What is that smell?
I have a weakness for old electrical stuff. So when I saw one of these at a car boot sale recently I had to have it. £12 later it was mine!
www.vintageampdoctor.co.uk/images/bush_dac_90_full.jpg

It needed some attention, and google told me that it was electrically lethal, but after a few hours of shed time and a few pounds worth of components I was ready for the big switch on.

It worked!

After a short test in my shed, I carried it triumphantly into the living room and set it up in it's new permanent position.

Thing is, as it warmed up the room was filled with the unmistakable aroma of the previouse owner who was clearly a piss soaked old man. It took months before I could leave the thing on for more than 10 minutes.

Still. Cool radio though.


Edit:

And phase 2 of this project is near completion,

I’ve made a little MW transmitter some time ago, and I’m going to collect a little archive of old radio programs and play them through the radio for absolutely no good reason at all…Apart from freaking out my Father In Law next time he visits, when I get him to switch on the radio and it picks up The Light Program.
( Ring Of Fire A petty, drooling belming butthurt retard., Fri 18 Nov 2011, 7:47, 10 replies)

that...
Is a thing of beauty, well done!
(lordy lordy, Fri 18 Nov 2011, 8:04, closed)

try and get some of the old war announcements
again, for no good reason, but it might be kinda cool to hear the 'fight them on the beaches' speech.
( Ya What Skiddlyboop, Fri 18 Nov 2011, 8:56, closed)

Smell of piss...
... may be a cooked selenium rectifier.

Glad you got your short-range AM transmitter going. Didn't we discuss that a while back?

Looks pretty awesome!
(gordonjcp, Fri 18 Nov 2011, 9:33, closed)

Selenium rectifier
Naah, the Bush DAC90A uses a good old UY41 valve :-)
In my experience selenium rectifiers smell more of rotten eggs when they let go. Mind you, so do I especially after a night of beer'n'curry.

Those Bushes are great little sets by the way, being a very sad person who should get out more I've got several: brown, cream, export model - no long wave but more medium waves, and even the battery powered version.
(Snabblim Dropfritt, Fri 18 Nov 2011, 11:16, closed)

Yes we did, must be about a year ago.

( Ring Of Fire A petty, drooling belming butthurt retard., Sat 19 Nov 2011, 11:23, closed)

Beautiful
My grandad used to have one like that...sniff.
(Che Grimsdale Best before:, Fri 18 Nov 2011, 9:37, closed)

Ekco
Made some lovely old radios, and with some modification, they can be awesome valve amplifiers for guitar. Sounds superb.
Pretty much the sound you'd expect from a VOX AC15.
(Sir Clitherington Smythe offers him yourself., Fri 18 Nov 2011, 13:52, closed)

Bakelite
is formed from urea. Probably the smell of your piss-soaked old man is -the thermoplastic they use for the case or the plug. Tres Woo though :-)
( Rotating Wobbly Hat That's not a banana. THIS is a banana., Sat 19 Nov 2011, 13:05, closed)

Yeah
My bakelite light fittings smell of tramp-trousers and fish if I have incandescent bulbs installed - solution, cooler running CFLs. Took me ages to figure out where the smell was coming from, and as they were in the bathroom, I assumed the drains harboured something out of "It".
(Mousy Tongue ...Generally bemused by life..., Sat 19 Nov 2011, 17:38, closed)

I love the old tube/valve radios.
Ferocious energy hogs compared to today's units, but the warmth radiating from the case is a wonderful feeling on a chilly evening when I'm curled up in bed with a good book before resting.

Congrats on your find!
( Felis Concolor, Thu 24 Nov 2011, 4:26, closed)