# Eddystones & Hallicrafters



## Binnacle (Jul 22, 2005)

Remember the days when we carried our own radios with us. Went through two Eddystones and a Hallicrafter among other sets. Often when you left the ship somebody would buy the radio from you, saved you lugging it back home. Alf Willings in Hartlepool used to advertise the Eddystones in Brown's Nautical Almanac. Eddystone believed in quality, after they were taken over by Marconi the standard dropped IMHO. Pye IIRC also made a good radio. Good short wave coverage and dual voltage were necessary. Rigging a decent aerial could be a problem, depending on mast and samson post set up. Sometimes up derricks - down aerial. Sparks was always happy to give technical advice (or tell you your radio was crap). 
Happy days.


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

Like this one?(Thumb)


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

*Eddystone 870*



Marconi Sahib said:


> Like this one?(Thumb)


Kris,

My 870 lasted from 1961 until our last house move in 1993, at which time it went into the skip.


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## tunatownshipwreck (Nov 9, 2005)

My favorite portable was the Zenith Transoceanic. It really pulled in the stations and sounded great too.


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## Tony D (May 2, 2004)

I had the loan of a Zenith Tranzoceonic,it never left the dock,blew it up before we sailed by selecting the wrong voltage, when one thinks about it now one was a bit of a whelk then,portable meant summat different in those days as well,I recal it as a pretty hefty medium suitcase sized piece of kit.
I remember it had a number of different aerials armed with rubber suckers to stick to the bulkhead,pity I never got to try it deep sea,did try it in me bedroom at home and remember it picking up short wave stuff from miles away.
(Scribe)


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## dom (Feb 10, 2006)

*dom*

they were both good radios,two stations came in clear as a bell no matter where you were or the state of the aerial ,voice of America and Radio Moscow.


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## thunderd (Apr 18, 2005)

I had the chance to buy an Eddystone at an auction recently, they were ex Antarctic Division and in excellent condition, unfortunately I was too dumb then to see the value. Kick Kick Kick


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## Split (Jun 25, 2006)

First radio I had was a Halicrafter. It developed a shriek when the volume was turned up. I, probably, had it about a year. Sparks bought it! I guess he knew that he could fix it.

The second was a Pye Cambridge. What a great radio, set bandspread knob, a short wave, mariners delight. I was fool enough to sell it and buy one of those new fangled transisters. It had compactness but the Pye had the bigger speaker which made all the difference to sound quality-
Split


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## Keith Adams (Nov 5, 2006)

I was a proud owner of a Halicrafter Radio...dangled the antenna out of the porthole... mine was a Khaki colour and looked like I nicked it from the army!
Snowy.


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## Binnacle (Jul 22, 2005)

Snowy said:


> I was a proud owner of a Halicrafter Radio...dangled the antenna out of the porthole... mine was a Khaki colour and looked like I nicked it from the army!
> Snowy.


Dangling the antenna out of a porthole reminded me of an incident in my past. As I was being relieved when the ship drydocked in Japan I sold my Halicrafter radio to the electrician. This set was in brand new condition as my previous set had not weathered an electrical storm off Bermuda. A few days after the sale the C/E told me that "Lecky" was having difficulty raising the BBC. As we were mid Pacific, and his aerial consisted of a length of wire aligned alongside a sampson post, this failing was understandable. During an evening watch I concocted a plan to relieve the boredom of a longish passage. I had bought a set of walkie-talkies in Japan which transmitted on a frequency covered by the Halcrafter. I also possessed a record player. I confided in the C/E who was essential to the plot. I did a trial run, Aerial stuck out of my bedroom window, transmitting (IIRC on 27mcs), a stout rubber band round the transmitter key and a record ready on the turntable.
The C/E nipped down to Lecky's cabin, tuned in to the cabin above, while he was absent partaking of supper. Lecky came into his cabin, his face lit up as the strains of Jimmy Shand came booming through. The C/E said to him "I thought you couldn't get the BBC". Leckie reckoned he would have to get into the hang of tuning it properly. Meantime while Lecky sat enthralled with his new purchase, I was up top telling "listeners" the next request if for Mrs Macfadden 128 Seaview Road, Sydney from her grandaughter in Auchtermuchty etc. It was modelled on "Scottish Magazine" (for home sick Scots) After about three records I was getting fed up and said " Chief tell that silly b***** I'm closing down for the night." The C/E told me afterwards that Leck's face was a picture of astonishment. He had really believed he was listening to the BBC.
Apologies to all for the long winded post


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## Glyn Howell (Nov 2, 2010)

*Eddystone or Halicrafter*

Back in 1954 I arrived as Third Mate on the vessel Rosa, based in Port of Spain, Trinidad. I had at that time a small type of Halicrafter, not $1000 type! The second mate was a bit of an odd cove and did not take to me but he did like cricket, to get my own back I could put my radio on standby and just tune off frequenct cuasing his to oscillate most terribly, he would rush to my cabin but because my Halicrafter was on stand-by no lamps gleamed. I know, childish! However I did have sent out from Liverpool an Eddystone 670. it was sent out on the Blue Funnel ship Diplomat. Today it is in the loft and still covered in the meticulous, tiddly canvas cover, with coloured thread stitching. I was out for a year or so running from Trinidad and up the Islands, doing one a day and then back for a week in Trinidad, next trip was down to Geargetown, British Guyana and so forth. Great times. Glyn


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Glyn, I bet that ship Diplomat was Harrisons, not Blue Funnel - Trinidad would have been well off the engraved route on BF charts, I think.

I always liked the look of Eddystones but was too tight to buy one - why shoudl I , I had a Dynatron in the radio room.

John T.


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

Glyn Howell said:


> However I did have sent out from Liverpool an Eddystone 670.


A couple of weeks ago I was talking to the former boss of Eddystone Radio, makers of the famous range of communications receivers. In his retirement is living with his wife (of similar vintage) in South Wales. He is now in his 90s and still as sharp as a button. Well about most things - he is a lifelong Aston Villa supporter. We can't all be perfect.


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## 5TT (May 3, 2008)

I used to carry a Sony ICF-2001 with me, found myself listening to GKA traffic lists on it mostly though, how sad !!!

I recently acquired a Hallicrafters S40 as a restoration project, the cabinet is a real mess but it did make a very nice high fidelity bang soon after I switched it on, probably the first sound it's made in many a year. 
Not the same build quality as the Eddystones of the era but performance wise every bit as good, and I love that soft green glow from the tuning dial ...

= Adrian +


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## Abbeywood. (Aug 7, 2009)

Split said:


> First radio I had was a Halicrafter. It developed a shriek when the volume was turned up. I, probably, had it about a year. Sparks bought it! I guess he knew that he could fix it.
> 
> The second was a Pye Cambridge. What a great radio, set bandspread knob, a short wave, mariners delight. I was fool enough to sell it and buy one of those new fangled transisters. It had compactness but the Pye had the bigger speaker which made all the difference to sound quality-
> Split


The Pye was also useful as an extension speaker for tape-recorders to give psuedo-stereo sound though there was'nt too much stereo
Of course it was available for recording, especially US stations and of course dear old Radio Lourenco Marques.


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

R651400 said:


> The sheer scale of postwar Eddystone equipment is not widely recognised...


I have certainly stared at the front panels of Sentinels and Pacifics...thanks.


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