Posted by smahony on Wednesday 2nd June 2010. 1195 Views.
Last Updated Thursday 23rd February 2012.
Steve VK5AIM recounts some of the electrical trade from when he was an apprentice in the 1950s.
60 years ago when I was a young electrical apprentice, I worked in an electrical and radio business. There were two shops - one at Woodville and the other at Kilkenny, both in the Western suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia.
The Woodville shop sold electric appliances, jugs, toasters, irons, lights, etc, along with gramophone records, 78's, record players and wirelesses. We also did repairs to any other appliances, including wirelesses. The Kilkenny shop was more electrical, plugs, flexes and larger appliances, along with electrical installations and repairs. I could work out of either shop.
My boss realised there was a market for wireless valves and the testing of them. He purchased an AVO Valve Tester. Readers will remember those thumb-wheel type switches used to set the connections to all the valve pins. Knowing of my interest and minor skills in wireless, Lou - even though he was 25 years my senior, I was allowed to call him by his Christian name on certain occasions - declared I should learn how to drive the AVO Valve Tester to test customer's valves.
At about this time we had chaps who were ex 'wireless operators' from the armed services who thought 'they knew all about wireless'! Their wirelesses would go faulty and the first thing these budding experts would do was to look in the back of the set and see if all those valves had little lights in them! The values would probably be 57's, 58's or 80's. Later versions would be 6U8, 6SK7, 6V6 or 5Y3's. In some of them you could not see the red glow of the heaters. Their comment would be 'My wireless has stopped going and I can not see any glow in these valves. Will you test them please?' If the valve showed 'Poor/Weak' you would sell them a new one. If it was OK you would charge them a Shilling. 'Willing for a Shilling'. The customer was quite likely to return a half an hour later with another valve out of the set.
The worst valves were the pentagrid mixer / converters. They would not oscillate, especially up on the higher end of the broadcast band or on the so called shortwave band. We had UK immigrants who liked to listen to BBC Shortwave News. It was nothing for someone to come in with 4 or 5 valves in a wicker basket, all lined with cotton wool, just like a basket of eggs, and want them all tested. You would test them and then ask 'Do you know were they all go?' 'I think I know', or 'Yes, I made a sketch of the layout.' 'Good', I would say. I would warn them 'If you plug the wrong valve in the incorrect place you could damage them or even the set. You had better bring the set in and I will put them in the correct place.'
The other valve brought in for checking was the 80 and/or the 5Y3 rectifier. The filament would be in pieces, rattling around in the glass envelope. 'This one does not light up and it rattles,' would be the comment. I would tell them there may be something more seriously wrong with the set and I could sell them a new valve but it might go the same way, it would be better for them to bring the set in. In those days not everyone had a motor car. The owner would return with a nice big multi-band, broadcast and two shortwave band sets safely riding in a baby pram.
Often there would be a bit of chit-chat as you tested the valves, with the comment 'This wireless is amazing. I know nothing about it, but I can usually fix things with a bit of practical common sense. Are you an apprentice and learning all about wireless? You will be set for life, they will always want people like you to fix and repair things!'
Little did he or we realise that in 60 years time there would be no repairing of radio and electronic equipment, you would just throw it away. Those repairing days are gone.