PACEMAKER SPORTABLE (1960)

The Pacemaker Sportable was manufactured for H. W. Clarke Ltd by Collier & Beale Ltd in 1960. It's part of the Pacemaker Transportable series.

6-transistor portable, broadcast band, leather case, 6V battery.

Appears to be a Transportable without the RF stage in a leather case, which was probably more robust and suited to a sporty lifestyle.

With the name being a play on Sport, and a shortening of the TranSPORTABLE name, it is included in the Transportable series...

The Pacemaker Sportable is part of the 'Pacemaker Transportable' series.

The Pacemaker Transportables were battery portable transistor radios from Collier & Beale.  The first model appeared in 1957 and was world-leading in that it had a (possibly the very first ever) transistorised RF stage. 

 

The first 3 models were released in an oak cabinet, with the original model being easily identifiable as it has a brass backing plate behind the Pacemaker logo on the front and a hinged back panel.  All subsequent models had just the logo with no plate and a slot-in back panel.

 

The dial cover should be totally transparent, but most are opaque from time / UV damage, dust and scratches... if the cover isn't totally broken and gone.  Underneath is the dial plate with North and South Island stations separated onto their own sides.

 

The last 2 models came in red or cream material covered cabinets of a similar size to the earlier releases.

 

Interestingly, the original models bore a striking resemblance to the Sony TR-72 (externally, at least).

The items in this series are


Technical Information

Valves (6 transistors): 2N247, 2N214, OA85 (Detector), OC71, OC71, OC72, OC72

Intermediate Frequency: 455kc/s

Frequency Bands: 1

Chassis Notes(most schematics can be clicked to download a full size version)

1960 Pacemaker Sportable

1960 Pacemaker Sportable

General Construction Notes for Collier & Beale Ltd:

Model numbering followed no real sensible scheme until around 1940 - and prior to 1934 apparently no model numbers were assigned at all.

From 1940 a 3- or 4-digit system was employed where the first digit indicates the number of valves, the second digit is the number of bands and the third is the year of manufacture.  From 1950 the last digit became two digits, eg: 5151 is a 5-valve broadcast-band only from 1951.

From 1957 model numbers were replaced with model names, ie the Pacemaker Buffalo - which makes the year of manufacture hard to determine unless service info is consulted (although C&B often released service info after the radio, and the date on the service info was for its release, not that of the model.