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SOBELL

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- [1951] Sobell Industries Ltd., Langley Park, Slough, Bucks

From a company only employing dozen employees early during World War 2, by 1950 the company had grown to employ around 1000 people at which point after many unsuccessful attempts they were finally allowed to become members of the BREMA. Without such membership their options for distribution channels were very limited, primarily selling via the Great Universal Stores (GUS) furniture group. The television market could be quite unstable as the Government kept fiddling with tax and hire purchase conditions, and during one Government-induced downturn the GUS cancelled a large order. Sobell never sold directly to the GUS again, however when EMI picked up the contract to supply the GUS, EMI apporached Sobell to produce the sets under EMI's Columbia brand.

1946 - 1949

Picture of table console T87 [4K] Picture of table model T90 [5K] Picture of console model T107 [5K] Picture of console model T120 [5K]
T87 T90 T107 T120
DATE MODEL STYLE CRT VALVES RF NOTES PRICE
Jun48 T87 "Baby console" 9" Mazda
CRM92
    Shown at the British Industries Fair in May where it was anounced as being released the following month.
£129-3-0
(at launch)
£89-5-0
£39-18-0
£102-13-8
(Sep 48)
£83-17-0
£18-16-8
<=Sep48 T107 C 12" Mazda
CRM121
    Inc. Radio.
Shown at the 1947 Radiolympia.
£163-10-11 £133-11-0
£29-19-11
  T89L
T89M
  9" Mazda
CRM92
  1ch L = London, M = Midlands
(Models to be confirmed)
 
~Aug49 T90 T 9" Mazda
CRM92
     
£56-14-0 £x-x-x
£x-x-x
49/50 T120L
T120M
C 12"   1ch L = London, M = Midlands
£79-16-0 £x-x-x
£x-x-x

1950 - 1954

Picture of table model T91
T1291 "Stargazer" T91 T143 T143C
DATE MODEL STYLE CRT VALVES RF NOTES PRICE
50/51 T91 T 9" Mazda
CRM92A
18 5ch  
£40-19-0 £x-x-x
£x-x-x
Mar51 T1291 C 12"  
£68-5-0 £55-14-8
£12-10-4
Apr51 "Stargazer" C 12   5ch The cabinet, made by British Moulded Plastics Ltd, was probably the largest bakelite cabinet ever made.
£59-17-0 £48-17-7
£10-19-5
51/52 T121P C 12"   5ch  
£78-10-7 £x-x-x
£x-x-x
51/52 T121W    
£85-1-0 £x-x-x
£x-x-x
52/53 T143 T 14" 13 5ch  
£72-9-0 £x-x-x
£x-x-x
52/53 T143C C  
£82-19-0 £x-x-x
£x-x-x
~Oct53 T144 T 14"
MW36-24
14 5ch  
£65-2-0 £x-x-x
£x-x-x
<Oct53 T144C C  
£77-14-0 £x-x-x
£x-x-x
~Oct53 T277 T 16"
MW41/1
 
£77-14-0 £x-x-x
£x-x-x
~Oct53 T224 T 12" Minor alterations to line output.
£51-9-0 £x-x-x
£x-x-x
<Oct53 T174C C 17"   5ch The 174 range used the same basic chassis as the T144 but with modified timebases.
£90-6-0 £x-x-x
£x-x-x
T174LC C+D    
£103-19-0 £x-x-x
£x-x-x
TRG174 C+D   Combined TV and radiogram.
£177-9-0 £x-x-x
£x-x-x
~Oct53 T274 T      
£79-16-0 £x-x-x
£x-x-x

1954 - 1956

Picture of table model T175 [6K] Picture of TV-auto-radiogram TRG175 [5K] Picture of table model T21 [6K]
T175 TRG175 T21 (Year?)
DATE MODEL STYLE CRT VALVES RF NOTES PRICE
Aug54¹ T145 T 14"
MW36-24
15 12ch  
£x-x-x £53-15-4
£x-x-x
T145C C  
£x-x-x £61-15-11
£x-x-x
T175 T 17"
MW43-64
 
