Seafarer
serial number 604134
Pye Seafarer model 1112 table top radio. This is one of three radios which belonged to Paul Ogden who never got pound to fixing them. The radio was in good physical condition but failed to work. I soon discovered that one pole of the mains switch which forms part of the tone control refused to close. The set is intended to be supplied via a mains lead with a 2pin connector which I deemed rather unsafe, so I disconnected the brass pins and soldered a new blue/brown cable directly to the input fuse holders. The faulty (neutral) pole on the mains switch was bypassed and when energised the set sprang to life, I was able, with a decent aerial to pick up stations on all wavebands apart from the highest frequency one.
The chassis was clearly designed to to be
used for a number of different radios, the square hole adjacent to the
mains dropper would be suitable for a mains transformer and the vacant
holes look to be for additional valves , a raised supporting hole in
line with the variable capacitor indicates that a three gang one could
be fitted in a more expensive model.
Four similar models (Pye 1112,1101,1101A,3017,3017A and 3042) were were produced each housed in polished wood cabinets measuring(546 x 279 :Q 203mm)with a black fascia incorporating a large clear nine waveband tuning scale with a flywheel driven horizontally moving pointer.
On the left is the fabric-covered speaker
and a Pye red logo illuminated from behind when the set is switched on.
Across the top of the black fascia to the right are the words Cambridge
England. In addition in the nine wave-band scales there is an 0-|00
logging scale which is useful on the short-wave bands. The four control
knobs are usually while in colour but occasionally black knobs seem to
have been fitted.
The EKCO
Mariner U834 released in 1966 is
electrically identical, the cabinet being much the same and the fascia
being labelled Ekco Mariner. Ekco merged with Pye in 1960 to form a new
holding company British Electronic Industries. By 1965, in order to
obtain economies of scale and reduce losses, Pye
had moved all domestic radio and TV production out of Cambridge into
their larger Lowestoft factory.
Power: 100-250 volts 50 watts - 50/60Hz
AC/DC
Wavebands:
Long 1100m-1900m
Medium 200m-550m
SW1 70m-200m
SW2 32m-66m
31m band 9.5-9.99MHz
25m band 11.65-12.05MHz
19m band 15.1-15.6MHz
16m band 17.55-17.9MHz
13m band 21.45-21.85MHz
Valve lineup: UCH81; UF89; UBC81; UL84 plus a Westinghouse S10AR1 metal rectifier though some models have UY85 valve rectifier
For the earlier models 1101 and 3017 8 pin rimlock valves were fitted: UCH42; UF41; UBC41; UL41 and UY41
