Ugliest Radio - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Neil Purling · 10th Aug 2006, 7:16 pm

We have had a thread for the ugliest TV.
What about one for the ugliest radio?
Here is my candidate:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Oceanic-shagre...QQcmdZViewItem

The only way I would want to give that foul thing house-room is after I had resprayed it. As it stands it resembles a penecillin colony!!

howard · 10th Aug 2006, 7:33 pm

Hello Neil,

Fortunately I'm colourblind so I can't appreciate the true colour of the French Oceanic radio, which I think looks rather nice

My candidate for this award has got to be the Perdio PR25 .... based on the yashmak methinks .....

GJR 11L · 10th Aug 2006, 9:33 pm

Oh dear! As someone who loves French valve sets of a certain age that Oceanic is, to my eyes, an object of very great beauty. Not only that, but it's different from the run of the mill UK sets of the period.

Howard, I don't see any redeeming features about your nomination, but is it really any uglier than those '70s Belarus-constructed solid state devices that we know and love, the Selena?

I'm racking my increasingly limited brain to name a truly ugly radio, but I'll bet you that nobody can post here the image of a set about whose ugliness we are in universal agreement!

After all, filthy is filthy, pointless is pointless but beauty/absence thereof is totally subjective.

Unless, ah yes, here it is:

stephanie · 10th Aug 2006, 9:42 pm

I think any of the modern hi-fi units and ghetto-blasters would be the ugliest radios ever made. To wit this Aiwa radio cassette player:

http://www.us.aiwa.com/files/prodima.../CSDXD51_M.jpg

howard · 10th Aug 2006, 10:16 pm

Hey Phil,

The Selena isn't that bad a looking radio ! Your little Wien is certainly rather ungainly looking cos of its handle ! But Stephanie's Aiwa radio cassette player is absolutely hideous

Howard

mickjjo · 10th Aug 2006, 10:34 pm

Well I like the French set and the "Rice Pudding Special" Perdio PR25

. Surely the ugliest radio ever conceived must be this thing

:-

http://www.thebug.com/

Regards, Mick.

.

stephanie · 10th Aug 2006, 10:41 pm

I concede. That bug thing gives me nightmares!! *breaks out her ray gun*

paulsherwin · 11th Aug 2006, 1:12 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephanie

I think any of the modern hi-fi units and ghetto-blasters would be the ugliest radios ever made. To wit this Aiwa radio cassette player:

I agree, that's spectacularly ugly. I haven't seen it around these parts so it may not have been marketed in the UK. Still, there are plenty of midi systems around in Britain designed for teenage children's bedrooms, styled in a similar way

Paul

Paul_RK · 11th Aug 2006, 3:12 am

The Aiwa thing gets my vote so far. In the valve division, though, the Oceanic seems rather tasteful to me by comparison with this home-grown Ferguson 627U. It has everything: mahogany veneer cabinet with broad black-painted rim, brass 'speaker surround, brass tuning knob outer (hopeless to grip), brass feet, the biggest white plastic wavechange knob you ever saw, bright red leathercloth, and a huge black and blue reverse-painted glass tuning scale (lit by a 15 watt bulb, but when the room's dark you still can't read the stations by it as the scale's so opaque

) It's just as ugly inside too

I'm fond of it really...

Paul

stephanie · 11th Aug 2006, 4:08 am

That Fergie doesn't seem so bad. A bit different, yes. But ugly? I wouldn't go that far.

Neil Purling · 11th Aug 2006, 6:56 am

If you put said Oceanic down in the garden it would be rather well camouflaged - a stealth radio!!!

The style of it would not have surprised me if it were made by Seeburg or Wurlitzer.
When was it made, andwhat were we Brits making at the same time?
The colouration makes me think of a Italian accordeon.
As for that Ferguson, somebody had clearly been snorting soldering flux again.
I suppose that as out hobby is retrospective there are inevitably going to be sets that are considered ugly now that would not have caused any raised eyebrows by the standards of their time. Still makes you wonder what the designers of that Fergie and the Oceanic were thinking of.

