13-12-2011, 09:31 AM
I guess my estimates of price hadn't taken account of how e-bay has driven up prices since I acquired and sold my Eddystones. I bought a pristine 940 for £125, and when I went to collect it, the guy said would you be interested in this one - an EA12. If you are, you can have the pair of them for £200! That was about 1998. About 2006 I sold the 940 for £175 and the EA12 for £250. (I'd earlier had a 940 which I'd sold, then regretted selling it, and had advertised for the 940 that I collected from Liverpool along with the EA12). I'd steer clear on AC/DC ones.
In 1985 I bought a set of 16 R&TV books for £15.00 and when I went to collect them, the guy said 'is this any good to you - you can have it if you want it'. It was an Eddystone bug key! They'd been a spectacular flop and hadn't sold well so were not produced in great numbers, making them uncommon if not rare. I sold that for years ago to someone who offered me £175.00 for it and pleaded with me to let him have it. He didn't have to twist my arm!
Having gone through almost the whole gamut of Eddystones, I'd only buy one nmow as either a restoration project or for the joy of ownership. Unless brought back onto spec with considerable restoration, I wouldn't use one as a serious DX receiver. There have been so many advances over the years that they can't compete with modern sold state receivers. That said, Eddystone did produce some very complex and reliable sold state receivers, and there is, or was, a guy who specialsed in them, but that's not relevant to this thread.
Chris Pettit - former MD of Eddystone, wrote a fascinating history of the company, which originally made hairgrips, but when bobbed hairstyles came into fashion in the 1920s their market collapsed, so they turned to making components for the newfangled phenomenon known as 'radio'. Chris is a member of the Eddystone User Group. The other guru is Graeme Wormald - a super guy, who I hope is still around!
I'd agree with the comments about the S640 - a simpler receiver that was the first post-war one, so is quite long in the tooth, compared to say the 940 which was the last valved model, and actually cobbled together from parts from other models, but with a good end result. The 640 has a 'half-moon' dial with two pointers - one for bandspread, and tends not to be as sought after as the 'slide-rule' models.
The only Eddystone items that I still have are a couple of round die-cast speakers, which also go for ridiculous prices.
In 1985 I bought a set of 16 R&TV books for £15.00 and when I went to collect them, the guy said 'is this any good to you - you can have it if you want it'. It was an Eddystone bug key! They'd been a spectacular flop and hadn't sold well so were not produced in great numbers, making them uncommon if not rare. I sold that for years ago to someone who offered me £175.00 for it and pleaded with me to let him have it. He didn't have to twist my arm!
Having gone through almost the whole gamut of Eddystones, I'd only buy one nmow as either a restoration project or for the joy of ownership. Unless brought back onto spec with considerable restoration, I wouldn't use one as a serious DX receiver. There have been so many advances over the years that they can't compete with modern sold state receivers. That said, Eddystone did produce some very complex and reliable sold state receivers, and there is, or was, a guy who specialsed in them, but that's not relevant to this thread.
Chris Pettit - former MD of Eddystone, wrote a fascinating history of the company, which originally made hairgrips, but when bobbed hairstyles came into fashion in the 1920s their market collapsed, so they turned to making components for the newfangled phenomenon known as 'radio'. Chris is a member of the Eddystone User Group. The other guru is Graeme Wormald - a super guy, who I hope is still around!
I'd agree with the comments about the S640 - a simpler receiver that was the first post-war one, so is quite long in the tooth, compared to say the 940 which was the last valved model, and actually cobbled together from parts from other models, but with a good end result. The 640 has a 'half-moon' dial with two pointers - one for bandspread, and tends not to be as sought after as the 'slide-rule' models.
The only Eddystone items that I still have are a couple of round die-cast speakers, which also go for ridiculous prices.
Regards, David.
BVWS Member.
G-QRP Club Member 1339.
'I'm in my own little world, but I'm happy, and they know me here'
BVWS Member.
G-QRP Club Member 1339.
'I'm in my own little world, but I'm happy, and they know me here'
