Shown here 100 years ago in the January 1926 issue of Talking Machine World is the storefront of Radio Hardware Co. 342 South State St., Salt Lake City. The magazine noted that this display evidenced neatness and simplicity, which were all that was necessary in many cases. The two window display was of Music Master radio receivers. Fifteen different items were shown artistically, with no crowding. The store noted that thousands viewed the display daily, and there had been a gratifying amount of sales resulting directly from it.
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1956 Three-Tube Amplifier
Seventy years ago, this aspiring musician was able to play the electric guitar thanks to the three-tube amplifier she constructed from plans in the January 1956 issue of Popular Electronics. In addition to use as a guitar amp as shown here, it could be used as a phonograph amplifier, or simply as a general-purpose amplifier in the lab.
It was built on an aluminum chassis made of soft aluminum that could be cut with ordinary household shears. A speaker baffle formed the cabinet.
1951 Muntz TV
If you were looking for a home entertainment system 75 years ago, you couldn’t go wrong with this 19 inch Muntz TV, AM-FM radio, and phonograph combination, for only $399.95, which could be paid over 15 months.
The ad appeared in the January 28, 1951, issue of the Washington Evening Star.
1941 Teen Girls: Swing More Important then Vitamins
Eighty-five years ago, the January 27, 1941, issue of Life magazine showed these teen girls listening to records. The magazine noted that for these “subdebutantes”, swing was more important than vitamins. The magazine identifies only two of the girls shown, Edith Seyburn, at the phonograph, and her sister Isabel, standing at the right.
1951 Pager
Seventy-five years ago, this New York physician was undoubtedly one of the first in the nation to carry a radio pager, described in the January 1951 issue of Popular Science. But it wasn’t quite as automatic as later models. It was simply a receiver for 43.58 MHz, and he had to remember to periodically turn it on and listen to a list of three-digit numbers. If his number was called, he would call his office to find out the emergency.
The number would be broadcast for an hour, and the list of numbers was recorded on 16 mm film. The service was provided by Telanserphone, Inc., and subscribers paid $12 per month. The service was said to have a service radius of 25 miles, and would work almost anywhere, other than the subway. The magazine gives the call sign of the transmitter, KEA627. Interestingly, according to the FCC record, that license was still active up through 2000 on the same frequency, most recently licensed by Metrocall USA, Inc.
1956 GM Delco Wonder Bar Radio
Seventy years ago, the January 23, 1956, issue of Life magazine carried this ad from Delco touting the “Wonder Bar” radio that could be had in your new General Motors car. You would preset the sensitivity, and then by touching the Wonder Bar (or a foot switch), the radio would automatically seek the next station.
1946 Home Soda Fountain
Shown here, eighty years ago today in the January 22, 1946, issue of the Detroit Evening Times is Miss Nanci Trumbull, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. George T. Trumbull of Bloomfield Hills, MI, serving up some sodas from the soda fountain to her classmates at Kingswood School, Phillis Klinger, Elizabeth Boyne, and Beverly Whiting.
One might be forgiven if they concluded that Nanci had gotten a job at the local soda parlor. But that would be incorrect. The soda fountain had actually been installed in the recreation room of the Trumbull home for after school snacks.
She passed away in 2014 at the age of 86. Her obituary (Mrs. Nancy Elisabeth Seibert) notes, quite fittingly, that she was a trendsetter all of her life. And she certainly was in 1946. Of course, we have no doubt that these girls were listening to the radio as they enjoyed their sodas. Their listening options are shown below. (You can click on the image for a larger version.) Since it was after school, our bet was that they were listening to “House Party” at 4:00 on WJR.
1956 British Six Tube Superhet
Seventy years ago, the January 1956 issue of the British magazine Radio Constructor had the plans for this handsome “transportable” six-tube (including rectifier) receiver for the medium and long waves. The set was a superheterodyne, and was said to perform well even in weak signal areas. It earned status as transportable and not portable due to the fact that it ran on AC power.
The main innovation was the use of a ferrite antenna coil, which outperformed earlier built-in antennas.
1941 RCA Super Six
Eighty-five years ago, the January 20, 1941, issue of Life magazine carried this ad for the RCA Super 6. The ad listed 18 “features” of the set, such as the “big continental style plastic cabinet,” and noted that the price tag of $16.95 was less than one dollar per feature.
In today’s dollars, the price works out to about $373.
1951 British Five Tube Car Radio
If you were a British motorist and radio enthusiast 75 years ago, putting a radio in your car was a do-it-yourself project, thanks to this five-tube superheterodyne medium-wave receiver shown in the January 1951 issue of Practical Wireless. There was nothing novel about the circuit, and it probably wouldn’t pull in a lot of foreign stations. But for entertainment and information from local stations, it would serve well. A vibrator power supply was on a separate chassis, which employed a sixth tube, the rectifier.
