Are there any ME Subscribers Here?

[3405jimmy]

Brian

Well if that is the case it sounds like a management buyout, drop the debt and start again.

Jim

[Ansty]

Jim

Just had a nose around on the net and found these:-

www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=56&ArticleID=1325290

www.the-word-is-not-enough.com/blog/personal/finance/highbury/

This whole saga seems to keep running with twist after twist.

Brian

[spurley]

Hi chaps

I, rather foolishly it now appears, took out a subscription to Model Engineer as a Birthday present to myself this January This was as a result of my local newsagents not having received my copy 4263 onwards so I thought a subscription was the answer

I did the deal using my Visa card, hoping for protection if the worst does happen, on the 6th January and still haven't received any magazines, despite asking for a 'back subs' option to get my missing issues. I phoned the subscription line last week and the person I spoke to claimed to be unaware of any problems with supply and assured me the mags would be with me within 10 days! I am waiting with baited breath and decreasing optimism.

Can anyone else with a subscription put my mind at rest and tell me they are getting their issues on, or about, the issue dates please?

Cheers

Brian

Alone and isolated in Northern Ireland (we still have Guinness though ;D)

[houstonceng]

Guys

My copy of ME - due 20 Jan - arrived today - with the flyer in it. Strangely, as I wrote in another exhange of E-mails (in another place), the "Model" titles like ME, MEW and Model Boats have "disappeared" from the www.subscriptions.co.uk/help web-site.

Consequently, as the title of your subscribed mag is the 1st entry in checking your subscription - you can't (Yes, that does make sense on second reading). So, although the phone number is the same, etc, etc, - and the advert in this latest copy of ME still quotes the same web-site - something is still a little amiss. Maybe still to be sorted.

Funny thing is, however, that ME is listed under "featured magazines" on the site and can be added to your "shopping basket". But you can't go in via the normal route - title first.

Also heard that the "owners" of Encanta are, at the moment, incognito and that the original company was formed in December last year and changed its name to Encanta Media Ltd only last week. Interesting - - - - was it a buy-out by employees ?

Anyway, I'm glad to see that ME and MEW may survive. The subscription side is only money and I can set the credit card company on that if necessary.

Andy

[Steve M. W]

Hi
Recived my copy yesterday with a letter from Encanta Media "Greatnews for readers!" and went on to say that this publication is now owend (plus eight others) by them, and that all editors, managers and staff for the titles have joined Encanta.
Contact Details; Encanta Media Ltd, Berwick House, 8 - 10 Knoll Rise, Orpington, Kent BR6 0EL.
Tel; 01689 899200 Subscription Hotline[phone]
Hope this helps
Steve

[GeorgeRay]

My suscription copy came today but with no flyer or any news of a change in ownership. I have a rolling DD subscription which has just been renewed - I hope.

[3405jimmy]

ansty said:

Jim

This whole saga seems to keep running with twist after twist.

Brian

I note Brian it says the titles were profitable prior to Highbury’s demise so our new chums in Leeds might just be the ticket. Although I don’t know what my magpie mates will say to being saved by a Leeds firm

Looking at the positives it seems the publications are safe for the moment my subscription seems to have been honoured. So I thinking its time to take 5 and a bar 6 and wait for the dust to settle.

It seems regardless of this little local difficulty ME is going through a bit of a transition. What with the new IC section. Now this week the editor is warbling on about any interest in steam launches and engines. So perhaps they are tying to widen the field ever so slightly. Might be interesting to see where we will be in a year’s time.

Jim

[steammadman]

a lot of speculation,and rumours have emerged in these pages lately on the subject of our mutually favourite magazines. May I take this opportunity to put in my 2 pennoth. I had a phone conversation with the assistant editor ,on another matter, a couple of weeks ago
and during our conversation the subject of late delivery was broached. He told me ,yes a takeover was on the cards,no he was not able to tell by whom,BUT, he assured me the two
Model Engineer mags ,( ME & MEW ), WILL CONTINUE to be published ,and distributed to
subscribers for the forseable future. HE ADDED" I have been assured my job is safe".
Where does the subject of involvment with LEEDS come from?,
NO MENTION HAS BEEN MADE OF LEEDS! ! ! .
The new M/D is;
OWEN DAVIES

