Eighty years ago, the war had been won, and a lot of people were happy about it. And that included these two on the cover of Radio Retailing, October 1945. The woman on the right was happy because she was able to buy a new radio, for the first time since 1942. And the gentleman on the left was even happier, because he was a radio dealer, and was able to once again make it a Radio Christmas.
Eighty years ago, production of civilian radios was still banned, but the public and radio manufacturers knew that the end was in sight, and manufacturers were gearing up to meet the pent-up demand. This ad appeared in the Detroit Evening Times, August 26, 1945, and shows what Emerson had planned.
Unlike some similar ads, which were a little bit unclear about what exactly they would be selling, this one hit it pretty close, and featured the 5-tube model shown here. It’s identified in the ad as the model 502. To make sure you got one of the first, you could go to your local Emerson dealer and place an order.
The set was popular. My family had an Emerson 503 in the kitchen. This was a more or less identical model, but with a wooden case rather than Catalin. When it stopped working, it was given to me to “fix,” although I wound up simply dismantling it. Many years later, I got another example on eBay, and got it working by replacing the capacitors. Mine is shown here. (If you look carefully, you can see the dial light, as it was playing when I took this picture. Like most AA5’s, it’s a pretty good receiver.
Here’s a snapshot of U.S. public opinion after Europe had been at war for almost a year, from the July 29, 1940, issue of Life Magazine. (You can view a larger image by clicking the image above.)
56% of the American population thought that German and Italy were going to win the war, and two thirds believed that the United States would be in danger if that happened. Over 70% believed that the U.S. should immediately begin compulsory military training for all young men.
If Germany and Italy were to win the war, then an overwhelming 88% of the public believed that the U.S. should arm to the teeth at any expense.
American supported the Monroe Doctrine, and was asked whether the U.S. should defend the hemisphere against foreign invasion. 80% believed that Canada should be defended, and almost 75% believed that Mexico and Central America should be defended. Two-thirds believed that South America and the West Indies should be defended, and 58% believed the same with respect to Greenland.
If America were ever to get into a predicament such as Belgium, Norway, or Finland and was apparently being beaten, a majority believed that America should continue to fight at all costs, with only a third advocating surrender to prevent further bloodshed and destruction.
Overall, 43% of Americans were optimistic as to the future of civilization, with 35% pessimistic, and 20% not knowing.
Eighty years ago, there was still a war going on, but people were itching for things to get back to normal. For example, civilian radios were still out of production, but this dealer guessed (correctly, it turns out) that there would be new ones rolling off the assembly line come fall. The picture appears on the cover of the July 1945 issue of Radio Service Dealer, and that issue gives no clues as to exactly where the sign is located.
But with a little bit of detective work, we found the location, and we also determined that the picture shown above was Photoshopped! The sign above reads “This Fall! New Radios.” The magazine doesn’t say where the sign is located. The magazine states only “dealer looks forward.”
But the identical photo appeared in the December 1943 issue of the magazine. Well, we should say that it was almost identical. Because the sign really said, “Wanted-Used Radios.” I bet they still wanted them in 1945, but a graphic artist (if not the dealer) guessed that the end of the shortage was in sight.
The 1943 issue reveals that the shop was Kimbark Electric Appliance Co., 1309 E. 53rd St., Chicago. The owner was Harold E. Wollenhaupt, who died in 1989.
Eighty-five years ago today, the July 15, 1940, issue of Life Magazine analyzed a hypothetical invasion of England by the Germans. These images are among the artist’s conception of what the battle, the opposite of the Normandy invasion, might look like.
Eighty-five years ago, this British family was taking refuge in their air-raid shelter, and had the luxury of information and entertainment courtesy of their radio. The July 13, 1940, issue of of Practical Wireless gave some pointers on the best way to equip the shelter with radio. The magazine acknowledged that there was no single solution for every case, but the provided food for thought.
One option was to employ a remote speaker with the normal family radio. Somewhat counter-intuitively, it suggested that the best option might be to place the radio in the shelter, and put the speaker in the house. This was because they would have access to the radio while in the shelter, and could change stations if the need arises. And, of course, if the set was turned off, it could be turned on without delay getting to the shelter.
The magazine also discussed the possibility of a portable. Here, it cautioned that if the shelter had a damp environment, it might be best to store the set outside. Finally, it discussed the possibility of using a car radio, particularly if a battery were in place for lighting.
Eighty-five years ago, there were few private automobiles on British roads due to the war. But for those that were still in use, a restriction went into place on June 1, 1940. According to the July 1940 issue of Practical Wireless, as of that date, it was illegal to have any radio apparatus in a motor vehicle after that date. According to the magazine, the order applied to both built-in sets as well as portables. It also applied to the antenna, which had to be removed as well.
Since you had to take the radio inside anyway, the magazine showed this rather self-explanatory diagram of how to hook it up at home. It discussed options such as the best way to keep the battery charged.
As we previously reported, the ban was lifted in 1944, and the magazine showed how to re-install the radio.
Eighty years ago, this wartime electronics worker was assembling voltage amplifiers and full-wave rectifier tubes at the Western Electric Company‘s vacuum tube shop. Her picture appeared on the cover of the June 1945 issue of Radio magazine.
Eighty-five years ago this month, the June 1940 issue of Practical Wireless showed how to put together this basic crystal set for the beginning radio experimenter. Just because there was a war going on didn’t mean that one couldn’t get a start in radio with this simple receiver.
The magazine noted that in most areas of Britain, the set would be able to pick up the Home Service broadcasts on 449 meters (668 kHz). But because transmitter power varied, there was no set number of miles that the set would pull in. Therefore, it advised checking with experienced amateurs in the area before beginning construction.
It noted that buying commercial coils would be an easy way to make a compact set. But it encouraged winding your own, as that way, the beginner would be able to see the works.
Eighty years ago this month, this circuit for a one-tube broadcast radio appeared in the June 1945 issue of Radio Craft. It was sent in to the magazine by a soldier stationed in Florida, who assembled it in his barracks with various parts gathered around camp.
He reported that with a 45 volt battery, the set provided good loudspeaker volume. A 1D8GT tube served as both amplifier and detector, and all stations came in loud and clear.
Unfortunately, we don’t know the identity of the soldier, due to a typographical error by the magazine. He was stationed at Camp Gordon Johnston, Florida. Unfortunately, the author’s name was listed as “Camp Gordon” with a town of Johnston, Florida.