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Old 19th Jan 2023, 6:01 pm   #21
Cruisin Marine
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Default Re: Decca's manufacturing side

Decca Record Company Ltd had a large distribution factory in Lee High Road, near Lee Green SE London.
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Old 19th Jan 2023, 6:04 pm   #22
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Default Re: Decca's manufacturing side

Yes, Decca acquired KW Electronics some time in the early 1970s, I came across a number of KW2000CAT transceivers (a crystal controlled version of the KW2000B operating between 2 and 12MHz) that were branded Decca - KW.

Also some Sonar stuff by Decca that was used by oil exploration ships in the coastal waters of the southern US.
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Old 19th Jan 2023, 6:16 pm   #23
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Default Re: Decca's manufacturing side

Not forgetting the famous Decca Bradford CTV in all its versions.
Ken G6HZG.
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Old 19th Jan 2023, 7:02 pm   #24
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Default Re: Decca's manufacturing side

There was also the TELDEC joint venture between Decca and Telefunken of Germany.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teldec

Some early Telefunken TVs sold in the UK were fitted with the Decca Bradford chassis.
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Old 19th Jan 2023, 9:36 pm   #25
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Default Re: Decca's manufacturing side

I remember TelDec LPs in the 1980s. Very CD-like sound quality which was a revelation.
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Old 19th Jan 2023, 10:08 pm   #26
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Default Re: Decca's manufacturing side

Didn't Decca used to press the most revered Deutsche Gramaphone recordings?
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Old 27th Jan 2023, 5:31 pm   #27
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Default Re: Decca's manufacturing side

I was sort of "mentored" by a friend of my dad's in the 1960's [I was thought perhaps a bit young to be extending the, typically limited, electrics in our 1958 semi.... at 14! At that point, Harvey was rewiring Cotton Mills in Lancashire to install new looms. It was a last ditch attempt to save the Industry He took me to see one [in Burnley I think] and told me about his National Service in Germany. There was a competition to decide which Radar System to install at the New York Airport. The Decca System performed well on demonstration but the American alternative missed the target and bombed a German farmhouse. No injuries but very much compensation he said

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The last time I saw Harvey he was on the front page of the Sunday Times headlined, "On The Way to His First Million!" This would be after the fuel crisis in 1972 and he was a pioneer in the new Consultancy firms advising Industry on energy conservation. He worked for the Gas and then Electricity Utilities, probably during the period when a stern voice on TV said "Switch Off Something Now" and we could sometimes lose power for four hours at a time.
Nowadays you can get "cashback" for switching off instead. Not really much progress is it?
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Old 30th Jan 2023, 3:28 pm   #28
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Default Re: Decca's manufacturing side

Hi all

I worked at Decca at 1-3 Brixton road back in the late 50s, we used to produce between 250 - 300 TVs , I cannot remember if it was per day or per week, though I seem to to think if it were per day that would only make it 60 a day, I am sure it was more than that so the more that I think about it, it must have been per day

I started off on the production line, then went onto pre-test where the TV was basically set up, then I went onto picture test where the TVs picture was set up and all stations were tuned in via a Monoscope (this produced a testcard C but each channel had a different audio note so as you went around the channels you could tell that each channel was tuned correctly or sometimes incorrectly), then I went to final test, this was after the TV had been fitted into its wooden case, from there I did a stint on testing radiograms and several other jobs before I left to do other things.

Also where Decca went wrong was they produced an absolutely brilliant 405 TV but for some reason they went to BRC (Ferguson) and bought their 850 dual standard TV chassis, that went into some of the sets then they brought out a TV which had a swing up chassis this at its conception was good BUT it was plastered with WIMA capacitors and we all know their reputation, in time Decca's reputation as a maker of good TVs declined and that was when they went to TATUNG, used their chassis for some time, Then TATUNG took their chassis' away which left Decca in the smelly stuff and Decca eventually just stopped making domestic electronics and by then they had moved to Queenstown Rd in Battersea

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Old 30th Jan 2023, 4:31 pm   #29
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Default Re: Decca's manufacturing side

They were still a big name in the 1970s. Our school tellies were all Deccas with 100-series chassis, there was a kid at the school nicknamed "Decca" (why?!) and they used to advertise on the hoardings at football matches etc.

The last Decca set I encountered would have been in the mid-1990s. A nice-enough 14" portable which I had to fit a new LOP transformer to.
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Old 30th Jan 2023, 5:02 pm   #30
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Default Re: Decca's manufacturing side

Quote:
Originally Posted by bill knox View Post
Also where Decca went wrong was they produced an absolutely brilliant 405 TV but for some reason they went to BRC (Ferguson) and bought their 850 dual standard TV chassis, that went into some of the sets then they brought out a TV which had a swing up chassis this at its conception was good BUT it was plastered with WIMA capacitors and we all know their reputation, in time Decca's reputation as a maker of good TVs declined and that was when they went to TATUNG, used their chassis for some time, Then TATUNG took their chassis' away which left Decca in the smelly stuff and Decca eventually just stopped making domestic electronics and by then they had moved to Queenstown Rd in Battersea
I remember when Decca was based in Bridgnorth; in the very-early-80s they sold their domestic electronics side to Tatung, preferring to concentrate on their professional stuff [Radar, communications] which was probably more profitable than trying to compete against Japan and China.

Tatung relocated to a new-build factory in Telford New Town [probably tempted by Government grants and the opportunity to monetize the old Bridgnorth site for housing redevelopment].

Tatung seemed to only be half-hearted in their efforts; they seemed to pull out of the UK/European market entirely by about 2000.
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Old 30th Jan 2023, 11:34 pm   #31
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Default Re: Decca's manufacturing side

I remember one TV shop in Stockport was a Tatung dealer, possibly it had been a Decca dealer before then.

It closed sometime in the 1990's, and used to leave a gimmick of a wooden cased set on the pavement outside the shop with a sign on saying something like "if you are still watching TV on a set like this then maybe it's time to come inside!"
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Old 31st Jan 2023, 9:20 am   #32
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Default Re: Decca's manufacturing side

I’d have been tempted to 1/2 inch the wooden set when no one was looking!!!
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