Was surfing the net recently & come across this:

there's boxes of Valves, Speakers, Grill cloth and lots of test equipment aswell, & a lots of unrestored radios, Some are worth quite alot !!!

http://www.kevinhicksrealestate.com.au/clearingsale_detail.php?id=212

A true Aladdin's cave. Lots of good radios there. I hope that I am able to get there.

Just reporting back on the advertised clearing sale.

I've just got back from Merrigum, Victoria and whilst my goal of two radios wasn't achieved I managed to score one radio plus a valve tester in working order and two boxes of useful parts including condensers.

I ended up being the high bidder on an Aristone Theatrette, more commonly sold under the Briton brand. This receiver was made in 1938 and is famous (infamous) for its hodge-podge birdsnest wiring with valves and passive components all over the shop rather than mounted on a chassis. Philips designed and made these sets - what were they thinking?

The next item I won was a Paton valve tester. It came with a manual/tutorial and is believed to be in working order. We'll find out soon enough but any required repairs should not be too difficult. It is in good nick, inside and out.

The third was a job lot of new polyester condensers and other bits and pieces.

Notable auction wins, apart from my Aristone, were a black AWA (Empire State) Radiolette of 1934 which sold for more than $1,000.00, a brown AWA (Fret and Foot) Radiolette from 1936 which sold for $650.00 and a green Astor Mickey from 1946 selling for $1,500.00.

"Philips designed and made these sets - what were they thinking?"

I have asked that many times about Philips gear. The Dutch seem to have a very different way of thinking.

What model Paton tester is it?

Looking forward to pics.

I remember the time Peter Lankshear described this receiver in Electronics Australia. It wasn't long after I started collecting radios back in the late 1980s. Everything he described it as was true I think. It was said that Philips may have experimented with the chassis-less radio as a way of cutting costs though I can't see how apart from a saving on sheet metal. With the components screwed directly to the cabinet it would have taken a lot longer to assemble.

It's a nice-looking radio though and normally they are highly sought after. I was surprised that I won it as I would have only been prepared to part with $200.00 and ended up paying $140.00. I couldn't help noticing that a few bidders lost interest after the Radiolettes and Mickeys were claimed and this may have had something to do with it.

I should also note that the manual that came with the valve tester was put together by our very own Marc. It looks like I was speaking to him yesterday and didn't realise it. With turnouts like this one, where there's literally hundreds of people around you and the auctioneer and his lookouts yelling at the top of their voices there was little opportunity for formal introductions. Still, there will be other times I am sure.

Interesting: We did meet & I pointed out that there is an original copy of bits of the manual on the WEB. I have it anyway.

Note my comment re the meter movement in that manual. Note on low ohms (bonding) Meter is calibratated to the right, and moves right to left (backwards) The high Meg. ohms range (Insulation test) bites 225V

Note there are a few errors in the instruction book with that. And there is more than one model. It was a major job to scan that from what I had.

You will love the genius that only used purple & black wire in it. and in mine, the peanut that mounted the block cap on the switch.

The last one I looked at recently was the other model and it had paper caps in it that were easy to get at, and were got at, as they were leaking badly. Such things cannot be tolerated in a test instrument.

Check the screws that are likely behind the meter clamping bracket as yours looks as if it is a 1938 VCT-V the same as mine. Put some insulation between the screw & bracket. If the two meet, you will need to get the meter movement fixed.

That will have a 1V (UX4) rectifier not 6X5 and it and the vibrator (if fitted) are interchangeble as both are UX4 and the vibrator it apt to fall out.

The next model had an entirely different chassis and not the same sockets.

I left the plug in for 6V and added an IEC one for the mains.

I did replace the padder etc. in the 6V section albeit I may not use it: I can as the tractor is 6V.

I did love the paint job on the one next to that ( with the wrong knobs): Never did get a reply as to wether it was Dulux or Taubmans?

Wonder if that guy intended to pay $90 for of the radio that was facing him; It actually had no chassis?

Marc

On the Aristone: There were a few manufacturers' that did inexplicably bizzare things.

Like a volume control in a crazy position with RF on it (Not in cathode).

I have had to add shielded wire to a couple of sets, due to the collective ability, of what was there, as the wire passed through RF signal paths, or radiated, de-stabilising RF, as part of the RF section was in the middle of the audio.... Why!

Marc

The un-necessary complexity brings me to something I said about televisions about a month ago. Inside many Philips and Rank Arena CRT models there's literally a dozen or more PC boards all jumpered together with an automotive-style wiring loom.

On my 30 year old Thorn there are only two boards, the main one, about the size of a computer motherboard and the one on the back of the picture tube. That's probably why my humble Thorn, put together in Rydalmere, NSW with some AWA bits and some Mistubishi bits, still works today with a perfect picture.

The only downside is the woodgrain contact which had a habit of drying out and peeling on these models.

I remember reading The Serviceman in EA many years ago when it was still a going concern and 5 times out of ten the television being described was fitted with a Philips K9 chassis. Philips has made a lot of good gear in their time, there's no question about that. I have a 1938 Philips model with 7 valves and it is probably the best-sounding radio I own. However their habit of not simpifying things seems to have died hard.

"I remember reading The Serviceman in EA many years ago when it was still a going concern and 5 times out of ten the television being described was fitted with a Philips K9 chassis."

Well, that looks like it was designed by a committee. No self-respecting engineer would put his name to that mess.

It is interesting to note the construction when servicing radio's. It is quite clear that many were never designed to be serviced, or with that in mind.

Some of the early Midwests (USA) are horrors and I have done three. Many components like plate resistors are on a tag plate (ceramic) in the base of the IF's. Pulling one of those appart sufficiently to change out components can take 40 min per can and often the Faraday cage (dust cover) also has to come out. I am not impressed with the layout of some of them and the chassis is quite flimsy for sets of 16 to 18 valves.

Big time consumer one lists 65 caps and anything in it with "Micamold on it" has to be treated with contempt as for paper caps.

The more interesting is the HMV 661& 880 types. These have a series of circuit boards and the Faraday cage on the RF (in the pan) helps form a "U" channel.

Awkward to work on but I have never had real issues, with them caused by design failures.

If my presumptions are correct? The Paton is a VCT_V (on face LH)

Brads, I believe has the later mod plug in extended socket set added (for newer valves) & mounted in the lid. There is a circuit for that Mod.

There is a Military version based on the Paton made by "Transmission Equipment" I think.

Marc

In defense of Philips, the best of their products were tastefully designed on the outside, and sometimes quite attractive on the inside.