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- A Radiola for Every Purse: 1925
- ... of America, exhibit." Planted amid the palms: the RCA Radiola 104, Radiola Super VIII and Radiola IIIA, and an assortment of Radiotron tubes. Harris & Ewing glass ... Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 6:41pm -
![Washington, D.C., circa 1925. "Radio Corporation of America, exhibit." Planted amid the palms: the RCA Radiola 104, Radiola Super VIII and Radiola IIIA, and an assortment of Radiotron tubes. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size.
Ah, RadiolasI have a 1928 Radiola 18 and a 1931 Radiola 80. Not only do they work great, but they are beautiful and extremely well made. A lot of that cost back then was for a handmade, solid wood cabinet with brass trim, etc. Plastic boxes made by machines are a whole lot cheaper to produce.
The Payment PlanMost people in the 20s, 30s and 40s were able to buy these "big ticket" items only on a payment plan.
My grandparents were still making payments on their Crosley radio/phono combo from the 1930s through the late 1940s.
Radiolas for AllThey sold TONS of these radios. Today you could find a decent one for less than they sold for back then -- in unadjusted dollars.
TronicsRectrons were rectifiers that changed wall-outlet alternating current to the direct current needed by the amplifier tubes (Radiotrons).
Both were RCA trade names. Other companies made similar vacuum tubes.
Radiola 33My parents had a Radiola 33 in 1929. I doubt that they had even seen many $100 bills. My dad worked in a steel mill and had not more than one year seniority. I'm trying to relate to the price quotes that I'm seeing here. I don't think it was a gift but can't figure how they could afford it. I pressed my ear to the speaker until into the 1950s. The speaker was not attached and sat on top of the long legged cabinet.
[The Radiola 33 was designed to compete in what RCA called "the lower price range." That low, low price also included "free erection." - Dave]
AntennasNotice the loop antennas arrayed in the upper background.
Sign systemFor no particular good reason, I associated this type of sign system with a later period. Though still produced, it's frequently seen used for directories in the lobbies of older office buildings. Movable white letters are inserted into grooves in the black felt-surface background. These days, the letters are plastic; would it be a good assumption that this was the case in 1925? A cursory search online didn't come up with a name for this system, but it seems like there should be one. Any sign experts out there who can come up with when it was invented, and by whom?
As long as the purse was filled with gold!Apparently you had to be well-to-do to own a Radiola in 1925. The price tag for the Super VIII was a hefty $340 in 1925 dollars, which equals $4,228 in 2010 spending power, if the CPI inflation calculator on the U.S. Dept. of Labor website is to be believed. Clearly, when it comes to the price of consumer electronics, not to mention the vastly superior technology of today, we currently enjoy an incredible advantage over the consumers of the Roaring Twenties.
ConflictThere seems to be a conflict between the person who decorated the exhibit and the person who wanted to display the Radiolas. The decorator won. Don't they always?
Shockingly ExpensiveAt around $3000 in inflation-adjusted dollars, these beauties probably didn't exactly fly out the door in those days. It would have been a good chunk of many salaries.
Wow!After converting the prices on the tubes and accessories to today's money, I never imagines how expensive radio as a hobby was back then! I Actually have a few of the tubes shown here.
Model 104 speakerComparing historical dollar amounts to today is tricky but here are two calculations for the speaker price in today's dollars:
$3,000 using the Consumer Price Index
$2,510 using the GDP deflator
A Very Expensive Speaker!Yow! The $245 price tag on that "Radiola Loud Speaker," adjusted for inflation, translates into a whopping $2973.28 in 2009 dollars! (Of course, it *is* "A.C. operated throughout"!)
Not up to code!Cord under the rug. tsk, tsk
Expensive radios! In 2009, $245 from 1925 was worth:
$3,000 using the Consumer Price Index
$2,510 using the GDP deflator
$10,400 using the unskilled wage
$12,700 using the Production Worker Compensation
$14,500 using the nominal GDP per capita
$38,600 using the relative share of GDP
http://www.measuringworth.com/uscompare/
Tabbee feltboardThis type of signboard lettering is known as the Tabbee system. As a kid I used the same to make an introduction and list of characters to be shown in my silent 8mm movies.
Palmy Days of RadioThose prices are huge, even without translating them into 21st century dollars. Luckily, you could gin something up with an old oatmeal box and a cat's whisker.
Frondly rememberedA classic example of the oriental rug & potted palms school of trade show booth design, so popular at the time.
