In 2003, when I still had quite a collection of Eddystone radios and ancillary items, and was still interested in amateur radio, I did a series of slide illustrated talks to amateur radio clubs in East and North Yorks, lugging my collection with me, and outlining the fascinating story of the history of Eddystone Radio. These notes are based on those talks, and given the recent thread on Eddystone receivers, I hope they’re of interest to a few on the forum, so here goes:
Life before Eddystone:
In the 1920’s the firm of Jarrett, Rainsford and Laughton bought out Stratton &Co, at that time famous for “Lady Jayne” hair products such as curlers, hair grips, lipstick cases, compacts, & men’s cuff links, tie pins etc. At that time, they were producing an unimaginable six tons of hair grips per week, but by 1923 the market collapsed almost overnight with due to bobbed hairstyles coming into fashion. This event brought with it the urgent need for diversification. The M.D, Mr Laughton, who’d started as office boy, had a son who was fascinated by the miracle of newfangled radio and said to his father “We’ve got the plant, the expertise, and the men, so why not make radio components?” Why not indeed, but what shall we choose as a brand name? “Eddystone” was chosen as it was a well known symbol of durability and reliability, and could be pictorially represented. The Eddystone lighthouse was the fourth to have been built and was completed in 1882, so by the time that Eddystone Radio came into being, the lighthouse had already been standing firm against the forces of nature for 40 years. What better emblem to choose? (As an aside, the lighthouse is still in use today, operated by Trinity House. It was automated in 1982, the first Trinity House 'Rock' (or offshore) lighthouse to be converted. The tower has been changed by construction of a helipad above the lantern, to allow maintenance crews access. The tower is 49 Metres (161 ft) high, and its white light flashes twice every 10 seconds. The light is visible to 22 nautical miles (41 km), and is supplemented by a fog signal of 3 blasts every 60 seconds).
The Early Days:
Eddystone began by making components for experimenters, then shortly afterwards began to make radios, the first of which was a battery 2-valve medium wave radio with headphone output, an oak case, and glass panel through which the components could be viewed. At that time, radios were akin to scientific instruments, so were constructed to look like them. In 1925 Arthur Edwards, G6XJ joined as General Manager, and stayed with the company for 40 years until Eddystone was sold to Marconi Co. in 1965. Under Arthur’s influence, Eddystone began to make short wave receives – short waves being deemed to be from 15 to 85 metres. Throughout the 1920’s three, four and five valve “Scientifics” were developed – again using oak, glass, and ebonite cabinets. In 1925 Eddystone became shareholders in fledgling British Broadcasting Company, which was then a private limited company largely funded by radio trade, which had a vested interests in funding the making of radio programmes and setting up broadcasting transmitting stations without which they couldn’t interest their potential customers to buy their radios. It wasn’t until 1927, when the government began to wake up to the power of radio as a communications medium to the masses, that the British Broadcasting Company was dissolved and the British Broadcasting Corporation set up under Royal Charter.
1928 saw the introduction of the Eddystone “Scientific Four” which cost £18.50, plus £2.50 Marconi Royalty. When adjusted for inflation, that equates to £850 plus £120 today! As the company became established, in 1924 it created a retail arm – ‘Webb’s radio’ which has five shops in London, the last of which was closed by Marconi in the mid 1960s. Throughout the 1930’s the main focus of Eddystone was on overseas markets - sugar, tea, coffee & rubber planters, mining & civil engineers. Receivers known as “All-Wave Fours” were introduced, which were tropicalised, ruggedised, and insect proof, as befitted the environment in which they were destined to be used. In the mid 1930’s, Eddystone designed and built the first “walkie-Talkies” in world for the Oxford University Everest expedition, with a range of five miles and a frequency of 60MHz. Dark days loomed in the late 1930s, and when the 1938 Munich Crisis arose, the government was worried that ‘phone network would be bombed. As a result, Eddystone played a major role in the rapid establishment of a country-wide radio network. 1939 saw the introduction of the “ECR” SW 10 valver, which cost £45. (equivalent to £2,200 today).
The War Years:
Eddystone was of course deeply involved in the war effort and produced more than 4,000 VHF systems for the Admiralty, also used in the D.Day Landings in June 1944. In October 1940 the factory bombed, and the only item saved was one signal generator! However, within 3 weeks was back in production at higher level in “new” factory. The premises was a disused lido that had been opened in 1937 by Gracie Fields, and became affectionately known as “The Bathtub” and it remained in use until factory closed in 2002
The war years assured Eddystone of round-the-clock production which amounted to:
• 4.5 million components.
• 4,500 transmitters.
• 7,000 receivers.
• 45,000 other items of equipment for war effort.
The Post-War Era:
For Eddystone, the war was good for business, but when the war ended, then what? How would Eddystone market itself and its wares in peacetime?
