The Dan Dare Radio Station circa 1954
Вставка
- Опубліковано 2 лис 2016
- A look at a piece of iconic Dan Dare memorabilia. This is the Dan Dare Radio Station, manufactured in or around 1954 by Randalls under their Merit brand. Although it has Dan Dare likenesses and logos on it, there's some doubt as to whether it was officially sanctioned by the Eagle, the magazine that published the adventures of Dan Dare, Pilot Of The Future, and drawn initially by Frank Hampson. I can't find any copies of advertising for the Radio Station itself, so maybe it was an unlicensed product and had to be withdrawn. Examples of the Radio Station are often offered for sale on Ebay and other places, so it's not exactly rare. A bit odd, but maybe someone out there has more information. Possibly it was an American import and re-badged. Dunno.
For more information about the Dan Dare universe
and The Eagle comic, go to:-
eagle-times.blogspot.co.uk/
www.dandare.org
www.dandare.com/ - Фільми й анімація
Brilliant! I had one for Christmas when I was about 7 or 8 & still have a photo of me opening the box with a huge smile. My mum (91!) had kept the box with Christmas decorations in it for the last 60 years & gave it me for Christmas! Now I'm trying to find one at the right price to fit in the box. It must have been an inspirational present as I've been in telecommunications & radio communications all my life!
Just lovely, Larry. Thank you!
Had one of these back in the day, must have been 9 years old? We would invest pocket-money in Woolworth 'bell wire' to hugely extend the range, added in other handsets with discarded switches, found that a 1.5v battery in series would fractionally improve the signal (probably the 'sealing current' effect) and had a generally excellent time. Went 'missing' when we moved to London, along with my bike!
Yes I did end up in telecoms for a bit, 20 years later.
Nostalgia 👍 , I had one of these as a child 🚀🚀, simpler times 😎
Absolutely superb, really well made film - I love the 'cosmic ray shielding material'. Dave
Interesting. I too was a keen collector of the Eagle from when it was First published in 1950.
Which also reminds me, wasn't there a radio serial Of Dan Dare, broadcast each evening in the 50's on Radio
Luxemburg?. Anyone remember?
If I remember correctly the part of Dan Dare was played by Noel Johnson, previously of Dick Barton, Special Agent fame (from BBC Light Programme).
didnt have one of these but did have space suit & ray gun.
✨Splendid thank you✨
Interesting, well filmed with good sound.
looks like wanting one was better than getting one, the stuff of dreams and now I have an iMac
I had this.
I was an avid reader of the Eagle magazine for about five years. It was outstanding and Dan Dare being the greatest attraction. The drawings and story line were of an exceptionally high standard until it was taken over by a sub-standard company.
Eagle. 4½d
Did the radio 'phones' actually work? There was a lot of cable attached to each handset. Excellent film. Thank you.
Thanks for the comments.
The phones worked, albeit not with any great volume. The principle was based on old headphone technology. A thin metal disc was suspended in the magnetic field of a coil of wire wrapped around a magnetic core, one in each of the handsets.Talking at the disc (or diaphragm) created sound pressure waves, making the disc vibrate and affect the magnetic field. This induced a signal in the coil that was pushed along the cable by the battery voltage pressure, reaching the coil in the other handset and causing its magnetic field to fluctuate in sympathy with the first one. This caused the second diaphram to vibrate as it was pushed and pulled by the incoming signal, effectively turning the magnetic fluctuation back into sound. Now talk into the second handset - the same thing happens in reverse and - bingo - two-way communication. It all depended on the circuit being complete but it would work with long cable runs. Probably not quite as far as Saturn though.
I HAD ONE OF THESE (or perhaps more accurately it was my brother's, nevertheless I insisted in my own mind, that it was surely at least a joint present.) In truth I was probably too young for it, I don't think Dan Dare had yet registered with my toddler self. I couldn't yet read after all. On the other hand, I was definitely young enough to be completely taken in by it. I could not understand why I couldn't voice communicate through the handset, no matter how loud I shouted. Communicating by buzzer was so naff and non-space age, I just couldn't believe that would be it.
The bent plastic 'radio masts' however did seem pathetically stupid and offensive, even to my tiny credulous tot consciousness. As can be imagined it did take long to break, First to go was the overspun searchlight. Tangled wires barely outlasted the mighty 'C' batteries, and very soon only the clicker remained after frenzied buzzer pressing did for everything else.
Happy days of high hopes and deep disappointments.
Never mind, I thought, perhaps the Magic Robot will come up with the goods.
My mum took me to "GAMAGES " store in London and i saw this toy ........... cost too much money at the time , she bought me a Balsa wood self assemble glider instead ,,,,,,,, i went home happy anyway
I have never managed to get voice transmission on this, though from memory the Morse clicks do go down the wire to the handsets. Is there some way to make it work?