Tron I and Tron IISo what's the difference between a "Radiotron" and a "Rectron"?
That cordunder the rug is for the telephone. The box on the table stretcher held the ringer assembly.
With a RCA 104 speaker going for the equivalent of $3,000, now I see why so many people made do with a Radiola III and headphones.
Chattel MortgagesI have a copy of a chattel mortgage my grandparents took out in the 1930s from a finance company. It was only for a couple of hundred hundred dollars, but for collateral they had to list all of their furniture, Victrola, radio and car.
(Technology, The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/20789a.thumbnail.jpg "A Radiola for Every Purse: 1925")
- Wateradio: 1924
- ... as being electrocuted by a flashlight. - Dave]
RCA Radiola II AR-800 C'mon, girl, get your head out of the way. I'm trying to enjoy that portable radio, an RCA Radiola II AR-800.
Something is covering the handle on top so the horn ... Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 7:13pm -
![July 10, 1924. Washington, D.C. "Radio at Wardman Park Hotel pool" -- 85 years ago today. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Baja tensión.Supongo que funcionaba con baterías...
Fry babyOK,the obvious electrocution issue aside,what would be the point of having a radio in the middle of a pool? Maybe it's just a publicity photo of some sort. Where's the extension cord?
[Most radios used DC batteries back then. - Dave]
The OlympicsCould they have been listening to the Summer Olympics?
[The national political conventions held that summer, the first to be broadcast nationally, were the object of a kind of radio-mania that sold many thousands of sets. The Democratic National Convention in New York ended July 9. - Dave]
Shocking!OK, I know the radio is battery powered, but still...isn't there a horrible risk of electrocution just waiting to happen here?
[About the same risk as being electrocuted by a flashlight. - Dave]
RCA Radiola II AR-800C'mon, girl, get your head out of the way. I'm trying to enjoy that portable radio, an RCA Radiola II AR-800.
Something is covering the handle on top so the horn speaker can sit steady.
With identification out of the way, the location of the radio is a lot more difficult to ascertain. Other than possibly promoting the safety of a battery set, it seems unnecessary to plop a radio in the middle of a swimming pool unless they are playing a rather enhanced version of Marco Polo.
[If you could be transported back to July 1924, to just about anywhere in the United States that had radio reception, it wouldn't be long before you figured out what everyone was so excited about. Who would care to hazard a guess? - Dave]
Where did they plug it in?I can't imagine battery powered radio at this time. Running a/c would have been a bit scary with all those children around. Anyone have ideas on how this would work, or was it posed?
[Almost without exception, early radios were powered by batteries. They required a direct-current power source. - Dave]
A dozen toasterswould get the job done faster. Smaller pool would help too.
BoseAh, a rare photo of the first generation of the WaveRadio!
Unisex in 1924Everybody seems to have worn the same style bathing suit. Can't tell the girls from the boys except for those bathing caps, which look like leftovers from "War of the Worlds."
Radio ExcitementI know - they were bedazzled by yet another exciting radio address by the foremost public speaker of all time, President Calvin Coolidge.
Either that, or the children were entranced by the crackle of static. From what they say, both were of equal interest.
Water MusicMaybe they were listening to Handel.
What to look at?Radio watching in the 1920s looks like it presented some problems that wouldn't be solved for another few years. "Do I watch the speaker on top or do I watch the box below it?"
The game of course!It's summer 1924, surely they are listening to the baseball game! Detroit Tigers were visiting the Washington Senators, the game was tied 3-3.
Battery RadiosIn 1924 there were no commercially available AC radios. As Dave mentioned the radio tubes needed Direct Current, and early attempts to use Alternating Current were unsuccessful. In August 1925 (more than a year after this photo was taken) Ted Rogers Sr. of Toronto introduced the first AC current radio in the world - the Rogers Batteryless Radio. He also manufactured a "battery eliminator" - a power supply that converted AC power to DC and provided the voltage needed for older radio tubes.
Radiola II powerAs has been pointed out, this is indeed a battery-powered radio. It has two pairs of batteries inside - one pair sends 4.5 volts to the tube filaments (A+), but the other pair (B+) has 45 volts for the plates - much higher than the average flashlight. It won't kill you, but touching the "plate" thumbscrew on the front panel could be rather tingly.
Farmhouse radios"Farmhouse radios" were produced well into the 1940s for places that didn't have electricity. The owner had two rather cumbersome batteries. One would be in use while the other was at the dealer's being charged.