£x-x-x £63-8-0
£x-x-x
T175LC C+D  
£x-x-x £85-1-5
£x-x-x
TRG175 C 15+Radio Inc. Auto-radiogram
£x-x-x £140-8-11
£x-x-x
May55 TS17 T 17"
MW43-64
14 12ch  
£x-x-x £51-16-9
£x-x-x
Jun55 T346 14"
MW36-44
£x-x-x £46-6-10
£x-x-x
Apr56 T21 T 21"
Mullard
MW53-80
16 12ch  
£90-6-0 £x-x-x
£x-x-x
T21C C
£102-18 £x-x-x
£x-x-x
T21LC C+D
£120-15-0 £x-x-x
£x-x-x
May56 T347 T 14"
AW36-21
14 13ch  
£x-x-x £44-2-4
£x-x-x
T171 T 17"
MW43-64
£x-x-x £50-2-0
£x-x-x
T171C C
£x-x-x £56-12-0
£x-x-x
Aug56 M14T   14"
AW36-21
£x-x-x £45-12-3
£x-x-x
M17T T 17"
MW43-64
£x-x-x £51-11-10
£x-x-x
M17TLC C+D
£x-x-x £66-10-11
£x-x-x

1957 - 1959

Picture of table model T179 [5K] Picture of transportable model TPS147DL [7K] Picture of transportable model TPS180 [5K]
T179 (Year?) TPS147DL TPS180
Picture of model T23 with optional legs [4K] Picture of consolette model SC270 [7K]
T23 SC270
DATE MODEL STYLE CRT VALVES RF NOTES PRICE
Apr57 TPS147 Trans. 14"
AW36-21
  12ch  
£x-x-x £38-17-8
£x-x-x
Sep57 TPS147DL TPS147 in two-tone"de-luxe" cabinet
£x-x-x £40-7-7
£x-x-x
Apr58 TPS173 Port. 17" (90deg)
AW43-80
14 13ch Incl. VHF radio.
£69-6-0 £49-7-0
£19-19-0
T178 T      
£x-x-x £50-2-0
£x-x-x
T23 T 21"    
£x-x-x £61-6-2
£x-x-x
Feb59 TPS180 Port. 17"
AW43-88
  13ch Inc. FM radio.
£66-3-0 £49-9-8
(£16-13-4)
T24 T 21"
AW53-88
 
£78-15-0 £58-18-1
(£19-16-11)
Apr59 T278 T 17"
AW43-88
 
£68-5-0 £51-1-0
£17-4-0
Aug59 SC270 C 17"
AW43-88
 
£78-15-0 £58-18-1
(£19-16-11)
SC24 C 21"
AW53-88
 
£90-6-0 £67-10-11
(£22-15-1)

Note 1 : Range also released under the "Banner" brand name.

1960 - Onwards

DATE MODEL STYLE CRT VALVES RF NOTES PRICE
Feb60 TPS710 Portable 17"
AW43-88
13 13ch Same chassis as McMichael MP20
£59-17-0 £x-x-x
£x-x-x
T192 T
£61-19-0 £x-x-x
£x-x-x
T293 T 21"
AW53-88
£72-9-0 £x-x-x
£x-x-x
1961 MP28 Portable 17"
AW47-90
13   Same chassis as McMichael MP28
£59-17-0 £x-x-x
(£x-x-x)

 

Click for larger view [122K] Click for larger view [73K] Click for larger view [99K]
T90
Advert from March 1950
Link to larger view [122K]
T347
Advert from June 1956
Link to larger view [73K]
1957 Range
Advert from February 1957
Link to larger view [99K]
Click for larger view [181K]
T224 / T277
Advert from October 1953
Link to larger view [181K]
Electrical quality control check of the "Stargazer" model, circa August 1951.

On-line Service Data

Model(s) File Size Source
T121 Stargazer (1) 1.3MB Manufacturers Manual
T121 Stargazer (2) 460KB Molloy and Poole Book. Circuit diagram is much easier
to read than that in the manufacturers manual.
TPS781, T279,
SC370, SC34
1.1MB Manufacturers

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