Just got this early Lloyd's "HIGH SENSITIVITY" today---what a great, neat looking radio with a Tuned RF amp stage ! Looks much better in person & styling/lines really unique... Very sensitive & selective with excellent sound, though it does need cap(s) as it starts to "howl/motorboat" when volume turned up too loud... Has silky smooth vernier tuning like the Sony TR-84, but with a larger thumbwheel which will make it a great DX radio... The Conelrad markings are in dark red and dial as well as lens is pretty dirty---whole radio needs a good cleaning & detailing... It is built like a tank. The chrome handle with comfortable molded plastic hand-grip extends from radio case when needed... Also, has a phono "pick-up" input on the side and label says 455 kHz "interim" frequency" instead of intermediate... The "starburst" design is gleaming chrome & looks really neat over the gold/bronze anodized grille... Can't wait to get it done ! Seller's pics below... More when complete...

Have never seen one of these before & wonder if any of you have ? Always appreciate your comments...

John

Those were sold under a number of different brand names. Very similar to this York: http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/newyork_co_tr_100.html

Notice the lack of transformers in the York version.

.

Thanks Jim...

Noticed one you mentioned is also a "10" transistor & labelled as Hi-Fidelity... While searching through transistor radios on Ebay, etc., found a couple others using that basic design... What I like about this particular version is the unusual style/lines of the plastic case & the anodized grille with "starburst". Wonder who made them ? This one has Toshiba transistors & electrolytic caps & is of good quality...

Pulled chassis tonight & found I need to order a couple caps I'm out of... Lot of cleaning/detailing to do, also... And the rubber shock mounts on tuning cap have "melted" allowing it to shift position causing tuning knob to be out of its proper position & rub on back of case slightly...

I'd bet it's the same plant that made all the Channel Master series of transistor radios.

~ Mitch ~

One can't help wondering how the same basic chassis works with and without AF transformers.

We marketed a version under the Electra brand, Model 8TP-902. We also sold
fewer of the 10 transistor version, transformerless.

I always considered that radio as the budget priced look-alike, somewhat (Sony) TR84.

Some of the sets were modified with a coil over the rod and two pin jacks for external antenna.

There were very many versions made, some better and some worse, They would work with the
crappiest resistors and transistors that could be found. Hong Kong family assemblers could stuff
the board easily.

Here is the schematic, and one of them decked out on plexiglass that I used in a night school class
in transistor radio servicing in Vancouver in the 60's. There is an alligator clip on the oscillator sector
of the VC that was used to demonstrate the use of a top-hat as a varicap for tuning.

Hello Steve,

From what I've seen & heard so far, thought that there may be more variants out there... But this set must be one of the "better" ones with Toshiba transistors & caps---and appears to be well made... Think I mentioned earlier the resemblance to the TR-84 with its thumbwheel vernier dial. And it does have an external antenna jack on the side as well as one for a phono "pick-up"... Also, this one is Japanese made...

Do you how many years they used this "basic" design ? Notice ceramic cap & resistor differences between yours and earlier pic of mine...

Thanks much for the schematic...

Remember when varicap diode circuits first became popular many, many years ago, but never have experimented
with them... But sure caught my interest when I first read of the concept...

John

The sets were marketed in Vancouver around 1963 and 1964 and sold for around $20. after a
while. They seemed to vanish around the conversion to silicon in all radios. Different speakers were
used too but all fit the black plastic cabinet. Canadian importers were able to cut deals with Lafayette
Radio for stuff in the Lafayette line, by having shipments dropped to Canada instead of routing
through the US then to Canada. If you did a newspaper add search in cities, you could spot these radios
and this would show they were indeed `loss leaders`, That is sold at low profit, in the hopes that
customers would might buy more expensive radios when they got to the store.

They do come out with various styles of parts, and there is a gain adjustment resistor, R25 which can be
used to accommodate better or worse RF and IF transistors, as as beta goes. Sony TR 84 used NPN
transistors and this used used PNP. Sony had to add a neutralization trimmer around the RF probably
for the same reason this sets has the gain tweak resistor.

Spent hours today disassembling & cleaning/detailing radio---dirtier than I thought inside ! Saw that the case interior was designed for other versions with extra holes & moldings for a smaller speaker... Also, the pwr. switch is a DPST to facilitate the OTL versions... Was impressed by the quality as there are brass inserts & studs in the plastic case as well as screws for speaker mount & dial lens through from front side behind grille. Fine weave grille fabric, felt-lined handle slide brackets with plastic bushings over guide screws...

