CitroJim's AX, C3 Picasso, Cycling and Running Tales

[Xantianut]

I used to have an old HMV wooden radiogram. By far the best stereo I've ever had. Volume and quality! You could hear the drums echo round the studio with Sky turned up loud! Regret letting it go but nowhere to put it.

[CitroJim]

Great to see all this vintage audio it's easy to see why Leak eventually went off the radar. technically it is very, very good but against some of the rival stuff it just has no 'bling' value and is a bit plain and functional. In the 70s we started to see a great move to style over function and the likes of B and O and Marantz really show that to a great degree. Audio performance was not anything special and build quality was suspect in some of it but by golly, they looked good! Leak stuff remained true to its founding principle - high quality in both build and performance.

I like the germanium sound personally, a bit of gentle noise adds character as far as I'm concerned but to be honest, my Stereo 30 is very quiet...

Generally electrolytic capacitors are responsible for many faults but when they fail is a bit of a lottery really, some seem to last for ever and others just fail for a pastime. I only ever replace failed ones and don't generally go for the 'wholesale replacement' policy of some restorers. If they still work then leave them. If they're duff then replace them..

[daviemck2006]

Way back in the 70's my dad got a crystal tuned sailor marine radio in the house so we could communicate with him when he was away at sea. I wish I had kept it after he died, it got given away by my eldest brother as he had no interest in it, and I wasn't quick enough to lay claim to it. I suppose I could have just taken it while dad was still alive, but I don't do that kind of things.

[white exec]

For me, a crystal set (wound cotton-reel, cat's whisker, varicap, headphones, 60ft aerial and earth) built with my Dad when I was about 7 years old, and then later a 3-transistor radio, run from a PP3 and built into a polythene butter dish, from a BBC children's tv programme. They published a circuit, and I remember buying the bits (including a germanium transistor, at about £3 - a lot in 1961) at City Radio in Ealing Broadway. A headphone jobbie once more.

By 1965, I was going to hi-fi exhibitions at London and Heathrow hotels, and encountered some seriously good stuff. Remember Quad electrostatic speakers (at the Russell Hotel), and realising these were the first speakers that I had heard where a piano actually sounded like one.

Another surprise was what certain small "monitor" speakers could do. Walked into one packed hotel room, where a Revox (R77?) tape-deck sat out-front, with a very large pair of floor-standing speakers to left and right. The tape was run, and the sound was amazing! Nodding approvals all round, and peering forward to see what those speakers were. But then the big speakers were revealed to have no connections, and the thin curtains behind the display were drawn aside. What sat behind were a pair of Rogers-BBC (LS3?) tiny bookshelf speakers, on head-height stands. The demo continued, to the sound of jaws hitting the floor and eventual applause.

Then started an enthusiasm for KEF. In 1972 I built a huge pair of asymetric corner speakers (based on KEF Concertos: B139, B110, T27) weighing around 70kg each. Used these at home until 2001, and when a handy sales bonus came my way, I invested in some off-the-shelf KEFs (a pair of Reference Three's), and put old faithful Sansui into retirement, replacing it with an Audiolab 8000LX, and a DAB tuner. My 1972 Sennheiser HD414X headphones (bought new for £10 in Boots, of all places) still sound terrific, and have seen off a few pairs of Bose and other hyper-expensive and rubbish cans which have appeared from time to time.

CDs and digital broadcasts changed everything, and our tastes in music are fairly wide. Classic FM a daily companion, and a shelf-full of CDs with all sorts. The KEFs do great justice to Mahler 8, Simon Preston, Karl Jenkins, Hilary Hahn, Celine Dion . . . and the BBC Proms, which can be an audiophile's delight.

One of the joys of life.

[CitroJim]

For me, a crystal set (wound cotton-reel, cat's whisker, varicap, headphones, 60ft aerial and earth) built with my Dad when I was about 7 years old, and then later a 3-transistor radio, run from a PP3 and built into a polythene butter dish, from a BBC children's tv programme.

I did just that getting on for 50 years ago now!

My Dansette record player blowing up in 1971 was what started me.. I watched in fascination as a neighbour, who fixed TVs as a sideline, fixed it for me and that set me on the road to my future career. I learned radio and electronics as a kid and a few months after my Dansette episode I was fixing radios and then fixing TVs, including early colour and this earned me much pocket money I worked from then on in or local TV and radio shop in the workshop during all school holidays and weekends until I started work as an apprentice Radio Technician. I then spent the next 25 years as an HF radio comms engineer until it was made redundant by the coming of the Internet and satellite comms. I then moved into IT - the worst mistake of my life

I still love all radio comms (I'm an active Radio Amateur) and all things electronic with a definite tilt toward the vintage end, most especially stuff with valves...

Virtually every piece of electronic stuff in my home is vintage, even my TV - it still have a cathode ray tube in it!!! My wirelesses are all in excess of 40 years old and mostly valved! Most of my computer gear is not very new and up to date either... I'm still using 10 year old laser printers very happily...

The old stuff is good!

Classic FM a daily companion, and a shelf-full of CDs with all sorts.

Same here but with the inclusion of the BBC WS and Radio 4 abut Classic FM dominates these days...

[daviemck2006]

The old stuff is good

Ditto cars [emoji4]

[CitroJim]

The old stuff is good

Ditto cars [emoji4]

Ditto a lot of things Davie!

[Xantianut]

Ay up!

Definitely leaning against an open door,with me! I remember when actresses wore clothes and had talent........

[CitroJim]

I have a 4HP20 gearbox from a Pug 407 2.0 HDi sitting in my workshop now for what I hope will be a light overhaul and nothing more than an interior clean, a filter change and a general health check... I will report on progress with this little job in the coming days..

In other news, I've just finally connected my workshop to its proper permanent mains supply after the major workshop refurbish and rewire back in the summer. All this time, about 9 months, the workshop has been running on a temporary feed awaiting an opportune time to completely power down the house to make the required connection to the house distribution board... That opportune time occurred yesterday! It was made a bit more complex because my house distribution board is an old-style Wylex one with rewirable fuses. Had it been a modern one I could have done the job without needing to power everything down...

Once the 4HP20 is done I'm expecting Davie's Activa to be with me for it's clutch job...

[daviemck2006]

Express delivery of new clutch expected today Jim. Today is running out!!!!!!

[CitroJim]

Express delivery of new clutch expected today Jim. Today is running out!!!!!!

We still have a few hours Davie

[CitroJim]

Davie, I'll be home from Wednesday right through to Monday so any time after tomorrow for delivery will be great. Tomorrow will not be perfect due to work commitments...

[daviemck2006]

It should work in then. I've just swapped the wheels so you don't get wolfraced lol. Found another two problems, not for now but before September. Jacking point front drivers side needs welding, along with the rear end of the sill on the same side. I do have a welding friend, so I can see it getting a new sill on that side. I can move ot and made a little hole with no tools,,,,,,,,,
It will not get a bodge job, it will get done right, the welding anyway. The paint will get rattle canned, but on the sills that will be ok. I'm off to work now, no clutch yet, but I'm not wound up like last week.

[CitroJim]

Just received the release bearing guide in the post Davie!

Sorry to hear about the sill

Pleased you're not stressed and that's the most important thing

[DHallworth]

How's the plans for the V6 Activa coming along, Jim?