Which Station?I've been trying to narrow down the radio station they were listening to. With the wavelength (lower left knob) apparently set close to zero, it must be a station with high frequency, like:
1280 WDM (located at the Church of the Covenant, 18th and N Streets NW, near Dupont Circle), or
1150 WMU (Doubleday-Hill Electric Co. at 715 12th Street NW near Thomas Circle), or perhaps
1100 WIAY (Woodward and Lothrop Dept. Store at 11th and F St, East of the White House), or even
1060 WABE (YMCA at 1736 G St. NW, West of the White House).
It was a Thursday around mid-day. There was a doubleheader with the Tigers. Detroit won the first one 12 to 10 in a 4-hour marathon and the second one ended in a tie 3 to 3, like Lord-Velveeta said.
(Technology, The Gallery, D.C., Kids, Natl Photo)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/11782u.thumbnail.jpg "Wateradio: 1924")
- Mrs. New Tunes In: 1924
- ... timely) Happy New Year.
11 These go to eleven.
Radiola IV The receiver is an RCA Radiola IV, made in the General Electric factory in Schenectady about 1923.
... Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 6:32pm -
![January 14, 1924. "Mrs. Harry S. New," wife of the Postmaster General. This might be good fodder for a caption contest. Which commences right now with yours truly as the judge. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size.
hrm...I suppose:
"Tune in, Tokyo"
is too obvious, too crass, or both...
[Our first entry! It has fully met my expectations. - Dave]
Mrs New's Caption Her (Post)master's Voice
So that's why they called her "Fingers""It wasn't until Harry New bought one of them new fangled radios that he discovered his wife, Myrtle, had been a safe cracker before they met."
Mrs. N"I can't wait for TV."
Snoop Dogg"I just know that Snoop Dogg concert is here somewhere."
3G"First thing tomorrow, this iPhone goes back to the store!"
Strange, Strange MusicRuth told me to be sure to tune in at 8 p.m.
"Never gonna give you up..." '
Mrs. NewThe Postmaster's wife always dials with two hands
(Yeah, yeah, I know, McKenzieK's is *much* better...)
Mrs. New......uses all her powers of concentration to control the third dial telepathically...
The inaugural Winter Olympics"Shush, Harry -- I'm trying to hear Sonja Henie skate!"
Settings"This thing is going to stop flashing '12:00' if it takes me all night!"
Another one."NOBODY twirls my knobs but ME!"
Stuck on You"OK, who's the wise guy that put super glue on the radio dials!"
Harry's Other Wife"Harry, the man on this thing says that radio will disrupt domestic life, that women will spend all day listening to it and ignore what their husbands are doing, and ... Harry? Harry?"
New Radio"Mrs. New is befuddled by her new radio, as evidenced by her placing the set's headphones in her lap."
Ms. New"Asked for an iTouch... and Harry gave me this damned Zune."
That's Heavy"Hello, listeners. Tired of old fashioned radios that weigh so much you need 4 tables just to support them?"
Yeah, I got nothing. jnc took the best one already.
RCA Victor trademark developmentBefore the famous RCA Victor "Nipper - His Master's Voice" trademark became successful, RCA's first trademark attempt with "Mrs. New - Her Husband the Postmaster General's voice" failed with the marketing focus groups and was consigned to the dustbin of history.
http://www.designboom.com/history/nipper.html
Lawsy.I hear ... ALIENS !!!!!
Caption"What's the frequency, Kenneth?"
Captain Caption Says:"Old Mrs. New: Turned On & Tuned In"
That's what she said"Get your own darn dinner, can't you see I'm busy?!"
High Infidelity"We're broadcasting live from the Better 'Ole Nightclub downtown and we've never seen a crowd like this. Everyone who's anyone is here ... why, I've even spotted the Postmaster General dancing the Black Bottom with his beautiful young wife ... or is that his daughter?"
AnticipationMrs. New is such a fan of Jack Benny that she makes sure to tune in to his show eight years before it goes on the air.
Can't Get No SatisfactionMrs. New listening intently waiting for the chance to win the Rolling Stones concert tickets.
She says “I was only 5 years old when the Rolling Stones first appeared on the scene but I always liked their music. Even though he’s older than me I still think Keith looks hot.”
Crank It"Although unsure why she'd ever want 'that extra push over the cliff,' Mrs. New was delighted to know that the dials on her new pride and joy went up to eleven."
