barclaycon 569 Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 Interesting. Thanks for that Rob. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smiffy49 590 Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 When did Redifusion come into being? I think my Mother worked there for a while, she once told us that she had to take (or make?) some sort of call from my Dad, who was serving in the Army overseas. The story goes that once the call was connected she had to leave her desk and go into some sort of switchboard type office at the Redifusion offices. The switchboard operator, who was connecting the call, must have said "Roger" to her opposite number abroad. My Mother, not used to telephones etc, quickly interrupted her to explain that my Dad's name was "Reg" not "Roger" ! After that everyone at the office called him the "Regifusion" man. I do remember the brown bakolite boxes on the wall too. My Dad was very much into radio and television technology and always wanted to have the latest gadgets. He once built a complete television from bits and pieces and fitted some sort of "box" to the back so we could watch BBC2 when it first came on stream. He couldn't wait for the shop to open to buy a colour TV when they first came out, even though only a limited number of programmes were in colour! We would sit and watch the test card as he twiddled around at the back. My Aunt had Redifusion too, I remember that after it had been disconnected we would be allowed to play with the switch, listening to the lovely "clicking" sound it made. Smiffy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Braddy 160 Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 Hi, Smiffy49 if you go on Google and put in Remembering Rediffusion it will bring up a web site about them They started in 1928 until 1988. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
... 1,411 Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 I remember working for wigfalls the best telly then was supposed to be grinding,German make I think. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
... 1,411 Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 That's grundig#29 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,488 Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 You really need to switch off your predictive text. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 I think you mean Grundig... They used to make the best all band radios on the market. Pity the Yachtboy is now made in China, I always wanted one, but was always outside my budget. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
... 1,411 Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 Does it annoy you Quote Link to post Share on other sites
... 1,411 Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 #31 think I have done it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gibbo 04 188 Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 WIGFALLS!! That's a blast from the past! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
... 1,411 Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 Workshop off alfreton rd (wigfalls) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DJBrenton 738 Posted November 18, 2014 Report Share Posted November 18, 2014 The overhead cable network was (I think) sold on as in what iirc was maybe 1990 I worked part-time out of an office on Freeth St selling the service. I had to get a £10 installation fee and got paid £15 per time. Every lunchtime my wife would collect 5 or 6 appointments and drop in the previous nights takings then on a Friday she'd collect my £4-500 for 5 or 6 evening's work. Nice work if you could get it. I would be at each house for 5-10 minutes as the spiel was so simple. Unfortunately, the wet snow that winter destroyed the entire network (that should isolate what year it was if anyone can recall) so I lost the job. It was a shame as we'd just had our first daughter so my working evenings for that sort of part-time money worked in well with my wife's job. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
catfan 14,793 Posted November 18, 2014 Report Share Posted November 18, 2014 I bought my first colour TV from Wigfalls in 1973 a 22"GEC 6 channel push button tuner thing. What an absolute pile of garbage. 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
... 1,411 Posted November 18, 2014 Report Share Posted November 18, 2014 The tv was probably ok I worked for wigfalls at that time,it was probly me that installed it cat fan ,sorry I wasnt very good at my job. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
barclaycon 569 Posted November 18, 2014 Report Share Posted November 18, 2014 The changeover from 405 lines to 625 lines was a major faff. When BBC2 came along it was 625 lines only, which meant a new aerial and major changes to TV electronics. There was a period of a few years when televisions had to handle both 405 lines and 625 lines. I remember that when you wanted to watch something on BBC2 like 'World Of Beachcomber' (Spike Milligan) or 'His Lordship Entertains' (Ronnie Barker, David Jason), you'd push a huge button and there would be a massive clunk and then you'd have to rotate a dial to tune it properly. I guess with Redifusion you didn't have all that messing about because it all came down a cable. When colour came along all the channels were 625 of course. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mercurydancer 1,104 Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 I too recall the brown bakelite switch on the window sill. I also recall it being connected to a brown bakelite speaker which was on a shelf high up on a wall. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mercurydancer 1,104 Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 Barclaycon.... we thought that getting TV over an aerial was so modern and that we didnt have to rely on a cable to give us TV and radio like rediffusion did! Now we have progressed so far that we no longer need cable for TV........ Oh wait..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
banjo48 928 Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 My grans only form of entertainment was the redifusion radio, or her wind up gramophone and 78's. Her wonderful grandson (me) connected it from the junction box on the rear wall of her terraced house in St Annes. Even got the proper speaker box from a junk shop on the St Annes Well road. Don't tell anyone though ! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bamber 128 Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 I was driving down Carlton Road this morning and spotted what must be one of the last bits of the Rediffusion cable still in place. It crosses Carlton Road just by the junction with Hooton Street. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blondie 1,392 Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 We had Rediffusion when we got married in 1970 the black and white TV we bought off The Coal Merchant's for a fiver................... They were having a colour TV.,.............I can remember the brown switch on the window ledge and switching it over from TV to radio when it was always Dennis Mc Carthy presenting, sometimes with his young daughter........They were in York House, (Radio Nottingham) - Not heard anything of him for years..............Wonder what has happened to him?..........My friend Pat worked at the Rediffusion Offices on Castle Boulevard................. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Merthyr Imp 729 Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 Dennis McCarthy died a few years ago, didn't he? Not sure when. (Still can't do quote of previous post) 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 Dennis McCarthy died in January 1996, the same day that he was taken ill during the programme. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,488 Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 I was driving down Carlton Road this morning and spotted what must be one of the last bits of the Rediffusion cable still in place. It crosses Carlton Road just by the junction with Hooton Street. How many people would have noticed that and realised what it is? It crosses Carlton Road and seems to go up Hooton Street. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DJBrenton 738 Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 They used to pay a peppercorn rent if the cable had to be fixed to your house and you didn't have cable yourself. i think it was about 50p a year but you had to ask for it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rob.L 1,090 Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 Idly standing outside my mother in law's house on Cavendish Vale in Sherwood one day a few years back, I noticed a cable going between her house and the one opposite. I knew it wasn't a phone cable, so surmised it was from when Redifusion were around. As far as I know, it's still there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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