...this?
It's a Ferguson Radiogram, the amp/radio section is
The model number says it's a 658RG, at the front there is the power supply transformer (right), on the left is the speaker output, there's a couple of valves behind it. At the back, the top circuit board is the Reverberator, which has a date written on it (presumably the date it was tested) of 6/12/60 (my birthday, give or take 13 years or so...), below that is (I think) the VHF circuit.
Moving to the front again, behind the doors is:
the radio controls (I've fixed the buttons now) and a Garrard Model 210 (also now "floating" correctly on its suspension):
The needle is knackered but that's easily fixed, it's a full autochanger, but allows manual operation, 4 speed and has a removable headshell. It's cleaner now as well!
Can't tell much about the speakers:
The main driver is a Goodmans (that wasn't a bad thing back then necessarily) but I couldn't see a model number, the number on the left of the chassis there doesn't bring anything up in Google, I did notice the 15 Ohm figure on the other side though! Don't fancy trying to drive them with a modern amp! Out of shot above this is the tweeter, which is an EMI unit, I couldn't read much else on the back of it. I'd guess this is an infinite baffle arrangement (no idea, I've heard the phrase and it seems to fit!), the back of the cabinets is flimsy at best and there's no floor to the speaker cabinets, so they're effectively open to the elements.
One thing I don't know is if any of it works! We found it at a recycling centre yesterday and they'd cut the power cord off, although they said it didn't function. The tuning button on the radio doesn't turn, so I guess that's shot, the turntable looks ok, although on its power supply there appears to be a blown capacitor, although it looks a simple enough soldering job to replace it.
So the question is what to do with it? The space where the amp section is (picture 2) is exactly the right size for a Sonos Connect:Amp to sit, if I removed the amp. As the speaker cabinets are open to the floor I could cut down some homemade wooden speaker stands I've got to sit a pair of speakers behind the holes left once I remove the original speakers. That's the easiest route (maybe...).
Alternative ideas are replace the existing drivers with new ones and wire those to the Connect:AMP but I don't know much about the DIY speaker market, so I wouldn't know what to go for, any ideas?
An additional idea to go with that might be to replace the existing amp with a new one, I quite like the idea of putting another valve amp in there, nothing ridiculous but again, I've never looked at them, so I wouldn't know where to start. Couple of inputs would be good, I'd put a Sonos Connect in there to go with it if I replaced the amp.
It might be nice to get the turntable going again, it takes a 240 feed from the power supply, so should be difficult to wire that to a separate power supply that could sit in the back. I've identified the L+R output channels from it, I presume they'll be a fairly standard low-level output that could go straight into a phone stage if I got some RCA plugs attached to the cables? I'm not expecting anything extraordinary from the TT but the cartridge looks like a standard twin screw fitment, so I guess I could get a more modern cartridge fitted in there (at the moment it's one of those old ones where the needle flips over to give you a 78 needle on one side and microgroove needle on the other).
Of course the other option is to get the whole thing refurbished but I wouldn't know where to begin to find someone that could do that. Not entirely sure I trust 50 year old electrics not to go up in smoke and take the rest of the house with it either...
It's a Ferguson Radiogram, the amp/radio section is
The model number says it's a 658RG, at the front there is the power supply transformer (right), on the left is the speaker output, there's a couple of valves behind it. At the back, the top circuit board is the Reverberator, which has a date written on it (presumably the date it was tested) of 6/12/60 (my birthday, give or take 13 years or so...), below that is (I think) the VHF circuit.
Moving to the front again, behind the doors is:
the radio controls (I've fixed the buttons now) and a Garrard Model 210 (also now "floating" correctly on its suspension):
The needle is knackered but that's easily fixed, it's a full autochanger, but allows manual operation, 4 speed and has a removable headshell. It's cleaner now as well!
Can't tell much about the speakers:
The main driver is a Goodmans (that wasn't a bad thing back then necessarily) but I couldn't see a model number, the number on the left of the chassis there doesn't bring anything up in Google, I did notice the 15 Ohm figure on the other side though! Don't fancy trying to drive them with a modern amp! Out of shot above this is the tweeter, which is an EMI unit, I couldn't read much else on the back of it. I'd guess this is an infinite baffle arrangement (no idea, I've heard the phrase and it seems to fit!), the back of the cabinets is flimsy at best and there's no floor to the speaker cabinets, so they're effectively open to the elements.
One thing I don't know is if any of it works! We found it at a recycling centre yesterday and they'd cut the power cord off, although they said it didn't function. The tuning button on the radio doesn't turn, so I guess that's shot, the turntable looks ok, although on its power supply there appears to be a blown capacitor, although it looks a simple enough soldering job to replace it.
So the question is what to do with it? The space where the amp section is (picture 2) is exactly the right size for a Sonos Connect:Amp to sit, if I removed the amp. As the speaker cabinets are open to the floor I could cut down some homemade wooden speaker stands I've got to sit a pair of speakers behind the holes left once I remove the original speakers. That's the easiest route (maybe...).
Alternative ideas are replace the existing drivers with new ones and wire those to the Connect:AMP but I don't know much about the DIY speaker market, so I wouldn't know what to go for, any ideas?
An additional idea to go with that might be to replace the existing amp with a new one, I quite like the idea of putting another valve amp in there, nothing ridiculous but again, I've never looked at them, so I wouldn't know where to start. Couple of inputs would be good, I'd put a Sonos Connect in there to go with it if I replaced the amp.
It might be nice to get the turntable going again, it takes a 240 feed from the power supply, so should be difficult to wire that to a separate power supply that could sit in the back. I've identified the L+R output channels from it, I presume they'll be a fairly standard low-level output that could go straight into a phone stage if I got some RCA plugs attached to the cables? I'm not expecting anything extraordinary from the TT but the cartridge looks like a standard twin screw fitment, so I guess I could get a more modern cartridge fitted in there (at the moment it's one of those old ones where the needle flips over to give you a 78 needle on one side and microgroove needle on the other).
Of course the other option is to get the whole thing refurbished but I wouldn't know where to begin to find someone that could do that. Not entirely sure I trust 50 year old electrics not to go up in smoke and take the rest of the house with it either...
It's sitting quite happily in the dining room at the moment, with the doors shut it just looks like small sideboard really.
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