Murphy service data is not readily available for many of their later sets - Murphy tended to restrict it to their appointed dealers and only released basic circuit diagrams for the "Radio and Television Servicing" books. Despite the lack of data, the sets are not that difficult to repair as the circuitry used was largely conventional. Most sets used Mazda valves, but in many cases, there are Mullard equivalents.

I recently received the following information from David Grant:

Murphy always used Mazda valves if at all possible. They signed an agreement to use Mazda valves in 1932. The advantage to Murphy was that they had access to pre-production prototype valves so they could get a head start with their development program...

The quality of Murphy sets was generally very good. Many of their cabinet designs were somewhat unusual and outlandish, compared to the more conservative designs used by many other companies. Some people love them, others hate them! There are a number of collectors who collect just Murphy sets, the most well-known being Mike Barker (chairman of the BVWS) and David Grant.

David Grant has an interesting website containing Murphy circuits and publicity information at www.murphy-radio.co.uk.

A122

Wavebands - SW, MW, LW Valves - TH41, VP41, HL41DD, Pen45, UU6 Date - 1947 Status - Repaired for a customer

This is one of Murphy's range of Baffle Board cabinet receivers, designed primarily for best sound quality. This is largely successful, although on today's transmissions the bass sounds a little boomy and excessive. No doubt, a couple of capacitor value changes would correct this if one were using the set for serious listening.

The circuit design is, if anything, rather basic. The tone control, for example, is connected across the output transformer, whereas it is generally considered better to include it in an earlier part of the circuit.

The main problem with these sets is that the rubber insulation on the wires used deteriorates badly, so many sets will need completely rewiring.

This photo was taken from the Vintage Radio Database website.

A186

Wavebands - LW, MW, SW Valves - UU9, 6P25, 6LD, 6F16, 6C9, 6M1 Date - 1951 Status - Contributed photo and description

Colin Carmichael provided the photograph and the following description:

One of the classic "Baffle" receivers produced by Murphy One of these designs that you either love or hate!! Produced to give excellent sound quality and it certainly does!

Well equipped with a 4 position tone switch and a magic eye. It is well designed and goes well with window rattling volume! Short wave performance is very good, the fly wheel tuning helps matters here.

A242

Wavebands - LW, MW, VHF Valves - 6L34, EC92, 6C9, 6F15, 6D2, 6LD3, 6P1, 6M2, UU9 Date - 1955 Status - In my collection

I was given this set after it was rescued from a damp garden shed. The cabinet has separated at all the joints, and some of the veneer has come away. Fortunately the person who rescued it also retrieved the loose pieces of veneer. The cabinet also shows signs of woodworm, so the set was wrapped in polythene and stored in the garage.

The photo on the right shows the set as I received it, although it actually looks better in the photo than it really was!

I have now repaired and rebuilt it, and the result is shown in the photo on the left. It was quite a major project, and I am very pleased with the result. You can read all about it in the Recent Repairs section.

A272C

Wavebands - LW, MW, VHF Valves - 6L12, 6C9, 6F18, EABC80, 6P1, UU9 Date - 1957 Status - Included for information

The repair of one of these sets is detailed in the Recent Repairs section.

A362 and A372

Wavebands - MW, LW, VHF Valves - UCC85, 10C1, 10F18, EABC80, 10P14, U404 Date - 1955 and 1957 Status - In my collection

This is a popular and somewhat distinctive Murphy model, with its clear Perspex tuning scale. I had been looking for one of these sets for a while, and was pleased to obtain an A372 from a Radiophile swap meet towards the end of 1997, for ten pounds. However I then sold it a while ago (when I needed some money and some space).

I have now purchased another one (an A362 this time, shown in the picture) from the Summer 2001 Wootton Bassett swapmeet for £25. This is in better condition than my previous one, and the rear of the tuning scale is clean.

The valve line-up listed here is correct, although it looks unusual! In fact, it uses valves with three different base types (Octal, B8A and B9A) and two different heater requirements (100mA and 6.3V). The set contains an autotransformer with a 6.3V tapping for the EABC80 and the dial lamp, and a higher tapping for the other (100mA) valves which are connected in series. The HT is derived from the 250V tapping.

The A362 and A372 are almost identical - the only differences are electrical and they are relatively minor. I think Murphy were simply relaunching the model, so the changed number was mainly for marketing reasons!

Details of the repair of the A372 are given in the Recent Repairs section.

B483

Wavebands - MW, LW Transistors - PXA102, PXA101, PXA101, PXB103, PXC101A, PXC101A Date - 1960 Status - No longer in my collection (sold to Mike Barker)

This six transistor set uses Ediswan transistors, rather than the Mullard devices used in most sets of this era. This is probably due to the agreement Murphy had with Mazda since the 1930s. The devices are black top-hat packages and look a bit old-fashioned for 1960.

I bought this set in an auction lot with about ten other transistor radios, and paid about £8 for the lot. Some of the sets were junk (worth stripping for spares), but a few are reasonable and worth restoring. This set works fairly well, but seems a bit insensitive - this may be because it is a six-transistor circuit. I have not done any work on it yet.

The rear panel of the case is broken in two and is slightly distorted so the two halves don't quite line up. The case is also chipped in the top left rear corner, and it needs a good clean.

MA5003 Headphone Radio

Wavebands - MW Transistors - unknown Date - 1970s ? Status - No longer in my collection

This radio was bought for me for Christmas (2003) on eBay.

