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Old 23rd Oct 2020, 7:27 pm   #1
DMcMahon
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Default Peto Scott Transistor Portable Radio

I was recently looking at a couple of Peto Scott Reel to Reel tape recorders on auction and also saw a little Peto Scott transistor radio that caught my eye.

It caught my eye because it looks extremely similar, almost identical to a radio my parents had and I used it a lot in the 1960's to record music from, using my Grundig TK 23 tape recorder (actually not mine but permanently on loan from my father).

Cannot remember what make my parents radio was, but it would have been an inexpensive common make, definitely was not a Peto Scott. I guess many inexpensive transistor radios around that time were very similar looking. Even internally it looks exactly the same as I remember.

Thought it would be a bit of nostalgic fun to play with the radio, so bid £4.95 (min bid price) and was surprised that I won the auction with that.

There is no obvious model number but the only Peto Scott transistor radio I can easily find details on, is the RA73, which looks to be extremely similar if not the same. The data sheet shows it powered from a Ever Ready PP11 battery (2 x 4.5 volts) to give 9 volts to mains electronics and 4.5 volts to one side of the speaker which is driven by a push pull output stage.

Looking inside it has been modified with 2 lots of C size battery holders but this would only give 6 volts max so not sure yet how this is connected up.

So first will check out exactly how the batteries are wired, then get four C size batteries and see what happens, would be nice if it burst into life without any work. Of course not expecting much (in terms of quality/performance) from a 6 transistor MW/LW transistor portable radio.

David
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Old 23rd Oct 2020, 8:29 pm   #2
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Default Re: Peto Scott Transistor Portable Radio

I've never met a Peto Scott transistor set, but the position of the controls immediately reminded me of a familiar model -

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/co_op_defiant_a55.html

Clearly they're much the same inside, and other brands contained the same works - one I used to own was a Magnavox table model,

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/magnav...tr300300t.html

I'm not sure if Plessey were still producing most Defiant chassis at this point.

Paul
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Old 23rd Oct 2020, 8:48 pm   #3
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Default Re: Peto Scott Transistor Portable Radio

I think you may have hit the nail on the head Paul.

Looking at the Defiant A55 I can now see where it is different to the Peto Scott, the A55 having the curved corners and flexible carrying handle and this now is exactly how I remember my parents one. The second photo down on the left at radiomuseum I would say is the same colour (cream/faint green) as I remember.

David
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Old 24th Oct 2020, 1:20 pm   #4
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Default Re: Peto Scott Transistor Portable Radio

Checked the battery connections, the four C size batteries are wired is series so that -6V is connected to electronics supply rail and to the loudspeaker, with battery +ve to ground (so different from the PP11 arrangement of 4.5V+ 4.5V with -9V going to electronics rail and -4.5V going to the loudspeaker).

Fitted batteries and powered up OK. Not a lot of decent tuneable stations, 1 on LW and 3 on MW. Quality not bad but a little noise in background, plenty of volume available. This is with the internal ferrite rod aerial, not tried an external aerial (do not have anything suitable).

The Defiant A55 (Later version) drawing shows an earphone socket near the aerial socket, which I assume is the external loudspeaker socket shown on the A55 schematic.
This does not exist on the Peto Scott and I cannot remember my parents radio having an earphone socket.

The tuning cursor sometimes gets stuck, so I will later remove the radio from its case to investigate.

David

David
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Old 24th Oct 2020, 3:55 pm   #5
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Default Re: Peto Scott Transistor Portable Radio

Looking through the Radio and Television servicing books between 1957 to the 1960/61 edition no Peto-Scott transistor radios can be found. Any transistor radios made and marketed after 1961 will be re-badged Philips models.
That's not saying before 1960 the firm didn't offer transistor radios to the dealers.

The 60/61 book lists a radiogram which looks like a Philips design and a tape recorder, all valve models.

DFWB.
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Old 24th Oct 2020, 4:23 pm   #6
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Default Re: Peto Scott Transistor Portable Radio

The data sheet for the Peto Scott from the UK Vintage Radio DVD (Supplement to Wireless Electrical Trader) indicates that it was released in 1961 for £12 17s plus purchase tax.

David
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Old 24th Oct 2020, 4:40 pm   #7
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Default Re: Peto Scott Transistor Portable Radio

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Originally Posted by DMcMahon View Post
The data sheet for the Peto Scott from the UK Vintage Radio DVD (Supplement to Wireless Electrical Trader) indicates that it was released in 1961 for £12 17s plus purchase tax.

