March 2003

Welcome Back Neddie Seagoon

Fans of Neddie Seagoon will be pleased to learn that repeats of many Goon Shows are being broadcast by the BBC on their new digital radio channel - BBC7 - which opened on the 15th December 2002. The service carries drama, children's programmes and various classic BBC Radio comedy shows.

BBC7 is available via the Internet, satellite, Freeview, and (in glorious mono) via DAB (curse them, Moriarty). See http://www.bbc.co.uk/whatson/ for programme details. So, tune in. Feed the output of your new-fangled digital receiver or set-top box into a Medium (or Long) Wave modulator (like the one featured in the September 1997 Valve and Vintage column), and listen to all your old comedy favourites on a genuine valved radio. Owwwwww, feel that old nostalgia, Jim.

New (well, almost) B126 90V h.t. Batteries

The Kit Radio Company of Westerham in Kent produces the KRC-A-2 kit which is designed to replace B126 h.t. batteries that were used in many valved portable radio sets. The kit is actually an inverter which is powered by six alkaline AAA dry cells. The electronics and AAA cells fit neatly into a card case that resembles, in both size and appearance, an Ever Ready B126 battery. The kit comes complete with all components, a comprehensive instruction manual and even a set of AAA cells! The only things the would-be constructor has to supply are solder, and glue for the card case.

The KRC-A-2 kit is currently priced at 29.99UKP (+P&P), and is available from: Kit Radio Company. Unit 11, Marlborough Court, Westerham, Kent TN16 1EU. Telephone 0 (+44) 1959 563023.

EF50 Receiver

Someone wrote to me and mentioned a receiver circuit that was published in Practical Wireless way back in 1955. He couldn't remember the issue so I asked readers of my column. I received several replies, and it seems the set in question was was the one described by R. Berry in the August 1955 issue. The same circuit, albeit with minor differences, was also published in Wireless World (shown right). A high resolution image of the circuit is here. Save it to disk as it's too big to see properly on-screen (unless, of course, you have a giant-sized monitor).

Both the Wireless World circuit and the Practical Wireless circuit are 0-V-1 receivers, but the way in which the two stages are coupled is quite unusual, being very similar to the method found in the Mullard 3-3 audio amplifier. Indeed, did one design 'borrow' from the other? I wonder.

Backward Volume Controls

So far I've only received one E-mail on the subject of backward volume controls (see my December 2002 column). A backward volume control is so-called because the input is fed to the slider and the output is taken from the top of the track. Am I to assume, therefore, that nobody actually knows when or why the backward volume connection was first used? Come on; someone in net-land must know.

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