Eighty years ago this month, the April 1941 issue of Radio Service Dealer carried this ad from RCA reminding servicemen that Radio radios could sell themselves. It suggested, for example, that when bringing a set into the shop, they could leave behind a model such as the Radiola 515, a six-tube set retailing for $24.95. While it was there, customers would discover the convenience of a second set that they could easily carry from room to room. And, of course, since the set pulled in the shortwaves, the customers would be able to listen to the latest war news direct from Europe.

Also shown was the Model 510 in striking molded plastic, and the model P-5 three-way portable. The multiband set is being shown off by Eugenia Lincoln “Jinx” Falkenburg, America’s number 1 model, who went on to have a radio show with her husband Tex, undoubtedly heard over many Radiolas, after the war.

The ad mentions that the serviceman might be in the customer’s home to set the pushbuttons on the radio. This is because on March 29, 1941, most North American radio stations changed frequency. Sets with pushbutton tuning would need the buttons reset to the new frequencies.