Hi,

I have a Claritone A.W. Dobbie & Co Adelaide and I'm looking for any information about it. I did few research online but I know nothing about radio...

The radio is working but I got some trouble with the vinyl player. The arm move up and down but not right or left. Any idea?

Thanks a lot

Vivien

Have you tried moving the arm when its switched to manual. Other then that it probably needs a service as the old grease could have solidified.

If you're looking to have it serviced/repaired then member Viccadillac (based in Perth) might be able to assist.

Yes I tried in manual position, same result.

Thanks for the info, I will contact him.

Cheers

Don't try & force it, that bends things. From my experience (hate many of them) grease is the prime suspect. Some of the mechanical design is some of them defies logic.

Hi, Marcc is right don't force it!

My Monarch/BSR 3 speed is interlocked in the rest position UNTIL

1/ the centre spindle is inserted.
2/ a record is loaded onto the spindle.
THEN the sensor arm can feel the record to determine the correct size and the arm will be triggered to drop in the correct position.

In other words if its all working, it has to be used as intended before it will work!

Cheers, Fred.

Thanks a lot everybody!

Fred, you may have found the solution, there's no spindle! I'll try to found one.

Hi Vivien,

Vic from Perth here. Look in the members list for my email address or unhide yours and I can contact you.

Cheers
Vic

Easier still, click on Vic's member name above.

I have never seen this radio before but I can say that in the 1980s Dobbie & Co were based at the corner of Edwards Place and Sturt Street, Adelaide. (I worked in an office next door.) From about 1927 the company made thousands of the Dobbie Disco Meter (watthour meter) for ETSA (Electricity Trust of SA) which were installed throughout Adelaide and South Australia. I do not know for certain if the company made any other electrical gear but from the logo on the set it would seem that it did at some stage. Given that the company had experience in manufacturing electromechanical gear then perhaps the company made the turntable and assembled radiograms with radio/amps made by another company.

I understand that there were a number of small manufacturers in Adelaide in the 1930s to the 1960s which did a lot of sub-assembly work for bigger companies and also the PMG and Defence Dept.

Andrew

I understand that there were a number of small manufacturers in Adelaide in the 1930s to the 1960s

The SA Government enticed Philips to move there from Sydney in 1947.

I have in my hands the Dobbie Instrument Directory, probably 1970's, which boasts "Dobbie Instruments Pty Ltd, Foremost In The Field Of Instrumentation; Anemometry, Environmental, Forestry, Hydrography, Hygrometry, Limnology, Manometry, Meteorology, Oceanography, Pyrometry, Surveying, Thermometry, Etc." That's quite apart from all the electrical and water supply metering equipment. I assume that Dobbie Instruments PL was their scientific division; the Head Office is given as 18-20 George St, Sandringham, Victoria.