Mum and Dad won a Sobell portable transistor in a dress-dance in Dundalk circa. 1964, which was cutting-edge cool at the time. It replaced Dad’s old 1940s Pye wireless (except it didn’t really, he still used both). It was called “The Luxembourg” because there was an extra-wide band for Radio Luxembourg, which was marked on the dial.
Still have it, it’s a bit knackered now and crackly but workable, with those big batteries you have to plug 2 leads into at the top.
Haha! Yeah, That’d be good. Thanks. Sent from my iPod
Metassus
My gawd! The Luxembourg! I spent my entire first decade with that radio, bakelite handle and all. Never even registered the “Sobell” name with it until now, but I do recall the GE logo somewhere. That radio was wonderful — used to help me sleep each and every night, listening to Emperor Rosko and Stuart Henry on 208. It lasted until the day around 1981 when I thought one of the screws that held the back on (openable with a 2p coin) would fit nicely into the hole at the tuning plates. It did, and then the radio stopped playing Dave Fanning. Gawd be with the days of the PP9 batteries … I miss that radio so much! Three glorious knobs … and what the hell was “Band Spread” anyway?
Mum and Dad won a Sobell portable transistor in a dress-dance in Dundalk circa. 1964, which was cutting-edge cool at the time. It replaced Dad’s old 1940s Pye wireless (except it didn’t really, he still used both). It was called “The Luxembourg” because there was an extra-wide band for Radio Luxembourg, which was marked on the dial.
Still have it, it’s a bit knackered now and crackly but workable, with those big batteries you have to plug 2 leads into at the top.
Amazed at how much first hand knowledge you have of these products, Jay Kay. Fascinating! Thanks, Doug.
Let me take a pic of it and send to you! It still looks ok actually, 48 years later. Which I cant really pay about myself.
Haha! Yeah, That’d be good. Thanks. Sent from my iPod
My gawd! The Luxembourg! I spent my entire first decade with that radio, bakelite handle and all. Never even registered the “Sobell” name with it until now, but I do recall the GE logo somewhere. That radio was wonderful — used to help me sleep each and every night, listening to Emperor Rosko and Stuart Henry on 208. It lasted until the day around 1981 when I thought one of the screws that held the back on (openable with a 2p coin) would fit nicely into the hole at the tuning plates. It did, and then the radio stopped playing Dave Fanning. Gawd be with the days of the PP9 batteries … I miss that radio so much! Three glorious knobs … and what the hell was “Band Spread” anyway?