New Zealand medium wave radio

[djrm]

I found this radio at a local car boot sale recently, it looks quite clean and was attracted to it since I have family in New Zealand. The seller said they had bought it back with them when the returned from living there some time ago. Some of the parts inside are made in Wellington NZ, other parts are from The USA. I'm not sure if I will be trying to make it work, I may just keep it as it is because it is medium wave only. Any information about the set thankfully received. KInd regards, David.

   
   
   

[djrm]

The Pacemaker model 516A was manufactured for H. W. Clarke Ltd by Collier & Beale Ltd in 1946.
https://www.vintageradio.co.nz/model/pacemaker/516a
Its older than I thought, this probably explains the hurt look when I asked the owner if she had bought it new!

[joebog1]

Beware those paper waxies by Ducon!!!. I dont know if Ducon had a factory in NZ, but they certainly did in Sydney and they are death for any valve connected via them.

The pale blue very early polyesters are also sus. The ones in the radio look like they have been squeezed like toothpaste.
NZ had a thriving electronics industry, especially after WWII as most of the RAF brains moved there.
As a kid I had a copy of a Mullard 10 + 10 that had exceptional sound quality.

Joe

[peter scott]

NZ had a thriving electronics industry, especially after WWII as most of the RAF brains moved there.
Joe

The schematic of the Pacemaker suggests more US influence than British.

Peter

[Mike Watterson]

Only hermetically sealed paper dielectric caps have more than 10 year life.

[djrm]

I had reason to test some TCC metalpack ceramic end sealed capacitors recently, they all had undetectable leakage and nearly stated capacitance.
I remember buying the large ones NOS around 50 years ago, recently they were removed from an amp to replace - needn't have bothered.

   
   

[joebog1]

The schematic of the Pacemaker suggests more US influence than British.

If you are referring the the "proper " valve numbers, rather than those bdk4752 or hfc21B that the british use I suppose you are correct.
When I do read English circuits I always have to have a substitution manual with me. As far as I know NZ did the same as AU and used American numbering systems.
Superadiotron, was the aussie brand of valves that we produced here, and were "mostly " from RCA, although Brimar and Philips also had factories here, and they ALL used the US system of numbering.
Apart from that, the circuit is pretty similar to any other superhet of the time. British OR American.

Joe

[Richard_FM]

I heard that many manufacturers in New Zealand (& probably Australia too) adopted American valve standards because it had been easier to source components from the USA during the War & the years afterwards.

[joebog1]

You could well be right Richard, I live in north queensland and during the war there were 600,000 yanks stationed in the area. Mareeba was the airfield where the aircraft came from, for the battle of the Coral Sea. The site is still off limits due to the huge amount of cordite still on the bottom of the ocean. It is ony about 50 miles off the coast. The aussie army was also stationed around the area for the New Guinea campaign.

Joe

[peter scott]

The schematic of the Pacemaker suggests more US influence than British.

Apart from that, the circuit is pretty similar to any other superhet of the time.  British OR American.

Joe

It's the positioning of the HT rail on the schematic that says US to me.

Peter.