The 1950’s – 70’s saw the renaissance of Eddystone in meeting the growing communications needs of a less austere, more affluent society. Radio amateurs bought “separates”, (receivers and transmitters, rather than ‘transceivers’) and some still built transmitters, though mostly preferred to buy ready made receivers. Eddystone designed and marketed a developing range of high quality valved communications Receivers such as the 640, 830, 888, EA12, 770, and 940. (The 19 valve 770 model was used by the Americans to track ‘Sputnik’). the first artificial satellite to be put into Earth's orbit. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957. The unanticipated announcement of Sputnik 1's success precipitated the Sputnik crisis in the United States and ignited the Space Race, a part of the larger Cold War.
With the coming of the ‘transistor age’ Eddystone made some attractive though unexceptional receivers such as EC10 and EB35, but by then, the demand for high quality receivers for the amateur market dried up with the coming of Japanese transceivers , and as a result, Eddystone threw in the towel and pulled out of amateur and domestic radio market and in the 1980s and 90s, re-focused on the commercial sector.
In 1985 Eddystone introduced a digital solid-state 6 channel SSB ruggedised transceiver and thousands are still in use today in Far East and Africa. The Eddystone ‘6200’ LF/HF receiver was equipped with ‘B.I.T.E’ (‘Built-In Test Equipment’) which highlighted fault conditions, and had a 30,000 Hrs ‘MTBF’. (Mean Time Before Failure) - that’s 15 years at 40 Hrs a week usage!
By 1990 Eddystone was main the supplier of Solid-state transmitters up to 4kW for the BBC, and worldwide, and by that time, was wholly owned by GEC-Marconi Communications, from which point the Eddystone which had shone brightly since the early 1920s began to dim. By 1999, the workforce had dwindled to just seventeen, when it was bought out by Megahertz Communications, then leading broadcast system firm with worldwide markets, brining false hopes of a recovery. Sadly, in April 2002 Megahertz went bust, just short of the 90th anniversary of Stratton and Co.
The Eddystone spirit still lives on in the hearts, minds, and collections of Eddystone enthusiasts, and no doubt Eddystone radios and ancillary equipment will continue to appreciate in value due to the demands of those who want to own a piece of communications history. What a great pity that a company founded on enterprise and innovation and renowned for quality, ran out of impetus in the face of foerign competion and passed into history.
Hopes that these ramblings are of interest and fill in a few gaps as to Eddystone's changing fortunes over the almost 90 years of its existence.
Life before Eddystone:
In the 1920’s the firm of Jarrett, Rainsford and Laughton bought out Stratton &Co, at that time famous for “Lady Jayne” hair products such as curlers, hair grips, lipstick cases, compacts, & men’s cuff links, tie pins etc. At that time, they were producing an unimaginable six tons of hair grips per week, but by 1923 the market collapsed almost overnight with due to bobbed hairstyles coming into fashion. This event brought with it the urgent need for diversification. The M.D, Mr Laughton, who’d started as office boy, had a son who was fascinated by the miracle of newfangled radio and said to his father “We’ve got the plant, the expertise, and the men, so why not make radio components?” Why not indeed, but what shall we choose as a brand name? “Eddystone” was chosen as it was a well known symbol of durability and reliability, and could be pictorially represented. The Eddystone lighthouse was the fourth to have been built and was completed in 1882, so by the time that Eddystone Radio came into being, the lighthouse had already been standing firm against the forces of nature for 40 years. What better emblem to choose? (As an aside, the lighthouse is still in use today, operated by Trinity House. It was automated in 1982, the first Trinity House 'Rock' (or offshore) lighthouse to be converted. The tower has been changed by construction of a helipad above the lantern, to allow maintenance crews access. The tower is 49 Metres (161 ft) high, and its white light flashes twice every 10 seconds. The light is visible to 22 nautical miles (41 km), and is supplemented by a fog signal of 3 blasts every 60 seconds).
The Early Days:
Eddystone began by making components for experimenters, then shortly afterwards began to make radios, the first of which was a battery 2-valve medium wave radio with headphone output, an oak case, and glass panel through which the components could be viewed. At that time, radios were akin to scientific instruments, so were constructed to look like them. In 1925 Arthur Edwards, G6XJ joined as General Manager, and stayed with the company for 40 years until Eddystone was sold to Marconi Co. in 1965. Under Arthur’s influence, Eddystone began to make short wave receives – short waves being deemed to be from 15 to 85 metres. Throughout the 1920’s three, four and five valve “Scientifics” were developed – again using oak, glass, and ebonite cabinets. In 1925 Eddystone became shareholders in fledgling British Broadcasting Company, which was then a private limited company largely funded by radio trade, which had a vested interests in funding the making of radio programmes and setting up broadcasting transmitting stations without which they couldn’t interest their potential customers to buy their radios. It wasn’t until 1927, when the government began to wake up to the power of radio as a communications medium to the masses, that the British Broadcasting Company was dissolved and the British Broadcasting Corporation set up under Royal Charter.