The new office is;
Encanta Media Ltd
Berwick House
8-10 Knoll Rise
Orpington
Kent
BR6 OEL
Phone [phone] or for subscriptions 0870 837 8600

Now ,JIM , accuses the editor of warbling on about "STEAM BOATS and their ENGINES" ,
well Jim steam boats HAVE been an interest in Model Engineer for OVER 50 years to my knowlege, or I have been asleep for the last 50 odd years, many models, and , full sized
steam powered boats have been shown at exhibitions for years. All the editor is trying to do is whip up a bit of interest in another"branch" of our woderful hobby. Please , dont knock his enthusiasm.

long live MODEL ENGINEER, lets support it ,and encourage it staff

Steammadman

[houstonceng]

Ok. I read the "good news" flyer in my latest issue but, being as I don't trust anyone, I tried going to the subscription web-site and seeing if the 28% offer for ME was still there.

Message said, "Sorry. That magazine is not available on this web-site".

Probably still in a state of flux ! ? Let's hope it settles soon !

Shoot me down in flames if I'm wrong but, being an engineer, I know the glass is the wrong size - don't give me the half full story !

Andy

[3405jimmy]

Steammadman,

Accuses seems a bit of a pejorative term mate, I would prefer light hearted observation.

Leeds came from the info kindly posted by Brian perhaps you did not read it. So to help here is the link again.

www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=56&ArticleID=1325290


Speculation, gossip, debate, information, even a bit of humour, that’s what these places are about isn’t it?

Jim

[steammadman]

.JIM,
Sorry if i upset you with my last post,i, too am all for light hearted observation/ banter.
Us yorkshire men call a spade a spade and don t go round the houses using fancy terms
and words.

NO I had not seen the article "Yorkshire today", thanks for bringing it to my attention,
I have read it now.
Yes I agree this place is for gossip, debate ,information, and, a bit of humour , but speculation i'm not so sure about, too much can be harmful.
As for the editor of our magazine, I think we all should get behind him, and give some encouragement,after all he has only just sat in the hot seat,he has'nt had time to get it warm yet. I have subscribed to "Model Engineer" since i was 14, and seen a few editors come and go,some have done a good job some not so good, the standard ,and variety of articles has
dropped a little of late, oh , i'm in my 70's now , so i dont like too many of these electronics articles, i spent a good deal of my time in the good old days of steam, in "DONCASTER PLANT".

So you see Andy, I too am an engineer , one of the "old" brigade from the days when we
made proper trains.

[SteveW]

All,

Just picked up on a comment about ME not being as good as it was...

I've been going through some of the clubs left over magazines, the earliest currently being circa 1949. Now, I can't say I'm that impressed and far prefer the current version.

As regards too much electronics: Vol 112 No2822 (June '55) included "An Electronic Strobe" that looks like it could kill at fifty paces. The pile included articles on making boats that would do honour in the current model boat mags of today. I have a bound set from, I think the thirties, which may have included the state-of-the-art but all relatively achievable in the workshop of the day.

Agreed,there is no pleasing everyone but I am happy that ME staff have extended it beyond the wall-to-wall steam locos, interesting as there are/were but hey....

[chameleonrob]

if you think model engineer is bad have a read of engineering in miniture...

[houstonceng]

Guys

Before we get into a "Good Old/Bad Old days" debate about how things were better when beer was a penny a pint and children died of TB before their teens - - - etc, etc. In my humble opinion, the content of ME has generally been - and still is "a sign of the times".

I, too, have been reading editions from the 30s, 40s & 50s - brought along to the club - and have a few issues through to the late 70s when I started to subscribe. Yes, there were articles on boats - but there wasn't a "Model Boats" magazine. There were articles on cars & planes - no dedicated magzines. These required a lot of "engineering" until commercial 4-stroke and 2-stroke engines in model sizes became available - then kits and finally fully finished, ready to roll articles. Same could be said of early Radio-control.

Just after WWII, there was a lot of "war surplus" on the market and many articles on use and conversion thereof. The ME has published articles on making refridgerators & washing machines when these were not readily available - or maybe only at high price and well above the aspirations of the average worker. Ditto - How to make a car, power your house with "new fangled electrickery", build your own lathe, etc, etc.

