Bygone radio traders

[RF Burn]

There was a J. R. Hartley electronic components in Bridgnorth, visited him many times to buy components (through a passage between two shops, up two flights of narrow stairs into his rather cramped 'shop' which was always filled with the strains of classical music from Radio 3) sadly John passed away a few years ago. Also Telford Electronics (with which John was associated) designed and built amateur radio gear for a few years in Bridgnorth.

To the best of my knowledge there was no Hartleys in Shrewsbury that sold anything electronic, however as others have mentioned, a short way up the Wyle Cop there was a shop called 'Salop Electronics' which sold all manner of surplus and new components (in the 1960s/70s). They probably survived the demise of home construction by converting to the sale of musical or domestic electronic goods.

Adrian

[dseymo1]

The Shrewsbury shop near the top of Wyle Cop was Durrants, originally at least partially a record shop, but latterly a component and surplus supplier, run by a chap called Trevor (not sure if I ever knew his surname).
There was once a similar shop near the castle - possibly the same company.
J R Hartley are not to be confused with Hartley Electronics (of Oscilloscope fame, amongst other things) who later became Shrewsbury Electronics.

[ianj]

In Cheltenham, in the lower end, on Lower High St there is a superb big electronics shop and a few doors up a lovely retired TV repairman's shop, full of vintage radio and TV. He opens the shop as his hobby nowadays a few days a week, though he has taken on an LG flatscreen for repair with a power supply problem. There are a few still around but they are dying away. On Albion St, Modern radio has closed down .

I will post details and phone numbers in the forum, I'll drive that way tonight.

[KenIBrown]

Originally Posted by telstar

Hi. I remember the owner telling staff off occasionally when I and other customers were there. The place just mysteriously closed one day, not sure if to another part of Headingley.
My brother used to go there for spares for his projects, like sound to light disco lamps.
The place must have generated a lot of money, they used to advertise on the Leeds Bus service (no.45) from Wortley to Stanks.

If there was much dosh around we didn't get to earn it. I started on 30p per hour!

They moved from Headingley to Burley Hill. But I had left by then and never visited the 'new' shop. Checking streetview it seems to be gone now.

Also interesting re wages was the 'screw' system whereby if staff broke something, then the amount was incrementally docked from wages. My mate Tat who worked there for a while ended up on a negative wage!! ( needless to say he quit... )

[telstar]

Hi. KenIBrown. It was interesting to hear of your experiences there at Teleservicenter. The original premises on North Lane is now an estate agent, specializing in mainly student accommodation (well, Headingley is termed as a "student town"). I remember Teleservicenter did move down Chapel Street for a while (those premises are now empty). They also did trade orders, my brother remembers working for Bennett's Radio & T.V (early 1970's) on Harrogate Road and being sent to Teleservicenter to obtain spares in his lunch hour, they did not pay much either (surprise)!
I suppose that Teleservicenter did supply a useful service (like Leeds Amateur Radio and others did), and people could do with something similar today that repair radios (like people on this forum). R.S, Maplin & Farnell can not possibly supply most of the things that I require!
I remember Teleservicenter selling technical books (B.Babani - not sure if correct spelling?). They also overdid it with religious music l.p's for sale.
Cheers
Mike

[G6Tanuki]

Originally Posted by dseymo1

The Shrewsbury shop near the top of Wyle Cop was Durrants

Yes, Durrants - that was it. I recall buying a couple of the flexi-rubber antenna-bases and 16-foot whips [as used with 'Larkspur' gear in Land-Rovers], Bulgin 3-pin plugs/sockets, an ex-army morse-key and some 807s from there.
[The whips and bases were part of my 14MHz 'phased vertical' steerable-lobe antenna on the flat roof of a building at Aberystwyth University. The roof was sheeted with copper so provided a rather nice 'perfectly conducting earth']

The "Hartley" operation in Shrewsbury was quite extensive - see here:

http://www.madeinshrewsbury.co.uk/companies/hartleys

http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Hartley_Electromotives

Seems that at one point they owned the Baird and Ambassador brands, as well as being assembly contractors for HMV and Hacker.

[crackle]

Originally Posted by electroanorak

I have such fond memories of the Radio Constructors Centre (Flemings), in Westborough Road, Westcliff on Sea, Essex.

Yes, I remember this shop, it had lots of baskets of ex equipment boards and parts in the shop doorway.
I was in there once and the phone started to ring, it went on and on ringing and I said, "are you not going to answer it", Bill replied "I always deal with customers before answering the telephone" .
Mike

[HamishBoxer]

Sure I mentioned way back Radio Supplies Unlimited in Bournemouth. The shop I bought my first Green and Yellow spot transistor from for Seven Shillings and Six (Old) Pence.

When on holiday as a child I visited many times that establishment, is it still there I wonder?

