Transistors

[Terry]

My Bush, for example, has OC transistors point soldered to a chassis and pretty much fits the same model where valves were used. It's dated 1959 and still works fine. If I recall, it may not even have a ferrite aerial.

*panto-mode* Oh yes it does! */panto-mode*

It is also quite a substantial size compared with many others of the same period and is unusual in that both MW and LW coils are connected in parallel for MW, increasing the sensitivity.

If, as I suspect from your description, it is a TR82, it is more closely related to its mains/battery valve predecessor - the MB60 - than you might realise.

Take a look at the back. Notice the flat oval indentation at one end? In the MB60 this is where there was a hole to accept the mains socket on the detachable mains lead. Now look at the inside of the back. See those raised circles moulded into the plastic? This is where circular sorbo-rubber pads were glued. They had a central hole so that they fitted over the sealing pips of the valves, keeping them firmly in their bases when the back was screwed on.

Actually, the positions shown are for the first version of the MB60 which was later redesigned to take different batteries with a different chassis layout, thus meaning that all the valve positions were different. The sorbo pads were still fitted - obviously located by a template - although they were no longer located in the moulded circles!

Apart from the red rexine on the central part of the MB60 body and the hole punched in the back, the dial,knobs and entire cabinet are identical.

That mains socket area came in very useful on the TR82 as we received numerous requests to fit an output to feed a tape recorder. The obvious place to put the sockets was in that oval depression!