VINTAGE RADIO

Radio Cabinetry
As the popularity of radio increased, the household radio evolved into more than just a technological wonder. It became a part of day to day life. It was company for the housewife as she did her day to day chores, a gathering place for the family at the end of the day, it brought music and culture into the average home, and with political unrest brewing in Europe and the Pacific rim, news of impending gloom. The radio sets themselves were evolving into something that was part of the home décor. By the end of the 1920s, the radio was considered to be a necessary piece of furniture.
Styles of radio cabinetry varied as widely as the life styles and tastes of the people who bought them. Presented here are generic examples of different styles to help those interested in vintage radio or perhaps new to the hobby of collecting them, become familiar with the various designs and their names.

All of these radios are pre-World War Two, since this column focuses on “vintage radio”. The vast majority of cabinets from this time period were made of wood, with the exception of few made from bakelite or catalin, both early plastics. A number of “bread box” style radios like the one shown here, or the Atwater Kent “Little Stove” ( featured as last month’s “radio of the month”) came with metal cabinets. Within each generic style were almost limitless variations ranging from the very plain, to some outrageous art deco or gothic creations.

A few manufacturers constructed their own cabinets, but most were outsourced to traditional furniture or cabinet makers. It was not uncommon for several different brands to use cabinets from the same supplier, often with only minor differences between one brand and the next. Kiel and Pooley were two cabinet companies to profit greatly from new found business generated by the radio industry, making cabinets for a variety of radio brands. Often a popular radio would be offered in several different cabinet styles. The Atwater Kent model 52 shown here in a Kiel “parlor table” was also offered in a metal “bread box” with an external speaker, as a Pooley “lowboy” console, and as an open chassis for those who either wanted the “high tech” look, or wanted to build their own cabinet.



The early consoles, which became popular in the mid to late 1920s, were usually of the “low boy” or “high boy” variety. The distinguishing feature being the length of the legs more than the overall height of the cabinet.

Zenith often offered a popular chassis in both a “floor console” and as a large table top model. The floor console is sometimes referred to as a "modern console". Some table radios featuring both battery and AC operation were fitted with a carrying handle and called “portable”. The later ones weighed just a few pounds, but you would not enjoy carrying around a 1920’s portable as most had two handles and including batteries, often weighed over sixty pounds.
Radio of The Month
This month's radio is a 1929 RCA Radiola 46 in a high boy console. Although console radios go back to the early 1920s, their popularity grew in the latter half of the decade. The set was simple to operate. The volume control and tuning knob are placed one inside of the other, with the power switch on one side of the cabinet, and a local /distant switch on the other. The dial scale is internal and made of a stamped piece of steel. A lamp was placed behind it and projected the frequency onto an opaque piece of glass located just above the tuning knob. A new innovation was the dial nomenclature, which listed the actual frequency the way a modern radio does. For familiarity, the old 0-100 scale was displayed next to the frequency. A large 12 inch diameter paper cone speaker provided ample volume and decent quality sound. The cabinet is mahogany with a burl maple veneer border just below the top. The back, also mahogany, is removable to allow servicing and tube replacement.

The radio utilized the ever popular single tuning knob three stage TRF design, but changes were on the horizon. Two new tubes were introduced. One was the type 45, an improved audio triode capable of delivering several watts of audio power. This allowed the use of the large 12 inch loudspeaker. The second and more important was the type 24 (and later type 33) tetrode. As the name implies, the tube has four instead of three active elements. An additional grid, known as a screen grid, was added and it was a substantial improvement in tube design. The added grid increased the gain of the tube while also increasing stability. High gain circuits were now less prone to unwanted oscillation and drift, which allowed the use of a calibrated dial.


Extra steps were also taken to keep the dial accurate. To prevent drifting due to temperature change, the 3 gang tuning capacitor was mounted on a thick cast aluminum chassis and two of the sections were enclosed for shielding and temperature stability.

The volume control was now part of the audio amplifier such as it would be in a modern radio. Previous designs placed it inline with the antenna, but this allowed static and electrical interference such as motor noise from a vacuum cleaner, which entered the radio via the power source, to be greatly amplified. The new design kept the radio signal strong and reduced unwanted noise. A disadvantage was that a local station could now overload the tuner section causing distortion. This was solved by adding the local/ distant switch, that allowed the listener to reduce the strength of a local signal before it entered the radio. Note that the design still uses a separate chassis for the power supply (although the audio amplifier is also built into it). This implies that a “farm” version was probably available that ran on batteries.

This radio is completely original except for a few frayed wires which were replaced. It still operates and is a good performer. RCA's attempt at using a heavy chassis to keep the tuner accurate was not without flaws. The cast aluminum chassis expands and contracts quite a bit with temperature changes, requiring the tuner to be realigned every few years. The cabinet is exceptionally well made.

The screen grid tube brought the TRF radio circuit to its pinnacle. It also brought about its demise. The tube made it easy to mix two signals together for the purpose of producing a third. This would be the basis for the heterodyne circuit that would replace the TRF design in the early 1930s. More on that and radio companies who refused to let go of the TRF design next month.

COLLECTOR'S TIP:Console radios were originally shunned by collectors because of the space that they consume. As table radios became harder to find, and on line auction sites drove prices up, many collectors revisited the console radio. Today’s larger homes allow more room to display these classic sets. It is not uncommon for a console to fetch $300 to $1000 or more. Many were stored in the basement or attic, both being rough environments for any furniture. This does however, offer the opportunity for someone who enjoys woodworking or furniture restoration to occasionally find one in need of cabinet work at a good price.

BACK