1928 saw the introduction of the Eddystone “Scientific Four” which cost £18.50, plus £2.50 Marconi Royalty. When adjusted for inflation, that equates to £850 plus £120 today! As the company became established, in 1924 it created a retail arm – ‘Webb’s radio’ which has five shops in London, the last of which was closed by Marconi in the mid 1960s. Throughout the 1930’s the main focus of Eddystone was on overseas markets - sugar, tea, coffee & rubber planters, mining & civil engineers. Receivers known as “All-Wave Fours” were introduced, which were tropicalised, ruggedised, and insect proof, as befitted the environment in which they were destined to be used. In the mid 1930’s, Eddystone designed and built the first “walkie-Talkies” in world for the Oxford University Everest expedition, with a range of five miles and a frequency of 60MHz. Dark days loomed in the late 1930s, and when the 1938 Munich Crisis arose, the government was worried that ‘phone network would be bombed. As a result, Eddystone played a major role in the rapid establishment of a country-wide radio network. 1939 saw the introduction of the “ECR” SW 10 valver, which cost £45. (equivalent to £2,200 today).
The War Years:
Eddystone was of course deeply involved in the war effort and produced more than 4,000 VHF systems for the Admiralty, also used in the D.Day Landings in June 1944. In October 1940 the factory bombed, and the only item saved was one signal generator! However, within 3 weeks was back in production at higher level in “new” factory. The premises was a disused lido that had been opened in 1937 by Gracie Fields, and became affectionately known as “The Bathtub” and it remained in use until factory closed in 2002
The war years assured Eddystone of round-the-clock production which amounted to:
• 4.5 million components.
• 4,500 transmitters.
• 7,000 receivers.
• 45,000 other items of equipment for war effort.
The Post-War Era:
For Eddystone, the war was good for business, but when the war ended, then what? How would Eddystone market itself and its wares in peacetime?
The 1950’s – 70’s saw the renaissance of Eddystone in meeting the growing communications needs of a less austere, more affluent society. Radio amateurs bought “separates”, (receivers and transmitters, rather than ‘transceivers’) and some still built transmitters, though mostly preferred to buy ready made receivers. Eddystone designed and marketed a developing range of high quality valved communications Receivers such as the 640, 830, 888, EA12, 770, and 940. (The 19 valve 770 model was used by the Americans to track ‘Sputnik’). the first artificial satellite to be put into Earth's orbit. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957. The unanticipated announcement of Sputnik 1's success precipitated the Sputnik crisis in the United States and ignited the Space Race, a part of the larger Cold War.
With the coming of the ‘transistor age’ Eddystone made some attractive though unexceptional receivers such as EC10 and EB35, but by then, the demand for high quality receivers for the amateur market dried up with the coming of Japanese transceivers , and as a result, Eddystone threw in the towel and pulled out of amateur and domestic radio market and in the 1980s and 90s, re-focused on the commercial sector.
In 1985 Eddystone introduced a digital solid-state 6 channel SSB ruggedised transceiver and thousands are still in use today in Far East and Africa. The Eddystone ‘6200’ LF/HF receiver was equipped with ‘B.I.T.E’ (‘Built-In Test Equipment’) which highlighted fault conditions, and had a 30,000 Hrs ‘MTBF’. (Mean Time Before Failure) - that’s 15 years at 40 Hrs a week usage!
By 1990 Eddystone was main the supplier of Solid-state transmitters up to 4kW for the BBC, and worldwide, and by that time, was wholly owned by GEC-Marconi Communications, from which point the Eddystone which had shone brightly since the early 1920s began to dim. By 1999, the workforce had dwindled to just seventeen, when it was bought out by Megahertz Communications, then leading broadcast system firm with worldwide markets, brining false hopes of a recovery. Sadly, in April 2002 Megahertz went bust, just short of the 90th anniversary of Stratton and Co.
The Eddystone spirit still lives on in the hearts, minds, and collections of Eddystone enthusiasts, and no doubt Eddystone radios and ancillary equipment will continue to appreciate in value due to the demands of those who want to own a piece of communications history. What a great pity that a company founded on enterprise and innovation and renowned for quality, ran out of impetus in the face of foerign competion and passed into history.
Hopes that these ramblings are of interest and fill in a few gaps as to Eddystone's changing fortunes over the almost 90 years of its existence.
Regards, David.
BVWS Member.
G-QRP Club Member 1339.
'I'm in my own little world, but I'm happy, and they know me here'
BVWS Member.
G-QRP Club Member 1339.
'I'm in my own little world, but I'm happy, and they know me here'
