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Old 5th Dec 2011, 6:35 pm   #1
Pamphonica
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Default "Pam" TVs?

I have posted details in another thread of a fledgling website dedicated to Pamphonic ("Pam").

It is totally devoid of "Pam" TV material, so if any of you TV gurus can contribute anything I would be most grateful. Adverts, brochures, photos and circuit diagrams for PAM TVs. Anecdotes welcome!

Was the "Pam" range of (not highly regarded!) TVs merely a rebranding of Pye sets? Very likely as Pamphonic knew nothing about TV, and Pye owned most of Pamphonic by the 50s. Any insights?

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Old 5th Dec 2011, 9:28 pm   #2
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Default Re: "Pam" TVs?

The 'PAM' brand name was generally used by PYE to launch new ideas such as the Polaroid screen in the model 600 television receiver. The UK's first transistor radio was given PAM branding just in case it was a failure. The first printed circuit receiver was the PAM 500, another unknown assembly method in those days. PYE did not want their name 'blackened' by a failed idea or product launch. Most models had direct Pye equivalents but some were quite different. All were of high quality construction.
They were very well presented using the best of cabinets often of nicer quality than Pye receivers themselves. They were popular with customers and were easy to sell on the reconditioned market. The 'wholesale' brand marketed by PYE was the INVICTA. Regards, John.
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Old 6th Dec 2011, 3:40 pm   #3
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Default Re: "Pam" TVs?

I agree that the cabinets always appeared to be of better quality and design than the Pye equivalents and customers bought or rented Pam in larger quantities. The 600 with the Polaroid screen was a really nice compact set.
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Old 6th Dec 2011, 6:07 pm   #4
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Default Re: "Pam" TVs?

As far as I can tell the "Pam" brand was first used by Pamphonic in 1939, for PA amplifiers.
Pye were major investors in Pamphonic, probably from 1937. The paperwork we have makes no mention of the Pam TVs. It only has amps, radios, speakers etc up to 1960 or so. I think I will need to see if any Pye archives exist to check out what was really happening in the 50s with TVs.
Keep the snippets coming, though!
Thanks all,
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Old 7th Dec 2011, 3:23 pm   #5
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Default Re: "Pam" TVs?

I've just warmed-up a PAM 560F which I'd forgotten about years ago. I thought it looked like a PYE.
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Old 9th Mar 2013, 6:59 am   #6
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Default Re: "Pam" TVs?

The first TV I ever saw after arriving in Britain* circa 1957 was a Pam TV fitted with Polaroid screen. I remember it had a very blueish-looking picture. It was a Band I-only design fed by an X-array and so probably bought around the time of the 1953 Coronation. I had to go round to a friend's house in order to watch ITV. He was totally baffled as to why we could not watch ITV at home. Fortunately for me we moved home shortly afterwards and acquired a new Pye TV at the same time with Bands 1 and III.

The PAM survived in everyday use by someone else until the early 1970s when it was donated to me in non-working condition and I suspect unrepairable at reasonable cost.

*I'm originally from Holland but spent some time in a British army barracks in Germany before coming to Britain.
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Old 9th Mar 2013, 8:43 am   #7
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Default Re: "Pam" TVs?

I have this shop carton (c. 46cm wide).
No TV however.

Jac
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Old 9th Mar 2013, 9:25 am   #8
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Default Re: "Pam" TVs?

Pam only produced the Polaroid screen for the 1959/60 season. It was not generally liked by the viewing public producing a very high contrast picture that had a 'distant' look to it.
As far as I can remember I have never seen a Band 1 only Pam receiver, the earliest being the dual band 14" models but as I have always said, you think you have seen them all and then another turns up!
Pye/Pam produced many models with their famous 'black screen' that was tinted Perspex in either pink or later grey shades. The Pam Polaroid screen [600S/F] was a semi one way glass, quite distictive and had to be fitted the correct way round in the viewing window. Regards, John.
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Old 9th Mar 2013, 12:47 pm   #9
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Default Re: "Pam" TVs?

Thanks John.

I realised after posting and checking with another website that I may have condensed the memories of two different TV sets? I was extremely young at the time so my memory of the period is quite fuzzy.

