Your Other Davey Sets Whilst this site is chiefly about the Beginner's One-Valve Radio, this page is intended to feature sets built to or substantially inspired by any of Gilbert Davey's designs.   I would be pleased to receive details of any Davey sets for consideration for this page, and especially for any of the early Boy's Own Paper designs which were not re-published later.

Hover your mouse over the navigation buttons above for details of what's on other pages.

Please note: If you decide to construct any of the sets described or referred to on this page, it is your own responsibility to ensure that you work safely and that equipment (especially mains-operated sets or power supplies for battery sets) is soundly built and adequately housed.   Whilst considered safe by the standards of their day, some designs may not be considered safe by modern standards.   If you are in any doubt about your understanding of the information given or referred to on this page or about your ability to work safely, you should seek the help of a qualified person. This page has been prompted by receiving details from Hugh Castellan of his Davey sets completed in recent years.   Hugh recalls building radio sets from the Boy's Own Papaer during the 1950s while at school; these sets were lost over the years.   From the 1980s onwards he started again and, with some initial help from Gilbert Davey himself some years ago, and much detective work of his own, he has built five Davey designs altogether.   Two of them appeared in an earlier site update, and they are joined by two more on this page. These rebuilds amount to a rescue from oblivion - far exceeding my efforts for the Studio ‘E’ set.   Because of post-war paper shortages, Davey's designs were often published with incomplete details; the BOP only sent the remaining information out as duplicated sheets to intending builders.   This is especially the case for two of Hugh's sets, and although fuller information for the other two is available, the sources are long out of print.   I feel therefore that all Hugh's sets fully deserve a place on this site. A modern Davey one-valver with a flavour of the past First, his Davey one-valver.   Whilst the circuit is based on the original triode design as published (with reasonably full details) in the Boy's Own Paper in February 1948, it uses Davey's later long- and medium-wave coil as published in the June 1961 BOP (see DAVEY 1-VALVER HISTORY page).   Also, Hugh has departed from Gilbert Davey's 1948 layout; instead his radio has a distinctive retro feel of its own.   He writes:     Hugh Castellan's one-valver, built on a     Perspex panel; top view.     Reproduced by kind permission.     Hugh Castellan's one-valver, bottom view,     showing the beautifully made coil.     Reproduced by kind permission. "My one-valve radio is designed to go into a wooden case of suitable size.   The layout is based on a genuine Burndept crystal set which I own - the valve replaces the Cat's Whisker.   It was designed to look as old fashioned as possible, hence the black Perspex base to simulate Vulcanite. "The old balloon valve is a triode which seems to be very close to the HL2 in characteristics; it is numbered 542 on the base, but otherwise has no ID.   The valveholder is just four turned parts screwed into the panel. "The two terminals at top left are alternative aerial terminals, and the one at top right is the earth terminal.   The bottom terminals are for the headphones (S G Brown high impedance). "The coil is wound on a piece of Tufnol SRBP tube.   The small switch is the wavechange switch.   The variable condensers are genuine Jackson originals; otherwise the components are modern. "For the HT supply, I use seven PP9 equivalent batteries (i.e 63v).   I use a 2v 8AH sealed-for-life accumulator for the LT, which I charge with a modern electronic charger made in Germany." The coil windings are long-wave, reaction (these two pile-wound within retaining rings), aerial, and medium-wave.   This coil, with lacquered windings, appears to have been beautifully made, as indeed does the whole set.

The Holiday Radio, Boy's Own Paper, July 1950, another "lost" Davey design Hugh Castellan's Holiday Radio     Front, rear and bottom views.     Reproduced by kind permission.

Hugh Castellan's Holiday Radio rebuild was finally completed quite recently.   This Davey design was published in the July 1950 Boy's Own Paper, but readers had to send for a separate leaflet containing the circuit diagram and components list.   The intention was that this small lightweight radio without internal battery storage space should be taken on holiday, and powered by batteries bought while there.   A 30-foot length of wire thrown over a tree branch served as an aerial. Whilst a boy at school, Hugh sent for the plans and built the set.   The specified valve line-up was W21 7-pin (RF), HL2K (detector) and PM22A (output).   Hugh remembers: "In my original set, I used a 7-pin VP2 instead of the W21 - this was the Mullard equivalent which a radio shop man in Burton-on-Trent said would do the job.   I was only 12 years old and not very knowledgeable at the time, so had to hope he was right.   I used a standard HL2 instead of an HL2K." This set - and the plans - were lost over the years.   And there it rested until the 1980s when he started again. "I wanted to build a new Holiday Radio, so my wife wrote to Practical Wireless on my behalf asking if anybody still had the plans.   I did get a phone call from Gilbert Davey himself but he was unable to help me with the Holiday Radio.   He sent me one of his books and some data on that big 2" diameter coil."   [See above.] "I went to the British Library and obtained prints of the Holiday Radio, the Simple Three Valve Radio, and the Cycle Radio, plus some info on the One-Valve Radio and the Crystal Set.   But of course there were no circuit diagrams with some of the notes as you know. "I drew out circuit diagrams and sent those off to Mr Davey who kindly marked them up for me as far as he could go.   I partly built the Holiday Radio, but did not have all the circuit details.   And there things stood until recent times. "Certain components stuck in memory - 10k anode resistor for the VP2 and 100k anode resistor for the HL2 were remembered purely because of the colours - and the 8μF bypass capacitor in the cathode circuit of the PM22A output valve. "The Holiday Radio rebuild is as near to the original as possible with what I had to make it with.   The line-up is W21 4-pin, HL2K and PM22A.   Gilbert Davey originally specified a 7-pin W21, but I have never found one yet although they were made according to some data I found recently.   The W21 was always upside down because it only fits that way given the case size.   [Latest: Hugh has found a 7-pin W21, so his Holiday Radio now has the authentic line-up.] "The output transformer is not the best match at 15k but that was all I could find - 19K would be much better.   The coils are homemade to the original specification written in BOP.   However I used Litz wire for the tuning windings and solid wire for the reaction winding.   I placed the battery socket slightly differently as it was not very secure as designed. "The case should be covered with Rexine, but I have not got round to using something like this.   I rather like seeing the inner works." Congratulations to Hugh on this reconstruction of a "lost" Davey design - the result of detective work and brain-cudgelling over many years - and far more than I have had to do with my reconstruction of the simpler Studio ‘E’ one-valver.

