then it was time to try. Taking the usual necessary precautions the set was gradually brought up to being directly on the mains. And naturally there came the stations! The performance was low and upon checking the HT it was obvious the 80 was not too good. An adaptor was mad up to try a 5Y3 and this made a big difference to the voltage and the set's showing. The set was returned to the grateful owner with the poor 80 rectifier still installed, and whilst the performance left a little to be desired it certainly was reasonable and all the locals came in with a good aerial. …….Tony 23 Anyone know what year this Kreisler console is? Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 24 The Monster January Auction! Some of the members at the January auction January auction—hmm that looks interesting! Something for everybody here! There must be something you’ve always wanted here! Some more of the items at the January auction I’m looking for a bone with some meat left on it! 24 Some of the items at the January auction You’re not seriously saying I’ve got to auction this lot!? Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 25 A Western Australian Heritage Festival Event SOUNDS LIKE HERITAGE Unique Western Australian sound recordings from 1892 - 1965. Come and hear the stories behind some rare one-off recordings of WA voices and music from the past, and learn how the records were made; and what must be done to preserve them. Sounds Like Heritage include Charles court (1928), Melva Neville (1932), Sir James Mitchell (1936), Irene Rose Abbott (1941), Sir Charles Gairdner (1957), Football WA vs VIC final quarter (1965), and more. Presented by: The Museum of Early Western Australian Recorded Sound When: Sunday May 12 Time: 1.30 pm Where: To be advised on booking Cost: Free Booking: Essential Contact: Richard 9330 1636 Cinerama! On 2 February 2013 Tony Smith organized a Club outing to a private cinema owned by Roy Mudge in Medina. Thanks are due to Tony Smith and his friend Roy Mudge for this very interesting film afternoon titled “This is Cinerama” . I have heard very favourable feedback from members that attended. Cinerama is the trademarked name for a widescreen process which works by simultaneously projecting images from three synchronized 35 mm projectors onto a huge, deeply-curved screen, subtending 146° of arc. It is also the trademarked name for the corporation which was formed to market it. I t was the first of a number of novel processes introduced during the 1950s, when the movie industry was reacting to competition from television. Cinerama was presented to the public as a theatrical event, with reserved seating and printed programs, and audience members often dressed in best attire for the evening. 25 Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 26 Amberolas Left to Right: Amberola V (1913), Amberola VIII (1914\3), Amberola BVIII (1914), Amberola DX (1914). Left to Right: Amberola 30 (1915), Amberola 30, Amberola 50 (mahogany) (1915), Amberola 50 (oak). Left to Right: Wax 4M Amberol Records (1908), Blue Amberol Records (1912), Royal Purple Amberol Records, Special Wax Amberol Records (1908), Blue Amberol Records. Email addressed to Secretary of VWGC: I have rescued the remains of an old radio which may be of interest to members of your club. I am attaching some photos for your perusal. If this is of any use to any of your members you can contact me by return email or on my mobile 0417 944 802. I have some spare valves as well but am not sure of their condition. Regards, Vince Sinagra 26 Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 27 Above: The Phonograph & Typewriter Co. from the Western Mail December 30 1907. The Phonograph & Typewriter Co. began in June 1907. It grew out of The Edison Phono. Depot which had been started in 1904 in a small shop in Central Arcade by Herbert R. Firth. Central Arcade originally ran between Murray Street and Wellington Streets, opposite the Perth Railway Station, through what is now Forrest Place. About January 1907 the sole agency in Western Australia for the Moya Typewriter was granted to the Edison Phono. Depot. It was thus decided it was more appropriate to change the name of the company to The Phonograph & Typewriter Co. The first advertisement for The Phonograph & Typewriter Co. appeared in June 1907. Above: The Wellington Street end of Central Arcade Thanks to Richard Rennie for this contribution...Ed. 27 Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013 28 WANTED Surplus 78 rpm records of piano playing (classical, popular, Rachmaninoff, Winefred Atwell, Joe Fingers Car, etc) for school holiday porgram. Only 78s. Any quantity. Must be FREE. Contact Richard 9330 1636. rsrennie@lightandsound.net.au STUART BOOTY Booty made and sold Vitavox gramophones in Sydney, starting in about 1920. However in 1911 he was showing movies in Victoria Park (WA) using a projector of his own construction. In 1920 he built the first x-ray machine in WA. Information is wanted about Stuart Booty and his work in WA. Has anyone seen a Vitavox gramophone? Contact Richard Rennie 9330 1636 email rsrenie@lightandsound.net.au Assistance Wanted Garth Irvin of the Vintage Car Club (Kalgoorlie) need some assistance with his HOLDEN AIRCHIEF 8-TRANSISTOR PICNIC CAR RADIO. It works but there is a problem with the aerial. Contact 0418 901 850 Note : Advertisements are placed free-of-charge, but should be of a non-exploitive nature. (Editor) The Western Australian branch of AMMPT Inc invites the public to an upcoming series of presentations. Presentations take place on the third Wednesday of months February to November inclusive. Where? RSL Hall - 1 Fred Bell Pde, St James. How Much? Free The first two sessions are: February 20th March 20th First Radio in W.A. - GP Stevens Presenter: Richard Rennie In 1899, G.P. Stevens struggled to build a radio transmitter in order to establish wireless communications between Perth and Rottnest. Eventually he succeeded in making Western Australia’s first radio transmissions. ….or did someone else do it before him? The Projectionists –Roy Mudge, George Robinson & Bill Gaynor Meet three veterans of cinema projection who will tell us about their journey in the cinema business and give us the benefit of their experience. For enquiries phone 9446 1627 or email krut@bigpond.net.au 28 Radiogram Issue 122 February 2013