David
In 1961 Peto-Scott was owned by Philips. The new owners may have thought it was about time Peto-Scott had a transistor radio in the product range.

DFWB.
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Old 24th Oct 2020, 5:17 pm   #8
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Default Re: Peto Scott Transistor Portable Radio

Hello David,

I don't know what the deal can have been, but while this Peto Scott set appeared under several brands Philips isn't one of them. The board was used for years, it's much the same as the late '50s Defiant A5 except that used Ediswan transistors.

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/co_op_defiant_a5a.html

Alba models used it too,

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/balcombe_alba_22.html ,

and a version was offered for home constructors under the name Contessa.

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/henrys...ssa_mkiii.html .

Paul
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Old 24th Oct 2020, 10:41 pm   #9
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Default Re: Peto Scott Transistor Portable Radio

Now apart for checking and cleaning. All 5 or 6 Electrolytics are the red/yellow/black (one orange sleeved) Plessey type, so will give them a good check out.
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Old 26th Oct 2020, 5:27 pm   #10
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Default Re: Peto Scott Transistor Portable Radio

Paul_R_K wrote: "I don't know what the deal can have been, but while this Peto Scott set appeared under several brands Philips isn't one of them. The board was used for years, it's much the same as the late '50s Defiant A5 except that used Ediswan transistors."

Earlier production than the Peto-Scott transistor radio being discussed here, these Defiant transistor radios employ a similar chassis. The waveband switch is located on the top of the cabinet.
Ediswan transistors are employed in both receivers.
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Old 26th Oct 2020, 6:12 pm   #11
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Default Re: Peto Scott Transistor Portable Radio

I had to Google Ediswan transistor, there are none in the Peto Scott as far as I can see.

David
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Old 26th Oct 2020, 6:32 pm   #12
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Default Re: Peto Scott Transistor Portable Radio

What I can see in the pictures look like typical Mullard/Philips OC series devices.
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Old 26th Oct 2020, 6:52 pm   #13
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Default Re: Peto Scott Transistor Portable Radio

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Originally Posted by DMcMahon View Post
Ediswan transistor, there are none in the Peto Scott as far as I can see.
That's right, they were quite popular in many early transistor sets - Murphy used them, and the first Hacker model - but production seems to have ended very early in the '60s. Those for small-signal roles are immediately recognisable by their black-painted "top hat" encapsulation - at least I don't recall meeting any other transistors of similar appearance.
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Old 26th Oct 2020, 7:07 pm   #14
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Default Re: Peto Scott Transistor Portable Radio

I agree with Paul you don't tend to see them in sets after the early 1960's however I do recall Russian sets with transistors of a similar design.

Cannot remember the sets brand but the transistors were all in sockets.

This would have been around 1968.

By the time the set came to me they were all mixed up and back to front

You can see the Ediswan Transistors (and many others) here

http://www.wylie.org.uk/technology/s...an/Ediswan.htm

Cheers

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Old 26th Oct 2020, 7:16 pm   #15
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Default Re: Peto Scott Transistor Portable Radio

Rigonda (we called them recycled rocket) used top hat transistors well into the 1960's.

Lawrence.
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Old 26th Oct 2020, 7:38 pm   #16
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Default Re: Peto Scott Transistor Portable Radio

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I agree with Paul you don't tend to see them in sets after the early 1960's however I do recall Russian sets with transistors of a similar design.
Oops, yes, my memory was being hopelessly Anglocentric there! Safe to say at least that none of them will appear in a UK-made set unless put there by a restorer.

Paul
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Old 26th Oct 2020, 10:48 pm   #17
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Default Re: Peto Scott Transistor Portable Radio

Quote:
Originally Posted by Herald1360 View Post
What I can see in the pictures look like typical Mullard/Philips OC series devices.
Confirmed all are the listed Mullard OCs.
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Old 27th Oct 2020, 7:05 pm   #18
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Default Re: Peto Scott Transistor Portable Radio

I do remember the Ediswan 'top hat' transistors. I think I got them in a Radio Exchange kit, which only just worked.
Later, I tried one instead of an OC45 in a standard superhet of the time (mid 60s), and thought the top hat had more ooomph. This is a technical term for how a young teenager would measure performance with his ears!!
Still have some in my junk box, if only I could find my vintage junk box.

On a sadder, but practical note, I will have to instruct my executors to give vintage stuff like that a good home - probably the Dulwich museum. Don't worry, I'm not planning on going yet!
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