The Simple Three-valve Radio Boy's Own Paper, November 1949 Hugh Castellan's     Simple Three-valve Radio     Front, rear and bottom views.     Reproduced by kind permission.

The November 1949 edition of BOP carried fairly full instructions for the Simple Three-valve Radio, including a circuit diagram and practical layouts.   Tantalisingly though, values were not shown for all components, and would-be builders had to send for the full list.   It was an "up-to-date" design with RF, detector and pentode output stages, simple enough for the relative beginner, but sophisticated enough to attract more experienced constructors. The chassis floor serves as screening between the two coils, which are mounted at right-angles as a further safeguard against interaction.   (If a wooden chaasis were used, foil covering was advised.)   Space is reserved in front of the output valve for the loudspeaker when built into a cabinet.   Original valve line-up was specified as W21, HL2, PM22A.   Hugh Castellan writes: "Here are three photos of the Simple Three Valve Radio, which was the second radio I built originally as a boy.   My modern one differs in the homemade valveholders and the output transformer mounted under the chassis which I think is safer than having 90 volts floating about outside the set. "The circuit is pure Gilbert from the printed article. "With reference to output transformers, as far I can see Gilbert never specified an output transformer precisely.   I looked up the data for the PM22A on the internet. Both 15kΩ and 19kΩ were given in various data sheets.   My transformer gives 15kΩ max. I think 19KΩ is the preferred value. "The coils used on the Simple Radio were the Wearite 'P' coils type PA2 and PHF2 as per the original.   The 2-gang 500pF condenser is a genuine Jackson I bought in the 1980s when they were still in business.   I have long hoped to obtain the long-wave equivalent of PA1 and PHF1 but no luck so far." This looks like another beautifully neat job.

The Cycle Radio, Boy's Own Paper, March 1952, reprinted in Fun with Radio, 1st edition, 1957 Hugh Castellan's Cycle Radio     Front, rear and bottom views.     Reproduced by kind permission.

The Cycle Radio from BOP March 1952, is the last of the Davey valve sets that Hugh Castellan has made recently (he did not make this set as a boy).   The original BOP notes were only a written script with no diagrams, but fortunately Gilbert Davey included the design in the first edition of Fun With Radio.   Hugh's set was made from this information.   The simple design has detector and two LF stages, and is intended to receive local stations with a short aerial.   Hugh writes: "The valve line up is HL2K, PM2HL and PM22A.   The coil is homemade, or you could originally use the specified alternative of the Wearite PHF7 coil.   Both coils are for medium waves only.   The front panel has the usual tuning and reaction controls. "The aerial I used is an extending radio control aerial, but I imagine that builders would have used some surplus "38 set" aerial which was commonly available then.   The socket on the left is the earth connection - the set works without an earth but is much better with one.   Gilbert told his clients to use the set only when stationary, so a length of brass curtain or stair rod with a wire would have made a good earth. "The two sockets on the right are for the separate loudspeaker which was mounted on the handlebars.   The set itself was mounted on the crossbar, and the batteries were in your saddle bag." I wonder how many of these sets were actually mounted to bicycles - a box of the suggested size on the crossbar would surely have been a nuisance if mounted above it and a knee hazard if hung below.   I asked Hugh if he had tried mounting his set on a bicycle.   His reply: "No, I haven't tried it on a bicycle as I don't have one - far too old at 72 for bikes I'm afraid!" If you built one of these sets and fitted it to a bike way back in the 1950s, please tell me about it.

BACK TO TOP CONTACT ME

I am most grateful to Hugh Castellan for these contributions, and congratulate him on both his prolonged research and the splendid end-result of the sets themselves.   I would be delighted to hear about your Davey projects, whether constructed recently or long ago.