10-01-2012, 03:53 PM
A bit off topic David.. There was a "social" in the 1930's. Orwell was scathing of how the "dole" operated in his essay "The Road to Wigan Pier". Rather like todays situation it was means tested and a source of fantastic hardship and suffering, taking peoples homes away and smashing up families.
BTW.. Radio Radio contains a few glaring errors.
As an example it has a photo described as a Scott Taggart ST 600 which is actually the ST Supergram Deluxe fitted in a cabinet without a turntable. (the Supergram Deluxe used the ST 400 chassis layout with additional volume control specifically for the record deck, radio used the reaction control for volume.. rather archaic). The photo they use is from the only company I know of who actually manufactured these sets on any kind of commercial sale (S-T designed for home constructors mostly) which was run in Hereford by my Grandfather and one Willaim Birch from a small workshop/shop on Eign Gate from 1925 to 1934 building complete sets and also fitting them into existing pieces of furniture (more common in those days than people might guess) When other chainstore retailers started up selling affordable commercial sets in town they seem to have closed as ST designs were by then rather outdated and "top end". As a small local concern they don't seem to have had the wherewithall to tool up for metal chassis mass production. Maybe a matter of space, or possibly it wasn't as lucrative as it might have been once there was commercial scale competition. So if anybody comes across a Scott Taggart or Round/Marconi breadboard design set which is signed WJ Powell/W Birch on the baseboard with a date in the late 20's - early 30's now you know where it comes from. Before that they made sets to the Round/Marconi based designs being boxes and breadboards using various circuits which I think my Grandfather had a lot to do with designing and modifying. Grandfather was a Signaller in WW1 and had his "wireless" knowledge from then. William Birch had a son, Fred who I remember working on TV and Radio repairs in the same area until the late 70's. The shop is still standing and now a Post Office if anybody wants to go and have a look at a piece of radio history in the outlands.
In my Grandmothers house in my childhood memories is a large 8 valve "wireless" on a flat board with a black front panel with batteries, a large glass accumulator and a multitude of knobs which my Grandmother could work though it was completely beyond me how she did it. It lived in the back bedroom and there were speakers scattered through the house with their own switches. I'm not going to mention her TV except to say it was in 3 boxes!!!
BTW.. Radio Radio contains a few glaring errors.
As an example it has a photo described as a Scott Taggart ST 600 which is actually the ST Supergram Deluxe fitted in a cabinet without a turntable. (the Supergram Deluxe used the ST 400 chassis layout with additional volume control specifically for the record deck, radio used the reaction control for volume.. rather archaic). The photo they use is from the only company I know of who actually manufactured these sets on any kind of commercial sale (S-T designed for home constructors mostly) which was run in Hereford by my Grandfather and one Willaim Birch from a small workshop/shop on Eign Gate from 1925 to 1934 building complete sets and also fitting them into existing pieces of furniture (more common in those days than people might guess) When other chainstore retailers started up selling affordable commercial sets in town they seem to have closed as ST designs were by then rather outdated and "top end". As a small local concern they don't seem to have had the wherewithall to tool up for metal chassis mass production. Maybe a matter of space, or possibly it wasn't as lucrative as it might have been once there was commercial scale competition. So if anybody comes across a Scott Taggart or Round/Marconi breadboard design set which is signed WJ Powell/W Birch on the baseboard with a date in the late 20's - early 30's now you know where it comes from. Before that they made sets to the Round/Marconi based designs being boxes and breadboards using various circuits which I think my Grandfather had a lot to do with designing and modifying. Grandfather was a Signaller in WW1 and had his "wireless" knowledge from then. William Birch had a son, Fred who I remember working on TV and Radio repairs in the same area until the late 70's. The shop is still standing and now a Post Office if anybody wants to go and have a look at a piece of radio history in the outlands.In my Grandmothers house in my childhood memories is a large 8 valve "wireless" on a flat board with a black front panel with batteries, a large glass accumulator and a multitude of knobs which my Grandmother could work though it was completely beyond me how she did it. It lived in the back bedroom and there were speakers scattered through the house with their own switches. I'm not going to mention her TV except to say it was in 3 boxes!!!
