Winter BVWS Bulletin - excellent!

[Yorkie]

My Bulletin arrived today, and as always, it is excellent and a really good read. There's a superb 10-page article on Gary's restoration of a 1935 Integra' model 36 from 1935. A total strip down and re-build of a complex radio, with many pictures and restoration tips - not least of which is the wisdom of making a point to point drawing of all the intricate below chassis wiring, also, making modern resistors look more in keeping with the era.

I'll certainly be following Gary's advice when I strip the chassis of the Ekco AC77 that I've set about restoring. The cabinet, speaker (including the filed coil rewind) and the power supply are finished, and the main chassis awaits attention. Although I've taken many pics in the hope that these will suffice to a strip down and re-build, I'll be following Gary's advice and doing a point to point wiring diagram or something will get overlooked I'm sure!

Among the other articles there's an excellent 6-page article in the Bulletin by Jeffrey Borinsky (PPPPenguin) about the TV set-up at the Museum at Gerry Wells's place in Dulwich.

I've never been into Catalin radios, which is just as well given the astronomic price they command! However, the full colour front and back page of the winter Bulletin shows a wodnerful array of these radios which are described as 'part of Carl Glover's collection'. I can't imagine how much trouble and expense over many years must have gone into amassing such a splendid collection as Carl's.

As usual, an excellent 2014 came with the Bulletin.

Well done to all those who keep the BVWS show on the road.

(Sent off my subs renewal by return of post).

[Radio Fixer]

Thanks for the "superb" David: I do try and to me its quite a good article with some never before seen features of that particular radio. Plus I hope there are a few new ideas or at least not seen before ideas for some.

I have yet to read Jeffery's article I but know it will excellent as his always are, although in the past I haven't always understood all of them. Well TV line converters is not my speciality and its even years since I worked on a TV.

Gary

[Yorkie]

Thanks for the "superb" David: I do try and to me its quite a good article with some never before seen features of that particular radio. Plus I hope there are a few new ideas or at least not seen before ideas for some.
Gary

Yes Gary several very useful tips to help the unwary avoid pitfalls. There's often a tendency to ''dive in' and start dismantling and disturbing components and wiring, then later - often after perhaps many weeks have elapsed - the truth dawns that you haven't a clue what goes where because no notes or drawing were made, or if they were, it was on scraps of paper which just might be around somewhere.

The service data for the Ekco AC77 that I'm restoring is better than most and has a clear under-chassis diagram, which is A5 size. It shows the location of the main components but not all of them, and not all of the wiring. Based on your advice I'll be getting that enlarged to A3 size and adding lines for all the components for which wiring isn't show in the diagram. You're certainly right about pictures not telling the whole story. Although I've taken lots of pictures, I've compared them with the chassis and asked my self whether - were the chassis stripped bare and I was at the rebuilding stage - would the pics give me enough to rebuild it without a hitch. I think you can guess the answer to that rhetorical question!

Nice to read a write up about a total restoration of an unusual set, (a French one at that!) which called for much detective work and posed many new challenges (even for a seasoned restorer!).

Not sure what you'll be doing for an encore Gary, but no doubt you'll already have something in mind!

[Radio Fixer]

Thanks David.

Well for encores, in the Spring issue is an article I did on yet another Marconi 561, I have written about this one before and an HMV 650 that uses the same chassis. I didn't restore this one but only aligned it for a new member Bill Taylor although he left me a couple of tricky intermittent faults to find (he didn't spot them).

The thing here is that for someone without an electronics background, Bill is a Thatcher by trade, he did such a superb restoration on a complex first radio. I hope you enjoy it ...

And in the Summer Bulletin .... an article about another inspirational restorer (not me)

Cheers Gary

[Yorkie]

And in the Summer Bulletin .... an article about another inspirational restorer (not me)

Cheers Gary

Well that narrows it down quite a bit! We'll be running a book on who it is - not good odds because there are only a handful who fit that description, so I'll have to wait to see if my hunch is correct!

When I see the high level of skill exhibited by authors in the Bulletin and in RB, both in terms of the complexity of some of the restorations and also the high standard of drawing of diagrams, dials and the like, I'm filled with a mixture of inspiration, admiration, and rage at my own incompetence! Oh well, I've plonked about with Photoshop and 'Paint' for a couple of hours this afternoon to fettle up a scan of a manual and I'm reasonably pleased with my efforts. 'A' for effort -'B' for attainment is about as good as it gets

Plenty to look forward to in the Bulletins in 2014 Gary.