Pye MM

April and May are typically busy travel months for me, and I've had to put my vintage radio restoration plans on hold for a few weeks. That ended yesterday, when I returned from my annual visit to the National Vintage Communications Fair with something rather special.

An early example of a Pye MM

I've wanted one of these for ages! Pye launched this type of set, the MM, in 1932 with a price of seventeen guineas...rather a lot of money back then. This one cost me £50, which I don't think is unreasonable for a complete and original example.

As well as being the oldest set in my collection, this will also be the first Tuned Radio Frequency (TRF) set that I've owned. TRF sets are more tricky to use and less selective than the later Superheterodyne sets, but I'm told that an MM can still be a good performer once restored. With the AM broadcast bands becoming less used, a lack of selectivity won't be as much of a problem today as it might have been in the past！

Side view showing controls

I’m hoping that the mechanics won't be to difficult to sort out. Pye used a die cast alloy called Mazak (also known unkindly as monkey metal) in sets of this period. Unfortunately Mazak is now known to weaken and even disintegrate with age. Several major mechanical parts in this set are notorious for either becoming distorted over time, or breaking when handled during a repair.

Although described as a transportable, this is quite a large and heavy set, and definitely not something that would go unnoticed in a modern room. Fortunately my wife loves the simple but iconic design as much as I do, and it will become part of our increasingly vintage decor.

Rear view showing hinged door.

The cabinet is in quite good condition and there's no sign of woodworm, either past or present. There is a small bit of damaged veneer, and the french polished finish has seen better days. Both of these may get some specialist attention.

I don't expect to be doing much to this soon, as my other (paying) work is piling up. And then there is also the matter of a Wartime Civilian Receiver cabinet and chassis that also followed me home from the NVCF. These now look like they may be more interesting than they first appeared, but that's a story that will have to wait for another time.

That's it for now, but keep listening！