balcombe: 472; alba

Dear Radiofriends,
I've here one British Alba 472 in restoring process. As you can see, the cabinet is damaged. It is unglued and wormy, so I had to replace some wood. Fortunately that task is over. I'll show you the results in my next article.
But, some parts are missing. I had to invent the two feet based in an old prospect image.
But the picture is so dark that I couldn't see its knobs.

Well, the problem are the knobs (three buttons).
Do you now how those buttons are like?



Thank You for your attention
Regards
Mário Coelho

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Dear Mario,
Here is a small picture which I found in a book. It may be of some help.

Attachments:

• Alba 472 (28 KB)

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Dear William J,

Thank you for the picture. It was very useful. 
Mr. John Turril sent me also one picture by e-Mail. I also thank him for that.
It helps very much. From these pictures I could calculate the size of the buttons (I guess 1" 1/4").
Only the  buttons shape is not visible enough, but they seem to be rounded in this front face edge. 
I don't know the material they are made of, so I'll make them in wood and afterwards I 'll choose the finishing. 

 Thank you for your help.

Best Regards
Mário Coelho

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Dear friends,

Mr. John Turril sent me more data about this radio.
Thanks to him.

That data was seen in a book "Radio! Radio!", author Jonathan Hill.
.
In that book the wave bands are LW; MW; SW. It confirms the Rmorg page data.

But In my radio I have three different bands. They are MW; SW1; SW2. One can see in its dial plate. 
I can imagine that this is a different version for an export radio.

Do You agree? Do You know its model suffix?

Best Regards
Mário Coelho

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Dear Mario,

Your radio would certainly be an export model. The suffix used by various companies to denote export models varied so much it would be difficult to guess what it might be for this radio.

I have attached a little more information courtesy of a friend, which may help you identify the pattern of knob fitted to your radio.

Regards,

Mike. Attachments:

• Alba 472 announcement (78 KB)
• Alba 472 advertisement May 1947 (58 KB)
• Alba 472 detail (77 KB)

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Dear Mike,

Thank you for your so interesting pictures.

The buttons in your picture differ from the buttons shown above by Williams. Does it mean that models had changed in time or were not there a standard?Who knows?

You said that there were some sufixes to export models. Do you know any one? Can you show us examples?

Best Regards,
Mário

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Dear Mario,

if I may join in your questioning, I agree the two pictures seem to
show two types of knob; if I were to say which to choose, I think
I'd pick the type shown in William's picture, they look to be slightly domed with fairly coarse "fluting" or scalloping around the edge.
Here's a typical British knob from the '40's/'50's --------
(dark brown phenolic or Bakelite material, brass bush, grub-screw)


This is 30 m/m diam., 17 m/m deep (Sorry, I have no spares!)

Some British makers would use a prefix denoting an export version,
others a suffix; Bush, for instance used the prefix "E" I believe.
I have a Bush EU24 with Medium + 7 S/W bands, for which I've
never found any data here. (perhaps Mike Izycky could help? -
Mike, I do have the manual for the Bush EU/EB44 if you're
interested, bit similar to mine).  It does seem that data for
export models is most difficult to find in it's country of origin.

Regards,  John.

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Dear Mario,

As examples of export prefixes/suffixes, Bush used E- for some models, e.g. EAC91 (the export version of the AC91), EU95 but later AC-only models used EBS-, such as the EBS3A (see http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/bush_eu3a_eu_3_a.html) and EBS31 to name but two. The later transistor sets reverted to a simple E- prefix as in the ETR92.

Murphy used "T" (for "Tropicalised") on their radios, sometimes "S", e.g. TA160, SA92: Pye sometimes used "E" as part of the model number for European sets (e.g. PE71LW, a variation of the British P75), but "Z" has been seen on sets destined for New Zealand. Cossor sometimes used "X" as a suffix, whilst GEC and Ekco would just use ordinary model numbers that did not appear in British catalogues, such as BC5937 (GEC) and A182 (Ekco).

In some cases British export sets were the domestic version amended to have different waveband coverage, whilst others had no domestic equivalent: the Murphy TA160 and Bush EBS44 being such examples of sets with no domestic equivalent. Occasionally the export models were also sold on the home market; the Bush EBS4 and Murphy TA160 being such sets. If you go to http://www.murphy-radio.co.uk/dungeon/export2.html you will find information on Murphy's many export models.


John,

You can find the circuit for the Bush EU24 at http://www.oldradios.com/radios/foreign/England/ebs24.htm - if you look down the page there is a circuit of it in JPEG form, and the operating instructions too. Once I've scanned my collection of Bush manuals and tidied them up, they will be made available here...

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Thank you John, Thank you Mike,

This Forum is much more precious after your so interesting contributions.

Here it my restored set:

After regarding the two types of buttons in the pictures which you sent to me I think those buttons (above) which I found in my "Noah's ark"  may be more or less of the same pattern in that photo sent by William . Do you agree?

Best Regards

Mário  Coelho

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Dear
Mario Coelho
Congratulions magnifico work of I restore

Best regards
Jose Duarte

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Mario,
congratulations! superb job you've done there, and the knobs look
ideal; I don't think it really matters whether they're absolutely 
original as long as they look as if they were intended for the set,
and I think they do.

I suppose this is part of what the museum is all about.
My thanks to Mike Izycky for finding me the circuit for my Bush EU24.

Very pleasing all round!
                                       Regards, John.

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Amigo Mário,

tenho vindo a seguir os cuidados com o restauro desse novo rádio. Parabéns, está fantástico.

Um abraço amigo,

Luís santiago

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Dear Mario,

What an excellent job you've made of this radio! Truly excellent. The knobs do look very much like those in William's picture, and they look as though they should be with this radio.

Regards,

Mike.

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Dear Friends,

Thank you very much for your kind compliments.

                                              ------------------
 
Unfortunately, after all this work, my efforts to create a new Model's Page to upload this set in Rmorg were rejected!!!

The explanation was that this model is a doublet of Alba 472, already created.
                                     -----------------------

I proposed to create a new model to this Alba 472, because I think it is not the same model described in this Model Page tread. It is a different Alba 472, maybe an Alba 472- Export as I suggested.

Why?  Because, at least, it has MW plus 2 SW wave bands. Not MW; SW; LW as in the model already created. 

I'd call the attention for this discrepancy in Notes, but no way... 

What to do? I already laid claim, but I got no answer at all.

All this because I think that it is not correct to put different versions in the same Page? May be I'm wrong.

Do you know how to overpass this?

Kind Regards
Mário Coelho

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Dear Mário
You are right, this should never happen. I have intervened many times but occasionally you get ths sort of problem. No human is perfect! In such a case please write to the moderator - always with the name of the model administrator and hopefully with all the facts and reasons given to him. You find the eMail-address for a mediator by clicking "Member List" on the search page - and also the way to find members with further rights/duties.

If you failed the first time, try it a second time, giving good reasons and telling that the last attempt failed. Never give up - unless you are convinced by the reasons given to you.

I think the problem lies in the fact that the present model admins are not English speaking - some don't even understand English. Some can't answer or hesitate to answer. We need at least two active members who write to me for being model admin for the English speaking community. And we need some for other languages!

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Thank You MR. Ernst Erb to help me to overpass this difficulty.

As I had got no reply by e-mail (the language problem, I understand) ,then I resent again my proposal for a new model (in new entry).

This time this Export Model was accepted.
http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/balcombe_alba_472_2.html

Meanwhile, I uploaded there some new photos of this radio set.


Thank You

Cordially
Mário Coelho

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