The Shorpy Photograph HourMrs. New listens to her favorite program, "The Shorpy Photograph Hour." While she enjoys the detailed descriptions of the photos, she particularly enjoys the comments from the audience.
[Fascinating. Who's the sponsor? - Dave]
DANCE, MOUSE!I SAID DANCE, MOUSE! DANCE!
YOU'LL KEEP DANCING IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YA!
No drinkypoo for the Mrs.Damn that sneaky mailman! He's locked up the liquor cabinet!
OrgasmatronMrs. New placed the sound receivers in the correct location and gave her newfangled Orgasmatron a workout.
"It's turned up all the way, Harry dear, and I don't feel a thing."
"Yes, dear, I knew that already," Mr. New said with resigned sigh.
Ripped OffWait a minute--this Etch-a-Sketch doesn't work at all! That's 32 cents I'll never see again.
Regarding the caption contest....What does the winner win?
[Silly me, how could I have forgotten. The winner receives a 50 percent ownership stake in the Republic of Iceland! - Dave]
What do you take me for?Iceland just declared bankruptcy yesterday. Nice try Dave.
[How about a quarter-interest in Ford or General Motors, then? Your choice. I'd have to count out my spare-change jar first, but I'm pretty sure I can cover it. - Dave]
"New" woman"China Clipper calling Alameda, China Clipper calling Alameda"
Honey, can you help me?I'm having trouble opening the safe.
*Pfff*I swear, this pie will never bake if I can't get the gas...to...headphones? Wow. I am so stoned.
Quickly now"Mrs. New rapidly rotates the knobs to 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42! Whew! That was close!"
Sssh.No one knew Alice Gore invented the radio. It was a big secret.
That's 34 left, then 24That's 34 left, then 24 right--no, that was not the tumbler--26 right.
"I hear dead people.""I hear dead people."
Knobs'Mr. New began to get ideas.'
Caption"Mrs. New first learns that she's been officially renamed 'Mrs. Old' "
Quiet!Y'all hush now, the president is coming on !!
My New Joe Biden TV! "Why, it's President Roosevelt ... who hasn't been elected yet ... commenting on the Stock Market Crash ... which happened four years before he was elected! Gosh, I just love my new Joe Biden™ television!"
Almost ThereHalf turn to the right, quarter turn to the left and I'll have all the gold of Fort Knox!
Darn.I could have sworn KDKA was here a minute ago.
WoTW"Earthlings, it is useless to resist. Put down your primitive weapons, no human power can stop us -- AAH-CHOO! -- feeling weak ... so tired ... "(Sound of spaceship crashing, then static.)
War of the WorldsMartians have landed in Grover's Mill, New Jersey!
Oh there it is... 'Sister Kate'...."... I think I've figured out what 'shimmy' REALLY refers to!"
W.O.L.D.DJ: Go ahead caller; you’re on the W.O.L.D. All Oldies Request Line.
Caller: Yes, my name is Harry New and I would like to request a tune and dedicate it to my wife.
DJ: No problem, what can I play for you Harry?
Caller: It was played at our wedding.
DJ: Ah, that’s sweet Harry. What was it?
Caller: I believe it was cave man hitting rock with stick.
Hello Senator"And now a word from the junior Senator from Arizona, the Honorable Mr. John McCain!"
Mrs. Harry"Even though my new name is New through marriage, I prefer the use of my given name first, then New."
Suspense"Who knows what evil lurks -- "
And now let's go to our man in the street..."–lly Ballou here, reporting live from Union Station where General Pershing, Senator John McCain, President Roosevelt and Scranton Pennsylvania paperboy Joey Biden have just arrived!"
The truth..."Radio waves, my foot...I KNOW there's a tiny orchestra in there!"
A word from our sponsor...Einbinder, the finest in flypaper.
Ooh!"How strange. Listening to President Coolidge is giving me a tingle down my leg! Or is it just a short in these infernal ear things that Harry insists are the cat's pajamas?"
A new record?I believe this is a new record for the number of posts to a picture. Have we bettered the "Leave it to Beaver letter" picture?
[The Beaver Letter has 70 comments; this one has 57 so far. No, wait. 58! - Dave]
It's Going, Going..."Oh drat! Every time the Cubs have a chance to win a series this darn radio stops working."
She Has the AnswerWho knows that evil lurks in the hearts and minds of men? MRS. NEW KNOWS!