Duke_Nukem · 11th Aug 2006, 8:37 am

I think the clear winner has to be Sobell. The "Sobelette" is pretty hideous but worse is their big woodie post war thing with thick wooden bits over the speaker grill totally out of proportion to the not-even-remotely-well-positioned tuning scale, with even the control knobs looking all lop sided (might be optical illusion though). Truely hideous. Even if I had managed to find my Radio! Radio! book last night I would have had to ban myself for posting a pic of the set on the grounds of posting obscene material ! So instead heres a link to a page :-

http://www.classicwireless.btinternet.co.uk/sobell.htm

Unfortunately you need a straight front view to truely appreciate how hideous the darn thing is.

TTFN,
Jon

Dave Moll · 11th Aug 2006, 8:49 am

It would seem that the Sobell is so ugly that my browser refuses to display it

Mike Phelan · 11th Aug 2006, 8:55 am

OK - my two penn'orth
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.....

The Bug, modern ghettobalsters and the weird Fergy - yuk!
The Wien looks nice in a functional way
The Perdio is just bland and unimaginative - many 50s woodies, ditto.
The Oceanic is lovely - je dois avoir cela!

newlite4 · 11th Aug 2006, 9:27 am

I think that one of the ugliest has to be this Wards-Airline Canadian set. It is so ugly that I have not even restored it yet! It has that sort of bulbous auto styling and strong looking grille. It does have FM though which is good for a 1952 model.
Neil

Duke_Nukem · 11th Aug 2006, 9:46 am

Quote:

It would seem that the Sobell is so ugly that my browser refuses to display it

Oh no, you don't get away that lightly

Link now fixed !

TTFN,
Jon

JoshWard · 11th Aug 2006, 9:57 am

I actually like the French set (I'm on your side Howard & JPB!). I also like the Sobell...
Can I have two votes? If so it'd have to be these...
http://www.pasttimesradio.co.uk/proj...5u-black-1.jpg

The beautiful Ferguson 625U

http://www.jhorne62.freeserve.co.uk/...andes_rb10.htm

And the KB RB10 (Sorry Mike

!)

Josh.

stephanie · 11th Aug 2006, 2:59 pm

I kind of like those two, Josh. Especially the light blue K-B. But then again, I've got a bit of a love affair with cheap-n-cheerful plastic radios.

Yeah. Usually the big wooden rigs sound much nicer though. I must be biased though, because I've never found a radio from the 30s-50s to be ugly.

mickjjo · 11th Aug 2006, 3:17 pm

I've got one of those blue KB RB10s, so I like them

. I used to like these Bush TR130s, until I saw this one

:-

http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/st...o.x=14&go.y=19

Regards, Mick.

paulsherwin · 11th Aug 2006, 3:17 pm

Most of the early 60s cheap plastic valve radios are a bit of an acquired taste. I'm working on one of these at the moment: http://www.somerset.net/arm/radio_pi.../ekco_u354.jpg

Not the ugliest radio in the world, but not the prettiest either

Paul

10th Aug 2006, 7:16 pm	#1
Neil Purling Nonode Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Hull, East Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 2,086	Ugliest Radio We have had a thread for the ugliest TV. What about one for the ugliest radio? Here is my candidate: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Oceanic-shagre...QQcmdZViewItem The only way I would want to give that foul thing house-room is after I had resprayed it. As it stands it resembles a penecillin colony!!

10th Aug 2006, 7:33 pm	#2
howard Nonode Join Date: May 2005 Location: Godalming, Surrey, UK. Posts: 2,593	Re: Ugliest Radio Hello Neil, Fortunately I'm colourblind so I can't appreciate the true colour of the French Oceanic radio, which I think looks rather nice My candidate for this award has got to be the Perdio PR25 .... based on the yashmak methinks ..... Attached Thumbnails Last edited by howard; 10th Aug 2006 at 7:38 pm.

