Steve
Society Members
vintageradio.co.nz
Posts: 724
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Post by Steve on Dec 27, 2019 16:15:18 GMT 12
Hi all, I've just updated the info on David Reid both from a parent company (in Takapuna, Auckland) and the retail front. I'd appreciate any input, corrections, photos, memories etc to help round this out. I know David Reid is at the very end of the era I'm wanting to cover but it holds a special place in my heart because the first kitset I remember building with my Dad as a child was the one below (although not the first crystal set - that was one from (I want to say What Now? A Saturday morning show I think although my memory is a little hazy on that... you could write in for the plans (which we did) and the tuning was via an ice cream stick with a screw in the end pivoting on a bit of wood and scratching through a coil wound on a toilet roll to vary the inductance - we built it, it worked... I have no idea what happened to it - but I was quite keen on pulling things apart as a kid so it probably went in the bin). The parent company (David J Reid Ltd) (manufacturer) page is here: www.vintageradio.co.nz/manufacturer/david_reidAnd the Dick Smith Electronics store (Distributor) page is here: www.vintageradio.co.nz/distributor/david_reid_electronics_ltdI intend (at this stage) to cover radio kitsets from the Electrokit range and some Laser products which included home and car radios - although I don't believe Laser were strictly New Zealand products - I suspect they were probably made in Hong Kong or Taiwan... if anyone can confirm or deny that I'd appreciate it because I don't want to clutter the site with non-NZ products (at this point anyway). Cheers, Steve
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Post by Richard on Dec 27, 2019 16:52:11 GMT 12
I remember David Reid parts store being at 39 Airedale St, Auckland,(which is now part of Telecom's Building). My Aunt worked in David Reids Speaker manufacturing factory in Highbury Auckland in the 1970's. One of the guys who worked in the parts store in Airedale st, died last year in Paeroa.
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peter
Tinkerer
Retired, collector of vintage radios and test equipment for restoration and repair.
Posts: 97
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Post by peter on Dec 29, 2019 14:12:28 GMT 12
Mixed feelings about the Dick Smith lot as they gobbled up David Reid plus other small stores in NZ closed down unable to compete, then managed to destroy their own market. So now instead of several stores in Wellington (Wise electronics, David Reid, lamphouse, Dick Smith) we have just the one I'm aware of Jaycar which is quite a trek via public transport from where I am (Johnsonville. Bought a lot of good stuff from both outfits such as kits, instruments and parts over the years from Reid and Smith but knew the writing was on the wall the moment Dick Smith said they were no longer going to stock/sell electronic components. The same inane corporate stupidity that killed the Aussie 'Electronics Australia' mag - those people thought they could just print reviews (ie company handouts) and did not need projects/technical material.
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Steve
Society Members
vintageradio.co.nz
Posts: 724
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Post by Steve on Dec 29, 2019 23:03:32 GMT 12
I remember David Reid parts store being at 39 Airedale St, Auckland,(which is now part of Telecom's Building). My Aunt worked in David Reids Speaker manufacturing factory in Highbury Auckland in the 1970's. One of the guys who worked in the parts store in Airedale st, died last year in Paeroa. Hi Richard, the '78 catalogue has photos from the various factory departments... including the speaker manufacturing plant. Which one is your Aunt?
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Steve
Society Members
vintageradio.co.nz
Posts: 724
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Post by Steve on Dec 30, 2019 0:01:40 GMT 12
Mixed feelings about the Dick Smith lot as they gobbled up David Reid plus other small stores in NZ closed down unable to compete, then managed to destroy their own market. So now instead of several stores in Wellington (Wise electronics, David Reid, lamphouse, Dick Smith) we have just the one I'm aware of Jaycar which is quite a trek via public transport from where I am (Johnsonville. Bought a lot of good stuff from both outfits such as kits, instruments and parts over the years from Reid and Smith but knew the writing was on the wall the moment Dick Smith said they were no longer going to stock/sell electronic components. The same inane corporate stupidity that killed the Aussie 'Electronics Australia' mag - those people thought they could just print reviews (ie company handouts) and did not need projects/technical material. Yes they gobbled up David Reid - but on the other hand David Reid sold out to them - it takes two to tango. And Dick Smith sold to someone (Woolworths?) and then to an investment company who it seems didn't know much about electronics stores from memory. In my opinion the electronics hobby era came to a close and with it went electronics hobby stores. Stopping stocking of thousands of electronic components, kitsets (and the associated problems with returns) and associated products was probably a sensible business decision for them, regardless of the upset to the remaining electronics hobbyists - DSE were just too big to deal with what had become a very small market for them. As for screwing up the appliance store model, thats another story and they should have been able to survive that one given the number of other stores doing ok with it. As a side note, in the 80's I worked at DSE in the old Bartons Butchers building in Dunedin as a high school student and have fond memories of fixing kitsets for people, demo-ing multimeters, playing catch around the store with the other part timer using D-size ni-cads when nobody was around, pulling all-nighters at stocktake time counting resistors and capacitors with an awesome friendly crew... It was a great job for me and I have fond memories of my time there. I think we're in a bit of a hobbyist resurgence at the moment thanks to the maker crowd and cheap Arduinos but at the same time Jaycar charge 10 times what you can buy an Arduino from Ali Express for (Not to mention how they screwed over Freetronics to get their Arduino packs - www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW8K9D9u5aI - after that I stopped feeling guilty about buying components from overseas)... If you need it in a hurry, pay $35... if you can wait 3 weeks then you can get it for $3.50 delivered from China. For a while there Altronics (from Oz) was also an outlet through Global PC stores but they've gone now I think. In Christchurch we also have South Island Components which was always more of a trade outlet but I shop there occasionally. I also used to enjoy visiting the Queen St Surplustronics store in Auckland when I was up there to see what cool old stuff they had for sale - but that too is gone now. I don't know what stores there are in Wellington as I don't get there too often.
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Post by Philconut on Jan 10, 2020 18:52:37 GMT 12
The Christchurch branch was on the west corner of Stanmore Rd & Tuam St. Used to go there a lot after Tricity House closed.
John
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