Eighty years ago, the November 1946 issue of Radio News carried this ad from McGee Radio & Electric Company, 1225 McGee Street, Kansas City, MO, which got its hands on a bunch of navy surplus receivers that it was offering for $14.95 ($256 in 2026 dollars).

While the ad doesn’t give the model number, the set in question is Navy Model RBZ. The 5-tube set covered 5-13 MHz (with a 2-5.8 MHz version available). Undoubtedly due to aluminum shortages during the war, the set use permeability tuning. The battery was included, and consisted of a 1.5 volt D cell for the filaments and a 67.5 volt B battery.

The set was known as the “helmet radio,” since the antenna lead included a lead wire designed to clip onto the wearer’s helmet. The low-profile headphones also fit under the helmet.