10th Aug 2006, 9:33 pm	#3
GJR 11L Heptode Join Date: May 2004 Location: Ellington, Northumberland, UK. Posts: 815	Re: Ugliest Radio Oh dear! As someone who loves French valve sets of a certain age that Oceanic is, to my eyes, an object of very great beauty. Not only that, but it's different from the run of the mill UK sets of the period. Howard, I don't see any redeeming features about your nomination, but is it really any uglier than those '70s Belarus-constructed solid state devices that we know and love, the Selena? I'm racking my increasingly limited brain to name a truly ugly radio, but I'll bet you that nobody can post here the image of a set about whose ugliness we are in universal agreement! After all, filthy is filthy, pointless is pointless but beauty/absence thereof is totally subjective. Unless, ah yes, here it is: Attached Thumbnails __________________ John.

10th Aug 2006, 9:42 pm	#4
stephanie Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: New Bern, North Carolina, USA Posts: 346	Re: Ugliest Radio I think any of the modern hi-fi units and ghetto-blasters would be the ugliest radios ever made. To wit this Aiwa radio cassette player: http://www.us.aiwa.com/files/prodima.../CSDXD51_M.jpg

10th Aug 2006, 10:16 pm	#5
howard Nonode Join Date: May 2005 Location: Godalming, Surrey, UK. Posts: 2,593	Re: Ugliest Radio Hey Phil, The Selena isn't that bad a looking radio ! Your little Wien is certainly rather ungainly looking cos of its handle ! But Stephanie's Aiwa radio cassette player is absolutely hideous Howard

10th Aug 2006, 10:34 pm	#6
mickjjo Rest in Peace Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Dartford, Kent, UK. Posts: 1,661	Re: Ugliest Radio Well I like the French set and the "Rice Pudding Special" Perdio PR25 . Surely the ugliest radio ever conceived must be this thing :- http://www.thebug.com/ Regards, Mick. .

10th Aug 2006, 10:41 pm	#7
stephanie Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: New Bern, North Carolina, USA Posts: 346	Re: Ugliest Radio I concede. That bug thing gives me nightmares!! breaks out her ray gun

11th Aug 2006, 3:12 am	#9
Paul_RK Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Fakenham, Norfolk, UK. Posts: 4,255	Re: Ugliest Radio The Aiwa thing gets my vote so far. In the valve division, though, the Oceanic seems rather tasteful to me by comparison with this home-grown Ferguson 627U. It has everything: mahogany veneer cabinet with broad black-painted rim, brass 'speaker surround, brass tuning knob outer (hopeless to grip), brass feet, the biggest white plastic wavechange knob you ever saw, bright red leathercloth, and a huge black and blue reverse-painted glass tuning scale (lit by a 15 watt bulb, but when the room's dark you still can't read the stations by it as the scale's so opaque ) It's just as ugly inside too I'm fond of it really... Paul Attached Thumbnails Last edited by Paul_RK; 11th Aug 2006 at 3:17 am.

11th Aug 2006, 4:08 am	#10
stephanie Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: New Bern, North Carolina, USA Posts: 346	Re: Ugliest Radio That Fergie doesn't seem so bad. A bit different, yes. But ugly? I wouldn't go that far.

