Who invented the bite alarm?

[Vagabond]

An article in this month's "Classic Angling" tells of a Mr S Booth, of Bacup, Lancs, who submitted a patent for an drycell battery-driven bite alarm in 1936. The patent was granted in 1937, and reported in the "Fishing Gazette" of July 12 1937.

 

The indicator was housed in a bakelite box and worked by means of a coiled spring across which the line ran. A bite caused the spring to touch a terminal which set off a buzzer or bell and lit up a bulb.

 

I still have a pair of Herons (any offers?) but have not used them (or any other sort of electic/electronic indicator) for nearly fifty years. They are old hat, these buzzers

[Kappa]

An article in this month's "Classic Angling" tells of a Mr S Booth, of Bacup, Lancs, who submitted a patent for an drycell battery-driven bite alarm in 1936. The patent was granted in 1937, and reported in the "Fishing Gazette" of July 12 1937.

 

The indicator was housed in a bakelite box and worked by means of a coiled spring across which the line ran. A bite caused the spring to touch a terminal which set off a buzzer or bell and lit up a bulb.

 

I still have a pair of Herons (any offers?) but have not used them (or any other sort of electic/electronic indicator) for nearly fifty years. They are old hat, these buzzers

 

Are they Stainless or Camo?

 

Rich

[chesters1]

they can be any colour you want ,made me laugh when the daiwa sensitron was launched it was the "only" buzzer with a Sensitivity setting ,all herons ,later BJ's (yes a buzzer not a good time) and earlier had a sensitivity function but it was called a screw.

mine was probably the first heron in the country to have a modern buzzer we (me and a childhood fishing friend) put bleeptones in ,luckily his dad worked for the telephone company.

then you didnt have your own phone as a rule you hired it from the telephone company and they repaired it ,the bleeptones were on the "latest" modern phones back then ,the buzzer in herons was dodgy anyway it rusted and was dependant on a good battery the bleeptone gave a far better sound and was enclosed it was the fore runner of the modern ones we see now.

cant remember what the phona was called it had the "hand set" resting up and down the phone rather than across it ,budgies and parrots soon mastered its sound which was probably very annoying for the owners

 

the trimphone!

http://www.telephonesuk.co.uk/images/722L_green.jpg

Edited January 26, 2008 by chesters1

[Elton]

Are they Stainless or Camo?

 

Rich

 

Wood

[peterpikefisher]

i have a home made bite indicator insert from a kinder egg drilled a hole in 1 end inserted a bit of 1/8 gas welding rod to hook on to line

filled 1/2 way with course sand

it worked for me for several years total cost a tanner/ sixpence old money

[rob.imk2]

And theres me thinking it was the line wrapped around the big toe that was the first

Edited January 26, 2008 by rob.imk2

[dant]

If this was the fishing forum equivalent of Stephen Frys, QI gameshow and I'd answered 'Dick Walker' to the title of the thread, would the screen of started flashing??