Another big, ugly....
 

...but interesting old Zenith.

Anybody know what a MK1025 is? I have nothing on it in my files Here's the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ayphotohosting

What a strange design! Looking at it, I can't get a handle on how the (four?) speakers swivel or attach, but notice that the tuning knob is located on the face of one of the left-hand speakers. The box-ish, early (mobile home) styling would suggest solid state, but I found another, ended auction that also described this as a tube set. I wonder if it's a distant cousin to the 10-tube MJ 1035? It's weird. It's wacky. And I think I want it.

It's in the Sams index, #687 from 1964. Zenith made tube radios until '67 -'68 or so...

I couldn't resist.

I was out of town (racing vintage motorcycles in California) so I had my brother bid on this while I was away. He kept at it and I ended up paying $65.00 or so, total. Please! No FEDEX!! :-(

I'm curious to see how this monster sounds. I assumed the MJ1035 was the....'zenith' of their tube table-radio offerings. This looks bigger and badder yet...

yeah, with an 88 to 108 dial, it wasn't from the '50s (like the ad said), was it?

The FM band shifted to it's current position in the late 40's.
 

I've got a 1950 Emerson with the 88 - 108 FM band.

On my 1946 Zenith it has both the 88-108 and 42-49? mhz bands.

I stand corrected
 

Yes, I guess it was more of a post-WWII issue, the "battle of the bands".

So, mid-to late '40s for the old FM band then?

Not that big, or ugly...
 

A pretty neat radio, but not what I was expecting.

I guess the eBay pics must have fooled me, as this is really a portable. A 10-tube, four-speaker Zenith portable. The two outside speakers drop onto hinges that connect them and swing in an out. Close them completely and you can still hear the radio, with small magnets to hold the speakers shut if you wanted to move it or something. Neat. Just the ticket for your dorm room in 1965 or so. Plastic case, wood grain and a stereo indicator. It sounds OK, not anywhere near the presence or bottom end found on something like an H845 or even the (much larger) MJ 1035, but it does have good reception.

I've included a soda can in one pic to give some idea of its actual size.

But, I'm wondering if this is actually older than I'm thinking? It has the (AM) Civil Defense markings found on the older (pre-1959?) Zeniths. This just doesn't 'feel' like a 50s radio to me, but there is absolutely no information on the internet about it anywhere and the bottom tag only gives the usual patient information. At least it arrived in one piece! (Or is that three...?) :banana:

See my page http://www.geocities.com/wa2ise/radios/fm45.html for some of the gory details. Essentially David Sarnoff of RCA wanted consumers to buy his new product "television" and not be distracted by FM radio. To eliminate FM radio he convinced the FCC that TV needed the 45MHz band for a channel 1 and kick FM up to 100MHz. Making FM broadcasters buy new transmitters and consumers buy new FM receivers (or not buy new FM sets but buy TV sets). Sarnoff was very unhappy when the FCC said that TV sound was to be on an FM subcarrier. My speculation that if Armstrong had pointed out that FM for the sound for TV would make television a really great "killer app" product (hi-fi sound with pictures, can't miss!), Sarnoff might have "bought" FM for TV gladly. No way of knowing of course.....

Stereo broadcasting started when... 1961? I don't think it was common until '64 or later.

Well, that sounds about right for us here in Canada. I can remember the stations making a big deal about NOW! i n S-T-E-R-E-O

Everything you've wanted to know about FM (well, almost)