They are very bulky and uncomfortable to wear. The amplifier seems to be designed to drive speakers not headphones, so the volume control needs to be kept very low if you don't want to be deafened! They are also directional (since they use a ferrite rod aerial) so you have to turn your head for best reception!

This example is a bit dirty but otherwise in good condition. Only one ear works, so the cable round the headband is probably broken somewhere.

TU92

Wavebands - MW, 7 x SW Valves - U403, PEN383, HL133DD, VP133, SP181, TH233 Date - 1940 Status - Contributed photo

Colin Carmichael provided the photograph and the following description:

This was probably one of the only sets built during the war. A great set for short wave listening - it has seven separate bands. On medium wave it uses the usual 4v+R circuit but on short waves an additional RF amplifying stage is used. This gives superb results on short wave.

The sound quality is very good. It is built like a tank with a heavy grey painted steel chassis, black stained oak cabinet and a Bakelite front panel. Obviously weighs a ton! A good set but I find it a bit ugly! The AC only version is the A92.

U144

Wavebands - MW, LW   Valves - 10C1, 10F9, 10LD11, 10P13, U404 Date - 1949 or 1953 Status - In my collection

I bought this set in the December 2003 Wootton Bassett auction for just £2. There is a small amount of print missing off one of the tuning scales, and the pointer doesn't move (I don't even know if the pointer is there at all). Apart from that it is in reasonable condition - a few chips and scratches to the paint but probably not bad enough to need respraying. There is a gap between the two tuning scales, and I'm not sure whether there should be some trim in there. Does anyone know?

The set is designed to look the same from both sides, so it can be sat in the middle of a table and nobody has to look at a cardboard back. It is a mains powered AC/DC set.

There were two versions of this set, the U144 released in 1949 and the U144M released in 1953. The differences (according to Trader sheet 1265) are confined to the oscillator circuit. I don't know which version I have.

U198M

Wavebands - MW, LW   Valves - UCH42, 10F9, 10LD3, UL41, UY41 Date - 1954 Status - In my collection

I bought a box full of scrap chassis and other bits and pieces for £1 at a Radiophile swapmeet (in 2000 I think), and the remains of this set was in there.

As you can see, much of the innards is missing, including the speaker, valves, waveband switch, knobs, dropper resistor and back. One IF can is broken and some of the small components below the chassis are missing. The cabinet is also cracked. It is going to be an interesting rebuilding project when (if?) I get around to doing it. The knobs on the set in the photo are not the right type (they are actually from a scrap Ferguson 384U), but they don't look too bad.

U502

Wavebands - VHF Valves - 10L14, 10F18, 10F18, 10D2, 10PL12, U381 Date - 1959 Status - In my collection

This is a small VHF only set that, like many later Murphy sets, uses Mazda valves. Despite it's basic looks and low cost it gives surprisingly good sound quality.

The chassis is sandwiched vertically between locating lumps on the front and rear cabinet sections. The rear section is held in place with just one screw, giving a design that was clearly intended for quick assembly. A nice touch internally is the heat deflection plate mounted above the 10PL12 output valve, which helps to avoid a localised heat source close to the cabinet top.

I had one of these sets previously, but like several others it was sold when I was short of money. I obtained the current example fairly recently - I can't remember where from (it may have been the NVCF) or how much it cost, but it must have been cheap because the front and cabinet are both cracked.

Thanks to Mike Barker and Jon Evans for giving me 10D2 valves for this set. I borrowed the one from this set to repair the U512 (below) - now I have one for this set and a spare!

U504

Wavebands - MW, LW Valves - 10C14, 10FD12, 10PL12, U381 Date - 1959 Status - In my collection

This set has an identical cabinet to the U502 above, and shares many of the design features. The set would probably have used Mazda valves, although in my set three of these had been replaced with their equivalent Mullard types.

I purchased this set in January 2002, from Past Times Radio with two others for £60 total (including carriage).

This photo was taken from the Past Times Radio website, and shows the set I bought.

U506

Wavebands - MW, LW, VHF Valves - 10L14, 10C14, 10F18, 10DL12, 10P18, U381 Date - 1959 Status - Repaired for a customer, now have one in my collection

This is another Murphy set with a very distinctive 50s style. It has a painted Bakelite cabinet with gold trim, tall feet and piano-key waveband switches.

The main problem area (based on the set I repaired) seems to be the waveband switches. These seem to be fairly poor quality, and the connections to the PCB tend to crack. Note that only the waveband switches and some passive components are fitted on the PCB, the remainder of the set uses a traditional chassis. The chassis fits into the case on rubber mounts - and it is slightly disconcerting to see the knobs and other buttons move when a button is pressed! Sound quality was average for this type of set.

My set is complete but untested. The linkage for the waveband switches is broken, but the offending piece is rattling around inside the cabinet so it should be fairly easy to reassemble. The chassis seems more secure in the cabinet than the set I repaired too. The white parts of the cabinet have been repainted previously. I bought the set privately for £10.

U512

Wavebands - VHF Valves - 10L14, 10F18, 10F18, 10D2, 10PL12, U381 Date - 1959 ? Status - In my collection

This VHF only set is electrically identical to the U502 above, but housed in a wooden cabinet. The sound quality is surprisingly good for what was probably a fairly low-cost set.

The repair and restoration of this set is featured in the Recent Repairs section.

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