The first TV where I lived was definitely BBC-only and blueish looking. The one I later inherited from the same address looked very much like a Pam 550 and may have had a 13 channel tuner so it's possible (indeed likely) it replaced the original TV I saw after we moved home. It would indeed be extraordinary if the owners waited until the early 1970s before replacing the BBC-only receiver.
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Old 9th Mar 2013, 1:06 pm   #10
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Default Re: "Pam" TVs?

They all look the same when your young!
Quite a number of converted to Band 3 receivers particularly the Bush TUG24 series survived into the very early 70's. These were mostly older viewers who refused to replace a receiver until it breathed it's last gasp! The arrival of BBC2 did not attract the replacement market as had been hoped. Regards, John.
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Old 9th Mar 2013, 1:50 pm   #11
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Default Re: "Pam" TVs?

Here's a couple of pictures of my Pam 14" TV. The set is electrically similar to the Pye V14 which means that it had all the line timebase problems of that model.
As you can see it is a more up market version of the Pye.

DFWB.
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Old 9th Mar 2013, 2:00 pm   #12
rharness
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Default Re: "Pam" TVs?

Well here's one installed in a radiogram
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Old 9th Mar 2013, 2:41 pm   #13
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Default Re: "Pam" TVs?

Quote:
Originally Posted by FERNSEH View Post
As you can see it is a more up market version of the Pye.
It looks identical to my VT17CDL with the bottom sawn off
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Old 9th Mar 2013, 2:53 pm   #14
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Default Re: "Pam" TVs?

I recently restored a 1959 Pam 600F, it does have that Pye feel to it, as the chassis is the same as the Pye V310F, but the looks are pure Pam
See here https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=92888

It certainly gives a good account of itself, it has seen a fair bit of use since restoration.
It is the only Pam tv in my collection so far....

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Old 9th Mar 2013, 4:17 pm   #15
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Default Re: "Pam" TVs?

I have only 3 pam tv's ( see photo )
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Old 4th Jul 2013, 6:38 pm   #16
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Default Re: "Pam" TVs?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Heatercathodeshort View Post
...Pam only produced the Polaroid screen for the 1959/60 season. It was not generally liked by the viewing public producing a very high contrast picture that had a 'distant' look to it...

...The Pam Polaroid screen [600S/F] was a semi one way glass, quite distictive and had to be fitted the correct way round in the viewing window...
It just so happens that my Mother-in-Law's friend, Bruce has been having a bit of a clear out and pulled out the old family TV from the loft. It was bought new in 1961 in Stevenage and was used throughout the 1960s and into the very early 70s. It became a "second set" until the late 70s when it was put away in the loft "just in case"!

It's a Pam model 606 and I threw caution to the wind and plugged it in and lo and behold it works to an extent! After a short while though the width starts coming in rather rapidly. Just look at all those wax/paper capacitors that need to be replaced

Anyway, here are a few pictures of the set as it is. I'll start a new thread when I get round to fixing it up...
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Old 4th Jul 2013, 6:53 pm   #17
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Default Re: "Pam" TVs?

Watch out for the "Rotten Cabbage" smell from a failing metal rectifier.
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Old 4th Jul 2013, 8:18 pm   #18
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Default Re: "Pam" TVs?

I don't think that's a bad result if the set's been stored since the late 1970s. Yes beware the rectifier; during initial 'investigations' you could always protect it a bit by putting a 1N4007 in series, it'll save it from reverse leakage/breakdown.
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Old 4th Jul 2013, 8:21 pm   #19
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Default Re: "Pam" TVs?

Quote:
Originally Posted by HamishBoxer View Post
Watch out for the "Rotten Cabbage" smell from a failing metal rectifier.
Rotten cabbage is putting it mildy Hamish.. These are probably based on the PYE V210 series. Very reliable once you have replaced those leaky caps. They leaked in 1962... TCC 'plastiseals' if I remember correctly. I was just a kid at the time. Reliable LOPT and a cracking AW43-88 Mullard tube.
Nice one! John.
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Old 5th Jul 2013, 10:12 am   #20
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Default Re: "Pam" TVs?

Hi David, Nick and John.

A quick measurement of the HT showed just under 200V so at the moment the rectifier is holding up. The set seems to be almost identical to my Pye V310S which I restored back in 2008. Wow! Isn't time flying by? That set still has its metal rectifier which is holding up well but any signs of distress and I'll replace it with a silicon diode with a surge limiter in series if the HT is too high.

I have some time today so I may have a stab at the timebases today...
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