Eighty-five years ago, this young woman is enjoying some musical entertainment at the beach, thanks to her General Electric model HB-408 portable radio-phono.  The set featured a mechanical record player, which could play two ten-inch records on a single crank.  The electronics consisted of four tubes (1A7G, 1N5G, 1H5G, and 1Q5G), powered by one 1.5 volt A battery and two 45 volt B batteries.  It featured a four-inch speaker.  She had no trouble getting it to the beach, as it was a featherweight 19.5 pounds.

The picture appeared in the December 1939 issue of National Radio News.

Seventy years ago, this homemaker was able to prepare her family’s holiday meal while she was entertained by high-fidelity music, thanks to this portable sound system mounted on a household teacart. The photo was provided by Regency, and the equipment consisted of the Regency HF -150 high- fidelity amplifier, the Webcor “Diskchanger,” and the Jensen “Duette” reproducer.

The photo appeared on the cover of Radio News, December 1954, and the magazine noted that eagle-eyed readers might notice the lack of interconnecting cables.  This was explained by the possibility that she didn’t want to finish hooking it up until dinner was on the table.

Eighty-five years ago, the gentleman shown here spinning the records put his entrepreneurial skills as well as his tech savvy to work with this portable sound system he designed. He is one Fred Dingman, who authored two construction articles about how to build the sound system in the November and December 1939 issues of Popular Mechanics.

He reported that the investment was only about $25, as all parts are inexpensive, and he built the enclosures himself. The finished circuit put out 10 watts of undistorted sound to two 12-inch speakers, meaning that he could provide adequate volume for small halls or outdoors. It was designed as an inexpensive substitute for small dance orchestras, and he had no difficulty obtaining engagements for fraternity and sorority parties, dancing clubs, or lawn gatherings in a middle west university town.

At a reasonable rate, he provided the equipment, operator, and records. For those wishing to follow in his footsteps, the magazine could provide a complete set of blueprints.  The system could also accommodate a microphone.

If you were in the market for a phonograph in Omaha, then the place to go would be the Schmoller & Mueller Piano Company, as shown in this ad from the Omaha Bee, May 6, 1924.

It wasn’t unusual for piano dealers to sell phonographs.  This made sense, since they were hedging their bets–if phonographs meant people would stop buying pianos, they were covered either way.  But this dealer took it a step further–just in case radio marked the end of phonographs, they had that covered, too.  If you bought a phonograph from them, they would throw in a free crystal set.

Seventy-five years ago today, the January 17, 1949, issue of Life magazine showed these two FM offerings from RCA Victor.

The nine-tube model 8V90 stood only 33-1/4″ high and 31=1/4″ wide, but included standard broadcast and FM with “RCA Victor’s own simpler, more sensitive Frequency Modulation circuits.” The fine record changer featured a sapphire pickup with no needles to change. The 18th Century-style cabinet also featured a record storage compartment.

For those looking for an FM table radio, the seven-tube model 8X71 was beautifully styled in rich maroon or antique ivory-finish plastic.