Can anyone identify this portable radio?

[Potless]

Hi all - way back around 1964 to about 1970, our family had a small portable radio, which I THINK was made by Bush - I have been trying to find a model number for it without success, and numerous image searches have not brought anything to light so far.

I have attached my impression of how it looked - maybe someone here will know for sure who made it, and it's model number?

A few clues - it looked like it could also be used as a car radio when laid on its front side. The two HUGE dials were for volume and tuning (very tactile as I recall!) - with three (possibly two) oblong pushbuttons in the centre of the fascia.

The case seemed to be made of a hard, buff-coloured leather.

The front speaker grille consisted of a series of rectangular cutouts in the leather, with a cloth dust cover behind the slots (I remember this, because as a naughty 7 year old kid, I would poke needles and various other sharp things through the slots, peppering the speaker with holes!).

I am sure our resourceful forumites will know about this little radio - any help would be much appreciated, as I want to get another one!

[ms660]

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/murphy_b485b_48.html

?

Lawrence.

[Potless]

Originally Posted by ms660

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/murphy_b485b_48.html

?

Lawrence.

Very similar, but the case was less rounded and was made from brown leather.

[Paul_RK]

Originally Posted by Potless

Very similar, but the case was less rounded and was made from brown leather.

Have you scrolled sideways to look at more pictures? The B485, and its very similar immediate predecessor the B385, were both supplied in carrying cases of a tan-coloured imitation leather, I think they called it Nubuck. The stuff shrunk as years went by, cases were already fairly tight when I first met the sets around 1970, and looking at my B385 recently I'm not sure there would be a way of extracting it without doing violence to the casing.

One difference from your sketch is that both models had long carrying straps, never a rigid handle. I can't think of anything that comes closer to fitting the bill, unless a leather case was available for the Alba Snipe -

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

Paul

[Potless]

Originally Posted by Paul_RK

Have you scrolled sideways to look at more pictures? The B485, and its very similar immediate predecessor the B385, were both supplied in carrying cases of a tan-coloured imitation leather, I think they called it Nubuck. The stuff shrunk as years went by, cases were already fairly tight when I first met the sets around 1970, and looking at my B385 recently I'm not sure there would be a way of extracting it without doing violence to the casing.

One difference from your sketch is that both models had long carrying straps, never a rigid handle. I can't think of anything that comes closer to fitting the bill, unless a leather case was available for the Alba Snipe -

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

Paul

Looking at the images further on, I don't remember the case being zipped (it seemed to be integral to the set), and I don't remember a raised black top. You are definitely right about the handle being a strap though. Also, the colour orange comes to mind regarding the top surface, and a rectangular outline to the case.

Either my memory is corrupted, or there must be another very similar model out there!

[Paul_RK]

The zipped lid is just to cover the controls - the radio would normally only come out of the case to change the batteries, a pair of PP1s. In some versions the central panel in front of the buttons on top is orange/gold with white lettering, though often faded by now - as far as I know the surround is always black. Is the size of the set about right? (10"" long).

[Potless]

Yes, the length is about right. I seem to remember that the two large dials were flush to a flat surface though, and they were not as "tall"; imagination maybe?

I actually pulled the set to pieces around 1970, as it had stopped working, and my father said I could have it to experiment with! I don't recall there being a plastic case inside the leather one. It was one of my first encounters with the innards of a transistor radio - I wish I had possessed the skills to fix it at the time!

[Paul_RK]

Quite a mystery, then. The RGD B58 is a set in a leather case with orange/red top panel, but its volume knob doesn't match the size of the tuning one and there are no buttons -

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/rgd_b58b_5.html

[Potless]

Aha! I'm pretty sure that is the one we had - I just got the maker's name and the size of the volume control knob wrong!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions - I think we have a match...

[Potless]

Originally Posted by Potless

Aha! I'm pretty sure that is the one we had - I just got the maker's name and the size of the volume control knob wrong!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions - I think we have a match...

Oh, and I mistook the slide switch for buttons.

[Paul_RK]

Excellent - the model seemed just close enough to the description to be worth a mention, as there weren't all that many UK-made transistor sets in leather cases to choose from, and not all those had the controls on top.

I hope you're able to find one. I did have a specimen, in dark green leather, but I've not seen it for a while so it was probably among the 300-odd sets we sold shortly before moving.

Paul

[Potless]

Excellent detective work - thanks again.

[Paul_RK]

The example at RM.org belonged to the late Mike Edwards, whose long-standing interest in all things KB led him also to collect the, sometimes fairly obscure, transistor models from Regentone and RGD from when both marques had joined KB in the STC empire: a page at Mike's KB Museum website gathers the RGD and Regentone ranges,

http://www.kbmuseum.org.uk/reg_rgd.htm

Mike had been reducing his collection over recent years, but must still have left many radios. I don't think I've heard anything regarding what's become of them.