11th Aug 2006, 6:56 am	#11
Neil Purling Nonode Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Hull, East Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 2,086	Re: Ugliest Radio If you put said Oceanic down in the garden it would be rather well camouflaged - a stealth radio!!! The style of it would not have surprised me if it were made by Seeburg or Wurlitzer. When was it made, andwhat were we Brits making at the same time? The colouration makes me think of a Italian accordeon. As for that Ferguson, somebody had clearly been snorting soldering flux again. I suppose that as out hobby is retrospective there are inevitably going to be sets that are considered ugly now that would not have caused any raised eyebrows by the standards of their time. Still makes you wonder what the designers of that Fergie and the Oceanic were thinking of. Last edited by Neil Purling; 11th Aug 2006 at 7:01 am. Reason: Additional commentary

11th Aug 2006, 8:37 am	#12
Duke_Nukem Octode Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Birmingham, West Midlands, UK. Posts: 1,268	Re: Ugliest Radio I think the clear winner has to be Sobell. The "Sobelette" is pretty hideous but worse is their big woodie post war thing with thick wooden bits over the speaker grill totally out of proportion to the not-even-remotely-well-positioned tuning scale, with even the control knobs looking all lop sided (might be optical illusion though). Truely hideous. Even if I had managed to find my Radio! Radio! book last night I would have had to ban myself for posting a pic of the set on the grounds of posting obscene material ! So instead heres a link to a page :- http://www.classicwireless.btinternet.co.uk/sobell.htm Unfortunately you need a straight front view to truely appreciate how hideous the darn thing is. TTFN, Jon Last edited by Duke_Nukem; 11th Aug 2006 at 9:45 am. Reason: Fixed link

11th Aug 2006, 8:49 am	#13
Dave Moll Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK Posts: 6,127	Re: Ugliest Radio It would seem that the Sobell is so ugly that my browser refuses to display it

11th Aug 2006, 8:55 am	#14
Mike Phelan Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Near Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK Posts: 4,609	Re: Ugliest Radio OK - my two penn'orth Beauty is in the eye of the beholder..... The Bug, modern ghettobalsters and the weird Fergy - yuk! The Wien looks nice in a functional way The Perdio is just bland and unimaginative - many 50s woodies, ditto. The Oceanic is lovely - je dois avoir cela! __________________ Mike.

11th Aug 2006, 9:27 am	#15
newlite4 Octode Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Bath, Somerset, UK. Posts: 1,805	Re: Ugliest Radio I think that one of the ugliest has to be this Wards-Airline Canadian set. It is so ugly that I have not even restored it yet! It has that sort of bulbous auto styling and strong looking grille. It does have FM though which is good for a 1952 model. Neil Attached Thumbnails

11th Aug 2006, 9:57 am	#17
JoshWard Octode Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Near Stowmarket, Suffolk, UK. Posts: 1,962	Re: Ugliest Radio I actually like the French set (I'm on your side Howard & JPB!). I also like the Sobell... Can I have two votes? If so it'd have to be these... http://www.pasttimesradio.co.uk/proj...5u-black-1.jpg The beautiful Ferguson 625U http://www.jhorne62.freeserve.co.uk/...andes_rb10.htm And the KB RB10 (Sorry Mike !) Josh.

11th Aug 2006, 2:59 pm	#18
stephanie Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: New Bern, North Carolina, USA Posts: 346	Re: Ugliest Radio I kind of like those two, Josh. Especially the light blue K-B. But then again, I've got a bit of a love affair with cheap-n-cheerful plastic radios. Yeah. Usually the big wooden rigs sound much nicer though. I must be biased though, because I've never found a radio from the 30s-50s to be ugly. Last edited by stephanie; 11th Aug 2006 at 3:11 pm.

11th Aug 2006, 3:17 pm	#19
mickjjo Rest in Peace Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Dartford, Kent, UK. Posts: 1,661	Re: Ugliest Radio I've got one of those blue KB RB10s, so I like them . I used to like these Bush TR130s, until I saw this one :- http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/st...o.x=14&go.y=19 Regards, Mick.

11th Aug 2006, 3:17 pm	#20
paulsherwin Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 27,943	Re: Ugliest Radio Most of the early 60s cheap plastic valve radios are a bit of an acquired taste. I'm working on one of these at the moment: http://www.somerset.net/arm/radio_pi.../ekco_u354.jpg Not the ugliest radio in the world, but not the prettiest either Paul