Welcome to our completely new website - rebuilt after 25 years online!
About Us
Our business is History!
We have been in business for over 30 years, providing all aspects of vintage radio, TV and recording equipment for sale or hire to collectors, museums, theatre, TV and film companies.
Director Steve Harris has a lifetime interest in technology, dating from before many of today's collectable items were even made!
After working in the TV industry as a studio technician and then an ITV lighting director, he went back to his early interests, restoring and dealing in vintage radio.
He later started The Broadcasting Museum in the historic centre of Chester, moving to the Vintage Technology Centre in Hawarden, on the Welsh border, at the beginning of the century.
Buying and Selling
For many years the core business was selling and repairing vintage radios, TVs, Hi-Fi equipment and gramophones. Since we started in 1990 we have bought and sold over 7,000 items of vintage radio, TV and audio equipment- from original Baird disc televisors to 1980s recording studio sound desks. Some of the rarest and most desirable pieces of historic equipment have passed through our hands, from the iconic 1930s Art Deco radios by Ekco, Pye, Fada, etc, through the earliest British radio and television receivers, digital studio equipment.
We no longer advertise equipment directly on this website- our main sales medium is our quarterly calalogue/magazine, 'Airwaves', which we started in 1997.
Film, TV and Exhibition Hire
The hire business developed from the museum and shop, and the steadily building collection of ex-Broadcast equipment such as cameras, pedestals and VTRs etc- plus our Outside Broadcast truck projects. Our film and TV hire range includes practical TV sets for on-camera playback, practical TV studio cameras and control room equipment. We can cover from the 1950s to today's HD.
We have the necessary experience to deal with things like frame synchronisation, aspect ratio conversion and video format conversion.
Want something that doesn't exist for a fantasy scene? We may have just the solution you need, or can make it.
Anything from 'technical looking' background dressing to a practical tube camera set-up which can be recorded for use in the edit timeline.
Airwaves
Airwaves is an A5 format quarterly publication, containing articles about all kinds of vintage technology - restoration, manufacturer's history, exciting new finds and many other topics. It also contains items for sale with full, honest and detailed descriptions and photos. It has been published since 1997 and continues to attract a loyal readership. Subscribers are the first to hear of new items in stock. We do not publish an online version, and the printed magazine is available only by subscription. (£15 annually, UK). Use the contact form to receive a free sample copy and full details.
Our Projects
North 3
London 23
London 23
North 3 is an ex BBC Colour Mobile Control Room, built in 1969, one of the first generation of colour units. It served in London at first, then became CM1 in Birmingham, finally going to Manchester as North 3.
We bought it in 2009, after it had been stored for a long time and was in poor condition but largely complete. For more details of the restoration, history and events, click below to find out more.
London 23
London 23
London 23
London 23 is a later generation of Outside Broadcast unit, 20 years newer than North 3, but in 1999 it was extensively refitted as one of the first BBC all digital units. It remained in service until 2012, covering a variety of events from Glastonbury to Royal Weddings, even going as far as Russia. It was rescued from going to the scrapyard, and has been the subject of an extensive electronic and body restoration. Follow the story of it's working life and restoration by clicking the button below.
The History of Broadcasting Technology
The Marconiphone V2 was one of the first commercial radio sets on the market when broadcasting started in 1922
By the 1930s the Wireless Set was the latest status symbol and a style feature
In 1936 the BBC launched the world's first scheduled 'high definition' (405 line) TV service- in the London area only
With the advent of war, radio manufacturers turned over to making military electronic equipment
After the war, the TV Service re-started and the coverage began to extend. BBC Radio started the Home Service and Light Programme
Radio sets became more compact with the advent of the Transistor, ITV started in 1955 giving a choice of 2 channels
BBC Colour Television service launched in 1967- the first in Europe