Hi to all, I have been given a Rocket brand Radio to repair the cabinet, I havent heard of this make nor can I find anything with google search. The cabinet looks like a stromberg. What I'm trying to find is the glass dial cover and any info about the brand.

Rob.
It looks like you have a generic or homebuilt radio branded Rocket by a store or individual. Many retail outlets throughout Australia sold generic radio sets with their own brand on them. You could start by doing a Trove Newspaper search and you may find an advertisment for a store selling Rocket radios. Also what is the valve line-up? Does it have an ARTS & P sticker? In regards to the broken dial glass there are some recent posts in this forum on how to restore them. One of my plans is to try and find out who actually made these generic radios. Or maybe someone out there already knows.

Does dial cover mean just the glass? If it's plain glass, not the dial card with the numbers on it? That is not a major issue.

Slades made quite a few chasses for sets that were made with "Store" or individuals names. eg Doxley.

Marc

If the glass cover is just that, and the dial printout sits behind it, scan the dial and re-colour and edit it on the computer. That is if you are computer savy. I use photoshop to make my own dials.

Thanks to all replys, the dial cover is glass with the stations printed on back side, it does have a Arts & p sticker
( N4 / E22745 ) will get the valve lineup and repost, Thanks once again, Regards rob.

Rob.
The E on the ARTS&P decal would indicate the chassis was made in 1938. Having a ARTS&P decal would make it unlikely to be home made. The manufacturer would of had to have been licensed to make this radio. As stated previously, it is probably a generic set made for a retail outlet to put its own badge on. Also the valve line-up would give a good indication of its age- especially since 1938 was about the time when radios started using octal valves.

Look under the Cabinet Repairs forum topic for a few experiences and approaches to replacing a back-printed dial.

Maven

Rob.
I've found who sold Rocket radios.
Charles Birks & Co of Rundle St, Adelaide. It appears it was their home brand.

Adelaide Advertiser, Trove Newspapers

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/printArticlePdf/74405815/3?print=n.

The book is burried at the moment, but I would suggest that the dial itself is actually EFFCO. That's what they made & sold to a variety of people & companies.

It's getting more & more like "homebrand" the issue now being who made the chassis?

As I wrote, Slades made them, I have seen a Philips chassis in a "homebrand" and a Kelvinator that was a HMV. I have not seen circuits for Slades, or EMMCO, who also made chasses to put in your own cabinet & did not let circuits loose. The only EMMCO from the thirties that I have worked on, I had to draw the circuit, as it had been messed with.

Marc

There were countless ads for Rocket radios in The Adelaide Advertiser from the mid '30's to mid '50's. All were exclusively sold by Birks. Birks also sold home branded bicycles and fridges. If you read the link on my last post you'll see that these radios were a scoop purchase from an "interstate manufacturer, now in liquidation." To narrow down the maker the next step is to find out which radio manufacturer went belly up in 1938.

Let us know the valve line-up.

(duplicate)

In the 1938 ad from the Adelaide Advertiser it gives the valve line-up as: "The Latest Philips Valves" 6A7, 6X6(?), 42, 80 & 6O6(?)

The valve line up is, 6A7 - 606 - 6CC - 42 - 80.

I can't find anything with '606' and '6CC'

A fairly common line-up was 80, 6A7, 6D6, 6C6, 42 in sets such as these:

1935, Airzone 552, BC Man.
1935, Airzone 552A, BC Man.
1935, Airzone 576, BC Con.
1936, Airzone 566, BC Con.
1934, Gossards Operatic, TW Con.
1935, Raycophone 57E, BC Con.
1935, Raycophone 57E, BC Man.
1936, STC 511, BC Con.
1936, STC 514, BC Man.
1938, Weldon 3/38, BC Con.
1938, Weldon 3/38D, DW Con.