"Can I Pick Up Duluth?""Duluth??? Bucko, you can get Tierra del Fuego!!!"
New Job for New"Mrs. New relished her new job with the NSA and found the Army's pillow talk especially titillating."
Would you hush up for a while Harry?"I'm trying to hear the advertisement from People's Drug Store...Myrtle told me that they are repeating their unprecedented one-day sale on Star vibrators like they had in 1921 and I need to get rid of these wrinkles and get relief from my stiff neck."
Page 2"Oooh where is that program? Honey, you have to come listen to this program I herd yesterday. It was interesting, but I don't think it will last very long. Now what was that guys name? Oh yeah, it was Paul Harvey."
TransmissionMrs. New? Are you receiving me? This is your master's voice. You will tell your husband to accept my illustration of a mallard for the newest US Postage stamp. Then my dream of world domination will be realized! Muwahahah!
That Was The Year That Was, 1924Oh, what wonders are afoot! Grandmothers are bobbing their hair, naked angels have been seen cavorting about, some boys are certainly up to no good, families are living in automobiles, fist-pounding rabble-rousers are making trouble, puppies are on the loose, an elephant has a toothache, the Babe enlisted, and Meg Ryan is out driving around in one of those hybrids. Time for a nap!
Happy Hour News Team"It was hotter than Hooker in Heater today, and hotter than Heater in Hellmouth…"
(As long as we're doing Firesign Theatre.)
Can You Hear Me Now?If I get these just so, I get five bars... isn't technology amazing??!!
Art"Art Bell learns the secret of time travel."
TV"I just heard John Logie Baird has invented a television. Now if I fiddle with this knob a bit I might be able to see what all the fuss is about"
ZZZZAAP!!Another victim of a poor HMO, Mrs. Harry S. New demonstrates her "Fry King" home electroshock machine.
WOO-HOO! I just realized I'm the 71st comment, breaking the Leave it to Beaver's letter record of 70 replies!
If my witty caption doesn't win a prize, perhaps this achievement will secure me a place in Shorpy history.
Earth to MarsCan you hear me now?
"Sigh....""I am sorry, my dear, but I definitely feel some resistance in between the second and third windings of the primary transformer coils. Honestly, if you would stop fooling around, posing for those silly photographers down at the factory during your work time, this sort of mistake would not occur!"
Mrs.New finds her purpose in lifeDialing up a Prosperous (and timely) Happy New Year.
11These go to eleven.
Radiola IVThe receiver is an RCA Radiola IV, made in the General Electric factory in Schenectady about 1923.
War of the WorldsCome in, Commander Zord, come in!! We have infiltrated and the mere humans are none the wiser. But couldn't you have found a more comfortable race for us to dress as? This girdle is killing me.
(Technology, The Gallery, Natl Photo)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/25237u.thumbnail.jpg "Mrs. New Tunes In: 1924")
- Lil Scrappers: 1942
- ... with a Target store.
View Larger Map
Radiola 18 Anyone else notice the RCA Radiola 18 radio on the shelf to the right and some other electronic gadget in ... Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 1:12pm -
- Simulcast: 1922
- ... making me think the piano player belted him too.
A Radiola Record I found a recording of "Kiss Me By Wireless." No words, and I ... Posted by Dave - 10/04/2011 - 3:25am -
- Well-Received: 1929
- ... or a pair of wires hanging out the rear. (Photo of 1929 Radiola 33 w/100B speaker)
A-Plumbing We Will Go Looks like ... Posted by Dave - 12/31/2018 - 6:14pm -
- Suitcase Wireless: 1924
- ... Not the only portable I happen to be the owner of a RCA Radiola AR-812, which is considered the first commercially produced superhet, ... Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 3:18pm -
![Washington, D.C., circa 1924. "Brent Daniel, formerly of the Radio Laboratory of the Bureau of Standards at Washington, with the first portable Super-Heterodyne, his own design. The seven vacuum tubes, batteries, loop antenna, loudspeaker and other necessary units are completely self-contained in the carrying case. He has been able to hear Pacific Coast stations from this outfit." View full size.
BatteriesThe batteries on the right power the low voltage high current filaments, probably 6v in parallel; the batteries on the left supply probably 48v each in series for a jolting 144 volts for plate current. Keep your fingers out.
Batteries were the problem; they're heavy, expensive and costly to replace, which they are often.
If you can't pick up anything, you can at least keep yourself warm from the heat it throws off.
