Tube radios with multiple functions remote control

[Telecolor 3007]

Well, there where some tube (valve) radios that allowed you to remote control sound volume, maybe tone selection. But there where ever produce in U.S.A. radios that could change the station or even the band (let's say from M.W. to F.M.) by remote control. Like this U.S.S.R. (no mistake) made radio did. I've seen one working at a collector, but now he dosen't find the remote control...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ7ACfpq_OA&t=1238s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAYrl9z866o&t=1702s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIv-tvUiiuk&t=12s

[SeniorSteve]

There is one radio that comes to mind, the 1939 Philco model 39-116. It was I believe, the first American built radio that had a wireless remote, the Philco Mystery Control. The remote had 1 tube in it and sent a signal to the radio at around 385khz. The control was able to turn the volume up and down, mute the radio, and select up to 8 preprogrammed stations (on the broadcast band only). The radio itself had 3 bands, broadcast and two shortwave ones. I have one, but unfortunately I don't have the Philco Mystery Control to go with it.

The radio isn't much to look at, but the remote was ahead of it's time.

Steve

[init4fun]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/37348262574...MAAOSw87ZgKxKM

There are 4 of them on Ebay right now, with this one being the cheapest.

The usual disclaimer, none of the mystery control remotes for sale on Ebay are mine, I have no connection to them whatsoever, I'm merely passing them along in case Steve may want one........

[Telecolor 3007]

Found out about that remote control. But the stations where preset on the radio itself, it wasn't a classic tunning system.

[init4fun]

Originally Posted by Telecolor 3007

Found out about that remote control. But the stations where preset on the radio itself, it wasn't a classic tunning system.

Yes, the radio had the ability to preset a finite number of stations for selection by the remote. Something you should remember here while your judging the first wireless remote of the long ago past against the technology of today is that back then you didn't need the ability to tune from one end of the band to the other, stopping on the dozens of available stations, because there weren't dozens of available stations in any one area. I'll bet even most major metropolitan areas had perhaps a few stations operating, so for all intents and purposes the remote tuning method employed by this system was "full coverage" for whatever area the radio was being operated in

[Electronic M]

IIRC on a 40s guide to Milwaukee I looked at in an antique shop in the intro summary where it gave the population, geographic area, etc, it also mentioned a whopping 6 radio stations, a single TV station and 2 FM stations.
DX reception of neighboring cities often doesn't work during the day (except for a couple 50KW stations) and at night isn't dependable to the point a preset would be the best choice for tuning DX.

[TV-collector]

These kind of remote controled radios were common in Germany.
Philips, Grundig and the best, SABA (1954 - ~1965) made them:
all functions by cable remote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrxE-v8ZbeU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvRgOqiGq3Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Stq33jkglik

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gExk47SWCTQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i9SWUeLZFI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLwSjamc0wQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-2MKJzj-Sc

WITH CABLE REMOTE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd6Vfm3O8T4

WITH CABLE REMOTE (from Italy):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a6PJTGue-M

WITH CABLE REMOTE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dikSHNyUJVs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myovCzawl34

SABA made in 1937 their first motorized radio:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7OQmmXk_fw

The SABA automatic series has mostly 2 motors, one for the station search
and one for the volume control.
Wave band and sound switch goes with relays.

There was a Tonfunk radio with on/off switch by a supersonic remote.

Just german engeneering!

Regards,
TV-collector

[Telecolor 3007]

Well, "S.A.B.A." Automatic radios can be find in Romania too.
But those remote controls wheren't as multifunctional as on that Soviet radio.
In Europe preset station radios where made. "Philips" and "EKO" made such radios. But in Europe you could get on L.W. and M.W. quite a lot of stations. Even if you lived in Romania and you had to listen (in theory) only to communist radio stations, you had more then 12. On A.M. Romania had 2 stations in Bucharest (the 3rd was on F.M.) plus 2-3 regional stations (closed in 1985, reopened in 1990 or 1991).

[TV-collector]

Btw. Metz made a tuner inside a remote control like you pointed us on the russian set.
It has a scale, too, and was dedicated to have a radio when you bought a Metz TV receiver.
The power supply, the output stage and the speaker was used to run that radio.

Regards,
TV-collector

[Telecolor 3007]

But those radios camed only with tv sets? Do you have picture of such radio?