This is the second example of the
Pye 19 that I've acquired. There were two slightly different
versions made.. the 19D and the T19D having slightly different
shortwave coverages. This one, a 19D is in very good condition
compared with the last one, a T19D, given to me for parts. These
receivers were pretty special as domestic sets went because they
had no less than six shortwave bands. These are not general purpose,
but bandspread over the broadcast bands, thus making reception
of distant stations much easier. Click
the picture below to see the T19D. |
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The rear view with the
cover removed shows a clean chassis which is painted and therefore
much less susceptible to rust. It looks like the tuning condenser
mounting bushes are perished giving it a drunken appearance but
the thing is still rigidly mounted. |
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The identification plate includes
the valve line-up. These are all International Octal types made
by Mullard. Mullard, Philips and Pye were all related when this
set was made hence the choice of valves. The use of more than
one brand name meant that more sets were sold, relying on the
attractiveness of each name and user's experience and loyalty
of the particular brand. This was extended when, for example,
Philips introduced the brand name "Stella" to their
factory's output. |
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The designers made it
easy to adjust the set to line up with its dial, a necessary
feature because of the definition of the readings due to bandspeading. |
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Here's a close-up of the
dial. In the 1950s amateur transmissions were mainly AM so the
coverage of 80m and 40m was a useful feature.
You'll notice the mix of units
maybe?... Long and Medium wavebands are shown in metres but shortwave
bands in Mc/s, although the ranges are headed in the recognised
units of metres. I'm not sure what M.S.W. stands for? Note it's
range about 2.8Mc/s to 8Mc/s; the T19D is different, I think
the "T" stands for "Trawler Band". The T19D
didn't have the 13m band but had the 49m band. That band however
was included in the 19D's M.S.W. band but not bandspread. |
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Here's the circuit diagram
which applies to both the Model 19D and the T19D. Click
it to see it full size. |
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