Appears this radio was well-used considering the molded feet are almost wore down to case bottom as well as the variety of dirt/residue inside !

Mentioned earlier the dry-rotted rubber tuning cap mounts---found some power transistor insulating washers with shoulders to replace... Had to slice shoulder off external ones to accommodate screw length, but they worked great.

Need to get those couple caps ordered---am looking forward to gettin' it re-capped, Faderlube in volume ctl., & back together !

remove

xrhonda91. Nice job. What did you use to clean the inside board and components? Also what did you use to clean the outside plastic case? The first picture you showed looked like it was a vinyl leatherette case. I have seen similar looking sets in the vinyl leaherette case. Ken

Thanks Ken G---bet you did run across some great sets in a 1980 thrift shop ! And I do get excited like I did some 40+ years ago as a kid over certain radios---guess it was almost worth being out of a job a couple years ago and having the time ( and ARF ) to get interest rekindled ! It is unreal how many names & styles were used with this particular chassis---most recently saw on-line an identical set with the "Selfix Skymaster" label on it ( Canadian ? )...

Thanks also, Ken ( compengsls )---this one is a solid plastic case, but like you, I have seen the leatherette versions, also... The PCB just needed a careful vacuuming. Used damp cotton cloth & Q-tips with water, 90% Isopropyl alcohol, & Windex as needed on case & "pieces"... Didn't want to chance damage to grille cloth or get anything between aluminum front & plastic case, so did small area at a time...

The needed caps arrived today---so hope to get it back together this weekend...

John

xrhonda91,

I have a Linmark T-82, 8 transistors, that is exactly the same guts inside as your TR-88H. It has great sensitivity and selectivity and I compare it to my Zenith 275. Much better than most radios I have.

Jay

Thanks Jay---just added the Linmark T-82 to growing list of radios using this basic chassis...

Sure wonder who originally came up with this design...

So far have Lloyd's, Realtone, Electra, York, Nanaola, Selfix Skymaster, & Linmark...

Any others have names to add ?

John

Sorry Fifties---realized I didn't comment on your unusual looking Arvin set... Funny thing is---I saw one with identical shape, but it was a battery tube set with different grille & smooth beige leather case. It was at our local antique mall & think it was missing a knob...

Here is the Linmark T-82 the tuning dial markings were missing, so I had to make one. Had a bad cap in the first audio , so recapped everything. That vernier dial is really nice with the tight selectivity of this radio. I have two stations 10Khz apart and only this radio and the Zenith 275 separate them fine and both are strong

Jay

To track down the origin of this radio design, the question might be who conceptualized the design
of the radio, as an object. The circuit may have followed the cabinet design. Some group decided on
the number and type of batteries, the size of cabinet and the features. Why was their an audio input
jack, and provisions for both an earphone (private listening) and an additional speaker connection?

In the 8TP902 version, the audio input has no gain control.

It may have started out at a 'Volksradio' for some part of the world, and made with simple parts.

Got 'er re-capped, "Faderlubed" & back together today---very sensitive & selective as well as plenty of volume... But, audio is just a bit "muddy"---is this normal ??? Noticed it with old caps & thought that their replacement would correct it...
Will probably trace it through when motivated...

Latest pics below---the last shows comparison with a couple better known radios, Sony TR-84 & Zenith Royal 500...

Thanks for pics, Jay---wish I'd known about your dial label as I could have taken close-up pics of mine while radio was apart ! It is just a very thin foil label & mine was beginning to peel off, so I used a couple small pieces of double-sided tape on the ends to keep it in place... But your home-made label does look good & has more detail than factory's... Yes, the radio has great selectivity---was just tuning through some DX stations and adjacent frequencies were cleanly separated & the large knob with silk-smooth vernier drive works very well... Is your audio just a bit "muddy" ? Also, noticed by resistors that your Linmark may be a newer "version"...

RadioTechnician - will probably never know it's origin, but the concept carries on with modern electronics---one manufacturer, but with different "badges" & cosmetics...

I forgot to mention that besides the first audio cap, I had to replace the first audio transistor, after the volume control, also with a 2SB54 from a parts radio. Maybe you have one or more bad audio transistors or the detector. The audio sounds really good. I had this radio kicking around in a junk box of parts radios, and after I opened it up and saw that tuning cap, I had to restore it. I never heard of Linmark before and I figured it was nothing special. Glad to now have the schematic.

Jay


Looks like I have to make a battery tube. It never occured to me that it was missing.