'39 Motorola "Picnic" portable
 

Some call these sets that. I call them "luggage-style" portables. In the pre-war years these sets had nice big chassis' and very often tweed cloth covering with multi-colored or brown stripes. Those are my favorites. The post-war models often had wimpier chassis' and non-striped tolex covering. This 1939 Motorola 41D has an unusual dial. Off, you see a decorative "Batteries Off" plate. When you turn it on that plate swiftly springs to the left revealing the numbered dial plate behind it. Someone killed all 4 tubes sometime in it's past, but with the help of a friend and modern batteries it lives again! It's one of the best playing battery-only portables I've ever heard too. Very sensitive with plenty of volume.

http://videokarma.org/attachment.php...0&d=1543079705

very nice!

Thanks. They're fun sets at bargain prices.

Back when radios were cool!

Oh yes. That's the whole reason to be in this hobby - cool styling. When you get one of these portables, you'll soon have another. That have a warm yellowish/beige tint and a warm sound to match!

These are so inexpensive and fun that I got another one. This is a cute cube-shape stlyed 1939 Emerson CT-275. Again, it has the old "luggage-style" striped tweed case, and is battery only. With modern batteries and a friend going over the chassis, it is an excellent little performer. Sensitive, clear, and with a nice mellow tone. The red mark on the left side bottom of the dial designates that it is on. When you turn it off it's gold.

http://videokarma.org/attachment.php...7&d=1543723960

I be liking that two band!

One band, AM only.

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Thanks. Yes, that one's my favorite so far. It plays as good as it looks too. It's only a single band though showing both Kilocycles and Meters.

These are great fun! :thmbsp:

I have always wondered why they don’t seem to be more popular among radio collectors. I’m guessing that many are avoided because of the batteries, but it is really easy to make a workable battery pack, and with more effort, duplicate the appearance of the original pack. :scratch2:

Could you post a picture of the Motorola “turned on”, so that we might see the dial markings after the dial changes?

jr

I have several of those large portable radios, but most of them are the 3-way type, AC-DC and battery. I did build up a few AC power supplies for the battery only sets. The best way of doing it now is to use a 5 volt regulator chip.
I still have to build one up like that.
For a power transformer, I use a transformer from a scrap VTVM or other obsolete, worthless test equipment. Total line isolation!

I love battery tube sets! all mine are post war though. I've got a funky red Motorola one that does three way power and a battery only bakelite Emerson. I also have a "recipe" for homemade 67 1/2 volt batteries.

Ah, gotcha.

They are fun and, as I mentioned, will surprise you how good they play. I was a collector who ignored these for years too. I always thought they were too utilitarian looking with the mesh grills, handles, and unlit dial. As whenever you go outside your area of focus in the hobby, you soon get hooked! I did that a while back with '20's sets too.
I don't concern myself with the look of the batteries. A single "D" and a series of 10 9V's is easy to tuck into the back of these early sets. With limited collector use, the batteries last for a good long time.
Here's the Motorola turned-on with the "Batteries Off" plate out of the way. It's really cool how it springs back and forth!

http://videokarma.org/attachment.php...8&d=1543788207

Very nice... thanks for posting! Still scratching my head trying to figure out where the other plate goes. :scratch2:

jr