12-07-2017, 10:40 PM
In most rural areas of the UK the situation was the same, in fact the mass electrification was responsible for the drive to produce cheap(er) radio sets to sell to this newly powered demographic.
In the years that live chassis sets were in production there seemed to be a more common sense approach to safety, the sets normally had the warning printed on the back cover, and anyone who was electrocuted was deemed to have been to blame for their demise.
There were some real "shocking" designs, (pun intended), like the hallicrafters S-38, live chassis insulated from the metal cabinet with only a few small rubber grommets that soon perished, a non polarised mains plug and it's radio death roulette. The only saving grace in their homeland was the 117V supply. It was these sets in particular that were designated "the widow maker" in the US.
In those days the UK industry was also pretty bad, but with the added spice of the nominal 240V supply.
Even more insentive to keep the back on, and not pull off the knobs!
Having said that when these sets pass through our hands we do have a responsibility to make them as safe as possible and hang originality, even if they are only for our own use.
Andy.
In the years that live chassis sets were in production there seemed to be a more common sense approach to safety, the sets normally had the warning printed on the back cover, and anyone who was electrocuted was deemed to have been to blame for their demise.
There were some real "shocking" designs, (pun intended), like the hallicrafters S-38, live chassis insulated from the metal cabinet with only a few small rubber grommets that soon perished, a non polarised mains plug and it's radio death roulette. The only saving grace in their homeland was the 117V supply. It was these sets in particular that were designated "the widow maker" in the US.
In those days the UK industry was also pretty bad, but with the added spice of the nominal 240V supply.
Even more insentive to keep the back on, and not pull off the knobs!
Having said that when these sets pass through our hands we do have a responsibility to make them as safe as possible and hang originality, even if they are only for our own use.
Andy.