[P.Pilcher]

Can anyone remember the name of the establishment which was, I think, located in Kings Heath, Birmingham from which in the late 1970's to early 80's you could buy second hand ex-rental colour tellies. I bought a load there - it was £25 untested (ie not working) or £50 working. Eventually they started doing the same with the Phillips N1700 video recorder - I bought one and remember shelling out for a new video head unit. What I couldn't understand was why I was happy paying £90 or so for one of these but would turn my nose up at a colour tube at a mere half the price!
One telly I bought (untested) had a pristine cabinet. On removing the back is was spotlessly clean inside as well. I took it home and studed it carefully. A blob of solder was required to repair the disc thermistor somewhere in the H.T. supply (Pye CT72), I switched on and was rewarded with a perfect picture! That telly served well for years and years.

P.P.

[KeithsTV]

There was a secondhand TV place in Stirchley that advertised in Television. I don't recall one in Kings Heath although I rarely went to Kings Heath when I was visiting my parents. My parents did buy a TV from a place in Stirchley but that was in 1991.

There was also a scruffy electronics shop in Stirchley near a pub (the Royal Oak?) where I bought a few items on my way home from school once.

Keith

[Dave757]

Hi,

I remember a shop in Stirchley that sold surplus electronic equipment called Wileman's, and a TV shop in Kings heath called Quality Radio. I don't know if they sold second hand TV's though.

Kind regards

Dave

[P.Pilcher]

It could have been Stirchley. I seem to remember that it was in a large barn of a place down a side road to the right of the main road heading out of Brum. I seem to remember that the roof of the barn was supported on large lattice wooden beams circa the very early 1900's. They certainly had a huge stock of tellies in that building.

P.P.

[Alan Stepney]

Originally Posted by HamishBoxer

Sure I mentioned way back Radio Supplies Unlimited in Bournemouth. The shop I bought my first Green and Yellow spot transistor from for Seven Shillings and Six (Old) Pence. When on holiday as a child I visited many times that establishment, is it still there I wonder?

No.

I believe it was "Wireless Supplies Unlimited".

[HamishBoxer]

Sorry Alan, you are indeed correct.That's me going back over 55 years.

[telstar]

Hi. Does anyone remember R & TV Components (Acton) of London W3?
I did not buy anything from them myself, but my (now late) father bought me a "Dorset" transistor radio kit from them (which he constructed for me), and gave to me as a present in the late 1960's. It gave hours of listening pleasure (until it got broken), tuning in to Veronica, R.N.I, e.t.c. The set was in a blue colour with metal trim, and had a clear round tuning knob for m.w & l.w. It looked similar to a Dansette radio. I have never seen another one since, but I found the advert in Practical Wireless (March 1970).
There was a module in the radio from what I remember.
Cheers
Mike

[Restoration73]

RTVC were around until at least the late '70s. Got my first hifi separates system from
them May '72 comprising :
Viscount IV amp (seem to be made from all suplus components)
Garrard SP25Mk3 with fitted AD76K mag cart
2 x EMI 450 13 x 8 speakers in cabs (which I blew so replaced the drivers with 15 ohm
450s)
Happy days !

['LIVEWIRE?']

There used to be a shop in Witney, Oxon, called 'Witney Audio', run by a very knowledgeable gentleman, whose name escapes me (Perhaps Chris {Herald 1360 }may remember), and two in Banbury - one was called 'Arrow Audio' and was above a shop in George Street, the other, which closed due to redevelopment maybe 30 years ago now, was, IIRC, called 'Hammonds'. At one time or another I bought components from all of them.

[Restoration73]

I spent a few months in Peterborough in 1987, can anyone remember a components
shop in the Lincoln road - and was there a shop at Crowland ?

[Herald1360]

Originally Posted by 'LIVEWIRE?'

There used to be a shop in Witney, Oxon, called 'Witney Audio', run by a very knowledgeable gentleman, whose name escapes me (Perhaps Chris {Herald 1360 }may remember

Sorry, only been here since 2006, so nothing remembered other than Delnevos who still had a couple of old style TV/Radio shops in Witney up till a couple of years ago. They didn't make a thing of selling components but I bought a few bits and pieces from them on occasion.

Harking back to RTVC (Acton) Ltd- I built one of their Elegant Seven kits back in the '70s and my first pair of "hifi" speakers were EMI 13 * 8 from there. Slightly later I built their car radio kit which just about coped with the noise in the cab of my 400E with a speaker on a board six inches behind my head hanging from one of the roof braces.

['LIVEWIRE?']

Witney Audio was in Corn street, not far from Delnevos, but closed maybe 20 years ago, Chris. Perhaps another forum member from this area can remember who owned/ran the shop. The only Independant component shop for miles around now, of which I know, is in Cheltenham.