[The 15-cell batteries on the left are 22.5 volts each, or 1.5V per cell. "Heavy Duty 6" on the right are labeled 1.5 volts (per cell, I guess). - Dave]
The ultimate in portabilityIt's the size of a Breadbox and only weighs fifty pounds!
You just know he was thinking that they'll never get any smaller than this!
The latest technology..."Transistors Under Glass"
Portable, all rightIf you have a dolly!
And thirty years later.It came down to this size. This is the first commercial transistor radio sold in 1954 by Regency. I remember listening to many a Giants game one those transistors. I wasn't around for the one in the main photo.
ReflectionsI love it when one of these old photos contains a reflective surface that provides a bit of unintentional insight into the background. In this case, each of the silvery tubes tells a slightly different story - depending on which one you look at, you can see the subject's hands, legs, and feet, the camera and a bit of the photographer, the large window that runs the length of the studio, some sort of lamp that's projecting a halo of light onto the ceiling, various bits of furniture and shelving, and if I'm not mistaken, part of the (adjoining?) building outside the window.
At least we can figure it out!Unlike an iPod, at least the components are somewhat easy to understand. Wonder what he would think of an iPod?
Complete in Itself
Washington Post, July 15, 1923.
Make Successful Test of
Portable Suitcase Radio Set
Local Enthusiasts Get Clear Reception
With Type Built by Brent Daniel
Various types of portable radio receiving sets have appeared from time to time in the last few months. While taking different forms, all the sets require either an external coil aerial or overhead antenna when in use, thus limiting their use to stationary installations or specially equipped conveyances.
A Washington manufacturer recently has standardized a design of portable receiving set which is complete in itself. The entire outfit, including all the batteries and coil aerial, is contained in a medium-sized light-weight suitcase.
This portable receiver is ready for important use at any time by merely closing the switch which lights the filaments of the six UV199 vacuum tubes used in the radio audio amplifier receiver. This amplifier employs three stages of DX-12 radio frequency transformers, detector and two audio stages. The same type instrument in nonportable form has been used repeatedly in the reception of transcontinental radiophone signals by employing a three-foot square coil aerial.
The builder of this portable set, Brent Daniel, recently made a series of tests to determine the practicability of its use in an automobile in motion, and in general outdoor reception. WCAP, the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone station, was tuned in when the set was located on the fourth floor of an office building. Leaving the set in operation with the musical program from the broadcasting station coming in clear and loud, the set was carried downstairs and placed in an automobile without once interrupting the reception. When the car started off, the ignition spark was quite audible with the set placed near the bed of the machine, however, by placing it in different positions, the spark was not audible. …
These tests, and the reception accomplished later with this portable set demonstrated its scope of usefulness in the hands of the auto-tourist or vacationist. With a high-class broadcasting station within a few hundred miles range, the user of such a set is assured of entertainment, regardless of his location. …
The outstanding feature of this portable receiver is that when the summer season is over and a radio set is wanted for the home during the winter, it is only necessary to remove the amplifier receiver unit from the portable case and place it in the regular mahogany case which is furnished for indoor use.
The superheterodyne receiverThe superheterodyne receiver and FM radio were both invented by Edwin Armstrong, generally acknowledged the greatest American radio engineer. A Signal Corps officer in WWI, he gave his patents to the US government during both WWI and WWII. FM radio contributed to Allied victory in WWII since it provided communications when AM did not. Armstrong lost a years-long patent fight with RCA and committed suicide in 1954. His wife continued the fight and eventually won the FM patents from RCA. Armstrong's life is documented in the book and Ken Burns' film "Empire of the Air".
SuperheterodyneThe big word "superheterodyne" means that this radio was quite advanced over the common tuned radio frequency (TRF) radio of the day. The fact that it has seven tubes and only two tuning knobs is unique among 1920s radios. Later, the two tuning knobs were put on a common shaft, allowing the single knob we're used to.
The trick used in this model is that it converts the station's frequency to a lower intermediate frequency that's the same no matter which station you're listening to, and amplifies the weak signal using an amplifier that's factory-tuned to that one frequency, instead of requiring the listener to tune several amplifier stages to the station's frequency. Hence the need for fewer tuning knobs.
By 1935, after the patent mess got sorted out, this type of radio completely replaced the TRF radio that Atwater Kent made a fortune from. It later became known as the All-American five tube radio, after the bean counters whittled every last penny from the design in the late thirties.
