[NJARC] help in identifying a mystery radio

Wed, 15 May 2002 14:04:19 -0400

NJARC members:

I received this inquiry via the web page. Can anyone help this fellow? 

Thanks,
--Dave Sica

On Wed, 15 May 2002 10:41:24 -0500 "Earl Komassa" <[email protected]>
writes:

Can you please help identify this radio?  It is a 5 tube superhet, wood
cabinet, table radio made sometime between the late 1930's and the early
1940's.  I don't have the manufacturer's name, but I have a partial
schematic which I am sending you a copy of.  The schematic indicates it
is a model 532 (or 552?).  The picture of the back of the chassis shows a
little red tag on the right that shows a chassis or serial number NO
254046.  The tag also says the radio was built at "plant A, Chicago".  

The tube line-up includes one of each of the following: 6A7, 6D6, 75, 42,
80.  Radio tuning employs a mechanical bandspread design, using a circle
of translucent, flexible plastic about 1/16" thick, slightly larger
diameter than the radio dial.  The bottom of this circle is attached to
the tuning knob shaft.  The center of this circle has a shaft running
through the center of it with the dial pointer attached on one end and
the tuning capacitor on the other.

The wood cabinet has been painted with a gray, oil based paint.  The area
around the holes for the knob shafts shows it was originally a walnut
stain, I think.  The cabinet is obviously in bad shape, one end of it is
missing and the top is separated from the rest of the cabinet.  Do you
know of a way to remove an oil based paint without removing or destroying
a radio name that may be on the front of the cabinet?  

Do you happen to know what radios were built in Chicago during the late
1930's and early 1940's?

Any information you can shed on this radio would certainly be
appreciated!

Thanks,
Earl Komassa
2021 S. 17th St.
Milwaukee, WI 53204
(414) 672-8928

NOTE to NJARC sleuths: I have posted Earl's photos at:
http://www.njarc.org/OTR1.jpg
http://www.njarc.org/OTR2.jpg
http://www.njarc.org/OTR3.jpg
http://www.njarc.org/OTR4.jpg

--D.S.

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