The Bush DAC90A is one of Britain’s most iconic vintage radios. It was introduced in 1950 and became a popular domestic wireless set. It’s admired for its beautiful Bakelite cabinet, warm valve-radio sound and relatively straightforward design. The radio shown here is the ivory version. The radio replaced the earlier DAC90, which had appeared shortly after the Second World War.
It was designed as an affordable, compact radio for everyday household listening, at a time when radio was central to family entertainment. Production continued through much of the 1950s and ended around 1959.
Valves
- UCH42 – frequency changer and local oscillator
- UF41 – intermediate-frequency amplifier
- UBC41 – detector, automatic gain control and audio preamplifier
- UL41 – audio output amplifier
- UY41 – mains rectifier
SERVICE MANUAL PREVIEW
The original Bush service manual for the DAC90A, issued by Bush Radio in April 1950, is available to members. Here's a taste of what's inside.
These pictures are faded on purpose, just for this preview. Members get the complete manual, unfaded, to view and download.
The manual includes:
- The full circuit diagram and valve base connections
- Capacitor, resistor and coil values with Bush part numbers
- Step by step IF and RF alignment
- Valve voltages and currents
- Fault finding notes for the AF, IF and RF sections
- How to dismantle the set and fit a new cord drive
- Labelled photos of the top and underneath of the chassis