Ultimate geekHe's even got his pocket pen protector! This must have been very advanced for 1924.
Dry Cell BatteriesZinc-carbon chemistry gives 1.5 volts per cell, so all batteries made up from them in series will be multiples of that. The "A" battery was for the filaments, "B" for the high plate voltage (often 90V), and "C" for the grid circuits of the vacuum tubes (often 67.5V, so three of those 22.5 bats in this - four would give the 90V). The UV-199s (triodes) in it have 3V filaments, drawing 0.06 amp each. Larger current capacity is achieved by using cell electrodes with more surface area (so larger and heavier cells) or by connecting smaller cells/bats in parallel. On those large "Twin Cells" on the right their terminals are marked "carbon +" and "zinc -". Burgess has an interesting history with its distinctive "zebra striped" product.
Zenith TransoceanicThe largest radio I sold was the Zenith Transoceanic Radio. Zenith produced this shortwave radio that could be powered by AC or batteries . It was first produced in 1942 and continued to be made until 1981. In 1960 it sold with the batteries for about $160, figuring the average U.S. wage at the time at about $4000, it cost about 2 weeks pay. It weighed in excess of 25 lbs.
Not the only portableI happen to be the owner of a RCA Radiola AR-812, which is considered the first commercially produced superhet, and, which was considered a portable radio. Production began in 1924, and the radio sold for the bargain price of $220! It's an enormous thing, one foot high by one foot deep by three feet wide, with a mahogany veneer. I have a wonderful ad somewhere showing two guys camping, with fish in the pan, "listening to the big game". The tubes are encased in beeswax to protect them during transport. This feller's is a homebrew model. To understand the importance of the superhetrodyne technology, one must realize that there were several competing systems vying for dominance when the superhet came out. Today, if you have a radio, it's a superhet, period.
Many of the facets of radio we take as given today were not yet common when these radios were being built. For example, the mHz system was not yet adapted, so every single knob on the radio scales from 0-100. Volume knobs, tuning knobs, everything. Gotta love it.
[Spelling note: heterodyne, not "hetrodyne." - Dave]
(Technology, The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY_14502a.thumbnail.jpg "Suitcase Wireless: 1924")
- Now Hear This: 1929
- ... I have two 1929 radio receivers, an American Bosch, and a Radiola. Both have the same sort of tuning system from the consumer ... Posted by Dave - 04/04/2013 - 10:18am -
![Front panel of The Apparatus posted here yesterday. "United States Veterans Hospital. Designed and constructed by Radio Construction Corp. Washington, D.C." Circa 1929 Harris & Ewing negative. View full size.
Early PA systemI am a Amateur Radio operator of 23 years. That is an old vacuum tube PA system. Although, it does looks like an older Amateur Radio setup. They did use a lot of the same parts back then.
73 de Chuck K8CPA
...-.- ..
[The top unit has a radio tuning dial. - Dave]
PA/ReceiverThis is a combination broadcast radio receiver and PA system, often used in institutions. It also can serve as a phonograph amplifier, judging by the function switch. I have two 1929 radio receivers, an American Bosch, and a Radiola. Both have the same sort of tuning system from the consumer perspective, but differ on the other side. The broken glass at the top appears to be decorative, in combination with some sort of small light.
[That "broken glass" is something on the wall. - Dave]
FingerprintsI am guessing that Windex was in very short supply back then. Could have shined that transceiver up in a jiffy!
The wall decorationlooks like a large paper speaker cone that's been removed from one of the tabletop double-diaphragm dynamic speakers that were characteristic of the time.
I was pretty closeThe top thing *was* a radio and the bottom thing *was* two power amps. I would submit that the third power amp hasn't been installed yet; it would go below the other two.
No mixer here; you get radio XOR phonograph XOR hand microphone XOR auditorium microphone. It's interesting that there is a separate level control for the microphones, but not for the radio or phono - unless the radio volume control served as the level control.
I also suspect that the panel with the two meters isn't quite finished yet; I bet there will be two cords with 1/4" plugs emerging from the panel later. Each cord will be permanently connected at one end to one of the meters, while the other end can be plugged into channel 1, 2, or 3 to make a measurement - it's a DP3T or DP4T switch made the hard way.
It's also interesting that there are two phonograph inputs; probably so you can start the second record right away. Two turntables and a microphone...
(Technology, The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY_35441a.thumbnail.jpg "Now Hear This: 1929")
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