There is an almost "parallel universe" in magazines like "Practical Wireless" & "Wireless World" with circuits for radios, Hi-Fi, tape recorders & televisions and conversion articles on No.19 Sets in the late 50s, etc, etc. Once these domestic goods became readily available and "Hams" began buying rather than making, the articles generally moved on to computers and the nature of the magazines changed towards reviews of commercial equipment rather than a blow-by-blow construction series.

IMHO, ME has followed the same patern, all be it that there are still a good number of "build-em" articles in this century and the last two decade of the previous one.

Yes, I would like to see more stuff like "Jeyne's Corner" as I think we need to attract and educate youngsters. Yes, we have seen a migration of "tool related" articles to MEW so I have another mag to buy. No, I don't want articles on Model Boats, planes and other subjects IF, repeat IF, there are dedicated magazines on these topics. It's a personal prefernce, but I prefer "make-em" rather than "review" but, generally I feel that there is a good balance in ME - even if I might complain about individual issues.

I've only read the odd copy of EIM published this century and a few back numbers starting at No.1. Again, IMHO, it's about as well balanced as ME.

The bottom line is that - if we don't like the content - why don't we help the editorial staff by writing articles that we think our fellow ModEngs might like to read ? You don't need to answer that !

As LBSC used to say "Nuff sed", I'm going to the SM&EE rumble sale and need to eat lunch first.

Andy
PS. I have the bucket of water available to put out the expected flaming arrows.

What I have noticed is that there are very few articles for the "veriest tyro" (as LBSC - god bless him - used to call beginners in our art). Series - like "For the Schools" - which were aimed at metalwork in schools no longer have a place in these establishments because "metalwork", as I knew, it has migrated to CDT. But. What about the young - or not so young - lads who are just starting ? Instead of a blow-by-blow, we often see "turn up the wheels by the usual method". Ok if you know what "the usual method" is.

[roger]

Oh Andy it's not C.D.T. That died years ago. It's R.M. Resistant Materials. And it's unfortunate that most of the new R.M. Teachers do not a clue about lathes, milling machines, brazing, welding, ect. They just want a computer connected to a Camm1 or CNC router. I have had to cover up most of the machine tools in some rooms because the teacher just does not want to see them. So most young lads or ladys never get to use these machines throughout their school life. Very sad indeed.

Roger.

[steammadman]

Yes i agre with houstonceng and roger,
I'm afraid modern technology is moving too fast for my failing brain,i'll still carry on with my
ML7 and home built miller, they have served me well for a number of years so i guess the'll see me out.
As a side note, i went along to our local technical college to show some slides to some engineering students the other week,the slides were taken in my working days at DONCASTER PLANT, they could not beleive what they saw, how we had to work, the conditions we worked under,even the lecturers were amazed at the quality and variety of work we had to do.
At the end of the slide show we had a chat session , and it transpired that 3 of the 5 lecturers could neither screwcut on a lathe, or cut gears on a miller.

WHAT CHANCE HAVE THE MODERN STUDENTS HAVE ?

[steammadman]

A fter my defending Model Engineer staff prevously i'm afraid i have to turn the other cheek.
A freind of mine having not recieved his copy of M E decided to chase it up this morning(monday),armed with the flyer out of my copy he went to war, HE GOT NOWHERE,
ALL THE PHONES WERE ON AUTO,ENCANTA MEDIA as well,so guys i am also doubting
their intentions.
lets wait and see, but oly coward hide behind a switch.

[districtgrandmaste]

steammadman said:

A fter my defending Model Engineer staff prevously i'm afraid i have to turn the other cheek.
A freind of mine having not recieved his copy of M E decided to chase it up this morning(monday),armed with the flyer out of my copy he went to war, HE GOT NOWHERE,
ALL THE PHONES WERE ON AUTO,ENCANTA MEDIA as well,so guys i am also doubting
their intentions.
lets wait and see, but oly coward hide behind a switch.

[districtgrandmaste]

I have just got through to Encanta - after about ten minutes of waiting. I am chasing issue 112 of MEW for Feb/March. The lass assured me it is being sent out on Feb 3rd.

If not I'm claiming the rest of my subscription back on my credit card!

[houstonceng]

Districtgrandmaster

So where from is it being sent ? The subsrciption.co.uk web-site still hasn't got ME or MEW listed so I still don't know to whom I should complain about my Sub.

Needless to say, I'm still waiting a reply to my E-mail to "Subscription Oxymoron" aka Customer Service.

Andy